Chapter 34 Dad’s Barber Shop

"It should be right here."

Stopped in front of an old shop.

Li Ran looked at the barber shop in front of him and made a judgment based on his vague memory.

"Hey kid, this is not the place for a person of your color."

A kind old black man wearing a straw hat walked from behind Li Ran and came to the door of the barber shop: "Although the security in Harlem is much better than in the past, Asians like you still have a high level of security when walking on the road. There is a chance that they may be targeted for robbery, especially those little gangsters who do nothing all day long.”

"I've seen it coming."

In response, Li Ran couldn't help but nodded and replied with an expression like someone who had been through it before.

He did meet the gangsters the old man mentioned, but the final result was slightly different from what the other party said. The gangsters did not rob him, but he successfully robbed the gangsters.

"Yeah?"

The old black man turned his head and glanced at Li Ran, looking at his slovenly appearance with his sweatshirt and torn sneakers.

"I'm sorry, kid. I'm sorry that you encountered this kind of thing in Harlem." The old man obviously misunderstood something and comforted Li Ran: "But this is life, isn't it? It can't always be smooth sailing. Occasionally, something will happen. Frustration will make you grateful when happiness comes."

After a rap that was full of chicken soup flavor, the old man turned around and took out the key to open the store door.

After a pause, he turned around and invited Li Ran, who was standing at the door of the store: "Let's do this, kid, come in. Although dad can't change your experience, he can at least change your hairstyle. Of course, the most important thing is, no TOLL."

Although the contact process was different from what Li Ran had imagined, since the other party extended the invitation, he naturally followed the old man's invitation and walked into the barber shop.

"I usually don't cut my hair for free, so at least in dad's barber shop, you are already on the same level as Ali and Jordan."

Pointing to the paper stuck on the wall, the old man turned to Li Ran and joked.

Li Ran looked in the direction of the old man's fingers and saw many names printed on the paper, such as Muhammad Ali, Nelson Mandela, and Richard Roundtree, all of whom were famous black figures. .

After asking Li Ran to do it in front of the mirror in the barber shop, the old man turned around and opened the curtains in the shop, turned on the TV and tuned to the basketball program. Then he stepped behind Li Ran and looked at his long hair: "Go ahead, kid. What kind of hairstyle do you want, please tell me in advance, Dad, although I have cut hair for countless people, this is the first time for an Asian."

Sitting on the chair in the barber shop, Li Ran suddenly became a little uneasy when he heard the black old man's words.

Although the face he is wearing is not his own, if the haircut is too awkward, it will also affect the image of the character he plays.

"How about just washing your hair?"

Thinking of this, Li Ran couldn't help but cautiously ask the old man.

"..."

Standing behind him, he stared at Li Ran silently for a while. The old man suddenly clapped his hands and laughed a few times, then shook his head: "Haha~ I lied to your child, believe in my father's skills, and I will definitely give you a cool haircut." A cool hairstyle will make all the girls on the street fall in love with you.”

After hearing what the old man said, Li Ran was not relieved, but even more panicked.

…

"Hey, Henry."

Carrying the chessboard into the barber shop, Bobby Fish, a regular customer with a goatee, raised his head and looked at Li Ran who was sitting in the shop getting a haircut.

Although there are many Asians in New York, it is still rare to see a yellow person with different skin in a black gathering place like Harlem, especially a new face that has never been seen before, and it is still in the city. In a barber shop with obvious black activities like Daddy Henry Hunter.

Because, generally speaking, ethnic groups with different skins have their own activity areas.

"Hey, Bobby." The old man replied while cutting hair around Li Ran with scissors.

"Have you heard?" Poppy placed the chessboard in his hand near the window of the barber shop, and then asked Henry in the shop.

"What?"

"Martin and the others were beaten up."

In front of the mirror in the barber shop, Li Ran couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he heard this. If he remembered correctly, there seemed to be a man named Martin among the black men he had beaten before.

"Really?" He turned the chair and adjusted Li Ran in front of him in a direction for easier haircutting. The old man named Henry shrugged and was not surprised at all: "I have already warned Martin and the others. You can't go too far, otherwise you will have bitter consequences sooner or later. Unfortunately, they never listen to me."

"Times have changed, Henry, your style is outdated." Poppy casually replied as he picked up a chess piece.

“Rules never go out of style, because rules are rules.”

Obviously, the old man didn't agree with this.

"Well, you're always right, Henry." Shrugging, Bobby dropped a chess piece and replied.

"That's because I've made enough mistakes."

"Hey, Dad."

A black guy walked into the barber shop.

"Chico, you're late." Looking up at the time on the wall, Henry turned to the black guy and said.

"Sorry, Dad."

"So, go put on your clothes immediately."

"You're always so soft-hearted, Henry."

"I've been ruthless for most of my life and even went to jail for it."

Although it was only a half-understood conversation, Li Ran still noticed some clues from the conversation between the two in the barber shop.

Obviously, the old man is also a person with stories.

"Dad, I need one..."

The barber shop run by the old man is obviously a popular shop. It only opened in the morning and there are already many customers visiting it.

Here, Li Ran was sitting in front of a chair looking at his hair that was getting shorter and shorter when he heard a slightly noisy sound coming from behind.

Immediately afterwards, I saw a staggering black man coming to Li Ran, who was cutting his hair in the hands of his father. He looked at the guy on the chair who was very different from the guy in the barber shop.

"Holy shit, how could this be? I actually saw one in the barber shop..."

"Ahem, Shamik, you know the rules. Swearing is not allowed in dad's shop." Henry said, pointing to the curse bucket of money on the barber's counter.

"I know, but Dad, isn't the situation in front of you a little too strange? A yellow... Asian guy actually cuts his hair in your shop?!"

"What's weird about this, Shamik, how many years have passed since the liberation of black people, and we can all be presidents, why can't there be Asians in Dad's barber shop?"

"Dad is right, Mrs. Connie's Chinese restaurant is the best proof."

"Luke, you're late too."

"Dad, you know, I haven't been getting enough sleep lately."