"What are you doing, what are you doing, who is this? Why are you stopping them?" Zhao Shupi jumped when the unexpectedly fierce figure appeared. The stranger yanked open her raincoat, revealing a transparent hood. Her jet-black hair fell free, and a pretty face peered out.
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 clippers back, she ripped the long-hair monster out of several guards' hands.
The guards were shoved aside and the scene almost spun out of control.
"Stop or don't stop?" Jing Shu shepherded the terrified Zijin behind her, then pushed the approaching guards back before asking calmly.
Though Zijin was twenty-seven, she still looked like a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl. Her cheeks were soft with baby fat and her small mouth was adorable. If not for the tangled hair crawling with red nematodes, she would be quite pretty.
Zhao Shupi swallowed. "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 upstairs. Do you want trouble?"
He looked Jing Shu up and down. She did not appear to be from a wealthy household. Hearing his title, she only furrowed her brow, as if her family still carried some weight in the post-apocalypse world. Zhao Shupi narrowed his eyes and chewed over what to do next.
Zhao Shupi. Jing Shu remembered him now. He was the one who had competed with Wang Qiqi for the Distribution Director post, spending a fortune on campaigning. He had even launched a lottery platform to buy votes, but in the end he lost to Wang Qiqi and took a major loss. Who would have thought he'd end up as Ai Guo Canteen's director. He must still have money to spend if he bought a government position. If Zhao Shupi knew Jing Shu had helped Wang Qiqi snatch the post from him, he would not be pleased.
The crowd grew. Most people ate while whispering to each other.
"They should have shaved that lunatic bald long ago."
"Yeah, or throw her out. What is she doing here?"
"Who knows, maybe she's feeling charitable."
Jing Shu handed the clippers back to Zhao Shupi. "I mean no harm. This friend does not want her head shaved. Don't force someone. The law does not require a head shave. I will take her away now and she will definitely not come back to disturb diners."
Zhao Shupi's small eyes scanned Jing Shu, a smile of unclear meaning playing at his 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. We must shave her bald to prevent repeated bad influence on other canteens."
He was sizing up whether she would plead connections or reveal identity. If Zhao Shupi 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, terror mixed with a forced attempt to steady herself.
"All right. I won't let them shave you."
Jing Shu didn't bother to quibble further with Zhao Shupi. He clearly had ulterior motives. She called Li Yuetian immediately. "Captain Li, your Ai Guo Canteen director is detaining me. Could you come down and take a look?"
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 it. 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 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. She noticed the change today and grew alert.
"Mistake, all a mistake. We only care for the people. As long as they do not disturb others, hair or no hair is irrelevant. Everyone disperse. Nothing to see here." Zhao Shupi personally walked Captain Li Yuetian and the unnamed woman out, and sent the gawkers on their way, but his mind was hazy. He only grew more curious about the woman's identity.
With the crowd cleared, Captain Li Yuetian led Jing Shu to the second-floor office. He took the snake wine she handed him and could not wait to sip it. The expression on his face shifted between pleasure and pain, and after savoring it for a long moment he roared, "Good wine!"
"This is even stronger than pre-collapse stuff. The snake did not go to waste. But why did the snake in this bottle shrink?" Captain Li Yuetian shook the glass bottle, eyeing the tiny preserved snake.
"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 with her head bowed. She was the same as before: not curious about much, indifferent to many things, but possessed of a stubborn determination to survive.
"That's great. From now on, make more snake wine. I'll trade supplies for it. This damned weather. You have no idea—I've been wearing damp pants and clothes for a month. My old joints ache." Captain Li Yuetian limped as he walked, the pain ruining his image.
"All right. That's settled. I have something to do, so I'll go."
Jing Shu said goodbye to Captain Li Yuetian and went with Zijin to the stairwell. Zijin stopped and looked at her with some 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 her. 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. "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.
"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's 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.