Daily Life in the 70s-Chapter 182 Afterward

Wen Qing bit her lip and backed away.

Her popularity in the troupe was quite good, and under normal circumstances, someone would have already come forward to comfort her. But at this moment, everyone was crowding around to watch the makeup being done, hoping to learn a trick or two.

Even Minister Xia strolled over. When he saw Wen Qing, his eyes lit up. He walked over, looked her over carefully, and nodded to himself, "Not bad at all, Qiao Ying wasn’t wrong; Comrade Yang truly has a good skill."

Wen Qing also managed a smile in agreement, "It is quite good. It’d be great if she could take apprentices, teach us a thing or two, so we can do our own makeup for future performances."

Minister Xia shook his head at her, "One cannot simply teach skills like hers." But in her heart, she had another idea.

There were a total of fourteen people scheduled to perform that night. It was now one o’clock in the afternoon, and the performance would start at seven in the evening. Time was extremely tight. Yang PeiMin’s hands were already fast, but she could only do makeup for three people an hour—and that didn’t include breaks for drinking water or using the restroom. So first, they made sure to prepare their base, applying foundation cream and powder.

However, Yang PeiMin didn’t bring many makeup products, not enough for so many people to share, which left some feeling embarrassed. They went to Qiao Ying specifically to discuss this issue. Qiao Ying just patted her on the shoulder with a reassured smile, "It’s thoughtful of you to worry, but rest assured, this matter has been arranged by me and the troupe leader."

Qiao Ying then had the girl bring a cup of sweet water to Yang PeiMin.

After finishing the last one, Yang PeiMin’s fingers no longer felt like moving.

Applause filled the makeup room.

And a steaming cup of sweet water was placed in her hands, "Mr. Yang, you have worked hard."

The girls were all beaming with joy, looking at each other’s makeup with smiles on their faces as if it were New Year’s.

The girls selected for the Cultural Troupe all had distinct facial features and clean appearances, so everyone had a decent foundation. On normal days, dressed in military uniform and often drenched in sweat from intensive training, they looked almost identical, to the point where it was hard to tell one from another. Even when they cleaned up and performed, it was difficult to distinguish individuals from the stage.

Now it was different; it instantly elevated the beauty factor of the troupe and even highlighted each person’s facial features. Plus, with some time to spare, Yang PeiMin styled the hair of three important characters, which made them even more recognizable.

In the troupe, Xiao Yun, whose appearance was below average and had slightly dark skin and small eyes, had transformed into a stunning beauty with bright eyes and white teeth, blooming like a peach blossom after make-up. Many people praised her and crowded around to compare her before and after looks.

"Xiao Yun I bet when you go on stage, your Qin Feng will be blinded by your beauty. He will keep rubbing his eyes to confirm it’s you and won’t be able to stop grinning. You’ve struck gold this time!"

"Indeed, Xiao Yun will be smiling to herself as well. Afterward, Qin Feng will surely be urging for marriage."

"Great, we’ll have wedding sweets to eat again."

Xiao Yun laughed heartily at the teasing, waved her hand generously and said, "Sure, make sure you get your gifts ready for me. When the time comes, I’ll remember you all well. Comrade Pei Min, you’ll have to come too."

"Ts ts, are you hiding some ulterior motive? Are you inviting Comrade Pei Min over for drinks, or to help with the bridal makeup?" someone teased.

Xiao Yun laughed uncontrollably, "Both, both! Really, couldn’t you spare me some face and not expose what I’m planning?" frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

Yang Peimin’s smile also curved up as she inexplicably received several wedding invitations.

Wen Qing, on the outskirts of the crowd, saw her smile stiffen. It was supposed to be her own moment in the limelight, but now it had turned into everyone’s moment, especially that Xiao Yun.

Yang Peimin had completed her task and needed to go home to change her clothes. She would wait for Shen Yiguang to come back so they could have dinner together before going to the auditorium to watch the performance.

Qiao Ying escorted her back.

Yang Peimin laughed, "Since when have you been so formal? There’s no need to escort me, I can get back on my own, you better go back and keep an eye on things."

Qiao Ying shook her head with a smile, insisting on taking her to the dormitory and even inside. She sat down at the table and gestured for Yang Peimin to sit as well, then took out the money from her pocket and pushed it across the table, "This is from Minister Xia, it’s your payment, and it includes the expense for makeup products, totaling thirty yuan and two Overseas Chinese Store exchange coupons."

Then she leaned in with a hint of mystery, "The Overseas Chinese Store has cotton sanitary pads that don’t irritate the skin, and special bras and panties. Many things you can’t buy outside, you can find there. Knowing you are picky, I specially got these for you. You’ve worked hard today."

Yang Peimin was surprised, "Hey, how do you know I’m particular?"

That was exactly what she was worried about. She hadn’t bought any more toilet paper and had secretly made some out of cotton cloth and cotton on her own. After use, she had to secretly find a place to bury them, which wasn’t economical and was troublesome since she had to change them often.

Qiao Ying looked her up and down, her face showing a teasing expression, "Even though you say you’re from the countryside, there’s nothing about you that seems countryside. Don’t ask me how I know; I can just tell, feel it. Mr. Yang, in my eyes, dresses neatly with good matches, speaks gently and politely, carries oneself elegantly and at ease, and is picky about food. All this shows. Look at your clothes, a white shirt without a speck of dust, perfectly ironed without a wrinkle. Isn’t that right?"

Yang Peimin’s eyes twinkled, "Wow, Qiao Ying, you really are my soulmate. You understand me so thoroughly, I am exactly that person!"

Qiao Ying: "..."

Ah, I forgot to mention this thick skin. Qiao Ying silently added.

"Alright then, I won’t be polite," Yang Peimin immediately thought of the personal care items like sanitary pads and underwear from later times... A joyful smile unconsciously spread across her face.

Qiao Ying patted her shoulder, "I know that makeup set of yours isn’t cheap either, not sure if it’s worth this much?"

"It’s worth it, it’s worth it," Yang Peimin nodded repeatedly. Although some of the raw materials were hard to find, they weren’t very expensive, just a bit of her handiwork was needed.

Seeing her look, Qiao Ying’s eyes also brightened, and she quickly calculated, "That’s good to hear, so you can make another eight sets of that stuff for me, at the same price."

Yang Peimin was abruptly pulled from her thoughts on choosing lingerie colors, "Who’s asking? Do you want them?"

"I want them, as do the sisters in the Cultural Troupe. Tell me, can you make them?"

"I can, but it won’t be too soon, and we can reduce the price a bit too, after all, we’re good friends now, right?"

"As long as you can make them, don’t be modest with us, those girls have plenty of money."