They were told to meet in the courtyard. Xu Keke and Da Cui got off the tram and stood under the ginkgo tree by the roadside to wait.
Seeing the two of them, Mr. Kobayashi parked his bicycle next to them. He braced his left foot on the curb and held the handlebars with his right hand. Just as he reached out his left hand, Yuanbao nimbly jumped off.
"Mom, when I earn money, I want to buy a bicycle too." His eyes, touched by the wind, seemed even brighter. Seeing his happy expression, Xu Keke chuckled; she hadn't seen him this happy even when they were in the car today.
"Yuanbao, put the bag in the back." As Mr. Lin turned to Yuanbao to gesture, he suddenly looked across the street and exclaimed cheerfully, "Hey, Mr. Chen, where are we going?"
This was precisely the time of day when the temperature began to gradually cool down from its warm state. There weren't many people on this road to begin with, and now there were even fewer, making the atmosphere somewhat gloomy. Mr. Kobayashi's shout sounded particularly abrupt in the quiet street.
Mr. Chen didn't come over, but waved to Mr. Lin across the street. When he saw Xu Keke again, he held his hat to his chest and bowed slightly as a greeting.
Then he turned and pushed open the glass door of the shop, the melodious tinkling of the bell on the door still lingering. He had already slipped into the shop with the sign "Ruixiang Garment Shop".
Xu Keke felt that something was not quite right, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"That tailor shop. Not many people come here on weekdays, it's too expensive, I don't know why it's located here. Not many people living here have that kind of spare money."
Mr. Kobayashi's words interrupted Xu Keke's thoughts. Xu Keke turned to look at him, and Mr. Kobayashi casually rubbed his nose, looking thoughtfully at the person opposite him.
Xu Keke couldn't quite figure out Mr. Kobayashi. Was he implying something with his words, or was she just overthinking it?
Xu Keke didn't continue the conversation, but simply nodded to indicate that she understood. She didn't even glance at the shop across the street again.
Just moments before she got off the bus, she had made up her mind. She believed she had nothing that anyone would covet. The little money she had was insignificant in this once extravagant and decadent city. So there was no need to go to such lengths. But now that she was in the shadows while others were in the open, there was no better option than to remain calm and observe the situation.
Xu Keke was indeed planning to take the two little ones for a bath, but she had originally intended to wait until later, after tidying up the house. Since she had already spoken to Mr. Lin, and it would be more convenient for Yuanbao to have someone with him since it was their first time going, she didn't stop. She went back to the courtyard, tidied up the house briefly, then took her things and came out with the two children.
Tiandetang wasn't far; it was a bathhouse with a bathing pool. After she and Da Cui finished bathing, they came out with rosy cheeks, but they didn't see Mr. Xiaolin or Yuanbao.
Just as Xu Keke thought they hadn't come out yet, a door to a nearby room opened from the inside, and Mr. Kobayashi poked his head out and called out to them.
It turns out that the room outside Tiandetang is a small barbershop. There's no sign outside, only a rotating red, blue, and white cylinder near the door inside. Because it's dimly lit inside and the glass is dirty, Xu Keke hadn't seen it clearly from the outside.
Once inside, Mr. Kobayashi pointed to Yuanbao sitting in a chair and said, "I noticed his hair had grown long, and the boy at the door said he hadn't seen you come out, so I brought him here to get a haircut."
Following the direction of his finger, Xu Keke saw a boy slightly older than Yuanbao standing outside the door. They hadn't seen him when they passed by earlier. The boy waved to Mr. Lin.
"Alright, I have something to do, so I'll be going now." After saying this, Mr. Kobayashi picked up his things and hurriedly left.
The experienced barber, dressed in a white coat, worked skillfully, glancing at Xu Keke and Da Cui every now and then. "Sit and wait a bit, he'll be done soon."
The chair was upholstered in floral fabric and looked quite old. The color was faded and dull, but not greasy or dirty. Xu Keke sat down; the seat was a bit hard, but even so, she felt incredibly relaxed. She subconsciously exhaled a breath she had been holding in. Only then did she realize that she had been tense the whole time. This feeling displeased Xu Keke.
Da Cui didn't sit down, but stood in front of the chair, staring enviously at the celebrity posters on the wall. The old barber continued his work, glancing at the poster she was staring at, "Little girl, you want a haircut? But a perm doesn't look good on a girl your age. A student haircut would be easier to manage for school."
Going to school—her mother kept talking about it all day. When they were in the mountains, there was a literate Party member among them. Since they had nothing to do on the mountain, her mother, her, and Yuanbao all learned to read and write.
Da Cui looked up from the magazine and bit her lower lip. Her new plaid jacket had two creases; Xu Keke said she'd try to iron them out when she got home, and if that didn't work, it would have to be washed. The little girl was reluctant to put her new clothes in the water. She clutched the hem tightly with both hands, looking at Xu Keke with expectant eyes.
Xu Keke smiled back at her; she was genuinely happy. The girl's eyes finally lit up again, becoming lively and bright. She began to try to make requests for herself.
It's not wrong for people to give and sacrifice for their family and loved ones. However, they shouldn't lose themselves. Blindly making concessions without principles sometimes doesn't solve problems and may even cause them to overlook better solutions.
While Da Cui was getting a haircut, Yuanbao whispered in Xu Keke's ear, "Mr. Lin has a gunshot wound on his arm. He won't admit it, but I can tell."
Xu Keke quickly stopped him with a look and glanced around. At the far end of the room, a woman in a plain cotton robe was getting her hair permed, flipping through an old magazine with a bored expression. A hairdresser in a white coat was asking Da Cui something. No one seemed to notice what they were saying.
Yuanbao stopped talking, bored, and leaned his head against her, tilting his head to look at the green electric fan hanging from the ceiling.
Xu Keke's heart, which had just settled, was now on edge again. In Feng Lichun's memory, she had spent the last part of her life in a small courtyard in Baijia Lane. The people there had brought her much warmth during those difficult days. So, without much thought, Xu Keke decided to continue coming here.
Now she regrets her decision somewhat. In reality, many places are not peaceful. The remaining remnants, like rats in a bellows, scurry about everywhere.
Something must have happened here during the ten days Feng Lichun was away, otherwise there wouldn't be so many people and things that Feng Lichun didn't remember from his previous life, and this barbershop wouldn't be here.
If she were alone, she wouldn't care. But she has two children to support. So she can't be careless.
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