"What are you doing, what are you doing, who is this? Why are you stopping them?" Zhao Shupi jumped back as the unexpectedly fierce figure appeared in the dim, steam-filled lobby of the canteen. The stranger yanked open her slick raincoat, revealing a transparent hood that caught the flickering fluorescent lights above. Her jet-black hair fell free against the dark plastic, and a pretty face peered out from the shadows of the hood.
Before Zhao Shupi could admire that appearance for long, he was shocked to see how terrifyingly strong the woman was. Not only did she snatch the mechanical clippers back with a sharp tug, she ripped the long-haired monster out of several guards' hands with a sudden, forceful pull.
The guards were shoved aside by the strength of her movement and the scene almost spun out of control as diners stood up from their tables to see the struggle.
"Stop or don't stop?" Jing Shu shepherded the terrified Zijin behind her back, then pushed the approaching guards back with her free hand before asking the question calmly.
Though Zijin was twenty-seven, she still looked like a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl in the harsh lighting of the mall. Her cheeks were soft with baby fat and her small mouth was set in an adorable line of terror. If it were not for the thick, tangled hair crawling with the rhythmic, slow wriggle of small red nematodes, she would be quite pretty.
Zhao Shupi swallowed, his gaze darting between the two women. "I am Zhao Shupi, director of the Ai Guo Canteen and the Banana Community's housing allocation officer. Who are you? You are deliberately disturbing the canteen order and obstructing law enforcement. There are police stationed upstairs. Do you want trouble?"
He looked Jing Shu up and down, his eyes scanning her functional gear. She didn't appear to be from a wealthy household. Hearing his official title, she only furrowed her brow, as if her family still carried some significant weight in the post-apocalypse world. He narrowed his eyes and chewed over what to do next.
Zhao Shupi. Jing Shu remembered the name now. He was the one who had competed with Wang Qiqi for the Distribution Director post, spending a fortune on his private campaigning. He had even launched a lottery platform to buy votes from the residents, but in the end he had lost to Wang Qiqi and took a major financial loss. Who would have thought he would end up as the Ai Guo Canteen's director. He must still have money to spend if he bought a government position like this. If Zhao Shupi knew Jing Shu had helped Wang Qiqi snatch the post from him, he wouldn't be pleased.
The crowd of hungry people grew larger. Most people ate their meager rations while whispering to each other about the confrontation.
"They should have shaved that lunatic bald long ago," one man muttered.
"Yeah, or throw her out into the rain. What is she doing here?" another added.
"Who knows, maybe she is feeling charitable today," a woman replied.
Jing Shu handed the buzzing clippers back to Zhao Shupi. "I mean no harm. This friend doesn't want her head shaved. Don't force someone. The law doesn't require a head shave. I will take her away now and she will definitely not come back to disturb the other diners."
Zhao Shupi's small eyes scanned Jing Shu's face, a smile of unclear meaning playing at his thin lips. "Wait. Who said you could leave? This person keeps coming to the canteen with a head full of red nematodes, repeatedly disturbing others. It has left an indelible impact on my canteen's reputation. We must shave her bald to prevent a repeated bad influence on the other canteens."
He was sizing up whether Jing Shu would plead connections or reveal a powerful identity. If he knew Jing Shu had helped wrest the Distribution Director post away, his face would be priceless.
"I will not be shaved. Not even in death. I refuse to eat here. Let me go back!" Zijin gripped Jing Shu's hand, her terror mixed with a forced, desperate attempt to steady herself.
"All right. I won't let them shave you," Jing Shu said.
Jing Shu didn't bother to quibble further with Zhao Shupi. He clearly had ulterior motives in this confrontation. She called Li Yuetian immediately on her phone. "Captain Li, your Ai Guo Canteen director is detaining me. Could you come down and take a look at the situation?"
Hearing the name froze Zhao Shupi's smile. "Captain Li Yuetian of the Second Detachment?" No way. His mind hadn't caught up with how to handle the sudden shift. He had simply been curious about the woman's identity, wondering if she might be someone important. Now it felt like he had run into a solid brick wall.
In the previous life after the collapse, Jing Shu had been a bag of skin and bones with nobody interested in her. This time, the Spirit Spring was quietly changing her: her bearing and looks were more striking and healthy. She noticed the change today and grew alert to the attention she drew.
