CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 40: TOTALLY CLUELESS

He Yunsong gave him a sidelong glance, "Why do I get the feeling that you kind of like him?"

Wen Shi let out a snort, "Different paths mean different goals."

What’s the use of a quick mind? Anyone trying to disrupt national unity should be smacked down with a stick.

But before they go, they should at least make one last contribution.

Clenching his fist and rolling his neck, he said, "Old He, when do you think they’ll come out to ask for help?"

Who knows?

Recalling how the staff here were eagerly grabbing any opportunity to get things done, he chuckled, "Just wait, we’re not the ones who should be worried."

Compared to us, those two inside are more eager to pry open the fox’s mouth.

Understanding the implication of his words, Wen Shi kicked him.

He Yunsong hopped away like a rabbit but came back after Wen Shi put his foot down, "Think we should visit Mr. Yi once this is all over?"

Wen Shi responded coolly, "The initial rewards have been distributed, the Baoshan County government will handle the rest."

In other words: Why should we bother visiting?

He Yunsong sighed, "You’re not interested in her hypnosis?"

Understood, Old He wants to become a disciple to learn the craft.

Sounds like a great idea, but in reality—

"Stop dreaming, this stuff isn’t for everyone."

He Yunsong didn’t like hearing that and grumbled back, "Like you know everything."

"I studied it."

"Studied? Yeah, right..."

Something didn’t sound right.

He Yunsong looked at him incredulously, "You studied this too?"

What kind of unit did Old Wen actually go to, learning such a mixed and chaotic array of things?

Even something like hypnosis?

This is getting absurd.

"Who did you learn from?"

"I could tell you, but you wouldn’t know them."

This sounded unreasonably logical.

Understanding his character, He Yunsong wisely chose to change the subject, "How well did you learn it?"

"Nine holes opened in ten—still clueless."

No one in their batch managed to learn it, and they were cursed as failures by the old military doctor.

Thinking of the decorated elderly man, Wen Shi felt that if he met Yi Zhiching, the two of them, old and young with common interests, would definitely have a great conversation.

Yi Chichi had no idea what he was thinking; at that moment, she was cutting Ge Sujuan’s hair.

This girl was a bit unlucky; she was initially sitting by the stove helping Wu Yongfei stoke the fire.

As for Wang Yunhao’s liberation shoes, the glue was a bit loose, so he wanted to heat the affected area with a torch to stick it back together, and accidentally singed her hair with a stick of firewood.

The burnt smell was overwhelming, and the worst part was how ugly it looked.

Ge Sujuan’s eyes reddened, about to cry, and Yi Chichi quickly offered to help fix it.

And thus, she took on the role of a hairdresser.

"Long or short hair?"

If she hadn’t asked it might’ve been better, but once she did, Ge Sujuan leaned towards long hair, while Wang Nan and the others thought she could try short hair.

The main reason being it’s winter; long hair makes washing inconvenient, while short hair is easier to handle and dries quickly.

"Leave it at neck length."

Qi Yang gestured with his hand, speaking confidently, "Trust me, this length is perfect. It keeps your neck warm in winter, and by spring it’ll be long enough to tie up."

Ge Sujuan was convinced and turned to ask Yi Chichi, "Can you cut it like that?"

"Yes!"

"Then please make it look nice."

Yi Chichi nodded, "Don’t worry about my work!"

When she takes action, it’s impossible to mess up.

If something seems uncertain, she won’t do it.

But before seeing the result, Ge Sujuan still couldn’t be at ease.

She had no other thoughts at that moment, she just hoped the new haircut Yi Chichi gave her wouldn’t be so ugly she couldn’t face anyone.

Sitting in the chair, hearing the sound of snip snip, she felt anxious.

Lock after lock of hair fell to the ground, as Yi Chichi handled the scissors with great skill, crafting a "first love" haircut for her.

Initially, as the haircut began to take shape, Wang Nan and the others didn’t have much of a reaction.

But as it gradually took form, their eyes lit up.

This haircut was interesting.

Zhou Qiuyu circled the two, inspecting Ge Sujuan from all angles, and casually remarked—

"Juanzi seems to look prettier now."

Could that be true?

Zhou Yadong and the others couldn’t believe it, crowding forward to take a look.

"Not just prettier, but she does seem to have gained more spirit."

Her face appeared a bit smaller, not as pronounced as before.

Yi Chichi didn’t mind them, focusing on trimming her hair.

Ge Sujuan’s anxiousness eased because of Zhou Qiuyu’s words, gaining a bit more anticipation for her new hairstyle.

Time ticked by second by second.

Finally, Yi Chichi positioned herself in front of her, holding her face side to side as she looked, then touched up the lengths on both sides with the scissors.

Evened up her bangs, she double-checked the length, and smiled at the eagerly waiting Ge Sujuan, "All done."

As she spoke, she lightly ruffled the top of Ge Sujuan’s head, and her slightly naturally wavy hair immediately fluffed up.

"Looks good."

Wang Nan praised with a bright smile, "This hairstyle suits you so well."

Unlike the rigid young people’s styles nowadays, Ge Sujuan’s haircut had a clean and simple vibe, looking cuter and adding a bit of sweetness and vitality.

Even made her feel tempted.

"Chichi, cut my hair like that too."

Yi Chichi declined, "That style wouldn’t suit you."

Wang Nan had a broad face, and the "first love" style would look mismatched on her.

Her face shape was better suited to medium-length natural waves, side-swept bangs with a bob cut, or the like.

"Then just cut whatever you think looks good on me."

Yi Chichi’s lips twitched slightly, "You’re not naturally wavy, it won’t look as good on you as it does on Juanzi."

"As long as it looks better than my current style."

That was truly not a high standard.

"Alright then."

And so, she gave Wang Nan a cut as well.

Qi Yang was itching to do something as he touched his overgrown hair, and as she put away the scissors, he approached timidly, "Yi Chichi, could you cut mine too?"

Getting a haircut at the commune cost money and required a haircut ticket, but asking Yi Chichi was free, and no ticket was needed.

"Please, could you help with a cut?"

He brought his hands together in a begging gesture, and before Yi Chichi could respond, Bai Chen and the others chimed in—

"Cut ours too."

"..."

Well, it seems they want her to be their permanent hairdresser.

That’s doable.

"Daytime cuts."

Cutting women’s hair at night is doable; the length can always be adjusted.

But for the guys’ styles...

If you’re not careful and mess up, the only fix is to buzz it or shave it all off.

Surely, Bai Chen and the others wouldn’t like that.

"Why not?"

"The lighting’s dim."

This was a valid reason, so valid that Bai Chen and the others calmly accepted that daytime cuts were a reality.

Meanwhile, Wu Yongfei finished cooking up the meat sauce.

"Quick, grab something to hold it."

"Right away."

Yi Chichi dashed inside and brought back two large enamel mugs with lids, adorned with words commemorating the anniversary of the Lincheng Textile Factory’s founding.

They were scavenged from the Yi Family.

"Is your family in the textile business?"

Wu Yongfei noticed the writing and couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.

Yi Chichi mumbled an affirmative, not wanting to discuss the topic further: