How did hiring someone to press a pig image during Chinese New Year become a top trend?

Outside the noodle shop, the wind picked up.

That cold wind, carrying the smell of coal ash, felt like it was trying to drain all the warmth from a person's body.

Xu An wrapped himself tightly in the military overcoat, which was covered in flour, and stood shivering under the streetlight like a groundhog that had just crawled out of a flour bin.

"Family members, we're full..."

"But now there is a serious problem."

"Where do I sleep?"

Xu An faced the camera, his eyes revealing a clear sense of bewilderment.

His social anxiety makes him most afraid of staying in hotels.

The stares from the receptionist, the wait while they check your ID, and the awkwardness of the room card not working...

Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine.

In the live stream, the group of netizens who love to watch the drama unfold started offering terrible ideas again.

[ID Wilderness Survival]: I know how to do this! Find a windy spot, dig a snowdrift, cover yourself with a military coat, and before you know it, it's dawn!

[Local Native ID]: Don't listen to the nonsense upstairs! Sleeping outside in the daytime? We're going to see you at the ice sculpture exhibition tomorrow morning!

[ID Veteran Driver]: Anzi! Look up! Look at the 11 o'clock direction! That neon sign with its flashing lights!

Xu An followed the direction indicated by the comments on the screen.

A red and blue LED sign was flashing wildly in the cold wind, its light even more intense than that of a nightclub.

Public bathhouse

[Shower + overnight stay = 29 yuan]

Self-service fruit + unlimited tea

Xu An's eyes lit up instantly.

29 yuan?

Can I stay overnight?

They even manage fruit?!

This was an irresistible temptation for Xu An, who was stingy... no, thrifty and frugal.

"That's it!"

Xu An took a deep breath, put on a tragic expression that said, "If I don't go to hell, who will?", and pushed open the door with the heavy cotton curtain hanging on it.

……

It turns out.

For someone with social anxiety, venturing into a public bathhouse in northern China is like a sheep jumping into a pack of wolves.

As soon as I entered the locker room, a wave of heat mixed with the scent of male hormones hit me.

Before Xu An could even get a good look at his surroundings, he saw a room full of pale, fleshy bodies.

Hundreds of grown men walked around naked, some smoking, some bragging, and some even gesturing with each other's chest muscles.

That kind of scene.

Extremely spectacular.

Extremely...socially dead.

Xu An stood frozen at the doorway, his hands gripping the collar of his military overcoat tightly, feeling as if his eyes were about to go blind.

"What are you standing there for? Take it off!"

An old man wearing only slippers looked at Xu An, who was wrapped up like a rice dumpling, and spoke in a voice as loud as a bronze bell.

"Hey...hey!"

Xu An was startled and hurriedly began to unbutton his shirt.

The live stream had already been switched to audio mode; there was only sound, no video.

But this only fueled the wilder imaginations of netizens.

[ID Brainstorming King]: Hahahaha! I heard Anzi's trembling breathing! He must have been intimidated by these hundreds of men!

[ID Northern Wolf Clan]: Anzi, don't be afraid! As long as you strip naked too, no one will look at you! This is our social etiquette! Let's be completely naked!

[ID Shy]: Why am I blushing even though I can't see it? Is this the legendary public bathhouse?

That night, Xu An endured the longest "torture" of his life.

He had intended to just take a quick shower in a corner, but a middle-aged man wearing a red belt suddenly pushed him onto the massage bed.

"Young man! You're covered in flour! Did you fall into the flour bin?"

"M-Uncle, be gentle..."

"Stop pushing! How can you get through the mud without putting in the effort? Just bear with it!"

"Sizzle—"

That's the sound of a bath towel rubbing against the skin.

"ah--!"

That was Xu An's scream, like a pig being slaughtered.

The uncle had immense strength; each blow felt like he was peeling a layer of Xu An's skin off.

"Flip it over!"

The uncle flipped Xu An over like a salted fish.

"Snapped!"

A slap landed on Xu An's back, crisp and loud.

"Look how skinny you are! Eat more meat! These bones are going to tear my bath towel!"

Xu An lay on the wet plastic sheet, two lines of humiliating tears streaming down his face.

Who knows?

Pay 29 yuan to find an older man to pin you down on the bed and "beat" you.

Is this what you call enjoyment?!

……

The next morning, Xu An fled from that "gentle haven" as if he were escaping.

Although my body was burning with pain, I have to say that the feeling of being thoroughly washed was truly refreshing.

Even the social anxiety I felt yesterday seems to have been rubbed off.

He bought a bowl of millet porridge from a roadside vendor and wolfed down his breakfast with the sesame seed cake that Aunt Li Aijun had given him.

