Du Juanjuan looked into Yang Peimin’s eyes with a thick disdain and contempt, "Mr. Yang really has free time, are you also helping Mr. Qiao with his business?"
Yang Peimin glanced at her and chuckled, "Right, I almost forgot to ask you, did you talk to Mr. Wen about the makeup job for the unit last time? Make sure you ask clearly, because if you don’t know and you say something that causes a misunderstanding, it would be embarrassing."
Ever since that day she was humiliated in front of everyone, that incident had become a thorn in Du Juanjuan’s side. Whenever she thought of Yang Peimin, that annoying country girl, she was so irritated she wanted to gnash her teeth. Now, having to listen to her bring it up again was like flames were erupting from her eyes. "With such a shabby skill that can’t make it on stage, you dare to show off in front of everyone. You should thank your lucky stars that nobody bothered with you. What now? Not begging people to do makeup today? Following Mr. Qiao like a lackey, carrying stuff? It makes sense, a country woman like you who hasn’t seen much of the world, gets so excited just by going out to the city, you’re so disoriented and even manage to lose your own man’s face."
Yang Peimin found it funny. She exchanged a look with Qiao Ying and they both couldn’t help but laugh.
Driven by their laughter to a furious embarrassment, Du Juanjuan snapped, "What’s so funny? Truly shameless, oh, flatterers like you are just a joke."
Wen Qing pulled her aside and advised, "Juanjuan, let’s go. It’s getting late, why don’t we ask our brother-in-law if he can lend us the car?" She sneakily pinched her hand, signaling her to remember their main business.
But Du Juanjuan wasn’t listening, especially since Yang Peimin and Qiao Ying continued walking ahead, seemingly indifferent to her words, not taking them into their ears, let alone their eyes. She shrugged off Wen Qing’s hand and went to grab Yang Peimin; she just wanted to drag her to a stop and really ask her, this country girl, why she did not take herself seriously.
Yang Peimin hadn’t expected Du Juanjuan to actually come over to grab her; by the time she realized it, she quickly dodged.
Although she evaded, Du Juanjuan’s hand landed on the paper bag she was carrying. She clutched it, causing the top bag of cookies to fall out.
Qiao Ying quickly came over, grabbed Du Juanjuan’s wrist, and angrily reprimanded, "Mr. Du, please be mindful of your behavior. You have the suspicion of assault. We have grounds to report you!"
Du Juanjuan didn’t take her words to heart, her attention was already captured by the familiar green cookie bag on the ground. She quickly picked it up before Yang Peimin could and, looking at Wen Qing, asked in a harsh tone, "Sister, isn’t this the cookie I gave you? Why did you give it to her? She has such meager makeup skills, maybe she even specifically sought you out for practice. Why would you need to give something so valuable? Do you know where I bought these cookies? Do you know how much they cost?"
Wen Qing was momentarily stunned.
Yet, Qiao Ying coldly said, "Mr. Du, please return it to Mr. Yang. These cookies have nothing to do with you; we bought them in the city at the Overseas Chinese Store."
Yang Minmin added, "I still have the receipt here, do you want to take a look?"
Only then did Wen Qing snap back to reality, her face turning crimson. She could not have imagined that her cousin could be so foolish.
Thinking back to the time she had a makeup trial, she promised Yang Peimin a thank-you gift afterwards because she couldn’t withstand Luo Dahua’s ridicule. But since Yang Peimin had later told her that she would no longer do her makeup, Wen Qing had put the promise out of her mind, thinking at the time it was just a polite remark and Yang Peimin needn’t make a big deal out of it.
Now, her cousin not only misidentified the gifts but also brought up her own promise, infuriating her to the point that she felt she had never been so embarrassed.
Du Juanjuan also froze for a moment before scoffing, "How ridiculous, you think you can buy it? Do you have an exchange coupon for Huaiqiang Store? Do you think the Overseas Chinese Store would let you in? These coupons aren’t just obtainable with money, and your man, just a small battalion commander, couldn’t get it either—not even if he tried his hardest!"
It wasn’t until Yang Peimin handed the receipt right before her eyes that her voice abruptly stopped. She took a few involuntary glances and indeed, it read: ...two packs of cookies, at the bottom was the stamp of the Overseas Chinese Store. At this moment, she realized her mistake and her face flushed as red as her cousin’s.
Yang PeiMin took the biscuits from her hand back and put them into the paper bag, giving her a somewhat amused look, and asked, "I wonder if Mr. Du has come down with delusional disorder?"
Du Juanjuan instantly bristled, leaping up to grab her while exclaiming, "Who did you say has delusional disorder? You country bumpkin!"
Wen Qing reacted quickly, promptly holding her back and soothing her with a few words before she turned to Qiao Ying with an apologetic look, "I’m sorry, my cousin misunderstood."
When Wen Qing met Yang PeiMin’s gaze, she subconsciously looked away.
Qiao Ying said indifferently, "It’s nothing, just take your cousin to see a doctor soon; after all, delusional disorder is not a joking matter."
Du Juanjuan, mocked over and over again, was practically on the verge of fainting from anger.
Qiao Ying, anxious to get back to pack the cosmetics, had no interest in dealing with the sisters’ drama and hurried Yang PeiMin along.
Only after they had gotten far from Wen Qing and her two cousins did she allow herself to burst into laughter, Yang PeiMin joining in.
She wondered if Du Juanjuan would still have the face to act all high and mighty in front of her next time.
Back at the dorm, after setting down their things, Yang Pei immediately stoked the stove, prompting Qiao Ying to ask, "What’s this for? This will take quite some time, shouldn’t we pack these things up first?"
Yang PeiMin shook her head, "It’s necessary because we don’t have any disinfectant. We can only use the high temperature of boiling water to sterilize the bottle, ensuring it’s safe for you to use."
Qiao Ying nodded, taking the lesson to heart, "Then I feel relieved."
Yang PeiMin gave her a smiling glance, "Right, remember I told you I have a gift for you? Want to take a look?"
Qiao Ying replied with delight, "Really?"
Yang PeiMin promptly took out a small tin box from the wooden case with the cosmetics and handed it to her.
Taking it, Qiao Ying eyed the "Friendship" brand cream container, arched an eyebrow in surprise, and looked at her, "You’re giving me this ’Friendship’ cream?"
Yang PeiMin touched her nose, feeling a bit embarrassed; the cream was actually her homemade moisturizer, after using up the last jar, she cleaned it and filled it with her own concoction.
The appearance of the moisturizer wasn’t all that appealing, a brownish paste with a faint herbal medicinal scent, including a secret ingredient from her family’s traditional recipe.
"This can be used not just on your hands but also on other parts of your body. It’s very moisturizing, and although it doesn’t smell too great, give it a try and let me know if it’s good."