"What is this?" Bai Xue asked as she opened the box.
"Mom, this is called perfume powder, it smells so good. It can even make your face whiter when you put it on your face. Don’t believe me, just watch." Bai Yanjiao said, and she opened the perfume powder and began to pat it onto her face using the small mirror.
Indeed, in just a short time, her little face had become white and was emitting a strong fragrance.
Bai Yanjiao didn’t know where she had gotten a tube of lipstick, but she smeared it onto her lips, and suddenly, she looked super fashionable.
"Wow, you look so nice. Just like the painted ladies." Bai Xue exclaimed in admiration.
"Mom, this perfume powder is for you. The lipstick isn’t mine, I borrowed it from a coworker. I’ll buy you one once I get my paycheck next month," Bai Yanjiao felt wealthy and generous now that she was earning money.
"It must be very expensive, right?" Bai Xue happily looked at the perfume powder and casually asked.
"To honor my mother, I don’t care how expensive it is," Bai Yanjiao said.
"Goodness, this is my true daughter!" Bai Xue said as she hugged Bai Yanjiao tightly.
The mother and daughter lingered on in chat until it was completely dark outside, and only then did Bai Xue remember that she had to cook dinner.
Bai Xue wanted to make something delicious since her daughter only came back once every half a month.
As soon as she entered the kitchen, she took a big bowl of white flour from the bag, intending to make noodles for her daughter, and then planned to stir-fry the small piece of meat they had been saving to make a sauce.
However, when everything was ready for cooking, she realized there was no oil left in the house.
"Mom, what are you looking for?" Bai Yanjiao walked into the kitchen, saw Bai Xue searching high and low, and couldn’t help but ask.
"Oh dear, it looks like we’re out of oil. How about you go to Auntie Zhao’s house in the front courtyard to borrow some?" They were on good terms with few neighbors, and hers was one of them.
Upon hearing this, Bai Yanjiao shook her head, "Why go to Auntie’s house to borrow oil? Why not get some from An Hao’s place? Doesn’t she always take things from our house? What’s wrong with us getting oil from her?"
"Can you actually get it? Wouldn’t that just lead to another argument? That girl is fierce; I’m afraid you’ll be at a disadvantage!" Bai Xue said.
"Afraid of what? Mom, last time she only got the better of me because she had backup! Without any help, do you think she could beat me?" Bai Yanjiao was thoroughly unconvinced as she brought up that incident.
"Alright, alright, you just got home; don’t go looking for trouble now."
"No, if she doesn’t give it to me, I’ll let Old An and the neighbors see what kind of person she is!" Bai Yanjiao finished speaking and headed out with a bowl in her hand.
She wasn’t afraid of clashing with An Hao at all. Having been beaten by An Hao last time, she needed to vent her anger somehow.
When Bai Yanjiao arrived at An Hao’s doorstep, An Hao had just finished cooking the pork intestine noodles. She sautéed the intestines with scallions, ginger, and garlic, added vinegar, and when the intestines were about 80% cooked, she added water. Once the water boiled, she dropped the hand-pulled noodles in, and they were ready to serve when cooked.
An Ping set up the small dining table under the peach tree; two bowls of steaming noodles were placed on the table, the aroma instantly spreading.
He pulled up a small stool to sit down and without a word, started slurping the noodles.
The rich, fragrant broth was slightly sour but very refreshing. The noodles were firm and slippery, and there was nothing more delicious than this.
An Hao’s cooking skills were truly remarkable; there were not many who could match her. She could create the best flavors from simple ingredients.
"Sis, this is simply too delicious. Whoever marries you is incredibly lucky," An Ping managed to say with his mouth stuffed full of noodles.
Listening to An Ping’s exaggeration, An Hao chuckled and then picked another big chopstick-full of noodles from her bowl into An Ping’s bowl: "If you like it, eat more. Once I’m done with the college entrance exam, I’ll look for a good business to do and earn more money, then I’ll make delicious food for you every day."
"Sis, you’re so good to me," An Ping said, deeply moved.
An Hao’s lips curled, revealing sweet dimples.
Indeed, life was good!
In her previous life, she had been estranged from her brother, suffered greatly paying off debts, and in the end, she died penniless.
But in this life, on this warm spring evening, she could still have a quiet dinner with her brother under the peach tree, and they had a much better life ahead of them.
All she had to do was manage her own life well and live every single day earnestly!
"Well, isn’t this a deep bond between siblings! Walking in, I get to see such a good show," Bai Yanjiao said as she entered with a bowl for the oil, her tone sarcastic.
Seeing Bai Yanjiao, An Ping’s smile instantly vanished, and his face turned sour, "What are you doing here? You’re not welcome!"
Having thoroughly fallen out with Bai Yanjiao, An Ping rolled his eyes when he heard her, "An Ping, you ungrateful thing, my mom and I have been good to you, and this is how you repay us?"
"You’re the one who’s ungrateful..." An Ping wanted to curse Bai Yanjiao, but An Hao stopped him.
An Hao was in a good mood today and, knowing Bai Yanjiao was ready to pick a fight, she knew Bai Yanjiao had been holding back a lot of anger.
But An Hao didn’t want to argue and make a fuss. The peaceful life was hard to come by; if she could send Bai Yanjiao away, she would.
"Don’t bother with useless talk, what do you want? Just say it," An Hao said indifferently.
"I’m here to borrow some oil. We’ve run out of oil for cooking at home, so I need to borrow a bowl of oil," Bai Yanjiao said.