Wang Jiexiang's determination was broken the next day.
It happened before the store closed. It was getting late and there were few customers in the store. Most of the clerks had their hands free and gathered in the room to rest. Some people played with their mobile phones, and some smoked.
Wang Jiexiang was collecting the dried towels. She could handle this job by herself, so she asked Jiang Bingbing to sit first.
The clerks were talking about some unnutritious topics, and Wang Jiexiang noticed that because she heard Jiang Bingbing yell: "Go away, you are so annoying."
Turning her head to look inside, she saw a male clerk resting his head on Jiang Bingbing's shoulder.
The man was like a piece of brown candy, Jiang Bingbing dodged it, but he stuck to it again. He is a relatively experienced barber in the shop, and he was the one 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 charge money for massage, will you give me money?"
"Here," he replied glibly, "you'll give me the rub when I feel comfortable."
The clerk next to him winked: "Brother Hao, which one is more comfortable?"
Several people looked at each other and smiled knowingly.
"This comfort is very delicate. When we rub our icy little hands for you, it will make you more and more energetic, and you won't be able to sleep at night."
"Yeah, you used to be soft, with icy skills, rub it for you, you will be hardened by rubbing, you will not feel hot all over, you will die of discomfort."
The male clerk squinted at the people who were talking, grabbed Jiang Bingbing's hand and put it on his lap.
"You guys are really bad. Bingbing, don't listen to them, sit here and give me a massage."
"Farewell." Jiang Bingbing's face was not very good. She wanted to pull out her hand, but it was held too tightly and she couldn't get away.
Wang Jiexiang walked into the room, adjusted the water temperature to the coldest without saying a 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, swearing.
The store manager who was cutting her hair rushed in and grabbed the shower from Wang Jiexiang's hand.
The one named Brother Hao was the most annoyed, wiped his wet face, and rushed forward to beat Wang Jiexiang.
When someone's fist was about to fall, she didn't dodge at all, she just stood up and confronted him with her eyes wide open.
"Okay, okay," the store manager separated them: "There are customers outside, what's the matter with you?"
"Who knows, a crazy woman, I provoked her?" Brother Hao kicked over the chair, his face full of anger: "Damn, you have to apologize to me."
"What did you do, what did you say, there are so many eyes watching, it's you who should apologize."
Wang Jiexiang straightened her back and confronted him upright.
Brother Hao took the paper towel from others and wiped the water drops on his body: "Damn crazy bitch bites when she rushes up, I want to hear, what's wrong with me?"
"You touched Jiang Bingbing, she didn't like it, you played a hooligan, everyone saw it."
Her pupils are black and white, and her voice is 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 in the corner without saying a word.
After weighing, the store manager chose to talk to Wang Jiexiang.
"I know you are fellow villagers, you are on good terms with her, but you can't find trouble in my shop."
"I'm not looking for trouble, it's him, them," Wang Jiexiang pointed out the men who had just participated with his fingers one by one: "These people, they talk frivolously and move their hands."
"We work part-time. We work hard and do our part, and we get paid. Your job is a haircut job, and our job is a hair-washing job. There is no reason why we should be inferior to you and be bullied by you for no reason. Shop Long, isn't it like this?"
It was the first time she spoke so loudly in the barber shop, and the first time since she arrived in the city, she bravely spoke her mind.
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 would not be afraid.
The customers in the store, the male clerk who was showered, and the other clerks all looked at the store manager.
Wang Jiexiang reasoned and refused to let her, and the store manager couldn't come down the steps.
"You are not allowed to flirt with the girls in the store anymore, be more careful in the future." He turned to the person Wang Jiexiang pointed out and taught him a few words.
after that day.
No one in the store dared to provoke Wang Jiexiang.
Having seen her behavior that day, everyone knows that she is not easy to bully.
Headed by Brother Hao, the barbers tried not to get in touch with her. When the guests came, they wanted to wash their hair, adjust the hair dye, and plug in the hair dryer. They all called Jiang Bingbing.
Jiang Bingbing was as busy as a spinning top, while Wang Jiexiang often stood bored after finishing chores.
Evening is the peak time for the barber shop, and when customers come, she takes the initiative to help.
Brother Hao turned a blind eye to Wang Jiexiang next to him, and said to the guest, "Wait a minute, our hair-washing worker is busy."
