Chapter 88 : 88: Chef and Barber
Chen Xiuqin was about to cut Xiang Beifei's hair, and Xiang Beifei didn't refuse; he was quite curious about the capabilities of the "Yi Jian Mei System."
After one snip, Xiang Beifei's hair, originally only about one centimeter long, had grown to five or six centimeters!
Then she began to trim his hair meticulously. With the scissors in her left hand, she cut the hair that was too short, and with the scissors in her right hand, she cut off the hair that was too long. Using a comb that automatically styled hair, she hooked here and trimmed there, designing a sunny-looking hairstyle for Xiang Beifei.
A good hairstylist can change a person's aura and spirit.
"With this look combined with the hairstyle, it could charm a crowd of girls!"
Chen Xiuqin looked at her masterpiece with satisfaction.
[You designed a new hairstyle for Xiang Beifei, hairstyle rating: 96, proficiency +96]
[Achieved a score of 90, a new tool will be randomly given]
[You have drawn: Golden Jiao Scissors]
Upon seeing the system prompt, Chen Xiuqin was initially stunned and then burst into laughter: "Ha, Xiaofei, you really are my lucky charm."
Usually, it was difficult for haircut scores to reach above 90 points. For an average person to achieve a 60 was already quite good. It would probably take cutting a few hundred people's hair to maybe see one 90-point score.
She hadn't expected to achieve it today and even drew a pair of Golden Jiao Scissors!
Xiang Beifei carefully examined the introduction of the Golden Jiao Scissors and discovered that these scissors were an extremely powerful weapon in combat capable of cutting through anything one realm higher than itself.
This was some good stuff.
However, Xiang Beifei did not touch the Golden Jiao Scissors; he found that Chen Xiuqin was not just a hairdresser walking the literary Dao—in her completed system task list, she had even killed quite a few desolate beasts!
"Auntie, did you practice martial cultivation before?" Xiang Beifei asked.
"Why suddenly ask this?"
Chen Xiuqin had taken away the Golden Jiao Scissors and was examining them closely, asking casually.
"I vaguely heard my parents mention you before."
"Oh?"
Chen Xiuqin looked at Xiang Beifei somewhat surprised, then pondered for a moment and nodded slightly: "Daming, your parents, and I were all university classmates. We had initially planned on becoming pioneers, but later on, Daming and I gave up and decided to be plain ordinary people instead."
"Uncle Kong and Auntie were pioneers too?"
A system for cooking and a system for hairdressing, and they were pioneers?
"Any system can choose to pursue the martial or literary Dao. It depends on what you choose. Don't underestimate Uncle Kong. Although he's chubby, he's quite skilled at killing desolate beasts. His favorite thing is to throw various desolate beasts into his large cauldron and then think about how to cook them tastily. He thinks I fell for his hair, but actually—"
Chen Xiuqin smiled proudly and said softly: "I was conquered by his culinary skills."
"Heh, women."
Kong Xiuwen muttered from the side.
Chen Xiuqin, annoyed, flicked the forehead of her son: "You have objections? Believe it or not, I'll shave your head?"
"Shave it! Just shave! Shave it to death!" Kong Xiuwen stretched his neck and said.
In the future, he won't need his mom to do it, he'll be bald himself.
Xiang Beifei continued to check the system interface. Chen Xiuqin's system interface showed that she had several very powerful abilities, such as "Precarious". If her "Thousand-Jun Scissors" touched someone, each strand of their hair would become immensely heavy!
Of course, this "thousand jun" was just a metaphor. The actual weight a strand of hair could change into was linked to one's strength. However, it was undeniable that if the hair of a desolate beast became heavy, its movements would be severely limited.
Another ability, "Medusa", could turn her hair into snakes. Anyone bitten by the snakes would be petrified.
Xiang Beifei realized he had underestimated Chen Xiuqin, the hairdresser.
He asked, "Auntie, you used to be a pioneer, so do you also know about my parents' situation? What exactly happened to them?"
Chen Xiuqin paused, then frowned and after a long while, shook her head and said, "I don't know."
Xiang Beifei always felt that Chen Xiuqin was hiding something. He checked the system task list, but unfortunately, there was no related hint in Chen Xiuqin's system tasks.
——
During the celebration banquet, Kong Daming and Chen Xiuqin warmly welcomed Xiang Qingde and his grandson. Xiang Qingde, having been very worried about Xiang Beifei these past days, finally relaxed, and without reservation, drank with Kong Daming.
Xiang Qingde seldom drank alcohol because it was a substantial expense. He was used to economizing, and only drank a little when Kong Daming occasionally brought him a few bottles, but he never drank to the point of affecting his work the next day.
"Uncle! Xiaofei is also going to university now. How much money can you earn by selling vegetables every day? If he passes the assessment at Liangzhou University, the tuition and expenses will be a huge sum. You need to change your job. What if you come work at my shop? I'm short on staff anyway, and I'd like to hire you," Kong Daming said.
Kong Daming had always intended to help the grandfather-grandson duo for free, but Xiang Qingde, accustomed to earning his own way, refused the charity.
Not to hurt Xiang Qingde's pride, Kong Daming had previously proposed hiring him. It was both a matter of fellowship and to help take care of the old man since he was getting on in years and could have an accident where he would need assistance.
However, Xiang Qingde knew that working for Kong Daming would be no different from loafing around like the old men who wandered about, so he never agreed to it.
But now Xiang Qingde had to seriously consider Kong Daming's words.
If his grandson were going to university, the money he saved from selling vegetables wouldn't be enough. Of course, there was some compensation money at home that could temporarily cover some expenses, but money, if not earned, would eventually run out.
"Right, Uncle Xiang, you wake up early and stay out late every day, earning so little while suffering so much. Coming here to help would be better; Daming's business has been quite busy lately. Xiaofei, you should also persuade your grandfather," Chen Xiuqin said.
"Grandpa, I think it's a good idea,"
Xiang Beifei, too, didn't like to see his grandfather selling vegetables at the market every day, not only enduring hardships but also earning very little.
He had been looking for stable ways to make money, trying to get his grandfather to retire early. If his grandfather could work here, with Uncle Kong looking after him, Xiang Beifei would feel more at ease.
Xiang Qingde thought for a long time, then said seriously to Kong Daming, "Then you have to let me work."
"Alright, alright, alright. As long as you come, you can pick any job in the shop," Kong Daming said with a laugh.
Xiang Beifei was eating and simultaneously checking Kong Daming's system.
Kong Daming also had a very special ability. He owned a cauldron, named the "Gluttonous Cauldron", specifically used for devouring desolate beasts.
Another ability, called "Samadhi Fire", though not the legendary "Samadhi True Fire", possessed a powerful burning capability. When incinerating a desolate beast, it could even roast the meat of the beast into three different flavors out of thin air.
Cumin flavor, spicy hot flavor, five-spice flavor.