Chapter 39: Strong

Wang Jiexiang made up his mind to break the power the next day.
It happened before the store closed. It's late and there are few customers in the shop. Most of the shop assistants are idle and gather inside to rest. Some people play with mobile phones and some smoke.
Wang Jiexiang was collecting the dried towels. She could do it alone, so she asked Jiang Bingbing to sit down first.
The clerk was talking about some unnutritious topics, Wang Jiexiang would notice there, because he heard Jiang Bingbing shouting: "Go away, you are so annoying."
Turning her head to look inside, she saw a male clerk leaning his head on Jiang Bingbing's shoulder.
The man was like a piece of brown candy, Jiang Bingbing avoided, and he stuck it on again. He is considered a more qualified barber in the shop. It was him who pinched Wang Jiexiang's waist last time.
"Bingbing, brother is so tired, come and give him a massage."
Jiang Bingbing pushed his arm, angrily: "I want to charge for the massage, will you give me the money?"
"Here," he replied smoothly, "Give it when you knead it comfortably."
The clerk next to him winked his eyebrows: "Brother Hao, which kind is comfortable?"
The eyes of several people met and smiled knowingly.
"This comfort is very subtle. If we rub your hands with Bingbing, it will make you more and more energetic and unable to sleep at night."
"Yes, your original soft, Bingbing technique, help you knead it, you will be hardened, you must not be hot and uncomfortable."
The male clerk squinted at the talking people, grabbed Jiang Bingbing's hand and put it on his lap.
"You guys are really bad. Bingbing, don't listen to them, sit over and give me a massage."
"Farewell." Jiang Bingbing's expression was not very good. She wanted to take out her hand, but was held too tightly, unable to get out.
Wang Jiexiang walked into the room, adjusted the water temperature to the coldest level without a second word, picked up the shower and showered directly on the men around Jiang Bingbing.
The male shop assistants were caught off guard.
They jumped up from their chairs and dodged around, cursing swear words.
The manager who was cutting his hair rushed in and grabbed the shower head from Wang Jiexiang's hand.
The man named Hao was the most annoyed, wiped his wet face, he rushed forward to beat Wang Jiexiang.
People's fists were about to fall, she didn't hide at all, stalking her neck and staring at her to confront others.
"It's all right," the store manager separated them: "There are customers outside, what's the matter with you?"
"Who knows, a mad woman, I asked her to provoke her?" Brother Hao kicked his chair, his face full of anger: "Damn, you must apologize to me."
"What did you do, what did you say, there are so many eyes here, it is you who should apologize."
Wang Jiexiang straightened his back and confronted him dignifiedly.
Brother Hao took the tissue handed by others and wiped the drops of water on his body: "Mom's crazy rushes up and bites people. I want to hear, what's wrong with you?"
"You touched Jiang Bingbing, she was not happy, you played a rogue, everyone saw it."
Her eyes were black and white, and her voice was clear.
After she finished speaking, she glanced at everyone present.
People subconsciously avoided her sight.
The store manager looked at Jiang Bingbing.
She was obviously frightened by the sudden situation, and stood silently in the corner.
After weighing, the manager chose to talk to Wang Jiexiang.
"I know you are fellow villagers, and you want to be nice to her, but you can't look for things in my shop either."
"I'm not looking for anything, it's him, they," Wang Jiexiang pointed out one by one of the men who had just participated: "These people, they speak frivolously and move their feet."
"We work part-time, do what we do, and get paid. Your job is a haircut job, and our job is a hair-washing job. There is no reason why we should lower you and be bullied by you for no reason. Long, isn't it like this?"
She spoke so loudly in the barber shop for the first time, and for the first time since arriving in the city, she bravely said what she was saying.
At this moment, Wang Jiexiang was not afraid of anything, even if she was beaten to death on the spot by those angry men, she was not afraid.
The customers in the store, the male clerk who was bathed, and the other clerk all looked at the manager.
Wang Jiexiang took care of her, and the store manager couldn't step down if she was not allowed.
"You are not allowed to molest the girls in the shop anymore, pay attention later." He turned to the person Wang Jiexiang pointed out and taught a few words.
After that day.
No one in the shop dared to provoke Wang Jiexiang.
After seeing her behavior that day, everyone knows that she is not easy to bully.
Headed by Brother Hao, the barbers try not to contact her. The guests came to wash their hair, adjust a hair dye, and plug in a hair dryer. All they shouted were Jiang Bingbing.
Jiang Bingbing was as busy as a spinning top, while Wang Jiexiang often stood bored after doing chores.
