Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chen Hua spent a summer, except for going to the vegetable market, basically not going out to sunbathe. Even if she went out, it was after dinner to go to the bookstore and blow air conditioning. Plus, she used up four pots of aloe vera and countless Chinese herbal teas, her skin became white and translucent. She also gritted her teeth and bought this handmade soap that seemed expensive and useless, especially when you know the cost of the various ingredients, but still have to pay five times the price for these materials! It's only enough for half a summer vacation! Oh, and there are also beauty products priced in the hundreds that actually just add a little artificial manufacturing, extremely cheap vitamin C. A small number of inferior ones will even add some hormones...

  She vowed to set up her own studio! If all else fails, it's wholesale! Hum, the name is Chen's Beauty Boutique...

  Throw away the overcooked scallions, add salt, stir, turn off the heat and cover with a lid. Tonight is carrot chicken soup, bamboo shoots snow vegetables stir-fry celery.

  Tomorrow I will return to school. The train ticket and luggage are all ready, of course, the living expenses for the next one and a half semesters of sophomore year are also on the card.

  Her study pressure is too great, basically no time to work part-time, only a little tutoring during winter and summer vacations, so the money she earns is relatively less, and her daily life is also very tight. Oh, her mom gave her living expenses, but there are still loans to be repaid at home, and it's from S city bank, so the card prepared by her family is often "misused". So her own bank account was opened by herself when she went to college, a debit card. Fortunately, Chen Huisheng has already gotten used to not having credit cards, no computer or mobile phone, no online banking, otherwise it would be really uncomfortable.

  "Niang niang, eat a bit more," Mother muttered to herself, actually just saying things like that, "If you see some nice clothes, just buy them, don't be too frugal, we're not short of money at home."

  "I know." Chen Huan nodded perfunctorily. Those clothes now... how to put it, she liked them but couldn't afford them at the moment, and they weren't even available online. As for so-called "fashionable" clothing... forget it.

  Seven-minute sleeves and nine-minute pants with sports cloth shoes, plus a large backpack, and in hand is a glass cup with a handle that was originally used to hold assorted fruits, completely student-like.

  Uh, actually she was a student originally.

  When getting off the train and checking tickets at the station exit, I ran into an acquaintance. We exchanged a brief greeting.

  Pang Hua

  Dark short-sleeved polo shirt, grey grid casual long pants, sports shoes. Unfortunately, that face seriously ruins the effect.

  "I'll take a taxi, why don't you ride with me?"

  "Okay." Chen Huaisheng followed him without hesitation to line up and wait for a taxi.

  She slightly frowned and looked at his face, "Turn a bit more to your right."

  Pang Hua still did it anyway.

  Okay, the pores on my nose are clearly blackened, and the whiteheads on both sides of my cheeks have decreased a lot compared to before. However, the closed comedones that are embedded in my skin have increased, and there are also more on both sides of my nose and forehead. Hmm... hope it doesn't turn into herpes!

  "Have you been to the hospital?"

  "Saw it, still a familiar doctor. Said it was acne, but the medicine didn't work."

  "Have you drunk that Chinese herbal tea I mentioned last time?"

  "......Nothing."

  The car arrived, Chen Huan opened the rear door and got in first, "You sit in the back too."

  Pang Hua hesitated for a few seconds and also grabbed his bag and sat in the back seat.

  "Go straight ahead." he said to the driver in the driving seat.

  "Has he seen a Chinese doctor?"

  "...After checking, they said I had excessive internal heat and prescribed some medicine that gave me diarrhea."

  "Will it work if I take that prescription I mentioned earlier and ask about it?"

  "......Nothing."

  "What is on fire? Heart fire? Spleen and stomach? Liver?"

  "It seems like I mentioned it before"

  。”

  "Hmm, looking at the position of your acne, it's obvious. But I still think it might be related to allergies, hormonal issues and so on... The skin itself may need a fruit acid peel."

  "…Anyway, I guess that's it. At least my face is a bit better now than before. Maybe in a few years, when I'm older, it'll be even better."

  "Is Aloe still in use?"

  "Whatever."

  "Hum! Aloe vera flesh and aloe vera juice, I want them all! Use them every day."

  "Alright."

  "Seafood, spicy food, fried food, eat as little as possible. No cilantro or celery."

  "Cilantro? Oh, yes, it's a vegetable that easily causes illness. My mom also said we should eat less of it."

  "What a pity, I don't have the ability and time to open a store now, otherwise you can try my own handmade essential oil gel. Hmm, remember, when you think of it, use that acne gel you bought. In her past life, she not only bought branded products but also bought excellent skincare products made by sellers themselves, and even DIYed with top-grade raw materials. Unfortunately, she had too little free time, so the types of DIY were really limited. "Also, use the nose strip mask. Your blackheads are coming back again."

  "......Alright. Hmm, what you just said, oil? Apply it directly?"

  "It is pure plant extract essential oil, not lard or vegetable oil."

  “……”

  Two people talking about acne solutions. One thinks it's getting better, another thinks it's more troublesome.

  The school gate has arrived.

  All the way, the taxi driver did not intervene with gossip and jokes, and the two of them really had nothing to do with each other.

  Then it was time to say goodbye, and everyone went back to their own dormitory area and accustomed cafeteria.

  Chen Haotian's clothes and items are not many. The better ones, surprisingly, were all sent by the boss's wife of his mother's company as tuition fees, including sportswear and two sets of branded skincare products that she didn't like but didn't reject either.

  She has already taught everything she can, so for this semester's winter break, she really only has English left to teach - it's just that there are still many students who find her father and mother, but they are uneven and put a lot of pressure on her lesson preparation.

  What a pity! The house will be delivered in more than a year, plus the procedures and decoration, at least one and a half years. Otherwise, I can find a relatively long-term job in S city...

  Having chosen his courses, Chen Huai-cheng roughly arranged his class and study schedule. He suddenly discovered that there were no major exams this semester, and the courses in both his major and minor were manageable. So now he had two options: to strive for a second-class scholarship or even a first-class one, or to work part-time while studying.

  Passing by the campus store, scanning the uninteresting instant coffee packets, and a can of coffee with a burnt vegetable flavor, Chen Haosheng finally thought of a part-time job he wanted to do: a coffee shop.

  Jogged two laps and returned to the dormitory. Chen Huanzhen held two thermoses in one hand, pouring water for everyone in the dormitory - to practice his strength.

  "Chen Haoteng, you're quite strong!" Next door dormitory Guo Qian, also a classmate from the neighboring class, was dressed up and ready to go out.

  "The school gym is being renovated, I have nowhere to work out." Chen Huaicheng climbed up the pole very boldly. This little girl, whether she was innocent or intentionally teasing, would not let her opponent get the better of her.

  "Oh." Guo Qian felt bored and walked away by herself.

  "Are you saying she has a boyfriend?" Xu Lijing poked her head out of the door and gossiped.

  "It should be," Chen Huan added, "just look at the stockings she's wearing. When going shopping with girls, why wear tights that can catch a cold?"

  "When one's heart is burning with passion, naturally they won't feel cold."

  “……”

  －－－－－

  Author's personal recommendation:

  Using a nose strip is the most convenient and effective way to deal with blackheads. For some closed or irregularly shaped ones, it's best to use your pinky fingernail, but be careful not to press too hard as this can cause redness and lead to cross-infection and more acne. After removing the strip (and admiring the results), take a cotton pad, dampen it with water (or toner, if you have some), and apply it for 3-5 minutes to close up your pores. If budget allows, the three-step nose strips are quite good.