Daily Life in the 70s-Chapter 168 Cutting-edge Technology

"Oh, what are you all doing here?"

The door wasn’t closed, just slightly ajar, and someone pushed it open from the outside.

It was Dahua, who came hurriedly in three steps merging into two, as if she had discovered a new continent. She examined Yang PeiMin and Wen Qing, "What’s this, putting on a grand play, or what?"

The Red Army wife explained to her with a chuckling smile.

Dahua’s gaze twinkled as she looked at Wen Qing, and then she turned to Yang PeiMin, "Sis, how come you know how to do this too? You’re really capable, Camp Commander Shen is so lucky to have married you. You’re good-looking and so capable!"

Yang PeiMin laughed, "Sis, your compliments are making me blush. What are you up to?" Usually, when people greeted each other, they started with the same two questions: ’Have you eaten?’ or ’Where are you off to?’

Dahua didn’t stand on ceremony and grabbed a chair for herself, explaining as she sat down, "Not much, isn’t there a piece of wasteland behind us? I asked the logistics side, and they said it’s of no use for now, so anyone who wants to open it up for a vegetable garden can do so. That’s what I was looking at just now on the way back."

Then, as she saw Yang PeiMin applying eyeliner to Wen Qing, she couldn’t help but halt her chatting, clicking her tongue and exclaiming, "Oh my, you can draw inside the eyes too? Isn’t that dangerous? It looks terrifying."

The Red Army wife pulled her aside, "Don’t make such a fuss, you have a loud voice, and you might disturb sis."

Dahua immediately closed her mouth.

Yang PeiMin finished the makeup quickly and noticed that Wen Qing had been completely stiff, not daring to move, not even blinking, maintaining the same position for over ten minutes. Yang PeiMin thought to herself that it was no wonder since Wen Qing was a dancer.

Having completed that part, Yang PeiMin was ready to work on the eyebrows next, while Wen Qing hurriedly changed her tone, relaxing, and said somewhat sheepishly to Yang PeiMin, "I feel like I’ve been sitting for ages, my neck’s getting sore too. PeiMin, where did you learn to do this? I’ve really never seen such a thing."

No sooner had Yang PeiMin put her hand down than Dahua leaned in, exclaiming repeatedly, "Her eyes look bigger now, so pretty! Sis, you’re amazing! You must have been practicing this skill for a long time, it looks somewhat like those secret techniques passed down from master to disciple, not something to be shared lightly, it’s like a family heirloom."

Wen Qing glanced at her.

Dahua, seemingly oblivious, went on to chat with Yang PeiMin, "Sis, all these things must be quite expensive, right? I’ve never seen them even in the department stores in the provincial city. They look rare; I bet they’re hard to buy even with money. Sis, you’re really generous, I wouldn’t bear to use them if they were mine."

Yang PeiMin couldn’t help but laugh, "My friend here is going to perform on stage tomorrow, so it’s being put to good use."

Dahua laughed twice, "Sis, you’re such a straightforward person, with a kind heart. This comrade looks somewhat familiar. Has she performed for our troops before?"

Wen Qing lightly lifted her gaze and then lowered it again, looking like she was too preoccupied with makeup to chat, and hummed in response.

"Right! Now I remember!" Dahua slapped her thigh, looking somewhat excited, her sudden movement startling even the Red Army wife next to her.

Wen Qing was also startled, causing her face to move to the side, which made Yang PeiMin’s eyebrow pencil go askew. She quickly wiped it off and gently apologized to Yang PeiMin in a soft voice.

Yang PeiMin nodded her head but didn’t say anything, focusing intently on filling in Wen Qing’s eyebrows again.

Luo Dahua smiled awkwardly, not forgetting what she had wanted to say, "I remember now, during that harvest dance, it was this comrade who was part of it. Back then, there were several actresses on stage who all looked pretty similar from a distance. I couldn’t tell who was who until people started talking about it later. After that, whenever any of you three went on stage, I could recognize one or two..."

"Mrs.," Wen Qing interrupted her, but seeing everyone looking at her with some surprise, she softened her expression and said with a laugh, "Mrs., you see, it’s all in the past. I didn’t dance very well back then, even made a mistake in one of the moves. Now that you’ve brought it up, I’m really embarrassed."

Luo Dahua laughed, "Is that so? We just enjoy the spectacle, not understanding the intricacies. It’s enough to do our own part well. Look at me, Mr. Wen, why have you come over here again? Is tomorrow’s performance the same as before?"

Wen Qing’s face turned slightly red, and as she turned her head to look at Luo Dahua, her gaze was a bit cold, she said with a forced smile, "What are you talking about, Mrs.? How could I perform the same role for years without people getting tired of it?"

Luo Dahua was still acting the same, nodding with a smile, "That makes sense, if it were still the old program, I’d be the first to object."

Wen Qing turned her face away expressionlessly, not wanting to look at her or engage with her anymore.

Yang PeiMin glanced suspiciously at both of them. Their conversation sounded odd. What kind of tactics were they playing? Or was she misinterpreting?

After finishing Wen Qing’s eyebrows, Yang PeiMin moved on to contouring her nose and then her lips, followed by blush on her cheeks. With quick hands, to the onlookers, it seemed her fingers carried a kind of magic - she quickly completed the makeup, making Wen Qing look even more beautiful after she withdrew her hands.

Before the makeup, Wen Qing’s features were rather flat. Her nose wasn’t very high, and her face was quite round. Fortunately, she had relatively large eyes and high eyebrow arches. Now, with makeup, her eyes looked deeper, and highlighting the triangular area of her forehead, nose, and chin made them appear higher and more striking. With the addition of headgear and costumes during the performance, she could be imagined as someone from Xinjiang, and that space for imagination was enough.

"My goodness, I’ve really broadened my horizons today. Such incredible skills—it’s like you’re two different people before and after the makeup."

"Indeed, an ordinary girl has become a great beauty."

Wen Qing, who was previously in high spirits while looking in the mirror, paused her smile upon hearing this, and turning around, she said to Yang PeiMin, "Thank you, PeiMin, it’s really beautiful. I was in such a hurry today; I forgot to bring a gift. I’ll bring you something as a token of thanks tomorrow."

"Don’t mention it, it was just a small effort."

"Little sister, you’re too modest. Mr. Wen will surely feel indebted. Your work doesn’t look inexpensive, and Mr. Wen wouldn’t feel comfortable accepting it without reciprocating. If it were me, I’d lose sleep over having taken such advantage."

Wen Qing’s face immediately soured, and she glanced angrily at Luo Dahua. Turning back to Yang PeiMin, she forced a smile and said, "What Mrs. says is right; it’s only proper."

Yang PeiMin let it pass.

She suggested that Wen Qing remove her makeup before leaving; she didn’t want to cause another sensation by going out like this.

After Wen Qing and the Red Army wife left, Yang PeiMin kept Luo Dahua behind.