The sesame seed cakes were really hard, but also really fragrant; with every bite, you could taste the sweetness of the wheat.

"Family members, we're fully recharged!"

Xu An restarted the live stream, pointing the camera at the distant, hazy horizon.

"Next stop."

"Let's go somewhere... a bit deep in the mountains."

Xu An took out the next letter.

The envelope was made of old-fashioned kraft paper, and the edges were already frayed.

The address is written very vaguely:

[Hongqi No. 3 Mine Family Compound, Yungang District, Datong City, Shanxi Province]

Recipient: [Wang Dachui (alias: Wang Daye)]

Sender: [Barber San'er]

There is no specific address, only this nickname.

"San'er..."

As Xu An looked at the signature, the image of the always smiling face of Third Uncle at the village entrance came to mind.

The old man who forcibly shaved his head with a big pair of scissors used for trimming donkey hooves.

Third Master is usually not very talkative, I never expected that he would have such a distant friend?

There is no direct bus to Hongqi No. 3 Mine.

Xu An changed buses three times before finally squeezing onto a minibus specifically for transporting miners.

The car was very old, and the windows were rattling loudly.

Most of the people on the bus were wearing work clothes covered in coal dust, their faces stained with indelible black marks, and their eyes were tired and numb.

The air was filled with a pungent smell of tobacco and coal dust.

Xu An huddled in the last row, trying to minimize his presence. The window next to him couldn't be closed properly, and a cold wind was blowing in.

"Young man, are you from out of town?"

A middle-aged man wearing a helmet in the front seat turned around, revealing a set of white teeth—the only white thing on his face.

"Okay, go...go to Hongqi No. 3 Mine to find someone."

"Hongqi No. 3 Mine?"

The middle-aged man paused for a moment, his eyes turning somewhat strange.

"That's an old mine; it was shut down more than ten years ago."

"There aren't many people there now, only the elderly, weak, sick and disabled who don't want to leave."

Who are you looking for?

"Wang... Wang Big Eyes," Xu An tentatively uttered the nickname.

The uncle frowned and thought for a long time before shaking his head.

"Never heard of it."

"In those old mines, you could find plenty of people called Big Eyes, Big Head, or Big Boss."

"Why don't you go and try your luck?"

The car bumped along the winding mountain road for two hours.

The scenery outside the window gradually became desolate, and the original green mountains disappeared.

Instead, there are black mountains, huge piles of coal gangue, and abandoned well frames.

The leaves on the trees along the roadside were covered with a thick layer of black ash, making it seem as if the world was shrouded in a black and white filter.

Xu An got out of the car and stood in front of a pile of ruins. This place must have been very lively before.

Those rows of red brick Soviet-style tenement buildings, though dilapidated, still retain a hint of their former grandeur.

The faded slogan "Grasp revolution, promote production" still remains on the wall.

But now.

Most of the windows were broken, dark and gaping, like blind eyes staring intently at the intruder.

The wind blew through the empty streets, swirling up scraps of paper and coal dust, making a whooshing sound.

It looks like she's crying.

In the live stream, the netizens who were just joking about Xu An's bathing experience have all fallen silent.

[ID Industrial Ruins]: This place... looks so depressing.

[ID岁月如歌]: This used to be a mining area. Decades ago, tens of thousands of people probably lived here, and there were hospitals, schools, and movie theaters. Now...sigh.

【ID Xujiacun Sanye】: We've arrived? That's the Third Mine? How did it become such a mess? It used to be a great place. I even cut their hair in the auditorium there.

Xu An tightened his collar and walked into the desolate family compound.

He wandered around the empty alley for a long time, and finally, in front of a dilapidated building that was still emitting smoke, he saw an old man sitting on a stool basking in the sun.

The old man is very old.

His face was covered with deep wrinkles, like the bark of an old tree.

He closed his eyes, twirled two blackened walnuts in his hands, and hummed an unknown tune.

"uncle……"

Xu An walked over and called out softly.

The old man didn't react.

Xu An shouted again, this time a little louder.

The old man slowly opened his eyes, which were cloudy and covered with a layer of white film.

"What's going on?"

"Sir, I'd like to ask you about someone."

Xu An squatted down, trying to make his line of sight level with the old man.

"Is there someone here named... Wang Dachui? His nickname is Wang Dayan."

Upon hearing the name "Wang Daye," the walnuts the old man was holding fell to the ground with a "thud."

He didn't pick it up.

Instead, he tilted his head and stared intently at Xu An with his cloudy eyes, as if trying to see through him.

After a long time, the old man's withered lips moved, and he let out a hoarse laugh.

"Wang Daye?"

"That stingy bastard who cut his own hair with coal shears just to save two cents on a haircut?"

