A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

As he spoke, Master Qian's hands never stopped working. The sharp knife kept scraping across the man's face on the recliner, and he covered one side with a towel after he finished.

Then lift up another towel and continue scraping.

Perhaps enjoying the shave, the man on the recliner muttered, "The face of a Beijing resident still needs to be repaired by a Beijing resident. Whether it's 'eight strips' or 'look back,' it all comes down to Old 'Qu San.' What do those bumpkins from Shanghai know!"

"Combing, braiding, shaving, scraping, pinching, picking, pounding, pressing, scooping, cutting, trimming, dyeing, joining, revitalizing, smoothing, mending. Which of these isn't enjoyable?"

"What about Samsung, Sixi, Tianqi Temple, Wax Head, Pendant Root, No Top Lamp? Apart from 'Old Three,' who else knows how to make them?"

"Everyone has the same bowl cut hairstyle now, it's making me uncomfortable!"

Master Qian quickly grabbed a towel and covered the man's mouth: "Master Tian, ​​let's not discuss state affairs, lest we disturb our distinguished guest."

"Tsk tsk," the man's mouth was covered but he still wouldn't stop.

"This barber's job is a lowly profession, how can it be related to national affairs? If we want to talk about national affairs, we have to go back to the time of the Former Court. At that time, the Former Court ordered Han people to shave their heads and braid their hair. They set up stalls near Dongsi and Zhengyangmen and forced Han people to shave their heads inside, with those who disobeyed being beheaded!"

At the same time, licenses were issued to cooks in the army, allowing them to set up stalls or carry their wares door-to-door in various streets and alleys to provide barber services, thus establishing the earliest barbering industry in Beijing.

Master Qian glanced nervously at Jiang Xia, but Jiang Xia listened with great interest and interjected:

"Please continue, it's quite interesting."

"Hey, what are you still doing? To put it bluntly, once Master Qian kicks the bucket, it'll be hard for us to enjoy this cooking again!"

As he spoke, he pulled the towel off his face and stood up.

"I'm full of energy today, and I have a lot to do, so I won't go to sleep. See you later, Master Qian!"

After saying that, he bowed to Master Qian, lifted the hem of his long robe, and was about to leave.

"Eaten by insects and gnawed by rats, bare and hairless, just a tattered, ragged coat..."

The man in the long robe stopped in his tracks, turned around, and laughed.

"Hey! It's you, Mr. Jiang! You're using me again!"

"Hey! Master Tian! Have you eaten yet?" Jiang Xia greeted him with a smile and a cupped-hand salute.

"Why did you come here instead of getting your stamp from the subdistrict office?"

When Master Tian heard Jiang Xia mention the neighborhood committee office, he involuntarily shrank back. His thick Beijing accent disappeared, and he answered seriously:

"Tomorrow is National Day, and the neighborhood committee issued a notice to inspect the cleanliness of the streets. As I was doing my inspection, I ended up here."

"Well, we still need to continue the investigation. See you later, Comrade Jiang!"

As he spoke, Master Tian glanced at Wang Kui standing behind Jiang Xia, and turned to leave.

"Hey, Master Tian, ​​wait a minute. I have something to ask you."

Master Tian turned around with a long, bitter face.

"You flatter me. I'm just an old man, unworthy of your advice. I can't handle big matters, and you don't need my help with small ones. You might as well treat me like a fart."

Tsk tsk, I wonder what kind of ordeal this old man has gone through; his will to survive is practically off the charts.

Jiang Xia took out a cigarette and handed it to him. He then pushed Wang Kui onto a recliner and gestured for Master Qian to get it ready for him.

Only after two warm towels were placed on Wang Kui's face did Master Tian, ​​who was trembling a little, calm down.

"Comrade Jiang, is there anything you want to ask?"

Master Tian lit a cigarette and calmed himself down before speaking.

"Hey, it's nothing serious. Do you remember my three houses?"

"Those three rooms in the Tongluogu courtyard? I remember! Did you move in there?"

Jiang Xia shrugged. "No, the roof is all broken, how can anyone live here? I just happened to run into you and wanted to ask if you know anyone who can repair houses?"