In the evening, it was the peak time for the barbershop. When a client came, she took the initiative to help.
Brother Hao turned a blind eye to Wang Jiexiang beside him, and said to the guest: "You wait a moment, our shampoo worker is busy."
"I'll wash it..." Wang Jiexiang took the towel in his hand and made preparations.
He didn't look at her, only said: "Jiang Bingbing."
Wang Jiexiang still wanted to talk, he probed into the room and shouted: "Bingbing, hurry up, there are new guests here."
"Okay, okay." Jiang Bingbing wiped his hands and ran out in a panic.
Wang Jiexiang stopped her and whispered to her: "The previous guest wants to dry her hair, isn't it? You are busy with your side, I will wash this one."
"No." Jiang Bingbing's attitude towards her was inexplicably cold.
To be honest, Wang Jiexiang didn't regret the fact that the male clerk was drenched in water.
However, she seemed to be doing something wrong again.
After get off work, Wang Jiexiang persistently followed Jiang Bingbing to talk to her.
Jiang Bingbing squatted at the entrance of the alley, smoking one cigarette after another.
Wang Jiexiang said a lot and asked her a lot of questions, but she just listened.
The smoke is full of smoke, there is always something between the faces of the two friends, and they can't see each other's eyes clearly.
When he finished his last puff, Jiang Bingbing finally spoke.
It was also the only thing she said to Wang Jiexiang that night.
She said: "In society, you will inevitably endure hardships. Everyone is the same. You have to endure some hardships to live a better life."
...
The work in the barbershop lasted until the end of the month, and it was the pay date.
The money sent by the store manager was put in an envelope, and Jiang Bingbing received it this morning. When the shop closed, Wang Jiexiang didn't get the envelope, and couldn't help asking the manager.
The shop manager chewed the gum with a calm face: "You know if you are a trial job? Only formal workers are paid."
Wang Jiexiang frowned, "Didn't I get hired? How could it be a trial job? Besides, even if there is a trial job, you haven't said it in advance, I don't know."
He scratched the back of his neck and changed the subject: "You have caused so many misfortunes this month, and I have taken good care of you by not letting you post money."
"What's wrong with me?"
She guessed that he wanted to bring up the old things again, but the store manager was clearly protecting her before, how could he turn over the old accounts now?
"If it's because I splashed them with water last time, can you let them splash back now?"
Wang Jiexiang hadn't encountered such a thing before, and in a panic, he had already lost sight of the power and prestige of that day.
She is willing to apologize, even kneel down, as long as she has money to take...
"Jiexiang, I know you are from the country, but you are too good at talking."
The clerk in the store was there, the manager asked them to come, and everyone testified.
"An old customer of our shop, Ms. Zhao, she wants to add color to the dyed hair. You said her skin is dark and not suitable for bright colors. Then she listened to you and didn't dye it. Do you know the price of dyed hair in our barber shop? Should you pay this bill?"
"The male guest wants to cut his hair. You are responsible for recommending the hairstyle. You have to say, "You have so little hair, and then cut it." Then he washed his hair and left."
"A few days ago, a female student was going to straighten her hair. You helped her blow her hair and you said,'You are naturally curled. The straightening can only last for a few weeks, and then curled back again'. She finished listening. I don't think it's cost-effective, so I won't straighten it."
The store manager spit out chewing gum and pressed his finger on the calculator several times.
"I calculate how much these businesses can earn."
Staring at the increasing numbers on the calculator, Wang Jiexiang's eyes filled with tears: "What I'm saying is... to be honest, I don't know to pay."
Her words are light and powerless.
As the store manager said, she had to pay back the money.
Wang Jiexiang looked at his colleagues around him for help.
They held hands irrelevantly, with expressions "see jokes" written on their faces.
No one spoke for her, including Jiang Bingbing.
The store manager handed her the calculator.
"Here, look at this number, I'm good enough for you. This is the rule of my shop. If you feel uncomfortable, you can leave it."
Wang Jiexiang's spine bent down.
"Bingbing," the store manager looked for a witness: "You have been working in my store for a long time, and you also know that the store has this rule, right?"
She embraced the last glimmer of hope and looked at Jiang Bingbing.
Jiang Bingbing nodded gently.
It was probably the coldest day of the year. Wang Jiexiang came out of the barber shop with two empty pockets.
Wang Jiexiang wanted to return home...
When I got home, I covered my quilt and cried.
The night sky fell with heavy snow.
She looked at the strange white street blankly, her mind dull.
A suffocation in her chest made it hard for her to breathe.
Even if you live desperately, you still can't live.