Xu An's eyes lit up: "Yes! It's him! I am... I am a friend of San'er from Xujia Village, and I'm here to deliver a letter to him."

"Sending a letter..."

The old man muttered to himself, stretching out his withered hand and pointing to the dark building behind him.

"Third floor, east-facing unit."

"He's there."

Xu An was overjoyed: "Thank you, sir!"

He was about to stand up and run upstairs when the old man's next words were like a nail, pinning him firmly to the spot.

"Don't knock."

"It's no use."

"It's hanging on the wall."

Xu An's mind went blank.

Hanging?

What does that mean?

"He's dead."

The old man picked up the walnuts from the ground, wiped them on his sleeve, and said in a calm tone as if he were saying that the weather was nice today.

"It's been eight years since I left."

"Silicosis".

"In my last few years, I couldn't breathe properly and could only sleep on my knees."

"Before he died, his eyes were wide open, bigger than a cow's eyes."

"Did he want to take one last look at the sky, or one last look at the unfinished coal mine?"

"Who knows?"

Xu An didn't know how he got to the third floor; every step felt like it was made of lead.

The door to the east-facing unit on the third floor was ajar.

Xu An gently pushed the door open. The room was dark and filled with a musty smell from years of poor ventilation.

The furnishings were simple: a wooden bed and a cabinet with a missing corner.

On the wall directly opposite the door hangs a black and white portrait of a deceased person.

The person in the photo is very young, probably only in their thirties, with the parted hairstyle that was most popular at the time, and has very big eyes and a bright smile.

There was a clever glint in his eyes.

With trembling hands, Xu An opened the manila envelope.

There was no money or valuables inside.

There was only one set... a brand new, unopened manual hair clipper.

There was also a neatly folded letter.

Although Third Master was a rough fellow, his handwriting was fairly neat, though he made some mistakes and covered them up with black dots.

[Big-eyed thief:]

Are they still alive?

Last time you came to my village, you complained that my clippers snagged your hair and said you were going to smash my sign.

I was so angry that I kicked you out.

[After thinking about it, I realized that old clipper really should be retired.]

This hair clip was bought for me through someone in Shanghai; it's a Double Arrow brand, doesn't snag hair, and runs very fast.

Your hair is as stiff as pig bristles; regular clippers can't control it.

This one's yours.

Come find me again when your hair has grown long.

This time, I won't charge you.

【—San'er.】

Xu An looked at the new clippers that gleamed coldly in the dim light.

Then I looked at the smiling face on the wall, forever frozen in the years of youth.

This letter was eight years late, or... decades late.

That "big-eyed thief" who complained about the clippers pulling his hair will never have the chance to use this "Shanghai-made" clipper again.

The man who said "I won't take any money" waited under the big tree at the village entrance until his hair turned white.

The live stream room was no longer noisy.

All that's left is a screen full of ellipses and tear emojis.

Sudden.

A bold, golden barrage of comments slowly drifted by.

[ID: Xujiacun Sanye]: (Voice to text) That damn big-eyed thief...

【ID Xujiacun Sanye】: No wonder... no wonder he said he was going to the south to do big business that year and wouldn't come to get his hair cut anymore.

[ID: Xujiacun Sanye]: So he was afraid I'd see him kneeling and panting like a bear...

[ID: Xujiacun Sanye]: Never mind. Anzi, leave the clippers behind.

【ID Xujiacun Sanye】: Placed in front of his photo.

[ID: Xujiacun Sanye]: Let him push slowly from below...

Xu An took a deep breath.

He carefully placed the cold hair clipper on the table in front of the portrait.

There was also a half-empty bottle of cheap liquor next to it, covered in dust.

"Big-Eyed Uncle".

Xu An said softly.

"Third Master said... he won't charge you this time."

"Your hair... needs a trim."

The wind blew in through the broken window, making the letters on the table rustle, as if someone was turning the pages, or as if someone was sighing.

Xu An turned around and walked out of the room. The old man sunbathing downstairs was still humming a tune, the melody somewhat desolate.

"The sun sets in the west...and the rosy clouds fly..."

"The soldiers practiced target practice...and returned to camp..."

Those are songs from their era.

Now, the soldiers have returned to camp, but the barracks are long gone.

Xu An didn't stop. He carried his bag and walked along the road covered in coal dust.

The dilapidated building behind me cast a long, black shadow in the setting sun, like a giant tombstone.

"Family members."

Xu An's voice was a little hoarse.

"Some people, as they walk along, just drift apart."

"It's not that I don't want to contact you."

"I'm afraid of getting in touch..."

"And that became a final farewell."

He looked up and glanced at the sky, blackened by coal smoke.

"Next stop."

"Let's go somewhere...where there are flowers."