Stories

On a modest roadside, where the scent of oil and spices drifts lazily through the air, sits a small snack stall that locals know by heart. At its entrance, a movable stove bubbles gently with familiar favorites—deep-fried tofu, braised vegetarian chicken, marinated radish, skewered kelp, and crispy fried broad beans. Perched on a small stool beside it is the owner, a 57-year-old man with a strikingly dignified appearance. Today, however, he is not focused on his food. Instead

一间临街的小吃店，门口的有活动的锅灶里面煮的都是一些当地人爱吃的小吃，油炸豆腐干、卤素鸡、卤萝卜、海带串、炸兰花豆等，老板正坐在门口的凳子上，正在专心致志地穿鱼钩上的线，准备一切就绪后去钓鱼。 老板在专心致志地穿鱼钩上的线 57岁的老板长得一表人才，他的小吃店都是做下午和晚上的生意的，所以上午是他准备各种小吃蘸料的时间，他把蒜泥、香菜、香油、辣椒酱等细细研磨调配好放在冰箱的冷藏里备用。忙完所有的下午需要准备的工作后就是他的休闲时间了。除了这一份工作，老板还热衷于另一份工作，用他的话说就是：“我另一份工作就是做互联网生意”。后来老板解释了究竟是什么样的互联网生意，他在讲述关于直销行业（但我觉得其本质也还是传销）是这个时代的销售模式的趋势，并且用了这个销售模式的术语：“管道收益”、“抱团取暖”、“共同发财”“传播大爱”。 老板所说的直销的产品是一种保健品，老少皆宜都能起到呵护健康体魄的功效，老板对此产品功效深信不疑，并且用这个行业最基本的模式开始自己的生意，那就是自己先买产品吃。用老板的领导人也就是直销的总经理说的话就是，因为如果自己不先买了吃，自己

Following the previous chapter… The barber’s surname is Wu. He is sixty-six. Master Wu likes to say he was born at “just the right time” -- late enough to dodge the era when educated youths were sent down to rural villages. His four older sisters weren’t so lucky; all of them were shipped off to the countryside to work in the fields. At age fifteen, thanks to family connections as solid as steel, Wu squeezed into the county’s only state-owned barbershop as an apprentice. (Bac

接上篇 理发师姓吴，六十六岁。 吴师傅说，他的年龄正好躲过了当年下放知青到农村的时间，他的四个姐姐都被下放到农村插队去了。吴师傅15岁开始就托关系去了县里的唯一的一个国营理发店（当时的理发店就像供销社一样属于国营单位）当学徒学理发，这在当时也需要父母有很硬的社会关系才能为子女谋得这一份工作。 当学徒时期是很难的。学徒初期就是帮顾客洗头，洗头水没有及时烧热被师傅骂，洗的太久了也被骂总之经常被师傅骂，后面慢慢的上手尝试剪头发了更加被骂的很惨，给顾客刮胡子不小心刮破了脸当然也会被骂。学徒三年的日子非常难熬，但还是熬出来了。学成之后，吴师傅顺利的成为了国营理发店的理发师，他清楚的记得当时的每个月的工资是由国家发的固定工资是32.5元，这在当时已经是不菲的薪资了并且属于铁饭碗，很多人都非常羡慕，吴师傅自己也觉得很满意。 吴师傅放理发工具的托盘 那时候县城里由于下放知青返城找工作有很多夜校可以上，这样就可以不断的提高自己的文化水平，提升自己的学历修养。由于自己14岁就辍学了，吴师傅也想提高自己就报名了夜校，每天下班就会去上学。吴师傅是属于那种很安静文雅的人，

A narrow, old street with cracks and stains. An old, shabby barbershop. The shop’s doors look just like the ones from China’s 1970s supply stores — plain and simple, giving off a sense of openness, calm, and modesty. On the wall there’s a big mirror. In front of it, two old-style barber chairs that can adjust for sitting or reclining. These two “Butterfly” chairs, made by the Shanghai Xinsheng Ironworks, have been around for over 60 years. (The reason it was called “Xinsheng”