Daily Life in the 70s-Chapter 196 - 197: Reluctant

Qiao Ying returned to the dormitory, faced with a host of necks craning curiously behind her. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and sternly said, "Yang PeiMin is having dinner; she’s busy and can’t leave. However, she told me to come solve everyone’s problems."

"Really?" This was unmistakably a tone of poorly hidden skepticism.

"What a shame. Anyway, we’re taking the same train as her tomorrow, aren’t we? It’d be perfect to ask her then."

"Exactly, that’s right. Then I’ll note down the questions now so we can ask her tomorrow."

"Hey, Xiao Yun, our question is the same, so I’ll go ask..."

They completely ignored Qiao Ying’s offer to ’help solve problems.’

Qiao Ying inwardly glared at this bunch of rascals.

But she managed to get by anyhow. After all, she was only just starting to grasp the ’basics.’ For the sake of her own pride, she let it go. After tidying up her things, she was ready to wash up. She took out the box of moisturizing cream that Yang PeiMin had given her, planning to use it after her shower. Because of the color issue with the cream, not being pure white, traces would inevitably remain on the skin after application. So Yang PeiMin had advised her not to use it on her face or only at night, saying it would be fine after washing it off the next day. The same logic applied to the skin on the rest of her body—spread it first, wait a while, then wipe it off with a damp towel. Just like a face mask, consistent use had noticeable effects, and just thinking about this excited Qiao Ying.

Her skin had always been quite dry and rough, nowhere near the delicate feel that others her age had. So this gift was indeed perfect for her.

Their temporary dorms had no stoves, so if they wanted hot water, they had to take a kettle to the cafeteria to fill it. But many found this bothersome, especially the tough soldiers—given the weather, they might as well wash with cold water, or some of the northern men simply chose not to wash at all.

Qiao Ying insisted on washing, especially during her menstrual period. She preferred to make the extra effort to fetch hot water, as everybody was busy studying cosmetics and there was no queue for the bath.

She came out with her bucket and ran into Wen Qing, who had just returned from what seemed to be shopping, judging from the number of items in her hands.

Wen Qing’s eyes landed on the bucket in her hands and asked with a smile, "Sister Ying, are you off to get water?"

Qiao Ying nodded and tried to move past her.

Wen Qing affectionately called out to her, "Sister Ying, wait a second." freeωebnovēl.c૦m

Qiao Ying stopped and waited for her to continue.

Wen Qing spoke softly, reaching into her bag to show a packet of biscuits, and said hastily, "Sister Ying, I went to the Overseas Chinese Store today to buy some biscuits. I meant to give them to Pei Min last time, but I don’t know how my mind works. I was so busy preparing for that performance that I completely forgot, which was really rude. So I bought another bag today and will take it to her later, and I’d like you to come with me." Her voice grew increasingly softer, nearly a whisper as she leaned in, "I’m just afraid the same thing will happen again as last time."

Qiao Ying looked at her with some surprise, "You can deliver this tomorrow when we go out together, you might see her then."

Wen Qing happily agreed, "Okay, then I’ll give it to her tomorrow. Sister Ying, you go fetch some water. I’ll save you a spot in line so you’ll have water to wash when you get back."

Qiao Ying nodded and walked away.

It was only then that Wen Qing retracted her smile. Qiao Ying’s attitude toward her had obviously changed since yesterday; it had become distant. Until the matter of the promotion was settled, Qiao Ying could not be offended. Since she was unhappy with Wen Qing over Yang Pei Min’s issue, Wen Qing decided to put on a good act for Yang Pei Min in front of her. Only, the tin of biscuits in her hand wasn’t cheap, and she hadn’t even had a piece herself.

Thinking this way, dark clouds started to form in Wen Qing’s heart. Noticing that the dormitory was noisier than usual, she furrowed her brows. After walking all day, she was indeed exhausted. She, too, wanted to fetch some hot water for washing and rest early, just like Qiao Ying.

"Wen Qing, you’re back," a teammate called to her.

"What good stuff did you buy today?" remembering Wen Qing and her cousin had gone out earlier that day, and her cousin had made such a fuss that the whole dorm knew they were going to the mall to shop. So, at the sight of Wen Qing returning, they were curious about her purchases. Apart from a few team members with well-off families, everyone else had to send their monthly living expenses home, and even if they had savings, they dared not spend it casually. Therefore, they were quite envious of team members like Wen Qing who seemed to have more disposable income.

Wen Qing smiled casually, "My mom likes the persimmon cakes from here. I bought some last time when I came over, and I brought more for her this time."

After saying this and seeing them applying something to their faces, she asked, "What are you doing? New face cream? Which brand is it? Friendship or Pechoin? Let me have a look?"

"No, Wen Qing, it’s the cosmetics brought over from Mr. Yang’s side that arrived today. We’re trying them out. They seem even better than the makeup we had last time," the teammate talking to her was very happy and kept sharing about her new cosmetics.

Wen Qing’s smile suddenly became forced. She walked over and took a look, "Really? Let me see what brand it is?"

Some of the team members had been yearning for a set of cosmetics ever since Yang Pei Min had done her makeup; they discussed with Qiao Ying, hoping to find out if they could buy a set just like Yang Pei Min’s. They had even invited Wen Qing to join them, but she had declined.

Wen Qing took the ceramic box handed to her by the teammate and looked it over, her brows slightly furrowed, "Why is there no label? It’s hard to tell what brand it is. Where did this come from? It’s not homemade, is it?"

"Who cares about the brand, as long as it works," the teammate was indifferent. She had previously bought branded foundation and felt none were as good as this one. Even after washing her face, it still felt smooth, and she heard it could even whiten the skin over time. That alone made her love it.

Wen Qing’s face stiffened, and she sighed, "Be careful when you use it then. If it has no origin, it ultimately makes people uneasy."

"I’m not worried about that; we have Qiao Tuan. She bought three boxes herself and plans to give them away. My brother is getting married soon, and they’ll come in handy for that," the teammate said cheerfully, seemingly lost in the anticipation of dazzling everyone at the wedding banquet.

Wen Qing suddenly lost interest in talking to her, looking like she was infatuated.

Shen Yiguang’s performance was still too deceptive. When he cooked, he looked so confident and brisk, as if he had everything under control, making Yang Pei Min think he was hiding his true skills. But it turned out, Shen Yiguang wasn’t even as good as she was at this stuff.