Because Li Xiang’s grandfather and his cousin were very close, he went along to the matchmaking session with him. Who would’ve guessed that he and the woman would be the ones to hit it off? There was just no explaining it.

Back then, his grandfather would laugh, saying that if the matchmaking had gone as planned, Li Xiang wouldn’t even be around.

His grandmother would retort sarcastically, "Oh, so I’m supposed to thank you for that?"

Sadly, his grandfather had passed away many years ago. And Third Granny was even more lonely and desolate.

’Do women live longer? Just look at my grandmother and Third Granny. They’re both still alive, but their husbands are gone.’

Li Xiang sighed to himself as he cut hair. Meanwhile, the number of viewers in his livestream was slowly climbing, from a few hundred at the start to two or three thousand.

Countless fans were hitting the like button and sending gifts, boosting the stream’s popularity.

One fan exclaimed in surprise, "Whoa, Brother Xiang knows how to cut hair?"

"Look at that technique, that form... he looks pretty good at it!"

"Is he trying to become a jack-of-all-trades?"

Li Xiang found a moment to glance at his stream. Although he was standing far away, his excellent eyesight compensated for the distance. He faced the camera and replied loudly, "Thanks for all the support! I appreciate you all being here! To be honest, this is my first time cutting hair for anyone. These are all elders from my village. With the New Year just around the corner, it’s not convenient for them to go to a barbershop. So, I thought I’d do something nice for them and offer free haircuts."

"Brother Xiang is amazing."

"Thank you, thank you."

"Thanks for the popularity votes, everyone. Thank you, Shu Brocade, for the ’Glimmering Love Gun.’ Whoa, who sent me a Fairy Rod? Hahaha, thank you, thank you, but I’m no fairy—I’m a man!"

After interacting with his fans for a bit, Li Xiang went back to focusing on the haircut. After all, that was the main event; the livestream was just a bonus.

’If I don’t stream for a long time, the fans might forget about me. I have to pop on regularly to remind them I exist. And besides, all the gifts are a nice source of extra income.’

Although he was giving the villagers free haircuts today, he had probably already earned tens of thousands from the stream, more than covering his costs.

But regardless, giving free haircuts was a good deed. His motive wasn’t to make money.

Once one person was finished, it was on to the next. The next in line had already washed their hair and was waiting at the side, like an assembly line.

Li Xiang’s movements were swift, and with each haircut, his skills grew more and more practiced.

Some of the elderly insisted on washing their own hair on the spot, feeling they could do a better, more thorough job themselves. They weren’t used to being waited on. Others simply came over after washing their hair at home.

"Xiang Ya is so skilled, and this shampoo he bought is fantastic! It’s made my hair so silky and flowing," one of the old men said, full of praise. After his haircut, he was aiming a hairdryer at his reflection, running his fingers through his hair.

Someone nearby laughed and teased, "You shameless old coot! With that little bit of white fuzz you’ve got left, you call that ’flowing’?"

"What white fuzz? This is a magnificent head of silver hair, and I’ve still got a few black strands in there, thank you very much," the old man retorted, displeased. He glanced at the teaser and added, "You’ve got some nerve talking. You’re balding! In a bit, you should have Xiang Ya shave you completely bald—the kind that’s shiny enough to be a lightbulb!"

"Screw you, I don’t need you to tell me! I came here to get it shaved bald!"

"Let me give it a rub when you’re done!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Get lost! Show some respect for your elders!"

In reality, almost everyone in the village was related in some way. Besides the line descending from Li Xiang’s great-grandfather, there were other families also named Li. If you went back a few more generations, they were all one big family.

Even the Jiang Family was related to the Li Family. Apparently, a great-aunt from the Jiang Family had married into the Li Family in the past, and one of Li Xiang’s older female cousins had married one of Jiang Jianguo’s nephews.

Soon, the fans realized that Li Xiang had some serious skills.

The villagers who had already gotten their hair cut seemed completely transformed.

Before, they were just scruffy old men, grandmothers, and middle-aged women. But after a session with Li Xiang’s "magic hands," every single one of them seemed to look several years younger, gaining an elegant and refined air like city dwellers. The only thing was that many of their clothes were too shabby or dated. If they just had a change of clothes, they could pass for city folk without a doubt.

The villagers noticed this as well and got very excited. Even those who hadn’t planned on getting a haircut took one look at the results and scurried over to get in line. ’Damn, he’s that good!’

Through the camera, the fans could see the line for haircuts growing longer and longer. Many people were even bringing their children with them.

There had only been a few children at first, but now more were showing up—not just little boys, but girls as well. This was a clear endorsement of Li Xiang’s skills, as kids, especially girls who want to look pretty, can be very picky.

A villager asked Li Xiang, "You said it was free for the elderly. Do you charge for the kids?"

Li Xiang just laughed. "Charge? No, no, it’s free for everyone!"

’My stream just broke ten thousand viewers. Compared to that kind of traffic, how much could I possibly earn from haircuts? I can’t charge the villagers too much—five or ten yuan at most. I’m better off not charging at all.’

And so, even more people came. Even Jiang Jianguo, who was in his forties, showed up.

Jiang Jianguo laughed. "I’m no senior, but I thought I’d join the fun. Mostly, I’m just too lazy to go to town for a haircut."

Li Xiang replied, "I guarantee I’ll make you look sharp!"

When Li Xiang cut the little boys’ hair, he would even add some designs, like carving a lightning bolt into their sideburns or a cute cat paw. The kids were ecstatic.

And when he cut the girls’ hair, long or short, he styled it beautifully. He paid special attention to their bangs, designing different looks to suit their face shapes. After their haircuts, the girls would look in the mirror and be thrilled. Each one looked like a little princess.