"Xiaoyu, come early tomorrow. My sister and I are waiting for you to do our haircuts," Zhou Xing's mother added, still worried.

"Auntie, I want to ask you for a favor," Qin Xiaoyu said hesitantly.

"Speak up, just say what's on your mind."

"Could you give me three tickets for tomorrow? I'd like Hanhan's grandparents and wife to come and see."

"Oh dear, I didn't think of that!" Zhou Xing's mother clapped her hands, walked to the living room, picked up the phone, and dialed a number.

"I just wanted them to see that if it's not too much trouble, I'll bring them over," Qin Xiaoyu said apologetically, as she genuinely disliked causing trouble for others.

"Yes, let's reserve seven tickets for the front row, is that enough?" Zhou Xing's mother's last question was directed at Qin Xiaoyu.

Qin Xiaoyu nodded repeatedly. Goodness, seven tickets for the front row seats, that's quite a show of respect.

"Seven photos, all set. Arrange whoever you want to come. Oh, and I asked Zhou Yue to bring a camera. Here's another one, take it and take a few more pictures of your little sister." Zhou Xing's mother took out an old-fashioned camera in a genuine leather case.

"No need, right? Xiaoyue can take the pictures herself!"

"You trust her? I don't. You should handle it. Zhou Xing has an urgent matter to attend to and has gone out. Otherwise, it would be safest to leave it to him."

Zhou Xing's mother unintentionally dispelled Qin Xiaoyu's doubts, and was also puzzled by Zhou Xing's sudden quietness, only to find out that he had gone out.

Hearing that they could go to the military district to see a performance, the entire Tang family was excited. Qin Xiaoyu calculated that she had one ticket, and after giving one ticket to Master Wang, they had five tickets left.

My wife and Hanhan's grandparents definitely need to come; we have two extra tickets. Tang Wenwen doesn't need her to worry, my cousin is away on a business trip, Tang Long and Fengqin are busy with their studies, so my cousin's wife can only come alone—that means we have an extra ticket. Who should we give this precious ticket to?

Qin Xiaoyu sifted through the remaining members of the Tang family, but didn't find anyone she liked. Suddenly, she remembered someone—she still owed them a favor.

Back at the hairdressing school, Qin Xiaoyu called Ding Xiaojie. Upon hearing that they were going to see a special performance at the military region, Ding Xiaojie's voice trembled with excitement.

"I'm sorry, I can only give you one ticket," Qin Xiaoyu said apologetically.

"Don't say that, this ticket is hard to come by, you don't know! Thank you so much, it's great that I'm off work, it's settled then, I'll come to the hairdressing school to find you!" Ding Xiaojie readily agreed.

The performance was held in the military district's small square, and the stage had been set up well in advance. The weather had been perfect these past few days, with no rain, and the evenings were pleasant enough to enjoy the performance outdoors. The time was set for 6 p.m.

The Tang family gathered at the hairdressing school first, all dressed in new clothes, looking even more festive than during the New Year. Hanhan's grandparents each supported their wife.

The lady was wearing a brown silk shirt and trousers with dark red flowers, and her snow-white hair was tied up at the back of her head. She already had a scholarly air about her, and this outfit made her even more attractive.

"Madam, you have such an impressive presence," Qin Xiaoyu complimented, and Madam smiled so broadly her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Do you think this outfit is okay?" Grandma Hanhan was wearing a navy blue polyester top and matching pants, both of which were baggy and shapeless, and were by no means attractive.

"Mom, you're dressed too plainly. I'll take you to buy some clothes next time."

"You're so busy, how could you have time?" Grandma Hanhan knew her outfit wasn't quite right, and she felt even more awkward.

"It's okay, Mom, don't be nervous. Today is the day to see your granddaughter shine. As her grandma, you have to be strong." Qin Xiaoyu encouraged her.

My cousin's wife was dressed brightly in a blue and white floral dress, which made her look ten years younger.

"This dress has been sitting in my trunk for ten years, and I've been too embarrassed to wear it. Today I can finally wear it."

"It's beautiful." Qin Xiaoyu pulled her around and looked at it, praising it repeatedly.

Ding Xiaojie arrived a little late, and her entrance immediately caught everyone's attention.

Qin Xiaoyu sighed, "People who work the Guangzhou route are just different."

The dress Ding Xiaojie wore was still a rare sight on the streets of the North. It was a white georgette top with wide puff sleeves, a wide belt tied around her slender waist, paired with a sky-blue puff skirt, and a large red patent leather handbag.

"I'm late, let's go." Ding Xiaojie greeted everyone in the house, but wouldn't even ask why her mother-in-law hadn't come.

Qin Xiaoyu timed it perfectly, and when the group arrived at the military compound, some people were already seated. Qin Xiaoyu led them to their seats and made arrangements.

Because they were in the front row, the seats were quite good. The people around them were either in military uniforms or political figures, and they were all people they knew. When they saw the few people Qin Xiaoyu brought, who were obviously ordinary people and unfamiliar to them, they couldn't help but cast curious glances at them.

"Xiaoyu, have your family arrived?" Zhou Xing's mother greeted Qin Xiaoyu as soon as she saw her.

Upon seeing the Commander's wife approach, the first two rows of people all stood up. Zhou Xing's mother gestured to them briefly, then ignored them and focused on talking to Qin Xiaoyu.

"This is Auntie, this is my sister's wife, Grandpa, Grandma..." Qin Xiaoyu hurriedly introduced them to each other.

“I’ll call her ‘Madam’ too, just like my younger sister does. Hello, madam.” Zhou Xing’s mother stepped forward to speak to Madam first, and Madam had already stood up and greeted her with a smile.

"We are so grateful to you for taking such good care of my little sister."

"Don't be so formal. That child and I click, I like her. When she goes on stage in a bit, you'll see, she looks like a little princess. She's changed into new clothes, and I didn't let her run around. I'm going back to get my hair done now, please have a seat." As Zhou Xing's mother spoke, she gave Qin Xiaoyu a wink, and Qin Xiaoyu quickly followed.

Zhou Xing's mother usually wears her hair up, but this time Qin Xiaoyu designed a more retro hairstyle for her. The hair on top was tightly tied up, while the hair at the bottom was loose and flipped up, and then decorated with silk flowers, which made her fair and delicate oval face even more beautiful.

While Zhou Xing's mother was changing clothes, Qin Xiaoyu also got her younger sister ready. The younger sister originally had a head of blond hair, but recently, perhaps due to better nutrition, her hair had become thicker and coarser.

Qin Xiaoyu styled her hair into a bun, revealing her neck, which, combined with the princess dress, made her look even more elegant.

Zhou Yue came over and led her younger sister to meet up with Zhou Xing's mother, while Qin Xiaoyu went out to spend time with her family first.

The seats outside were almost full, and just as Qin Xiaoyu was about to sit down, she heard someone call her name.

"Little Fish, come sit here, I have an empty seat." Commander Wang said loudly.

"Aunt Wang, aren't you going to go up and perform?" Qin Xiaoyu had never heard Commander Wang sing before.

"I'm not going. I'll be all sweaty and smelly after howling for so long, and my makeup will be falling off my face. It's much better to watch from down here!" Commander Wang affectionately pulled Qin Xiaoyu to his side, and she had no choice but to sit down.

"Are those your family members? Quite a few of them are here." Commander Wang craned his neck to take a look.

"Yes, the auntie asked for seven tickets, I felt so embarrassed."

"You're embarrassed about this? What would you think if I told you that this performance was added just for my little sister?"