"Mistake, all a mistake. We only care for the people. As long as they don't disturb others, hair or no hair is irrelevant. Everyone disperse. There is nothing to see here." Zhao Shupi personally walked Captain Li Yuetian and the unnamed woman out of the canteen area, and sent the gawkers on their way, but his mind was hazy with confusion. He only grew more curious about the woman's true identity.
With the crowd cleared from the lobby, Captain Li Yuetian led Jing Shu to the second-floor office. He took the snake wine she handed him and couldn't wait to take a sip. The expression on his face shifted between pleasure and pain as the alcohol hit his throat, and after savoring it for a long moment he roared, "Good wine!"
"This is even stronger than the pre-collapse stuff. The snake did not go to waste. But why did the snake in this bottle shrink so much?" Captain Li Yuetian shook the glass bottle, eyeing the tiny preserved snake at the bottom.
"Those two snakes laid eggs not long after I brought them back. Otherwise it would have taken me three months to brew this for you." Jing Shu glanced at Zijin, who stood silently in the corner of the office with her head bowed. She was the same as before: not curious about much, indifferent to many things, but possessed of a stubborn, quiet determination to survive.
"That is great. From now on, make more snake wine. I will trade supplies for it. This damned weather. You have no idea; I have been wearing damp pants and clothes for a month. My old joints ache with every step." He limped as he walked across the room, the sharp pain ruining his official image.
"All right. That is settled. I have something to do, so I will go."
Jing Shu said goodbye to Captain Li Yuetian and went with Zijin to the concrete stairwell. Zijin stopped and looked at her with some visible puzzlement.
"Thank you so much for helping me today. My name is Zijin, the Zǐjīn from the verse '青青子衿'. I live with the families of the Second Detachment's stationed troops. Do you have any other business to attend to?"
Shouldn't they each be going home separately? People usually avoided Zijin and her long hair. Yet the person in front of her seemed oddly used to her presence, not disgusted by the red nematodes atop her head.
Jing Shu sorted through her memories of Zijin and asked, "You live with the troops' families?" No wonder Wang Qiqi's allocation list didn't include her.
Zijin smiled faintly, her expression soft. "I am a subsidized dependent of a soldier who died in service. I moved into the military families' compound more than ten years ago and came here with them after the flood. Although we are not married, we have long considered each other the only one."
Jing Shu nodded in sudden understanding of the situation.
"By the way, I need someone skilled in handicraft weaving and hand-reeled silk for making silk quilts. I heard from inquiries that a long-haired woman knows this craft. I wondered if that might be you."
===
The phrase "青青子衿" (qīng qīng zǐ jīn) is quoting the famous opening line from the "诗经·郑风·子衿" (Shījīng · Zhèng Fēng · Zǐjīn), or "Classic of Poetry • Airs of Zheng • Green Collar" in the Book of Songs
Literally:
青 (qīng qīng) → "blue/green" (here it means fresh, pure, youthful).
子衿 (zǐ jīn) → "your dark-blue collar" (衿 is the collar of clothing).
So when Zijin says, "青青子衿的子衿", she is saying:
"My name is Zijin, the Zǐjīn from the line '青青子衿'."
In Chinese culture, quoting this line gives the name Zǐjīn a literary, romantic, and classical feel. It signals refinement and longing, and also that her name comes from poetry.
The poem is a quintessential love poem from the perspective of a yearning woman:
青青子衿,悠悠我心.
Qīngqīng zǐ jīn, Yōuyōu wǒ xīn.
Blue is your collar,
Longing fills my heart.
纵我不往,子宁不嗣音?
Zòng wǒ bù wǎng, Zǐ nìng bù sì yīn?
Even though I do not go to you,
Why don't you send me word?
青青子佩,悠悠我思.
Qīngqīng zǐ pèi, Yōuyōu wǒ sī.
Blue is your girdle-stone,
Longing is my thought.
纵我不往,子宁不来?
Zòng wǒ bù wǎng, Zǐ nìng bù lái?
Even though I do not go to you,
Why don't you come?
Interpretation: The speaker is captivated by her beloved. She focuses on the detail of his clothing—his blue collar (子衿)—as a metonym for the man himself. The color "blue/green" (青, qīng) symbolizes vitality and elegance. The poem expresses deep longing, anticipation, and a slight reproach for his silence.