"Hey, haven't you checked on this for a while? A few days ago, Director Wang from the neighborhood office sent a construction team to your area, and the roof has already been repaired!"

"However, the neighborhood committee can't handle the interior decoration; you'll have to do it yourself!"

Jiang Xia nodded. He had been so busy these past few days that he had completely forgotten about the house.

I was thinking of bringing the villagers to visit Beijing tomorrow, but since we didn't have a place to stay, I started thinking about the house.

After arguing with Master Tian for a while, they agreed that he would bring a familiar construction team to help Jiangxia renovate the house in two days.

Watching Master Tian walk away, Jiang Xia realized that Master Qian had already finished repairing Wang Kui's face.

"Tsk tsk! Who is this handsome young man? I don't recognize him!"

Wang Kui also leaned closer to the bronze mirror to examine himself and nodded in satisfaction.

Next up was Jiangxia. Master Qian flipped a switch somewhere, and the bamboo reclining chair suddenly stood up with a whoosh.

After Jiang Xia sat down, a piece of coarse cloth was shaken out and wrapped around Jiang Xia's neck.

The hairdresser didn't ask Jiang Xia what hairstyle he wanted; he simply clasped his hands together and touched his skull.

"Heh, what a great hairstyle, young master."

Master Qian picked up a pair of flat-headed scissors, stood to the right of Jiangxia, and began to snip.

"Young master, please forgive this old man for being nosy, but when it comes to decorating your house, you really didn't go wrong by asking Master Tian!"

"Don't let Master Tian's ordinary clothes fool you. He used to be the head butcher at Fuxiang Trading Company. His eyesight is legendary! Especially when it comes to timber, that's his specialty. With him watching over things for you, you're guaranteed not to get ripped off!"

"Well, thank you for your kind words. Hey, Master Qian, with such good skills, why don't you work at a barbershop? Do you think the neighborhood committee will allow you to set up a stall here?"

Master Qian laughed heartily: "I'm seventy-two years old. I'm afraid I can't handle going to the barbershop anymore. What if I pass out in the shop? That would just be causing trouble for the government!"

"It's good as it is now! The neighborhood committee turns a blind eye since I can support myself."

As they spoke, the hairstyle had already been cut out.

Master Qian then used a razor to shave the hair on both sides of Jiang Xia's neck.

Then he took out a small brush and carefully cleaned the stray hairs off Jiang Xia's neck.

Then, Master Qian moved the switch again, the back of the chair opened backward, and a support was raised for the legs, turning the bamboo chair into a recliner.

Jiang Xia grinned. "Wow, that's an impressive linkage device!"

Although it may seem unremarkable, it's amazing that a bunch of bamboo could be made into what it is today!

Master Qian reached out and helped Jiang Xia lie back, then picked up a warm towel and placed it on Jiang Xia's face.

Bring your hands together into a claw shape and start pressing acupoints along the scalp.

"Ouch~~~ That feels so good!"

The massage technique was skillful, pressing from the scalp down to the shoulders without causing pain or itching. In an instant, my entire upper body felt much more relaxed and unblocked.

After a while, Master Qian helped Jiang Xia up again and stood in front of him with a bronze mirror in his hand.

"Young master, do you like it?"

"No problem, that was efficient! Master Qian, how much is it?"

Master Qian placed the bronze mirror at his feet: "Just give me 2 mao!"

Jiangxia looked at the price list posted by the "Siliang Hair Salon": 80 cents per man for a haircut, and 2.2 yuan per woman for an electric perm.

Tsk, it's still easier to make money off women.

"No! You've been busy all day, it's not appropriate to accept such a small amount!"

As he spoke, Jiang Xia took out three yuan and handed it over.

Unexpectedly, Master Qian did not accept the money, but just looked at him with a smile.

Wang Kui came over and lightly flicked Jiang Xia's forehead, took the three yuan note and casually put it in his pocket, then took out a one-yuan note and handed it over.

Master Qian then cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "You are kind and generous; thank you for your reward!"