I was reborn after my cousin stole my life.

Chapter 23: I'm definitely waiting for you

Jiang Zhou had already come out of the men's bathhouse.

He stood under a poplar tree, leaning against the trunk, a cigarette between his fingers, smoking as he waited quietly.

A washbasin was placed at her feet, containing dirty clothes that had been taken off.

In the late autumn weather, he was wearing only a white shirt, with two buttons undone at the collar, revealing a matching vest underneath.

The shirt was tucked into green military trousers, and a black leather belt was tied around his tight waist.

He just leaned there, his composure revealing a touch of casualness.

Jiang Zhou in this state is undoubtedly very attractive to young women and married women alike.

If he hadn't consistently refused his superiors' matchmaking attempts over the years, citing pre-arranged marriages at home, his children would probably be old enough to run errands by now.

Yuan Xiu didn't notice Jiang Zhou after she came out. It was a military wife who knew her who teased her, "What are you looking at? Your Battalion Commander Jiang is over there!"

Yuan Xiu looked in the direction she pointed, and just then, Jiang Zhou was also looking in that direction.

Sister Chunmei smiled and said, "They must be waiting for you. Go on, we need to go back and cook dinner too."

Yuan Xiu nodded and walked towards Jiangzhou.

Jiang Zhou's gaze lingered on her face for a moment. "Let's go, let's eat in the cafeteria first."

The two had a simple dinner at the canteen. Yuan Xiu didn't rush back to the guesthouse, but instead followed Jiang Zhou back to the courtyard. It wasn't convenient to wash clothes at the guesthouse, so she planned to wash the clothes she had changed out of that day in the courtyard before going back.

"Give me the clothes."

Yuan Xiu took the basin from Jiang Zhou's hand and took out the dirty clothes inside.

The used towels were rinsed again in clean water, wrung out, and hung to dry on the washbasin stand against the wall under the eaves.

Two towels, one on each side, were placed side by side.

Yuan Xiu placed two slippery bars of soap on the windowsill to dry.

Jiang Zhou wasn't idle either; he stood by the well and pumped out two buckets of water.

While Yuan Xiu was washing clothes, he helped by changing and pouring the water.

This pleased Yuan Xiu. She had seen many men who wouldn't even pick up a fallen oil bottle at home, but it was rare to see a man like Jiang Zhou who was attentive to his work and handed over his salary.

No one is perfect, and that's exactly what Jiang Zhou is like.

……

The next morning, Yuan Xiu got up early.

When Sister-in-law Xiulan arrived with her sister-in-law, Yuan Xiu's luggage was already packed. She was wearing new clothes, new pants, and new leather shoes that she had bought at the department store the day before, and a Plum Blossom brand watch that Jiang Zhou had bought for her on her wrist.

She put her hair up in a bun and wore a flower made of gauze tied behind her ear.

She made this herself last night after returning home. She borrowed needles and thread from the guesthouse and used a red scarf that her parents had bought for her when they were still alive. It had a faint pink tinge and was wrapped around her hair like a light mist.

Xiulan and her sister-in-law said it looked beautiful as soon as they entered the door.

"When Battalion Commander Jiang sees this, he'll probably be completely smitten with her."

Xiulan's sister-in-law's younger sister-in-law is named Sun Ying. She is a pretty girl, about the same age as Yuan Xiu.

When she saw her take out her tools, Yuan Xiu had second thoughts.

It's not because she's young, but...

"Really, believe me, you have to make your face look whiter, the whiter the better for makeup." Sun Ying held up a box of pale powder and was about to apply it to Yuan Xiu's face. "I'm very skilled and experienced. This year on Children's Day, the military kindergarten hired me to do everyone's makeup."

Yuan Xiu dared not let her apply makeup.

She shouldn't have believed Xiulan's words; after all, these days, makeup techniques are generally used on stage.

