Chapter 7

A heavy rain only cooled Hai Zhou for half a day; the next day, the weather was as hot as a dog again.

After eating breakfast, Li Mu's parents went to work on the shuttle bus. After his parents left, the phone at Li Mu's house started ringing non-stop from nine o'clock, all calls coming from his classmates.

Some called to ask how they performed in the college entrance exam; others were unsure about some questions on the science test and couldn't wait until the day after tomorrow to estimate their scores, so they called Li Mu for confirmation; there were also close friends from high school who invited him to stay up all night at the internet cafe.

The close friend's name was Zhao Kang, Li Mu's childhood friend, who lived in the same neighborhood. Almost everyone in the neighborhood was a worker at the Xiling Coal Mine, and Zhao Kang's parents were no exception. They had played together since they were in diapers, went to the same class in elementary school, and although they were in different classes in middle school and high school, they attended the same school, and their relationship during their teenage years was very close.

However, Zhao Kang did not perform well in this year's college entrance exam. He thought he could pass the undergraduate line, but unexpectedly fell short by nearly twenty points. He originally planned to attend a junior college as his second choice, but his parents, who were always proud, forced him to retake the exam for a year. During the retake year, Zhao Kang's rebelliousness grew stronger, and he had a big argument with his family in the second half of the year, then ran away from home.

At the time, Li Mu, who was in college, tried to contact Zhao Kang multiple times, but this guy had a stubborn personality. Not only did Li Mu fail to contact him, but even his parents couldn't reach him. However, every year during the New Year, they could receive a call from him to report his safety.

After that, every New Year, a landline from somewhere in China would call Li Mu. The location often changed, and the caller would only say six words: "Brother, Happy New Year."

Then, without waiting for Li Mu to respond, the call would hang up. If he called back, no one would answer, or it would be the owner of a public phone booth.

Li Mu knew that the caller was Zhao Kang. This habit lasted for over ten years, but he had no idea about Zhao Kang's life during those ten years, whether he was doing well or not, or if he was happy.

Thinking of him, Li Mu couldn't help but feel a wave of melancholy.

Zhao Kang's original intention in calling was to have Li Mu find a good excuse to go to the internet cafe at night, but Li Mu's mind was full of the game "Stone Age," which was very popular at the time. He said, "Are your parents at work? If they are, let's have lunch together and then go to the internet cafe."

"Sure, let's go to KFC for lunch. I'll treat you."

At the beginning of 2001, Hai Zhou opened its first KFC, and the business was so booming that it was unimaginable in later years. People often queued up outside the store, even to the roadside. Although the popularity had decreased somewhat after half a year, KFC was still considered fashionable by young people.

Li Mu couldn't help but advise, "Why KFC? It's all junk food. Let's find a restaurant and order a couple of dishes."

"Pfft!" Zhao Kang said disdainfully, "KFC burgers are delicious. I can't afford to eat them more than once a month. You're picky even when I treat you?"

Li Mu didn't insist, "Okay, KFC it is. Twelve o'clock?"

"Alright, I'll come to your place first."

Just as he hung up with Zhao Kang, the landline rang again.

"Hello."

"Is this Li Mu?"

It was a female voice, very pleasant.

"Chen Wan?"

"You have sharp ears!" Chen Wan said on the phone, "Where exactly do you live? I want to visit."

Li Mu laughed, "My parents aren't home. Is it appropriate for a girl to come to my place?"

"What's inappropriate about it?" Chen Wan grumbled, "You're just a kid. Is it inappropriate for your big sister to visit you?"

Just a kid...

Li Mu casually pulled down the waistband of his shorts and underwear with his right thumb, looked down, and muttered to himself, "I've been battle-ready for years."

Li Mu gave her the address, and Chen Wan said, "Wait for me, I'll ride my bicycle over."

"Isn't driving more convenient?" Li Mu teased.

"Drive your head off, wait for me at home!"

After giving the address, Li Mu pushed open the front door of his house. The neighborhood where he lived consisted of five-story red brick buildings, and his house was on the first floor. Since it was a company-owned house, no one managed it, so the first floor had a small yard and three rooms built in front of the house.

Last year, Li Mu's family built a wall, paved the ground with cement, and added three rooms, costing nearly 30,000 yuan. However, the cost-effectiveness was high. Not only did they have a house and a yard, but the flat roof was also a good place to dry clothes and bedding.

