My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 38 Too Expensive

Chapter 38 Too Expensive
"Hey ma'am, the pig's head smells delicious! How much is it per pound?"

Three yuan? That's so expensive.

"What? Pork is 2.5 yuan? It was only 1.8 yuan during the Chinese New Year, how come it's so expensive now?"

"A pie?"

"Two cents each? Three for fifty cents, right? Then give me the fifty-cent ones..."

Having not attended a market for almost twenty years, Chen Ling was truly in high spirits.

There's no rush to buy livestock.

The market in Changle Township is shaped like the Chinese character "井" (well), so Chen Ling pushed his cart from the east end to the west end, and from the south end to the north end of Changle Township.

I walked around the whole market, and whenever I saw food that I remembered, I would stop and buy some, eating as I walked.

In the end, I couldn't carry anything else in my hands.

This attracted many curious glances from those who were at the market.

"Hey sir, I have a parking lot at my place, do you need to park?"

Just then, a boy of about half a year ran over from not far away, glanced at him curiously, and saw that he had so many things in his hands that he could hardly hold them all, so he asked.

"Never stop, never stop."

Chen Ling waved his hand, glanced around, and prepared to find a secluded spot to store the item in his cave.

After being rejected, the boy stopped looking and ran to a neighbor's house, shouting over the courtyard wall, "Going to get a haircut! Is Third Brother home? Let's go to the market for a haircut!"

"Just leave."

The young man called Third Brother picked up a broom, went outside, glanced at the door, put the broom behind the door, and followed the boy towards the east side of the market.

As he walked, the boy kept shouting, and in no time he had gathered a large group of people, and they went to the market in a noisy commotion.

"A haircut?"

Having not attended a market for many years, Chen Ling found everything interesting and followed along on his bicycle.

His hair has grown long, so he should get it cut.

In most places there, getting a haircut isn't called getting a haircut; it's called getting a shave.

Aside from the county seat, there are relatively few barbershops in many villages and towns. Barbers travel from street to street, going to villages or markets every few days to cut people's hair. There are both old and young barbers. At each big market, there can be two or three barbers, but business is quite good.

When Chen Linggang was wandering around the market, he saw two barber stalls.

However, he hadn't been to a market in years, so he just glanced at it and walked past without lingering.

He happened to be on the way and there was an outhouse behind the township government building, so he took the opportunity to put all his things into the cave while he was out in the outhouse.

Continue walking towards the nearest barber stall.

The stall was set up at the entrance of the township grain station, with a barber's carrying pole on a shoulder pole and a small flagpole standing next to it.

The barber was an old man with a high nose and small eyes. Chen Ling glanced at him and thought he looked a lot like Ma Sanli, the crosstalk comedian.

The master shaving master was truly skilled; he quickly finished shaving the two men's heads.

Chen Ling went to the stall next door, bought some melon seeds, and leaned against the wall to eat them while watching.

At this point, several teenagers who had gathered around started complaining, some saying the buzz cut wasn't flat enough, others saying the bald head wasn't shiny enough, criticizing the old master's skills and waiting to have their heads shaved.

The experienced craftsman was probably used to it.

He agreed verbally and chatted with them about everyday things, but his hands never slowed down.

The man about to get a haircut was an old man with a sallow complexion.

The barber unfolded a thick, old white cloth, wrapped it around the old man's neck, and wiped the razor.

The barber smiled and called out, "Brother, let's get started!"

With a swift motion, a lock of gray hair fell onto the white cloth wrapped around the old man's neck, revealing a patch of bare white scalp.

Perhaps it was the tingling, comfortable feeling of the razor gliding across his head that made the sallow-faced old man squint and exclaim, "Master, your skills are really good! Don't listen to those kids' nonsense."

The old master chuckled softly.

After carrying a stall around for so many years, how could I make a living without some skills?
Chen Ling watched with great interest. When he was a child, he either had a buzz cut or was bald, which was easy to manage. His family also had hand clippers, but he didn't really know what they were called. He just thought they were fun, and his father was careful so they wouldn't hurt him. The first time he used electric clippers was the summer his mother went missing.

My father was upset and, after delivering the letter, he did nothing but smoke and sigh. He had no interest in shaving my head. Once, when I went to the county town to inquire about something, I took him to a barbershop.

At that time, Chen Ling was young. At first, he missed his mother and was always arguing with his father. But as time went on, his feelings gradually faded.

I remember it was a hot and humid day, and he kept asking for an ice pop. His father refused, saying he would only buy it for him if he promised to get a haircut from the barber.

Because he was terrified of electric clippers when he was a child; the buzzing sound was like mowing the lawn, which was really scary.

"Hey, you go first, there are a lot of us, so you can have your turn first..."

The boy recognized Chen Ling and gestured to him with his chin.

"You're letting me have it? Thank you so much."

Chen Ling smiled, walked over, and took some melon seeds from his pocket to distribute to them.

The boys immediately beamed with joy.

"Don't worry about getting your hair cut, we'll keep an eye on the car for you."

"okay."

The barber smiled when he saw this.

Pour in hot water and wash Chen Ling's hair.

From childhood to adulthood, Chen Ling's favorite thing was not getting a haircut, but washing her hair.

Thick soapy liquid poured onto the head felt like a refreshing awakening. Scratching the head with ten fingers, though not like the legendary goddess Magu, felt like bird claws. Savoring it carefully, there was a satisfyingly itch-relieving feeling, as well as a pleasantly relaxed scalp, which was very comfortable.

It can be described as a kind of enjoyment.

Of course, sometimes it can be frustrating to encounter a careless master craftsman.

After washing my hair, my scalp was scratched raw and painful, and the back and sides of my head were very itchy. He wouldn't let me scratch it, and I could only scratch it to my heart's content after he shaved my head.

This barber is quite good.

Without Chen Ling needing to greet them, the person scratched Chen Ling's scalp thoroughly, making him feel very comfortable.

"The young man has a handsome appearance and large earlobes; he is a blessed person."

The barber said this while making a "snip, snip" sound as he cut the hair.

"Haha, I'm not particularly lucky, I just married a good wife."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling squinted and chuckled.

"Oh, a virtuous wife is a treasure in the home, this is the greatest blessing."

The barber exclaimed in admiration, clicking his tongue, "Having a virtuous wife saves that guy a lot of trouble."

"That's true."

With his eyes closed, Chen Ling thought of his wife at home, and felt extremely comforted.

While chatting, I didn't realize my haircut was over.

This old man's skills are truly excellent; he is meticulous and careful, yet his speed is quite fast.