"Let me wash it..." Wang Jiexiang took a towel in her hand and made preparations.
He didn't look at her, just said: "Jiang Bingbing washes."
Wang Jiexiang still wanted to talk, so he poked his head into the room and shouted: "Bingbing, hurry up, there are new guests here."
"Okay, okay." Jiang Bingbing wiped her hands and ran out in a panic.
Wang Jiexiang stopped her and whispered to her: "The previous guest wanted to dry his hair, didn't he? You are busy with your side, I will wash this."
"No need." Jiang Bingbing's attitude towards her was inexplicably cold.
To be honest, Wang Jiexiang didn't regret the incident of dousing the male clerk with water.
However, she seemed to be doing it wrong again.
After get off work, Wang Jiexiang followed Jiang Bingbing persistently, wanting to talk to her.
Jiang Bingbing squatted at the entrance of the alley, smoking one cigarette after another.
Wang Jiexiang talked a lot and asked her a lot of questions, but she just listened.
The smoke was lingering, and there was always something between the faces of the two friends, making it impossible to see each other's eyes clearly.
After taking his last puff of cigarette, Jiang Bingbing finally spoke.
It was also the only sentence she said to Wang Jiexiang that night.
She said: "There are bound to be hardships in society. Everyone is the same. Some hardships have to be endured to make life easier."
…
The work of the barber shop lasted until the end of the month, and it was time to pay wages.
The money sent by the store manager was put in an envelope, and Jiang Bingbing received it in the morning. Until the store closed, Wang Jiexiang didn't get the envelope, so she couldn't help but ask the store manager.
The store manager chewed his gum and said calmly: "You are a trial worker, do you know? Regular workers only get paid."
Wang Jiexiang frowned: "Didn't I be hired? How could it be a trial job? Besides, even if there is a trial job, you didn't mention it in advance, so I don't know."
He scratched the back of his neck and changed the subject: "You have caused so many troubles this month, I have taken good care of you by not letting you pay me."
"What's wrong with me?"
She guessed that he wanted to bring up the old matter again, but the store manager clearly defended her before, so how can he turn over the old matter now
"If it's because I splashed water on them last time, can you let them splash it back now, can you?"
Wang Jiexiang had never encountered such a thing before. Panicked, she had long since lost the majesty of that day, and a sentence was circulating in her mind: If you can't get your salary, it's over.
She is willing to apologize, even kneel down, as long as she has money to take...
"Jiexiang, I know you are from the countryside, but you are too bad at talking."
All the clerks in the store were there, and the store manager asked them to come, and all of them testified.
"A regular customer of our store, Sister Zhao, she wants to add color to her dyed hair. You said her skin is dark and not suitable for bright colors. Then she listened to you and just stopped dyeing. Do you know the price of hair dyeing in our barber shop? ? Should you pay for this order?"
"The male customer needs a haircut, and you are responsible for recommending hairstyles. You say, 'Your hair is so short, if you cut it again, it will be gone'. Afterwards, he washed his hair and left."
"A few days ago, a female student came to straighten her hair, and you helped her blow-dry her hair, and while blowing it, you said, 'You are naturally curly, and the straightening can only last for a few weeks, and it curled back again'. After listening to her I don’t think it’s worth it, so I won’t straighten it.”
The store manager spit out gum and pressed his finger on the calculator a few times.
"Let me figure out how much money these businesses can make."
Staring at the ever-increasing numbers on the calculator, Wang Jiexiang's eyes filled with tears: "What I'm saying is... To be honest, I don't know what to pay."
Her words were light and without power.
As the store manager said, she had to pay the bills after the sum was calculated.
Wang Jiexiang looked at the surrounding colleagues asking for help.
They put their hands in their hands in a nonchalant manner, with the expression "seeing a joke" 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 in my shop. If you don't agree with it, you don't have to do it."
Wang Jiexiang's spine bent down.
"Bingbing," the store manager asked for a witness: "You have worked in my store for a long time, and you also know that there have been such rules in the store, right?"
With her last hope in her arms, she 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 go home...
When I got home, I covered myself with a quilt and cried a lot.
Heavy snow fell from the night sky.
She looked blankly at the unfamiliar pure white street, her mind was dull.
There was a stuffy air in her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.
No matter how hard I work, I still can't get by.