Chapter 48: I Like Money More Than Men

As Sev Steele walked out of the gates of The Gilded Ward and passed by The Golden Scissors Barbershop, she saw the owner, Goldie, standing by the entrance.

Seeing her approach, he greeted her with a smile, "Miss, come take a load off. There are no customers right now, so I can cut your son’s hair right away."

Sev’s arms were starting to ache anyway, so she nodded in agreement and led Rusty inside.

After misting Rusty’s hair with water, Goldie immediately got to work with his scissors. This was likely Rusty’s first time at a barbershop. He was incredibly nervous, his little face pulled completely taut.

Sev, on the other hand, was quite relaxed. She sat on the bench and casually shot Hayden Hanson a text:

"Hanson, if it’s convenient for you, could you come pick me up at The Golden Scissors?

"I bought some clothes and daily necessities at the supermarket, and carrying them straight home might attract too much attention."

She was just asking in passing. If Hayden was busy, it wouldn’t matter. No one dared to openly rob anyone inside the safe zone; at worst, it would just draw envious eyes. However, as she earned more and more points, drawing unwanted attention was inevitable sooner or later.

To her surprise, he replied the second her message went through: "Alright. Wait right there. I’ll be there soon."

Meanwhile, Goldie quickly finished giving Rusty a sharp, clean-cut short hairstyle.

Sev examined him closely and marveled, "As expected, professional work should be left to the professionals. My son’s looks have improved by at least thirty percent!"

Goldie smiled. "I am deeply honored by your approval! That will be 30 points, please!"

Sev readily scanned the code to pay the bill, but Rusty stood to the side, his brow furrowed tightly. He whispered, "Mom, I’m never going into a barbershop again. I can just cut my hair short myself with a dagger."

Even though a young boy had some concept of appearance, spending 30 points just to look a little better wasn’t worth the price at all in his eyes. Although his mother had spent hundreds of thousands of points in one go today, Rusty’s views on spending were still stuck in the past. To him, spending 30 points on a haircut was a complete waste! A colossal waste!

Frowning, Rusty stared at Goldie for a long moment, a sudden thought springing to mind. He wondered if, by learning Goldie’s craft, he could easily earn 30 points just like him in the future.

This little idea was like a seed. Once planted, it was nearly impossible to uproot. Sev would never have guessed that the future major villain of the original story, who would one day slaughter all in his path, had become utterly obsessed with the idea of becoming a barber—all because she had brought him into a barbershop this one time.

Since Sev was waiting for Hayden to arrive, she was naturally in no rush to leave. She asked casually, "Boss Goldie, after I left earlier, did that brain-dead Miss Crowe keep making a fuss?"

Hearing her describe Miss Crowe that way, Goldie couldn’t help but burst into laughter. "Your description is spot on. She really is missing a few screws.

"But since you were gone, there was no point in her throwing another tantrum. I promised to waive the fee for her haircut, and she happily left."

"Ah? I’m so sorry to make you lose money!" Sev said guiltily. She hadn’t been able to hold back from hitting the woman, which ultimately cost Goldie a customer’s fee.

"It’s fine. When disputes happen between customers in the shop, settling it this way is the simplest solution," Goldie replied.

It was also fortunate that Miss Crowe didn’t have any formidable background and liked taking advantage of petty bargains, otherwise, the situation could have turned into a massive headache.

Hearing Goldie say this made Sev feel genuinely apologetic.

"Boss King, thank you so much for today. I blame my own temper for letting my hands get the better of me.

"Oh, right. About weaving those cushions you mentioned earlier—if you have the materials here, I can take some back and give it a try. They’re pretty quick to weave. I can make quite a few in a day," Sev said.

"Oh! Good thing you reminded me." With Miss Crowe’s interruption earlier, he had completely forgotten about it.

As Goldie spoke, he headed to the storage room in the corner of the backyard and dug out a messy pile of rattan vines. He haphazardly stuffed them into an old canvas bag, brought it over, and handed it to Sev.

"I have quite a bit of material here. It was left behind by a relative who used to live with me.

"He wove the cushion on this bench, too. His technique was a bit rough, though, so it’s barely usable," Goldie explained.

Sev glanced at the rattan vines shoved into the bag and said, "This is probably enough to weave three or four. I’ll deliver them to you tomorrow."

"No rush, no rush. Take your time and weave them whenever you’re free," Goldie said with a smile.

Sev turned her head and spotted Hayden walking toward them, the worn Tactical Backpack slung over his shoulders. He was a smart man, indeed; he had immediately understood the hidden meaning behind her words.

Since they weren’t out in the wilderness and she had only bought everyday necessities, Sev had felt a little embarrassed having him go through so much trouble.

Hayden stepped into the barbershop, picked up Sev’s items without a word, and stowed them one by one into the Tactical Backpack. In the end, only Goldie’s old canvas bag was left out.

Sev slung the canvas bag over her shoulder, stood up, and called out to Goldie, "Goodbye, Boss King!"

"See you tomorrow!" Goldie replied.

On the way back, Hayden hesitated for a long while before finally speaking up. "That Goldie isn’t a good person. You need to keep your guard up when dealing with him."

"Did he... do something bad in the past?" Sev asked.

"Well... I heard from my teammates that he’s quite popular with women. He knocked a woman up but refused to marry her, and she later committed suicide by slitting her wrists," Hayden explained.

Although this was purely hearsay, he deeply despised men who toyed with women and abandoned them. Since Sev was his neighbor and they had survived a life-and-death ordeal together, he couldn’t help but warn her.

"I had no idea Boss Goldie was that kind of person. But there’s no chance of me having that kind of relationship with him. He’s not my type," Sev stated frankly.

"Then, what kind of man do you like?" Hayden blurted out. He regretted the words the moment they left his mouth; their relationship was nowhere near close enough to discuss such private matters.

"I prefer money over men. Besides, I have four kids to raise at home. Right now, I just want to make more money." Sev answered straightforwardly, without the slightest hint of coyness.

"If there’s an opportunity in the future, I can introduce you to join the Mercenary Guild on gathering missions.

"That way, you can not only earn more points, but your safety will be guaranteed as well," Hayden suggested.

"Really? Then thank you in advance, Hanson!" Sev said, pleasantly surprised.

According to the original owner’s memories, there were indeed Scavengers who went on scavenging runs alongside the Mercenary Guild. However, they usually only brought mercenary family members along, never ordinary, unfamiliar Scavengers like them.

But with Hayden pulling strings, there was a real glimmer of hope. He used to be teammates with those people, after all; they would likely be willing to do him this small favor. Moreover, Sev knew she was highly efficient at work. If she tagged along with them, she definitely wouldn’t hold anyone back.