Chapter Seventy-Four: A Most Bizarre Affair (Afternoon recommendations. Please add to your collection, recommend, invest, reward, comment on this chapter, and review the book.)

"Why are you following me? I just wanted to take a walk," Lu Kun turned his head, looking at Liu Shixun with an expression full of disdain.

"It's nothing, I just wanted to walk too," Liu Shixun replied thick-skinned, as if his face were made of stone.

"..."

"Hey, you brat!" Lu Kun, amused and annoyed, slapped him on the back of the head—not too hard, not too soft.

...

"Kun, where are we going now?" Liu Shixun quickened his pace to catch up with Lu Kun, who was walking ahead.

"We're going to a brothel," Lu Kun's lips twitched as he replied offhandedly.

"Huh?" Liu Shixun's mouth gaped wide, stunned for a long time.

Such a thrilling thing—should I righteously refuse, or beg Kun to take me along?

"What's wrong with you now? Why'd you stop walking?" Lu Kun had walked some distance ahead before noticing Liu Shixun frozen in place and turned back to ask.

"What's the matter? Chickened out? Want to go back?" Lu Kun mocked, grinning.

"Who—who's chickening out? Let's go, I'm not afraid!" Liu Shixun shouted, puffing out his chest and raising his head, quickly catching up.

...

"Kun, we're not really... not really going to do that, are we?" Liu Shixun asked nervously.

"Hey, you kid, what are you thinking at your age? I just want to get a haircut, you're making such a fuss!" Lu Kun glanced at him and scoffed.

"Really?" Liu Shixun clearly relaxed, but still looked half-convinced.

"As real as a pearl!" Lu Kun ignored him.

In 1990, the standard of living in Shenzhen had improved greatly compared to before the establishment of the Special Economic Zone. Hair salons, beauty parlors, and fitness centers were already fully developed.

Unlike Gui'an, where barbers were still state-owned, leaving people speechless.

Although adults paid just fifty cents for each haircut, the barber's skill was... well...

There was skill, to be fair.

As long as they shaved every hair short and even, it was done.

The tools used for haircuts could send shivers down your spine.

...

"Hey, you two lads, out for some fun?" A shifty-eyed fellow popped out from the roadside, smiling slyly.

Lu Kun glanced around discreetly before relaxing.

So he was a pimp.

At least he wasn't a robber.

"Huh? Who are you?!" Liu Shixun, startled, recovered and asked angrily.

"Ah, if making a living weren't so tough, who'd come out at night to hustle?" The man spoke with a mix of apology and hardship.

He must be joking!

People in this line only start working at night, don't they? Lu Kun cursed inwardly but kept a straight face, pulling Liu Shixun to walk away.

"Hey, hey, brothers, come on, it's not expensive. Young beauties, mature charmers... all kinds," the man persisted, not willing to let this business slip away.

"Eh?"

Liu Shixun's mind was muddled, but after a while, he finally understood.

Good grief—Kun said we were going to that kind of place, and now it's come knocking.

Liu Shixun hurriedly shook off the man's hand, looking disgusted.

"No need, we don't need it," Liu Shixun shouted.

"Hey, hey, little brother, don't shout, don't shout. If people notice, that's trouble. Sure, I'm a walking mess, but it's no good for you two either," the man pleaded earnestly.

Lu Kun didn't want to cause a scene. "We don't have any money on us. Maybe another day. You should see if someone else needs your services."

Hearing Lu Kun's words, the man's eyes lit up, his enthusiasm growing. "There are cheap options too, really cheap..."

"..."

Damn it!

Are you deaf or just dumb?

"You deal with him!" Lu Kun shoved Liu Shixun forward, deciding to let him keep shouting.

"We really don't need it!" Liu Shixun planted his hands on his hips and yelled.

"Hey! How could you not need it..."

The man stopped halfway, looked at Lu Kun and Liu Shixun, his face twisted with odd hesitation, then lowered his voice, "Actually, we have men too."

Liu Shixun stared at the man, caught off guard by the implication.

Damn!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Lu Kun unleashed a flurry of punches at the man's face.

Then—

"Liu Shixun, what are you doing? Get over here and help!" Lu Kun shouted at the stunned Liu Shixun.

One-on-one suddenly became a tag-team.

...

Bang!

"Stop hitting, let's run!" Lu Kun grabbed Liu Shixun, pulling him away in a sprint.

...

Huff—huff—

They ran for quite a while before stopping, gasping for air.

"Kun... Kun, that last kick you gave him seemed... seemed to land right in his... you know," Liu Shixun said, face twisted in confusion.

Swish!

Lu Kun blushed.

Couldn't help it—dirty tricks had become a habit.

...

"Kun, didn't you say you wanted to go to that kind of place? Why did you turn away when it came to you?" Liu Shixun scratched his head, puzzled.

Lu Kun glanced at him and scoffed, "You're too young. You think it's really as he said? Young beauties, mature charmers, all sorts?"

"Isn't it? Was he lying?" Liu Shixun looked even more confused.

"He's just trying to fool naive kids like you. I'm guessing all those 'young beauties' and 'mature charmers' he mentioned are probably just one person—maybe his own wife!"

"Ah... so he's desperately trying to pimp out his wife?" Liu Shixun's mouth hung open, shocked. In just a moment, his whole worldview was shaken.

...

"And those men he mentioned, could it be..."

"Ugh—" Both of them dry-heaved in disgust.

After a long while—

They found a proper barbershop and got their hair cut.

Truth be told, the barbers here weren't necessarily more skilled than those in Gui'an County, but their service was worlds apart.

Of course, the price was much higher.

Lu Kun had the barber give him a short, tapered cut on the sides, feeling fresher and more handsome, his profile now perfect.

He looked more like a popular student at school than a farmer who had spent years working the land.

Liu Shixun found Lu Kun's hairstyle interesting and asked the barber for the same.

However—

After the cut...

Because he was so thin and frail, from a distance he looked like a skeleton.

...

The heat was unbearable, even with the fan blowing full blast.

"Let's go, time to head back," Lu Kun said, fanning himself with his shirt.

While sitting in the barbershop, he thought it was hot enough inside, but stepping out through the curtain, the heat wave outside hit him like a blast, suffocating.

It felt as if a hot iron was pressing ever closer to his cheeks.