"Lu Xi, this is it, one and two." Lv Ziming called out to Lone Wolf as he led the way into a sowhat rundown barbershop.
The barbershop was tiny, about thirty square ters. The room had no windows, only a wooden door with a corner missing from the glass.
Inside, there was a coal stove in the center, with a "chimney" to vent the gas out to the back to prevent those inside from getting gas poisoning.
Seeing soone enter, the old man warming his hands by the stove bead with a smile and greeted, "Haircut or shave?"
"Neither haircut nor shave; we want to inquire about sothing." Lv Ziming took out a cigarette and offered it politely.
Realizing there wasn't any business, a hint of dissatisfaction appeared in the old man's eyes, but he still accepted the cigarette and gestured for Lone Wolf and Lv Ziming to sit.
The three of them sat around the coal stove. The old man lit the cigarette, picked up a mug of tea, and asked, "What do you want to know?"
"Have you seen a chicken?" Lv Ziming asked directly.
"A chicken?" The old man's expression turned odd, then he nodded and said, "I have, but I can't help you find it for free. There must be sothing in it for ."
Lone Wolf and Lv Ziming exchanged a look, both seeing the suspicion in each other's eyes.
Is this really the classic case of finding sothing through sheer luck?
"If you can truly help us find it, you'll be well compensated," Lone Wolf agreed.
"Empty promises won't do." The old man said leisurely, rubbing his thumb, index finger, and middle finger together, clearly implying a need for money.
Without further ado, Lone Wolf took out five hundred from his wallet, counting out two hundred and handing it to the old man: "This two hundred is a deposit; the remaining three hundred will be given once we see the chicken."
"No problem, no problem!" The old man, almost giddy with joy, hurriedly said, "Rest assured, I will diligently manage this matter. Satisfaction guaranteed!"
With that, he dashed out the door in a hurry, leaving the barbershop behind.
The two remaining inside exchanged glances, both feeling a peculiar sensation within.
"Do you think he really understood what we ant?"
"Probably... I guess."
...
"Xiao Feng, I'm a bit hungry." The little girl rubbed her stomach, looking distressed, "How long is this going to take?"
Xiao Feng replied in frustration, "I told you to stay ho and wait, but you wouldn't listen and insisted on coming with . Now you're regretting it, aren't you?"
"Not at all!" The little girl retorted defiantly, "Skipping a al is no big deal; it's like a little diet for ."
Let's keep searching and stop at nothing until we find it!"
Not far ahead was an old-looking residential area.
The sh gate was rusted, and the elderly guard had set up a table at the entrance, eating a al and reading a newspaper, not even glancing at the people and vehicles coming and going.
Xiao Feng approached with the little girl and asked, "Sir, may I ask if you've seen a chick?"
He handed over his phone, displaying a picture of the little scented bead.
The old guard glanced at it, shook his head and said, "I haven't seen it. I just got here not long ago and haven't familiarized myself with the people around here, let alone noticed a chicken."
His tone was incredibly dismissive.
However, the other party had no obligation to help, so there was no bla to be assigned.
Just then, a young girl, seemingly sixteen or seventeen, walked out from the security booth, wearing round glasses and looking very quiet.
"Hello, have you seen a chick like this?" Xiao Feng asked, adopting a try-and-see approach.
The girl glanced up at Xiao Feng. Their eyes t briefly, and she quickly averted her gaze, a faint blush on her cheeks.
The little girl at the side witnessed this scene and imdiately frowned, puffing her cheeks, clearly annoyed.
After a mont, the girl took the phone, adjusted her glasses, and said thoughtfully, "I think I might have seen it..."
"What?!" The little girl forgot her anger, stepping hurriedly in front of the girl to ask anxiously, "Where did you see it?"
The girl seed startled by the little girl, taking two small steps back, increasing the distance.
Xiao Feng slowed his speech and said softly, "Don't rush, take your ti. Where did you see it?"
Looking at the photo, the girl pondered for a while before replying, "This morning, while I was bringing breakfast to my grandpa, I saw Granny Fang carrying a chicken inside, with beautifully colored feathers, which looked a lot like the one in the photo."
Upon hearing this, both Xiao Feng and the little girl brightened up.
"Do you know where Granny Fang lives?" Xiao Feng asked.
The girl pointed to the community, saying, "Go straight and turn left at the third intersection, go up to the third floor, then turn left again. It's the one at the very end."
After saying that, she handed the phone back to Xiao Feng.
Xiao Feng thanked her and took the little girl to find Granny Fang according to the girl's directions.
The old guard put down his newspaper and scolded, "Don't talk to strangers like that next ti. He didn't even offer a cigarette, what good does it do to help them?"
The girl said nothing, her gaze fixed on Xiao Feng's retreating figure.
"Did you hear what I just said?" The old guard asked discontentedly.
"Yes, I heard." The girl responded helplessly.
"Then repeat what I just said."
"You said he didn't offer you a cigarette, but what if he doesn't smoke?"
The old guard also put down his chopsticks and said irritably, "Why are you siding with outsiders?"
...
"Here we go, here we go, here we go!" The barber rushed back inside, grinning, "Were you guys getting impatient?"
Lone Wolf shook his head, "Where's the chicken?"
"Out back, it'll be here soon." The old man said, warming his hands with his breath.
Soon after, several won heavily made-up walked in, varying in size and age, looking to be between thirty and fifty.
"Where's the chicken?" Lone Wolf asked again.
"Aren't they all standing right here?" The old man pointed to the row of won who entered, boasting, "I arranged an 8% discount for you. Feel free to pick."
Lv Ziming stood up: "You misunderstood; we're looking for an actual chicken."
"What I found isn't fake either; they're all genuine, nothing shady," the old man said with a straight face.
"..." Lone Wolf.
"..." Lv Ziming.
This was a complete waste of ti.
They exchanged a glance and couldn't be bothered to explain further, standing up to leave.
"Where are you two going?" the old man blocked them, "First settle the balance; you can use my little place here, and I'll keep watch outside."
But there's one thing; if you don't pick any, you'll have to pay twenty bucks as a service fee."
"Get out of the way!" Lone Wolf said coldly, "You're lucky I'm not asking for the two hundred bucks back."
The won looked at each other and then locked their gaze on the old man, complaining, "What's going on here?"
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