Daily Life in the 70s-Chapter 167: Onlookers (Additional Update)

Wen Qing watched unblinkingly as Minmin took out the crudely packaged items, unable to hide the astonishment on her face, her voice almost uncontrollable, "Pei Min, did you make all these?"

Just as Yang Peimin was about to respond, someone knocked at the door. As she went to answer it, she also closed it behind her. It was a Red Army wife outside, "Sister, is anything the matter?"

The Red Army wife peered inside and said with a smile, "Oh, you have guests. It’s nothing important. I just wanted to borrow some hot water; do you have any?"

Yang Peimin let her in and filled her large porcelain jar with water from the hot water kettle.

But the Red Army wife didn’t leave. Her gaze fell on the pile of items on the table, and she asked curiously, "What are these?"

Wen Qing grinned, "These are Pei Min’s cosmetics."

The Red Army wife’s face showed even more surprise. She casually set her jar on the windowsill and leaned in for a closer look, even picking up a box of rouge to examine it, "Goodness gracious, is this that ’star face-wash’ rouge?"

Yang Peimin sat down too, and began talking about the box of rouge in her hand, "A sister gave this to me, and there wasn’t even a proper box for it. Some of it I just made following the example of what I’d seen, pretty crudely."

Back when she did makeup with Cousin Qin, she was not shy about bragging that she had made it herself. Then, roundabout requests from sisters had come asking her to make lipstick for them. But when she taught everyone how to do it themselves, they found it too bothersome, and only when she said she could do it on condition they brought their own materials did the requests start to dwindle.

Even now, she didn’t dare claim she made them herself, otherwise she’d soon have groups of women wearing down her doorstep. Most military wives didn’t work, and often, gossip was all they had to pass the time.

Hearing this, Wen Qing turned to look at her, holding a lipstick in her hand, a wry smile on her face. She asked, "Pei Min, Sister Ying told me a lot of this was made by you. What all do you have?"

The Red Army wife exclaimed, "You can make this yourself? Goodness, how do you make it? If that’s the case, can’t you just have as much as you want?" She gazed at Yang Peimin with shining eyes.

Yang Peimin said somewhat sheepishly, "No, the only thing I made myself was an eyebrow pencil from charcoal. Everything else was from my sisters. My own stuff was unusable, so I didn’t bring it. Sister Ying knew I’ve made some before, but she doesn’t know that what I brought this time wasn’t made by me."

Wen Qing then smiled, "So that’s how it is. We usually have to go to the Overseas Chinese Store to find anything remotely similar, and even then, it’s not as complete as this. By the way, Minmin, where did your sister get these? Do you know which brand they are?"

Yang Peimin shook her head, "I’m not sure what brand it is; it’s written in a foreign language. I don’t know where she bought them, and I haven’t asked. All I know is someone from her husband’s family works at a department store. I can’t say if it was bought there; I’ve never been myself."

The Red Army’s wife had already sat down and started opening each item one by one, endlessly asking how each was used. Yang Peimin roughly explained to her. Then she was dragged into questions about how they were applied and what effects they had, and she elaborated a bit on that too.

Wen Qing’s expression tensed as she looked at Yang Peimin, her eyes blinking with a helpless look.

Yang Peimin knew she was supposed to send the Red Army wife away; it had been half an hour since she arrived, and nothing had been done yet, so it was no wonder she was becoming impatient.

"Military Wife, you see our neighborhood is so convenient, you can come over anytime; just right now, I have to do Mr. Wen’s makeup for their Cultural Troupe’s performance tomorrow, so I’m going to do a trial makeup today. I won’t be able to chat with you," Yang PeiMin said.

The Red Army wife waved her hand, not minding at all. "It’s fine, you do your thing, don’t mind me. What could I possibly need? It’s just staring at those four walls back home. Actually, I’ve never seen someone put on makeup before, so don’t mind me at all."

Yang PeiMin couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless. "Alright, Military Wife, take a seat."

She had Wen Qing sit at the table with a mirror in front of her and took out a homemade mask for herself.

The Red Army wife then asked, "Hey, what’s this for? Why are you wearing this?"

Yang PeiMin took the time to explain to her.

Her hands didn’t stop moving, first shaping Wen Qing’s eyebrows. The Red Army wife leaned in close, almost touching Wen Qing’s face, and marveled, "Just with a few strokes, she looks completely different, much prettier. It’s really amazing."

Wen Qing suddenly stood up, her expression stiffened. She pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her face, still feeling unclean. "The Military Wife’s saliva just sprayed on my face when she was talking. Pei Min, do you have any water? I need to clean it off."

The Red Army wife was taken aback, her face reddening slightly, but she quickly apologized. "I’m so sorry, miss. I’m a bit rough around the edges and wasn’t paying attention. Go ahead and wipe it off." ƒrēenovelkiss.com

After Wen Qing came back, Yang PeiMin applied a layer of moisturizer on her. The Red Army wife was about to lean in again, but Wen Qing gave her a cold look. Recalling the previous incident, the Red Army wife felt uncomfortable, restraining herself from getting too close. Still, she couldn’t help asking Yang PeiMin non-stop, "What’s this for now? What exactly does it do? It looks a bit whiter after you apply it. Does it make one’s face whiter?"

Yang PeiMin replied, "It’s not to whiten the face, just to make the skin less dry and more moisturized."

Then she applied foundation to Wen Qing. As she had fair skin, Yang PeiMin spread on a thin layer, which noticeably brightened her complexion. Wen Qing’s eyes shone brightly, and she spoke up before the Red Army wife could ask any more questions. "Pei Min, is this the foundation? Is it also something you got from your sister?"

"That’s right."

Next was the eyeshadow, and the Red Army wife exclaimed again.

Wen Qing frowned involuntarily but spoke to the Red Army wife in a gentle tone, "Military Wife, you seem to like it, don’t you? Why don’t we have Pei Min do your makeup next time? That bucket of hot water you poured earlier is about to get cold."

Yang PeiMin paused her hands for a moment. She was uncomfortable with Wen Qing making promises for her without her consent.

But the Red Army wife wasn’t foolish. She smirked slightly, "I’ll just sit here, not get too close, don’t worry. I know these are precious items, and I wouldn’t even know where to buy them if I wanted to. Besides, it’s not like I have the nerve to brashly ask for other people’s stuff. Moreover, I just cook at home; what would I need makeup for? Right now, I’m only looking to satisfy my curiosity."

Yang PeiMin praised the Red Army wife internally for her clear understanding.

Wen Qing’s face blushed slightly.