50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 600 Second Uncle Comes to the Door

Speaking of this makeup technique, he learned the basics from a backstage makeup artist hired by the city's Peking Opera troupe. He even got the most basic set of makeup tools and watercolors from that artist.

Over the years, he has traveled all over the world, and has had many opportunities to use makeup skills. Gradually, he has also figured out his own set of techniques.

I wouldn't say it's evolved to the point of being as exaggerated as a face-changing procedure, but at least it can create a face-changing effect.

So when Xu Yimin said he was a little worried about his identity being exposed, he didn't argue much, but instead wanted to show him his makeup skills.

After returning, he began to prepare, having prepared a large quantity of commonly used oil paints, tools, and other supplies in his space.

Sometimes he needs special tools, but most of the time he uses whatever is available.

Before dawn the next day, he started putting on makeup, the first thing he did was change his skin tone.

Some people are born with good skin, while others have rough skin due to a hard life. Differences in work and living conditions will result in different skin tones for everyone.

When he used the identity of James in North America, he always had a fair complexion, which was slightly lighter than his natural skin tone.

After returning to China, he would darken his skin tone, which, in the words of his superiors, was the true color of the working people.

Not only skin color, but also the obvious facial features such as eyebrows, eye sockets, cheekbones, bridge of the nose, lips, teeth, chin and ears, all need to be changed when changing identities.

Often, unless it's cross-race disguise, he only needs to make some minor changes to make a person's appearance and demeanor noticeably different.

If you add a matching hairstyle and clothing, along with appropriate speech and mannerisms, it really looks like a disguise.

By 8:30 a.m., the diplomatic building was already bustling with people, with staff and business people coming and going, making the whole building lively.

Xu Yimin had already brewed the first pot of tea for the day and was tidying up the office before anything else came up in the morning.

Normally, the leaders' offices are cleaned by the logistics department, but because there are many confidential documents in his office, he cleans it himself.

He could only do things for him occasionally when his close associates, like Sun Zhiwei, came over.

There are three telephones on his desk, one red and two black. The red one, needless to say, will not ring unless there is an emergency. One of the two black ones is for internal use and the other is for external use.

Just then, the internal phone rang. He put down the rag he was holding and went to answer the call.

"Sir, this is the gatekeeper. There's a fellow villager here who claims to be your second uncle. His letter of introduction is from Gaoyang County. Do you know him?"

Xu Yimin's hometown is Gaoyang. There is indeed an uncle in his clan there, but they don't usually visit each other and can only be considered distant relatives.

However, since it's a relative who's come to your door, they must have at least gotten your contact information from a relative, so it's not good to refuse to see them. They might be having some kind of trouble.

He had told his family back home that he would refuse to help unless it was something he was genuinely in need, and that he would only give them his contact information if they were in real trouble.

Over the years, his hometown has helped him block many requests for help. The few times people have come, they were genuinely in need of assistance.

For example, if someone is seriously ill and needs medical treatment in Beijing, then help is necessary. In such cases, he will definitely help contact hospitals and arrange accommodation. If someone is truly in dire straits, he will also provide financial assistance.

This is all about human relationships and social etiquette. If he didn't even help with this kind of favor, people would definitely gossip. After all, public opinion can be a powerful force. There are many people in this world who can be ruthless, but he is not one of them.

Hearing that his second uncle, who rarely visited, had come in person, he figured the man must be in trouble, and he couldn't ignore it.

"Thank you, young comrade. The old man doesn't know the way, so we'll have to trouble you to take him here."

"No trouble at all, it's our duty. Please wait a moment, I'll bring the person over right away." After hanging up the phone, Xu Yimin continued cleaning the office. Actually, there wasn't much to clean. He cleaned every day, and the room wasn't dirty; he just habitually dusted it off.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the office door.

"Please come in," Xu Yimin replied, putting down the rag and walking to the door.

The gate opened, and a young soldier walked in, stood at attention, and saluted: "Sir, the person has been brought over."

"Thank you, Xiao Liu." The soldier named Xiao Liu politely turned around and led the people outside in, then went out again, closing the door behind him.

Xu Yimin looked at the person who came in with a puzzled expression, because he didn't recognize this old man.

The other person's attire resembled that of someone from his hometown. Although he hadn't seen his second uncle from his hometown for over a decade, he was certain that this person was not the second uncle he remembered, which immediately put him on alert.

"Grandpa, who are you?" Xu Yimin didn't move any closer, but gently leaned to the side, closer to the bookshelf, where there were some metal decorations that could be used in an emergency.

Fortunately, the other party was old and frail, and did not approach, nor did he seem to be a powerful person. He was just wary and had not lost his composure.

"You must be Yimin, right? I am." A string of dialect came out of the old man's mouth. If Xu Yimin hadn't been used to hearing his hometown dialect since he was a child, outsiders wouldn't have been able to understand what he was saying at all.

It turns out that this was actually the second uncle from the next village. I don't know how he got my address.

"Sir, please have a seat. Tell me what's wrong, and I'll definitely help if I can."

Although I don't remember them, their dialect is unmistakable, and they do recognize some of their relatives from their hometown.

Therefore, he planned to ask the other party what difficulties they were facing before deciding whether to help.

So the two sat down on the sofa, and Xu Yimin poured the old man a cup of tea before they began to talk.

"Yimin, I'm old, and I don't have many days left to live."

"I didn't come here for anything major, but I have one regret before I die: I wanted to see the city from the top of the city wall."

"I won't make things difficult for you. You don't need to pick the middle spot; the eastern corner will do."

"Now that you're a high-ranking official, Second Uncle, please make some arrangements for me, okay?"

As soon as the old man next door uttered those words, Xu Yimin almost spat out the tea in his mouth.

Going up to the city wall? He really thinks too highly of him; he doesn't have that much ability.

Just as he was about to refuse outright, he suddenly realized something was wrong. The other person's words, "the location of the eastern corner of the city gate tower," sounded so familiar.

Isn't this the position he arranged for Sun Zhiwei that he told him about yesterday?

Xu Yimin immediately looked up and carefully examined the second uncle opposite him.

From the other person's wrinkled face, to their dark skin, to their gray hair, and their hoarse accent, he looked at them one by one, but he really couldn't figure out anything.

Just as he was wondering, the second uncle opposite him suddenly burst out laughing.

(End of this chapter)