Chronicle of the 70s

Three days later, on February 12th, the weather was clear and windless, making it a perfect day for a wedding. At 7 a.m., Lu Anna and Iro arrived at the courtyard and went straight to Li Xianglu’s house, waking her up from a groggy sleep.

Rubbing her eyes, Li Xianglu incredulously asked her two friends, "So early?"

Lu Anna was almost driven insane; she had never seen such a lazy bride, still sleeping at 7 o’clock.

After Li Xianglu washed and dried her hair, she just sat there, and soon Xi Yunmei arrived with someone from the Capital Art Troupe, a makeup professional specifically invited for Li Xianglu.

The makeup artist was no longer young, well into her thirties, and very skilled. She started by dabbing powder on Li Xianglu’s face, then had her lie down on the bed to thread and remove all facial fuzz, followed by applying a paste made of egg white, honey, yogurt, and almond powder on Li Xianglu’s face.

Anna and Iro watched, wide-eyed.

Xi Yunmei explained, "This paste can whiten and moisturize the skin, making the makeup look better." Li Xianglu really wanted to say she had many better facial masks, and this paste would probably be hard to wash off.

After finishing with the face, the makeup artist applied skincare products on Li Xianglu’s face, then combed her hair back with clips and started to tidy up her face.

An hour later, after having applied everything, it was already nine o’clock. It was about time to change clothes, so she hurriedly changed and started styling her hair.

The makeup artist was very experienced. Li Xianglu didn’t want a round bun, so she briefly discussed what she wanted, and surprisingly, the artist quickly created a scorpion braid for her, securing the tail with three golden hairpins.

Iro couldn’t help but exclaim, "Xiao Xiang, you know how to do this too?"

Li Xianglu chuckled sheepishly, pleased, and the makeup artist was also delighted, as this was a rare style she hadn’t encountered before. Now she could try this style on others in the future.