"I understand, sister-in-law!" Zhou Xing had no choice but to turn around and say through gritted teeth.

Qin Xiaoyu's eyes crinkled with laughter.

After drying Director Feng's hair, Qin Xiaoyu carefully trimmed it a few more times before handing him the glasses.

Director Feng looked at himself in the mirror and didn't immediately understand.

"Is this my mom? Or my sister?"

"That's right, he must be more than ten years younger," an old customer exclaimed.

"Such a dashing and heroic figure, he's definitely a leader!"

The old ladies were all very talkative, chattering away and making even a seasoned veteran like Director Feng blush.

"Xiao Tian, ​​this...this isn't suitable for my age. Is it appropriate for me to be seen in public?"

"What age? She looks young, no problem." Jing Tian gave Qin Xiaoyu a thumbs up and said, "No wonder the people from Dongfeng all wanted to poach your wife. This skill is amazing."

"That's good. Come here to get your hair done from now on. Xiaotian, do you have any change?" Director Feng finally gave his approval, and Qin Xiaoyu felt a great sense of accomplishment.

"Yes, Mom, you get in the car first, I'll give my sister-in-law the money."

"Oh, no need, don't be so polite," Qin Xiaoyu said, gesturing for him.

"Sister-in-law, I'm leaving Wenwen and my affairs to you." Jing Tian only dared to speak after Director Feng left.

"If you dare to wrong my Wenwen, you'd better know the consequences. I'm not someone you can mess with," Qin Xiaoyu threatened.

"Don't worry, I won't let go unless Wenwen doesn't want me anymore."

Watching Jing Tian and Director Feng get into the Hongqi sedan, Qin Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief. This Director Feng seemed alright, not a particularly difficult person, just a bit arrogant. People like that are the easiest to deal with; as long as you flatter him well, it's fine. She wondered what about the others in his family.

As November arrived, the weather grew even colder, and Qin Xiaoyu realized that the winters she had experienced before were not true winters at all. Life at the hair salon was slow; in Master Wang's words, it was the off-season. Fortunately, they had regular customers to support them, so losing money was impossible; they just earned less, and life became more leisurely.

People who brave the wind and snow to get their hair done are basically attending weddings.

"Why get married in winter? We won't be able to wear our wedding dresses then." Qin Xiaoyu muttered to herself as she finished seeing off a prospective mother-in-law.

“In the past, people would get married in winter because of the off-season for farming. Now, we do it whenever we’re not busy with work.”

Master Wang got angry as soon as he heard the word "wedding dress". His daughter-in-law insisted on taking photos in a white wedding dress. If it weren't for Qin Xiaoyu's intervention, he would never have agreed. He still felt wronged when he thought about it and couldn't help but complain, "What's so good about that wedding dress? It's as white as a mourning robe."

Qin Xiaoyu spat out a mouthful of tea, almost choking.

Speaking of wedding dresses, she was truly amazed. The bride was wearing a bright red georgette dress, which was soft and shapeless, and looked incredibly tacky. Oh well, just wait and see.

Qin Xiaoyu is a little nostalgic for the 21st century.

The door was pushed open, and Commander Wang walked in with a smile.

"Nobody's around, here I come!"

Troupe Leader Wang has become a regular customer. She got her hair done last time and was so flattered that she was practically drooling. Since then, she comes to get her hair done whenever she has a performance. Qin Xiaoyu realized that for people like them, the three or five yuan for a haircut is nothing. She's considering implementing an annual membership system to save them the trouble. Anyway, it's almost the end of the year, so she can take advantage of it around New Year's Day as a New Year's promotion.

"Is there a performance here, Commander Wang?" Master Wang chatted with her. Commander Wang was a very approachable person, and once he got to know her, he couldn't stop talking.

"I don't have any performances. A friend's daughter is getting married, and I've been busy with that for a few days. Tomorrow is the actual day, so I need to get my hair done. I was going to bring them over, but they didn't believe me and insisted on going to Dongfeng instead. I'm not going."

Commander Wang looked at her with disdain, as if she had come to some extraordinary place.

"To each their own," Qin Xiaoyu said with a smile, unfolding and lifting Commander Wang's hair curlers to compare and find the right feel.

“What do you mean by ‘to each their own’? Those people are so stubborn.” Commander Wang said angrily, “I’ve gotten myself into a lot of trouble these past few days while helping out. My friend’s daughter is already twenty-six and has always been very picky. She finally found someone who is a good match, but the mothers of both families won’t give in, making us all go back and forth trying to mediate.”

"You're such a kind-hearted person, always wanting to help with everything," Master Wang said with a smile.

"Oh, right, I have something else to take care of. There's a comrade in our regiment whose wife died five or six years ago, and he hasn't remarried. He plays the erhu very well, and he's forty-one this year. Xiaoyu?" Commander Wang noticed that Qin Xiaoyu was distracted and quickly called out.

"ah?"

"That's a pretty good offer, how many children?" Master Wang had already started the conversation.

“He only has one child, and he’s in college now. So the people in the group have started arranging marriages for him. I thought our Xiaoyu is a good person, so maybe we should go to one of his families. He can stay with him for the rest of his life, right?” Commander Wang said very frankly, and Qin Xiaoyu gave a wry smile.

“Little Fish, you should listen to Commander Wang. This guy gets paid, he has a secure job, and he's 16 years older than you, which is alright.”

After calculating, Master Wang wasn't so confident anymore. He glanced at Xiaoyu, who was standing there looking beautiful and lively. She felt like she was losing out by marrying a man 16 years her senior.

"Little Fish, don't take offense at my harsh words. Your business is unreliable, sometimes it's not, sometimes it's not. Finding a stable job will give you and your child more security and prevent you from suffering in the cold. You're still young, so it's easy for you to find one now, but what about in a few years?"

Qin Xiaoyu was tired of hearing Commander Wang's words, but she didn't care.

“I know you mean well, but I might as well be honest. I don’t want to get married, not because I’m targeting anyone, but because I feel that finding a man is unnecessary.”

Qin Xiaoyu's words stunned Commander Wang and Master Wang. They exchanged a glance and listened to her continue her eloquent speech.

“My income isn’t stable right now, but I can earn in a few years what others earn in a lifetime. Now that my child is growing up, I’m not as tired as I used to be. If I were to find a man, I would just be cooking for one more person, washing one more person’s clothes, and taking care of one more person. I might even have to hand over all my earnings. Why bother?”

"This girl, what you're saying makes me want a divorce." Commander Wang chuckled. She was quick-witted and always said surprising things, but Qin Xiaoyu didn't take it to heart.

"Don't tease us. I'm just making excuses for myself. You're doing so well, why would you miss someone?"

"Don't even mention it. My son comes home and fights with his father. It gives me a headache every day."

"Isn't it just because Wang Lei likes playing music? Your uncle is really out of his mind. Next time, just tell him directly, do you want your son to go out and fight and end up in jail, or play pool and hang out in video arcades every day? Playing music is a legitimate thing, isn't it?" Qin Xiaoyu's sharp tongue made Commander Wang nod in agreement.

“Go ahead and say it. I love listening to Xiaoyu talk. Everything she says makes sense and is pleasant to listen to. Who wouldn’t have a good life with a daughter-in-law like her? If it weren’t for her, I would have thought…” Commander Wang suddenly realized he had let something slip and quickly stopped himself.