Li Mu found a pure white cotton V-neck T-shirt on the clothesline. Compared to the other more elaborate clothes, Li Mu only liked this simple style.

Since a beautiful girl was coming to visit, Li Mu went to the bathroom to groom himself. Looking at his current appearance in the mirror, Li Mu found it hard to look at.

The main issue was his student hairstyle, which made him look listless and somewhat effeminate. The most annoying thing was the black stubble on his upper lip, a common trait among teenagers of this era. However, his parents didn't allow him to shave it, saying it would grow thicker and look bad later. They didn't know that in a few years, girls would be crazy about men with beards!

Without hesitation, Li Mu used his father's razor to shave off the black stubble, making him look cleaner and more comfortable.

"I need to get a haircut."

Li Mu made up his mind and called Chen Wan back, telling her to find him at a hair salon at the entrance of the neighborhood. He then took out his savings from high school, a total of 580 yuan, and put 180 yuan in his pocket. Wearing shorts and flip-flops, he went out.

Sitting in a five-yuan hair salon, Li Mu said to the hairdresser with a Shamate hairstyle, "Excuse me, can you give me a less outrageous airplane head?"

The Shamate hairdresser looked at Li Mu in surprise, "Little brother, what's an airplane head?"

Li Mu was speechless.

In this era, few boys could find the most suitable hairstyle for themselves. They either had a flat head like a helicopter landing pad or a pot lid hairstyle like Li Mu's. The more fashionable ones had long hair, which, as it grew longer and more colorful, turned them into Shamates.

The airplane head hairstyle was something Li Mu only got after a girl's suggestion during his college years. After getting it, he realized that the standard for a handsome man was short hair.

Especially the hairstyle of Chen Guanxi in a certain era, with short hair on the sides like a buzz cut and slightly longer hair on top, styled with gel to stand up messily. This hairstyle was not only understated but also highlighted the facial features, making the man look sharp and cool. It was still stylish even in 2016.

Most importantly, this hairstyle had a natural bad boy charm, which girls found very appealing.

Although Li Mu wasn't as handsome as Chen Guanxi, he was definitely a charismatic handsome man.

After listening to Li Mu's explanation, the Shamate hairdresser looked at him with a mix of sympathy, as if he thought Li Mu was old-fashioned and ignorant. He deliberately flicked his long hair that covered his eyes and said proudly, "Bro, your current pot lid hairstyle is perfect for a hairstyle like mine. I'll give you a slanted fringe, and in a month or two, you'll be so handsome!"

Li Mu watched him finish his boasting and asked, "If I listen to you, how much will you pay me?"

"This is... " The Shamate hairdresser laughed awkwardly, "I'm doing this for your own good. With this hairstyle, you'll definitely attract girls at the internet cafe!"

Li Mu said, "I don't want to attract girls at the internet cafe."

"If not the internet cafe, where else can you go!" The Shamate hairdresser was puzzled.

"To the university." Li Mu teased, "Hurry up and cut it as I said. I'm from the Xiling Coal Mine neighborhood, and I'm the local tough guy. If you don't do it right, I won't pay!"

The Shamate hairdresser looked unhappy. Although he knew Li Mu was joking, he couldn't afford to offend the children of Xiling Coal Mine workers, who could easily gather a hundred people for a fight.

Although the Shamate hairdresser had poor taste, he did have some skills. Under Li Mu's guidance, it took ten minutes to shape the airplane head. After cutting the sides, Li Mu directed him to use a thinning shear to texturize the slightly longer hair on top. After washing and drying, he sprayed some mousse and styled it with his hands, creating a slightly rebellious airplane head.

Looking at Li Mu in the mirror, the Shamate hairdresser felt a pang of jealousy.

His own Shamate hairstyle also had a rebellious charm, but it was fundamentally different from Li Mu's. Li Mu's was the cool charm of a handsome young man from Hong Kong movies, while his own... had a strong rural gangster vibe.

Li Mu stood up satisfied, took out some money from his pocket, and said, "Do you have new mousse? Give me a bottle, and include it in the bill."

The Shamate hairdresser was taken aback, quickly fetched a new bottle of mousse, and said respectfully, "The haircut is free, and I'll give you the mousse at cost, ten yuan."

Li Mu was speechless. This young hairdresser was quite interesting and even gave him a free haircut, but he still took out two ten-yuan bills and said, "Change."

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