The younger sister mistakenly identified her brother when visiting relatives and was kissed by the c

Bai Zhengyuan was slightly taken aback. Looking into his sister's clear, unclouded eyes, his heart clenched, followed by an indescribable tenderness.

His sister, even after spending so long in the swamp, remained so kind and sensible.

"Okay, we'll do whatever Xinxin says!" Bai Zhengyuan took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart.

But a dark glint flashed in his eyes—his sister was magnanimous and didn't hold a grudge, but as her brother, he absolutely couldn't let those beasts get away with it! He'd settle the score slowly later!

He changed the subject, looking at his parents with a serious expression: "Dad, Mom, now that our family has settled down in the capital, we'll be living in this compound for the long term. The capital is not like the countryside; everything costs money. There are some things we need to plan and discuss in advance."

Upon hearing that they were about to get down to business, Bai's mother quickly wiped away her tears and sat up straight: "Zhengyuan, you're the pillar of this family. Go ahead, Mom's listening!"

Bai Zhengyuan nodded and was the first to reveal the truth: "First of all, there's the income from my family and my job. I've been promoted to battalion commander, and my monthly salary plus various allowances and subsidies is about 120 yuan."

One hundred and twenty yuan!

In the 1980s, this was definitely a huge sum of money!

Bai Zhengyuan paused for a moment, then continued, "This money is enough to support our family of four in the capital. Although we can't eat lavishly every day, it's definitely enough if we live frugally. However, I just heard from Mom and Dad that Xin Xin wants to find a job. I think she should. After all, having more income will make things easier for the family, and we won't have to worry about what we want to eat or buy. Besides, Xin Xin is still young, and it's not good for her to stay at home all the time. She needs to go out and make some friends."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Mother Bai slapped her thigh in agreement. "Our Xin Xin is still young, in the prime of her life. She needs to go out and see the world, find a proper job, and then she'll have more confidence when she talks to her husband's family!"

Father Bai smacked his lips and spoke in a low voice, his tone revealing the stubbornness of a farmer: "I need to find work too! I'm only in my early fifties, still nimble-fed, not too old to move! Now that we've handed over the land back, I can't just go to the city and sit around doing nothing, can I? I can't let the whole burden of the family fall on Zhengyuan's shoulders alone!"

Seeing her parents' hardworking and simple ways, Qiao Xinxin smiled and immediately chimed in, "Brother, Dad's absolutely right! Our whole family needs to work together; we can't just rely on your salary. Besides, Dad's in good health. Finding some light work to do and getting some exercise every day is better than staying cooped up at home and getting sick. Mom feels the same way. So, we really need to discuss this job situation tonight!"

Looking at his spirited younger sister, Bai Zhengyuan thought about it and felt that it made perfect sense.

He stood up, strode to the door, flung it open, and shouted loudly at the figure standing guard in the corridor:

"Xiao Zhang! Come here for a second!"

Xiao Zhang is Bai Zhengyuan's orderly, and tonight he just happened to be assigned to the night shift in this building.

Upon hearing the battalion commander's summons, he sprang up like a spring, dashed into the room, snapped his heels together, and gave a perfectly crisp military salute in a loud, clear voice:

"Battalion Commander! What are your orders?"

"Go to the logistics department, find the officer on duty today, and get me a copy of the list of vacant positions in our unit suitable for military dependents! Be quick!"

"Yes, sir! Mission accomplished!"

Upon receiving the order, Xiao Zhang turned around and ran downstairs like a gust of wind.

Bai Zhengyuan closed the door, sat back down on the sofa, and explained to his somewhat anxious parents, "Mom and Dad, don't worry. Our military has special preferential policies for military dependents, and we will give them priority in arranging some logistical work within our capabilities. However, these positions are limited, and not everyone can get one; it depends on whether there are any vacancies at the moment."

The family sat on the sofa, waiting expectantly.

About twenty minutes later, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

Xiao Zhang came running back, panting, sweat still beading on his forehead, holding a thin register in his hand. He respectfully handed it to Bai Zhengyuan with both hands: "Reporting, Battalion Commander! This is from Officer Wang of the Logistics Department! Officer Wang said that all the vacant family member positions in the unit are listed here. Please take a look!"

"You've worked hard, go ahead and get busy."

Bai Zhengyuan took the booklet, opened it to the first page, and quickly scanned it.

But as he watched, his thick, sword-like eyebrows furrowed more and more, and his expression darkened.

"What's wrong, Zhengyuan? Is there nothing good to do?" Bai's mother looked at her son's face, her heart skipped a beat, and she nervously clenched the hem of her clothes.

Bai Zhengyuan put the booklet on the coffee table, sighed, and said truthfully, "I've written down quite a few positions, but most of them have already been filled by other family members. The remaining few... aren't quite suitable. For example, we're short two people for the canteen's logistics, but those are all heavy manual labor jobs where you have to squat by the sink to wash, chop, and move cabbages. Your hands will freeze in the winter, and the monthly salary is only about twenty yuan. They're not even permanent employees, and they could be replaced at any time."

"It's not too tiring, but it generally requires professional skills."

Upon hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Bai fell silent.

Bai Zhengyuan reluctantly flipped through the pages again. When he reached the last page, his finger suddenly stopped on the bottom line of text, and his eyes lit up.

Qiao Xinxin curiously leaned over to look, and saw a line of black text written on the yellowed paper:

[Military men's bathhouse, manager position available. Working hours: 19:00 PM - 22:00 PM. Salary: 28 RMB per month. Requirements: Good health, upright character, strong sense of responsibility.]

The family's eyes all fell on the words, and the living room fell into an eerie silence for a few seconds.

"This..." Bai's mother was the first to break the silence, looking at her husband with some hesitation, and tentatively said, "The men's bathhouse manager? This job... it should be okay for your dad to do, right? Anyway, it's just sitting at the main entrance every night, collecting bath tickets and handing out locker tags. It doesn't involve any heavy physical labor, so it's not too tiring."

Upon hearing that it would be twenty-eight yuan a month, Mr. Bai's eyes lit up. He immediately nodded emphatically and blurted out, "Great! I think it's fantastic! I'll take it! I can do this job! Just three hours a day at night, and twenty-eight yuan a month—that's a huge amount! Enough for our whole family to eat our fill for a month!"

Bai Zhengyuan considered it in his mind and also felt it was quite suitable.

This job is easy and doesn't require exposure to wind and sun, making it perfect for my father.

"Okay, it's settled then. I'll go to the logistics department first thing tomorrow morning to reserve this spot for Dad!" Bai Zhengyuan made the decision. "As for Mom's job, I'll try to get on her good side with the logistics staff tomorrow and see if I can arrange a job for her as an assistant in the sewing class. Xin Xin's job isn't urgent; we'll inquire slowly. We must find something clean and easy..."

However, he hadn't finished speaking.

Qiao Xinxin, whose eyes had been shining as she stared at the words, suddenly raised her little hand, her clear, soft voice booming in the living room: "Brother! Let me go! I'll be the bathhouse manager!"