He woke up after a nap and felt more refreshed.
Shen Yiguang had also woken up at some point, but he was nowhere to be seen now.
Yang PeiMin grabbed her toothbrush and towel and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth.
Shen Yiyue came to find her.
Yang PeiMin asked, "Yiyue, is something the matter?"
"I didn’t see you when I went to the room. Sister-in-law, you said this morning you’d show me those beauty products..."
As Shen Yiyue replied, she watched Yang PeiMin finish brushing her teeth, rinse her face first with warm water, then apply some green liquid, rub it all over, and wash again with warm water.
She stepped closer, looking at Yang PeiMin’s face, and couldn’t help asking, "Sister-in-law, what did you put on your face?"
Yang PeiMin dried her face with a dry towel and told her, "I used a cleanser made from winter melon skin—it cleans a bit better." They happened to have winter melons in the storeroom, and she planned to make winter melon pork bone soup in the afternoon. She had peeled the winter melons earlier, making good use of the skins.
Shen Yiyue leaned in, intrigued, pointing at the bit of winter melon water left in her bamboo tube, she exclaimed, "Does washing with this make a big difference compared to using water?"
Yang PeiMin walked out of the bathroom with her, smiling and nodding, "Yes, it even has a moisturizing effect."
Shen Yiyue stayed close by her side, her voice filled with pure curiosity, "Sister-in-law, how did you know about this? Have you always used it ?"
"Not always, our skin is naturally supple at our age, so we don’t need to fuss too much. I’m just interested in these things and have some ideas." Yang PeiMin invited her into the room, "If you’re interested, I can show you some things I made myself."
Shen Yiyue’s eyes sparkled as she nodded vigorously, talking even more, "Sister-in-law, no wonder your skin looks so good."
Yang PeiMin shook her head with a wry smile—her skin owed much to her original owner’s natural beauty.
Shen Yiyue, as if she had discovered a new world, sat in front of Yang PeiMin’s vanity, examining the bottles and jars in front of her and asking for her opinion before opening and sniffing them.
She kept asking what each one was used for.
Yang PeiMin just went ahead and let her try them.
Women’s nature, impossible to resist.
"Sister-in-law, does this pearl powder cream really whiten the skin? It’s amazing. Will it make me even whiter if I keep using it?"
Yang PeiMin also sat down, took one of her hands, and applied some pearl powder cream on the back of her hand for her to compare with the other hand.
Shen Yiyue looked and exclaimed with delight, "It really did whiten, sister-in-law! Is pearl powder hard to manage?"
Yang PeiMin shook her head, "We don’t breed pearls here, and even if we did, their use would be restricted by regulations, so they’re rare."
Disappointment flickered in Shen Yiyue’s eyes, she looked a bit dazed at Yang PeiMin’s face and suddenly asked, "Sister-in-law, do you think men really prefer women who are good-looking?"
Yang PeiMin tilted her head, giving her a glance, somewhat puzzled.
In the few days since her arrival, her sister-in-law Shen Yiyue had made quite a good impression—gentle and soft-spoken, though less conspicuous compared to her more capable and identical twin sister, Shen Yixiang.
"Why did you suddenly ask that? Yiyue, you are also quite pretty, with big eyes and a high nose bridge. Those city folks might look fancy, but isn’t it just because they have a few more nice clothes? If we dress up, we can match anyone," regardless of whether it was possible, Yang Peimin didn’t want her to lack confidence in herself, as people are not defined solely by their outward appearance.
"Really?" Shen Yiyue raised her face and looked at her, hesitating to speak.
"What do you want to say?" Yang Peimin couldn’t help but ask.
Shen Yiyue shook her head, paused for a moment, and then with a hint of admiration said, "Sister-in-law, my brother is really good to you."
Yang Peimin immediately understood her unfinished meaning and her previously hesitant demeanor—it must have seemed to her that Shen Yiguang’s affection was largely due to her appearance.
Yang Peimin silently nodded. That factor was definitely present; men are visual creatures, only further intrigued if the first impression was appealing.
But for a relationship to last, it still relies on various aspects such as personal charm, personality, and values.
"Could this little girl also have someone she likes?" Yang Peimin suddenly thought, inspired.
But their sister-in-law relationship wasn’t warm and close enough yet for such private questions to be appropriate.
Seeing her great interest, Yang Peimin tried a makeup look on her, trimmed her eyebrows, and also—seeing as Shen Yiyue had a nicely full forehead—suggested she style her bangs upward to better frame her slightly wide face, enhancing her looks even more.
Shen Yiyue watched Yang Peimin’s movements in the mirror without blinking, and her sister-in-law’s serious demeanor was particularly attractive, exuding an indescribable allure.
She suddenly felt it was understandable that her brother was so fond of his wife.
"In a few days, it’ll be March 8th Women’s Day. The city is organizing a cultural performance, sending messages to every commune, requesting schools to arrange for students to participate. Our school, especially, is caught short since the teachers in charge of arts and sports are on maternity leave or sick leave. We’re really struggling to find suitable teachers," Shen Yiyue shared about the school’s issues.
"Have you set a date for the festival then?"
Shen Yiyue hummed in affirmation, "Yes, our literary and arts team initially chose ’Sunny Day’ for the stage play. We’ve been rehearsing for a while, but without supervision, there are many imperfections..."
"It seems it might be because of the college entrance exams at the end of the year; many teaching staff have resigned, seemingly some have gotten into university. The same is happening at the primary and secondary schools. I even had a classmate say that if they don’t get into college, they might as well stay and teach."
Shen Yiyue suddenly stopped talking, looked at Yang Peimin, and then suddenly said, "Sister-in-law, didn’t you graduate from high school? You could probably teach at the elementary level."
Yang Peimin raised an eyebrow.
She wrinkled her nose and winkingly suggested to Yang Peimin, "After the new year, spring planting will start soon, and everyone in the family will be busy working. If you had a job, you wouldn’t need to work in the fields."
Yang Peimin realized, that was true. At that time, the village didn’t have strict requirements for teachers; many who had completed a few years of junior high or vocational school could get a job through some connections, though these were mostly for teaching at the primary level.
She pretended to be worried for Shen Yiyue, "To say something embarrassing, I really don’t know how to farm; I’m clumsy, and I’d probably earn less work points than a child. If that were the case, I’d be too ashamed to face anyone."
Her playful demeanor and her willingness to poke fun at herself made Shen Yiyue purse her lips and smile, "That wouldn’t do, my brother wouldn’t allow it."
After leaving the room, the bond between the sisters-in-law seemed warmer.
Shen Yiyue was delighted with her new makeup look, eager to show it off to the rest of her family.
The first person she sought out was her twin sister, because looking at each other was like looking in a mirror.