The Great Winter Soldier

Xia Tian tilted his head subconsciously and sniffed his right shoulder. The slightly wrinkled plaid shirt was filled with the smell of alcohol. This was still in the "Paradise" club. If this was in the "Secret" nightclub, it would probably be... The smell of cigarette smoke is also indispensable. wx

White vests, plaid shirts, jeans, sneakers, these should have been the refreshing and comfortable clothes for summer, but they were all tainted by the smell of corruption.

"Come in." The old black man opened his eyes wide and came to the door of the barber shop, saying with a kind face.

Xia Tian hesitated. The investigation on Victor's information in the past few days has been fruitless, which made him upset. In addition, Nicole forced him not to participate in more things and focus on getting rid of the influence of the venom. It made him feel distressed. In fact, deep down, he also knew that Nicole was thinking about him and put all the burden on her own head.

In a daze, Xia Tian had already walked in. Looking at this small barber shop, his eyes were fixed on the figures of several teenagers playing video games not far away. They were playing the NBA 2K series, right? Achievements: I watch other people play games in the game

"These children can't be called homeless, but their terrible parents can't give them a better environment to grow up. It took me a lot of effort to drag them in." The white-haired old man pointed to the sink in the corner of the room. He said, "Go and clean it. What kind of perfume do you like? If you don't mind, can you use air freshener?"

"Uh" Xia Tian scratched his head, "You let them play games here"

"It's better than letting them roam the streets. If you let them leave, I can't think of anything good they will learn except committing crimes. There are more scum in Harlem than mineral water in the store." The old man said helplessly. Then he pointed to the corner to the side, where there was a small table with a chessboard on it, "I would like to teach them how to play chess, but they don't like it."

"It seems there is a reason why you are so popular here." Xia Tian pretended to smile, walked to the sink, and turned on the switch with his right hand.

"Of course, everyone here knows me. You can also call me Dad. Young man, you are not a local." The old black man who called himself Dad looked at Xia Tian's weird hand washing action, and his eyes were on the movement of Xia Tian's left hand. After observing the gloves for a while, he continued, "You are new here."

"No, just passing by." Xia Tian wiped his face, sat directly on the chair, looked at himself in the mirror, and said, "Let me see your craftsmanship."

"Well, your hair is indeed a bit long. Let me change your hairstyle to be more energetic." Dad put on his work clothes skillfully and tied a white scarf on Xia Tian. When arranging the scarf, his left hand seemed to be there. He pressed Xia Tian's left shoulder.

Xia Tian raised his eyes and looked at his father in the mirror. A subtle movement carried an aura of danger that ordinary people could not imagine. Dad couldn't hold it firmly in his hand and fell to the ground with a thud.

A man poked his head out of the back door. When he saw that it was just a minor situation, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief and joked: "I said, Dad, you are simply too old. You should stay at home and enjoy your old age. After all these years, Isn’t the money you earn enough to support you in your retirement?”

"Put down your mop and take out a dollar." Dad slowly picked up the scissors and pouted at the table beside him.

"Oh, hell." A man came out with a mop, and happened to hear his father's voice, "Two dollars. wqu"

"Okay, okay." The man reluctantly threw the two dollars into the piggy bank. What was novel was that there was a piece of paper on the piggy bank that said "stolen money."

"Swearing is not allowed here. I have to create a good environment for the children. Some people can't help but say swearing. I will punish them with one dollar." Dad seemed to be fine, sizing up Xia Tian's head with one hand. , opening his mouth to explain.

The piggy bank on the table is already full of change.

Xia Tian also realized that he was too sensitive. For an ordinary old man, he didn't need to resist him like this, so he didn't care about it anymore.

"Bad things will always happen. Tell me, is it because of the car accident?" Dad asked. Obviously, he thought Xia Tian's left arm was a prosthetic limb.

"Well, it's because

car accident. "Xia Tian was silent for a while and then responded. Dad was right. The beginning of his life in Hell's Kitchen was a car accident. But Xia Tian's answer was not what he asked.

"Oh, that's really unfortunate, you know."

"Why don't you say something happy?" Xia Tian interrupted the old man behind him.

Dad's movements stopped for a moment, and he continued to trim his hair, saying: "There are very few happy things in Harlem. I am the only pure land left here. Maybe I am the source of happiness in Harlem."

Dad said jokingly, suddenly remembering something, and his face was slightly happy. It was obvious that it was not pretending: "The famous Paradise Club here has changed its owner. I have heard a lot of rumors during this time. It is said that it is a lot cleaner. , it seems that the owner of Hell's Kitchen's Secret Nightclub purchased Paradise, which is a blessing for Harlem. Finally, there is a place where people can enjoy normal entertainment."

"They invited a legendary singer from Harlem a few days ago. You know, that old black guy was my childhood playmate. It is said that the Paradise Club that day was open to anyone for free. It was such a pity. I The business is too busy and I have never been to Erdong." Dad murmured in detail, "I have always wanted a ticket. People who have been there say it is pure Harlem. Do you know what it means? A yellow-skinned boy from Harlem. Hey, you don’t know, this is the culture unique to us black people.”

Xia Tian listened silently and said nothing.

Dad's mouth was like a chatterbox. Once he opened it, he never closed it again. He actually started to introduce black culture to Xia Tian.

Time passed by, and finally Dad picked up the razor out of habit and came behind Xia Tian, ​​with a sense of pity in his words: "Poor young man, you know there are not many real craftsmen here. My razor skills are one of them, but it’s a pity that you don’t have the idea of ​​growing a beard. After all, you yellow people have very light body hair, so it would be difficult to grow a cool beard.”

"呲" There was a harsh sound of brakes outside the door. Dad paused with the razor in his hand, turned around and looked through the glass door, and saw a pure black super sports car.

"Is that Chevrolet's Corvette?" A teenager put down the handle and stared at the door in shock.

"One dollar." Dad looked at the supercar outside the door intently, but said something subconsciously.

"Oh my God, it stopped at Dad's door. Dad, are you so famous for your craftsmanship? What the hell?" another child asked innocently.

"You also remember to pay one dollar." Dad held the razor and stared motionlessly at the figure walking out of the sports car. "My craft is of course children. Sit down, pick up your damn handle, and play with me quickly." game"

"Haha, one dollar, Dad."

"Yes, yes, I heard it too." Several children laughed loudly.

"I'll pay you $10 in a moment. Sit down and play games. If you don't want to be sent home now," the father said with a very serious expression on his face.

Jingle Bell

As the door was opened, the bell tied to the door made a crisp sound. Nicole opened the door and walked in expressionlessly.

"Why are you so nervous and reprimanding those children?" Xia Tian looked at the reflection in the mirror and saw the group of teenagers reluctantly holding the handles and fiddling with them absentmindedly, but they couldn't help but peek at them.

"I have lived for decades, and my eyesight is pretty good. I know who I can mess with and who I need to avoid. These children are fearless because of their ignorance. I have seen a lot and learned to be in awe." Dad spoke, turned his head, looked at the mirror, and met Xia Tian's eyes, "I just didn't expect that I saw you wrong. I shouldn't have let you in, young man."

Xia Tian was slightly startled. What his father said made sense. Maybe he really had vicious eyes and could survive to this day in such a chaotic community. Maybe he really had his own rules for survival. You know, Harlem is a center of crime. Deaths occur every day due to fights, robberies, bullets flying, etc.

Nicole came behind Xia Tian, ​​looked at Xia Tian's face in the mirror, and said: "I was surprised to hear that you are here."

Xia Tian averted his eyes and said nothing. To be continued.