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Shen Mo had already entered the courtyard. As soon as Jiang Ning stepped into the yard, she heard voices behind her.
“Oh, I know you two are close, but it’s better to keep such intimacy behind closed doors.”
“Exactly, it’s as if you’re afraid others won’t see how close you are.”
The speakers were a few military dependents who happened to be passing by.
Jiang Ning didn’t respond. She could only blame these harmful feudal superstitions.
Back in the courtyard, Jiang Ning had just brought out a lounge chair and a small stool from the house when Li Xingyue appeared at the gate.
“Come in quickly,” Jiang Ning called her in.
“Lie down,” she said, pointing to the lounge chair.
This lounge chair was made by a carpenter that Shen Mo had found for her. One day, while sitting on a swing and admiring the moon, she had said, “It would be nice to lie down and enjoy this.”
The next day, the lounge chair appeared in front of her.
Shen Mo always did things quietly, taking even her smallest complaints to heart.
This feeling of being valued made her heart warm.
After gesturing for Li Xingyue to lie down, Jiang Ning took out an enamel cup. Inside the cup was a mixture of apricot kernel paste she had prepared. The apricot kernels could be eaten or applied to the skin, and this paste was specifically for body application.
She scooped two large spoonfuls of the apricot kernel paste into a large bowl, then added a little milk and honey, stirring until it was thick. Using a bamboo stick, she carefully applied the mixture to Li Xingyue’s face.
Li Xingyue was startled when the paste was applied to her face.
No one is indifferent to their appearance.
Jiang Ning reassured her, “Don’t worry.”
After applying the apricot paste all over Li Xingyue’s face, Jiang Ning also applied it to her exposed arms.
Once she was done, she instructed, “This needs to stay on your face for twenty to thirty minutes. Just lie here for a while.”
Li Xingyue nodded.
Jiang Ning then went into the main room and brought out another enamel cup. Inside the cup was a dark, molasses-like substance, which was the three-white paste Jiang Ning had made to drink with water.
Whitening requires not only external application but also internal consumption. Using both methods together can achieve a 1+1>2 effect.
She took out two cups and scooped a spoonful of the paste into each. Before she could reach for the thermos, Zhiqi was already carrying it over.
Jiang Ning took the thermos and poured hot water to dissolve the paste.
Then, she carried the two cups of prepared three-white paste water outside and handed one to Li Xingyue. “Here, drink this.”
“I made this with white peony root, white atractylodes, white poria, licorice, and brown sugar. You have dark spots on your face from long-term sun exposure. Drinking this can help fade those spots and also nourish your qi and blood, whiten and moisturize your skin.”
Although Li Xingyue was timid, once she made up her mind, she wouldn’t back down. She took the cup from Jiang Ning and drank it in one gulp.
“You don’t need to rush; you can drink it slowly,” Jiang Ning said with a laugh, and went back inside to pour her another cup.
“Xingyue, Xingyue,” a voice called from outside the yard. When Jiang Ning reached the door and invited her in, Sister Li stepped into the yard. Seeing the person lying on the lounge chair wearing her daughter’s clothes, she immediately said, “Why do you always run to Young Jiang’s house as soon as you get home! Scared—”
She was startled as soon as she finished speaking. The person on the lounge chair had a layer of white substance on their face, with only their eyes and mouth exposed.
If she hadn’t remembered the clothes her daughter was wearing, she really wouldn’t have recognized that the person lying there was her daughter.
Jiang Ning said, “Sister Li, she’s applying a face mask.”
“A face mask?” Sister Li was startled for a moment, then quickly remembered that the last time her daughter went to school, Jiang Ning had mentioned making a whitening product for her daughter to try.
Seeing the strange substance on her daughter’s face, she couldn’t help but worry. Would Jiang Ning’s product really be effective?
In fact, she was more concerned about whether her daughter’s face would have any adverse reactions from using this product.
No, she shouldn’t doubt Jiang Ning.
In her heart, she had an inexplicable fondness and trust for Jiang Ning.
Sister Li couldn’t help but ask, “How long does my daughter need to keep this on?”
Jiang Ning looked at her watch, “Probably another twenty minutes or so.”
It hadn’t been long since the mask was applied, and since it was the girl’s first time, she hoped it would stay on for a while longer.
“Alright, I’ll go back to continue cooking,” Sister Li said. As she turned, she heard the sounds from the kitchen and saw Shen Mo cooking.
“Oh, Young Shen, you’re cooking,” she remarked.
Shen Mo turned around and greeted Sister Li.
Sister Li jokingly said, “No wonder the food at your house doesn’t smell as good as usual.”
Although it was a joke, it was also the truth. Their house was right across from Jiang Ning’s, and whenever Jiang Ning cooked, the aroma always drifted into their home.
With that aroma, their meals always tasted better.
Shen Mo didn’t feel any loss of pride; his hands continued to move as he cooked. He agreed, “I can’t compare to my wife.”
“This kid really has you on the top of his heart,” Sister Li said to Jiang Ning with a wink.
Jiang Ning wasn’t shy and nodded, saying, “Yes, I also keep him in my heart.”
Sister Li had a loud voice, and everything she said to Jiang Ning was heard by Shen Mo, including Jiang Ning’s response.
‘Clang,’ the hand that could steadily hold a steel gun suddenly couldn’t hold the spatula.
Seeing Shen Mo quickly stir-frying the food in the pan, Jiang Ning chuckled softly.
“How about I bring the prepared meals over to your house to eat? Old Li just came back, and I made four dishes, two of them with meat,” Sister Li suddenly suggested, looking at her daughter.
“Young Shen’s cooking is definitely not up to par, we can’t let you suffer,” she added.
Jiang Ning was taken aback by Sister Li’s enthusiasm, “Ah, that might not be a good idea.”
“Nonsense, this must have taken a lot of effort to prepare for my daughter. Consider it my way of thanking you,” Sister Li insisted.
Jiang Ning was about to say something, but Sister Li cut her off, “No refusals. I’m going back to get the dishes right now.”
With that, Sister Li hurried home, then called her husband to help carry the dishes to the neighbor’s house.
Commander Li knew his daughter was at Shen Mo’s house. After hearing his wife explain what his daughter was doing with the whitening treatment, which he didn’t really understand, he followed his wife’s instructions and carried the dishes next door.
The hot dishes were set on the table, but Shen Mo was still cooking and would need a little more time.
Commander Li, seeing his eldest daughter’s strange appearance, didn’t say much and went straight to the kitchen to chat with Shen Mo.
By the time Shen Mo finished cooking, Li Xingyue had also finished her face mask. Jiang Ning brought a basin of water for Li Xingyue to wash her face.
After washing, Jiang Ning handed Li Xingyue a clean towel. Seeing Li Xingyue wipe her face clean, Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow.
She was very pleased to see that Li Xingyue’s face was noticeably whiter.