"Where are you? I just feel reassured with you here," Qiao Ying raised her eyebrows slightly at her.
Yang PeiMin thought about it and shook her head, then asked her about the performance this time.
Qiao Ying, tearing up a bun and throwing it into her mouth, spoke lightly, "The higher-ups have relaxed the rules, some regulations have been overturned and new ones established. Most people are pleased. And so, with a wave of excitement, they’ve brought us from the Cultural Troupe out to make an appearance. It’s just for May Day; we have to rush to two events. One here at the military region, and another at the provincial Culture Department’s performance. Other Cultural Troupes are coming too, many leaders are attending, and our team members are all eager to perform well."
She then lowered her voice, "I really need your help. There’s a dance from the grasslands, and just right, the dancer from Xinjiang fell ill and couldn’t perform. They’ve temporarily replaced her with Wen Qing, the girl you saw. Her look doesn’t quite fit those from there; do you think you could do something about her facial features? Make the nose a bit higher, the eyes a bit deeper to closely match the image?"
"I entered the Cultural Troupe in the same batch as her, and all who managed to stay had already been promoted, leaving only her. Due to various situations, she hadn’t achieved her wish. This is also her opportunity, and her basic skills are good, comparable to the sick team member. It was only because the leader felt the Xinjiang girl’s look was more fitting at the selection that she was chosen."
Yang PeiMin understood; it seemed this girl had come up as an alternate through a tough competition, and surely many were not convinced. If Wen Qing could make her appearance more like that of a Xinjang person, it would also be a way to suppress those dissenting voices.
That wasn’t too big of a problem, especially since Qiao Ying had asked.
Previously, when coming here, there had been dry fruits specialties at the front, and Yang PeiMin didn’t want to bring makeup. But after dispatching that batch of dry fruit, she still brought the full set of makeup items, ready for any eventions, thinking that even if she were chased, altering her appearance with makeup might allow her to escape.
After confirming this matter, Wen Qing came over.
Qiao Ying told her about it.
Wen Qing thanked Yang Pei Min.
Then, with a touch of curiosity, she asked, "I wonder where Sister PeiMin trained?" After exchanging names, Qiao Ying suggested they just call each other by name to avoid being too formal.
When Qiao Ying said this, Wen Qing glanced at her and gave a slight smile.
Now, she naturally addressed her as PeiMin.
Qiao Ying helped her answer, "She figured it out on her own."
Wen Qing paused, her face showing surprise, "How did she manage that?"
Yang PeiMin simply smiled.
Qiao Ying then said, "My dad always wanted me to study medicine, but I’m someone who gets weak-kneed at the sight of needles, no matter what, I dared not go. After a while, my dad often scolded me for being a coward and even though he pushed me, I wouldn’t step into the medical school. Eventually, he gave up on that idea helplessly. Being the youngest child, I couldn’t focus on my studies; nor could I learn the excellent sewing skills from my grandmother."
"My dad always felt I couldn’t idle away my life, they were getting older and wouldn’t always be able to protect me. In an era where even food wasn’t ample, he believed that having a skill was the real deal, regardless of gender. He often scolded me in frustration, asking if there was anything else I could do besides eat."
"When I was thirteen, I accompanied my cousin to the children’s palace to learn to dance. Unexpectedly, she wasn’t selected, but I was. Even though I was somewhat older, the teacher then said I had good ligaments... I had never tried dancing before, but once I did, I fell in love with it, hopelessly..."
"So, it’s said that although some people might not excel in other areas, they have something they’re skilled at. When interest arises, you will keep pursuing it, and that pursuit turns into a dream, continuously breaking through and improving ... Isn’t that how PeiMin accomplished it?"
Qiao Ying ended up glorifying Yang PeiMin with a grand title like that.
Yang PeiMin couldn’t help but look at Qiao Ying with admiration.
Qiao Ying slightly lowered her head.
Wen Qing was also stunned for a moment, then she also nodded in realization, "So that’s how it is." She turned her head to look at Yang PeiMin, still with a puzzled look on her face, "PeiMin, how are you here? When Sister Ying mentioned you, you seemed to be in Q city."
"I came here to visit family. My husband is a soldier in this army."
Wen Qing smiled and nodded, "That really is fate. To meet you in a place thousands of miles away, of course, it’s also my luck."
After chatting briefly, Wen Qing subtly expressed her interest in Yang PeiMin’s cosmetics.
"We usually just apply some foundation, do our eyebrows, lipstick, and blush, and that’s it. Is it the same for you, PeiMin? Or is your technique different, resulting in a different effect?"
Wen Qing asked very carefully, staring directly into Yang PeiMin’s eyes as if she couldn’t afford to miss any of her expressions.
"Do you have them with you? Could I take a look?"
Yang PeiMin nodded, "Yes, they’re in my dormitory."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Ying also seemed relieved, "I was worried that you didn’t bring everything with you."
Wen Qing glanced at Qiao Ying and said to Yang PeiMin, "I’ve been wanting to see them for a while. I don’t know if it’s convenient for you?"
However, Qiao Ying said, "Don’t rush. We still haven’t told the other team members, and PeiMin might have other things to do. Let her give us the dormitory floor address, and we can go find her later. PeiMin, does that work for you?"
In this regard, she knew a bit. Wen Qing, eager to see things, had forgotten some social niceties. Although she was friends with PeiMin and they got along well, they had always been imposing on her since they met. Now, they were once again asking for her help, but it would be abrupt to go to her house empty-handed, not to mention the inconvenience and effort involved, and she would have to entertain them too. It was hard on everyone, all for some nice things, not knowing how long they would have to save up.
Although Qiao Ying and Wen Qing shared a revolutionary spirit, they considered Yang PeiMin a close friend and did not want one friend taking advantage of another.
Wen Qing, though somewhat puzzled, looked at Qiao Ying and, without saying anything, nodded with a smile.
Yang PeiMin then told them, "Qiao Ying knows me well. I, for one, need to clean up at home before I can have guests."
Qiao Ying rolled her eyes at her, "With all your fussiness, I can hardly imagine what else you’d need to clean."
Yang PeiMin returned to her dormitory to wash her lunch box, and as Qiao Ying had said, there really wasn’t anything else to clean. She still had other things to do, like laundry.
She only had two sets of clothes and had to wash them early so they would dry quickly.