"Of course I know. But it's this very thing that will prevent you from working there for more than a week - that store manager is a very willful person. Instead of working hard, she prefers to be lazy by various means -"
Bai Xiaoqian's father paused and added, "But you don't have to worry too much—the store manager will pay you a month's salary even if you only work for a week."
"A full month?" Tan Xing opened his mouth wide in surprise. "Has it always been like this?"
"Well, actually, if you can work there for a full month, you'll get four months' salary, but if you only work for three weeks, it's still one month. So there was a group of guys who liked to commit suicide after the first week of work, but unfortunately, their intentions were seen through, and the boss ended up keeping them for three weeks instead."
"But—then they are also..."
"Yes, they actually made money that way, but it felt like they were working more but getting paid less—and with only a week left to get a better payout, they were starting to feel regretful—" Bai Xiaoqian's father snapped his fingers. "That store manager really enjoys this feeling—"
Chu Shangli thought for a moment, then suddenly clapped his hands and said, "Could it be that the clothes you are wearing are the work clothes that the Family discarded?"
"These aren't the work clothes Family discarded, but the clothes I was given when I was working at Family. Actually, there were more styles, and I brought them all back after I left. But my favorite is still this one—" Bai Xiaoqian's father smiled, "Because this one has special meaning to me—"
"Hmm..." Tan Xing pondered for a moment: "In other words, you met Auntie wearing this outfit?"
"No." Bai Xiaoqian's father shook his head. "I relied on this suit to get rid of some annoying guys. So, if shackles are considered to restrict freedom, then this suit should be a symbol of my freedom."
"The plot of Peter Pan? Or—your personal experience?" Tan Xing was silent for a moment. "Why Peter Pan? Because your name has 'Peter' in it? Or—? Oh, right, since Xiaoqian is called Bai Xiaoqian, does that mean... eh? In other words, you and Auntie have the same last name?"
"Hmm... It's rare for such a coincidence to happen. But you're not completely wrong. I do have the same last name as hers - because I changed it to hers -"
Bai Xiaoqian's father poured the jam into a quick-cooling freezer. The jam, which was steaming just now, immediately became frosty and made a rustling sound when stirred with a spoon.
"My name is Jin. Bai Jin - although I don't think it's that important, but since you mentioned it, it doesn't hurt to introduce myself -" Bai Jin put his hand on the tip of his nose: "But - I haven't always been called Bai Jin, but it wasn't until I called myself this name that I found my true self, so, I really do like this name..."
"So your original..." Chu Shangli asked in a low voice -
"The original? Huh? I deleted the meaningless things as my brain worked. Wouldn't it be really annoying to have too much junk in my brain? I don't want it to take up memory in vain."
Looking at the profile of Bai Xiaoqian's father, a very vague image emerged in Chu Shangli's mind -
It was the same look that I seemed to have seen somewhere before I was five years old.
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