If Yuan Xiu were truly eighteen years old, she might have been made up, and after the makeup was done, she might even have secretly thought she looked beautiful.

But Yuan Xiu added on, having gained over twenty years of experience and knowledge. Although she hadn't been to many big cities, she had visited small ones and seen how beautiful and fashionable young women dressed in the millennium.

Even the young women in their village, after working away from home for half a year, know how to dress themselves to look good.

No one would go out with a pale face, red blush, and red lips.

Yuan Xiu couldn't refuse the enthusiasm of Sun Ying and Sister-in-law Xiulan, so she could only say, "I'll do it, but you have to listen to me."

Sun Ying felt as eager as a makeup artist taking a certification exam when she wanted to do someone's bridal makeup. Seeing that Yuan Xiu didn't refuse, she quickly nodded: "Okay, tell me what you want, and I'll do it for you."

Yuan Xiu sat down by the window, holding a mirror in one hand and directing Sun Ying with the other, "Don't put on so much powder at once, use less."

Sun Ying couldn't bear to shake the powder off the ground, so she rubbed the powder puff on the powder box several times before carefully applying it to Yuan Xiu's face.

"Your skin is so nice, you can't even see your pores, it's just a little yellow. If you're careful and avoid the sun, it'll whiten after a winter of keeping your skin covered."

Xiulan glanced at her sister-in-law and said, "That person won't wilt if he doesn't get sun exposure."

"If I don't tell you, you won't understand what beauty is!"

"What is beauty? True beauty is being healthy!"

While applying makeup to Yuan Xiu, Sun Ying argued with her sister-in-law, "Aren't the performing arts soldiers in that troupe beautiful? They always wear hats when they go out, and they pay a lot of attention to the skin on their faces."

"They're going to perform on stage, which is different from what we do."

"What's different?" Sun Ying laughed. "Wait until I join the performing arts troupe and see what you have to say."

Yuan Xiu stopped Sun Ying from continuing to apply powder to her face, saying, "That's enough."

Sun Ying: "Is it not white enough? Let's apply some more."

"No need, it's fine as it is."

The sallowness on her face was concealed, revealing a natural, fair complexion.

Next came the eyebrows. Yuan Xiu's eyebrows were of suitable thickness and beautiful shape. As she was told, Sun Ying took the eyebrow pencil and gently swept it twice in the middle and at the tail of her eyebrows.

"You know what, these eyebrows actually look pretty good."

Sister Xiulan came over and said, "It looks good. Xiao Yuan's eyebrows are well-shaped, unlike mine, which are light and shapeless. Last time she did my eyebrows, they looked like two caterpillars."

"Sister-in-law!" Sun Ying stamped her foot.

Xiulan's sister-in-law: "It looks good, it looks good, is that alright?"

Yuan Xiu couldn't help but laugh, "You two have such a good relationship."

Sister Xiulan laughed and said, "Of course it's great. When I married my husband, she was only ten years old. She has lived with us all these years. I've raised her like a daughter."

Fearing that Yuan Xiu might not know, Sister-in-law Xiulan explained, "My mother-in-law passed away early, and my father-in-law remarried in his hometown and had several more children."

Yuan Xiu then understood that if she didn't bring her sister-in-law with her, she would have to make a living under her stepmother's control.

Sister-in-law Xiulan is a good person.

"Is Xiaoying going to join the cultural troupe as an artistic soldier?"

"No," said Sister Xiulan. "She wants to join the performing arts troupe as a makeup artist, but she doesn't even know if she'll be able to get in."

Sun Ying took out a blush palette. "I'm sure I'll get in. My mentor said he'll recommend me next time they're hiring."

After saying that, she added to Yuan Xiu, "My master is a makeup artist in the cultural troupe, but she's about to retire."

Yuan Xiu smiled and said, "Then I wish you all your dreams come true."

"Thank you, Sister Xiuxiu. How should I apply this makeup?"

"Be gentle, sweep it on the sides of your face..."