Lin Ning volunteered to work as a bathhouse attendant. Sister Hong looked her over. She was young, delicate, fair, and slender. Girls her age usually wanted decent, respectable jobs. Who would willingly wear tank tops and shorts every day, scrubbing the elderly?

Sister Hong shook her head. “You’re too young and don’t seem strong enough for this kind of work.”

Lin Ning rolled up her sleeves. “Sister Hong, look at these arms-they’re full of muscle! I can carry a hundred pounds of coal by myself. I can
definitely handle this job.”

Sister Hong, slightly swayed, pinched Lin Ning’s arm. It was indeed firm. “Are you okay with scrubbing old ladies?”

“Of course! I used to take care of my grandmother, so I’m used to dealing with elderly people.”

Lin Ning lied through her teeth. She had never taken care of elderly people, but the original owner of this body had spent years looking after Lin Father and Lin Mother, as well as Feng Tianqi’s parents. Lin Ning figured she could learn by imitation.

Sister Hong said, “Alright, scrub me first. If you do a good job, you’re hired.”

“Sure!”

The People’s Bathhouse had three large rooms. The front room contained several rows of lockers along the walls for customers to store their belongings. In the center were around a dozen beds for massages, which the attendants used to sleep on at night.

The middle room had a ring of showerheads along the walls and several benches in the center for scrubbing.

The innermost room housed a large bath filled with hot water for soaking year-round.

Sister Hong undressed, rinsed herself off under the shower, spread a towel on a bench, and lay down. Handing Lin Ning a towel, she said, “Go ahead.”

Lin Ning stared at the towel, confused. Don’t you need a scrubbing cloth to scrub properly? How could she scrub with just this?

Sister Hong noticed her hesitation and wasn’t surprised. Everyone was like this when they first started. “Old One, come show her how it’s done.”

“Got it!”

A wiry middle-aged woman walked in and smiled at Lin Ning. “Watch closely. This is how we usually do it.”

She took the towel from Lin Ning, rinsed it under the tap, wrung it out, wrapped it around her hand, secured it with a rubber band, and started scrubbing Sister Hong.

Lin Ning asked, “Don’t you use scrubbing cloths here?”

“Scrubbing cloths? What’s that? We just use towels,” Sister Hong replied.

Lin Ning realized her mistake. It was 1982, and scrubbing cloths hadn’t been invented yet. They wouldn’t appear until the late 1980s.

Old One continued scrubbing while explaining, “Women need a thorough scrub-front, back, and sides. Unlike men, who usually just do the front and back. Start with the front, then the sides, and finish with the back. That’s it.”

After demonstrating for a while, she handed the towel back to Lin Ning. “Your turn.”

Lin Ning copied her steps, wringing out the towel, wrapping it around her hand, and securing it with a rubber band. She then started scrubbing Sister Hong, moving methodically.

She treated Sister Hong’s body like a piece of fine porcelain, carefully controlling her strength. When she finished, Sister Hong was thoroughly impressed. “You’re so meticulous. You did a fantastic job.”

“Sister Hong, was that okay?”

“More than okay. Perfect.”

Sister Hong hired Lin Ning on the spot. The job came with a salary of 25 yuan per month, free meals, and accommodation. There was a three-day probation period, after which she’d sign a formal labor contract.

Lin Ning beamed with joy. She had found a place to stay so quickly-what luck! However, she realized she’d need her household registration page to sign the contract, which meant returning to the Lin family home.

The bathhouse employed ten female attendants. Inside, they used nicknames instead of real names, ranging from “Old One” to “Old Ten.” Since Lin Ning replaced the seventh attendant, she became “Old Seven.”

After joining the other workers in cleaning the bathhouse, she didn’t lie down to sleep until nearly 1 AM.

Early the next morning, Lin Ning asked Sister Hong for leave to retrieve her household registration page from home.

The Lin family’s door was locked, as everyone was at work. Lin Ning used her spare key to enter, heading straight to Lin Father and Lin Mother’s bedroom.

Opening the desk drawer, she found the household registration book at the bottom. Flipping to her page, she tore it out with a sharp “rip” and replaced the book as it was.

She wrapped the page securely in oiled paper and tucked it into her vest against her skin. In 1982, valuable items were often kept close to the body for safekeeping.

Lin Ning also grabbed a few of her clothes, a teacup, and packed them into a bag.

As she opened the door to leave, she bumped into Lin Yong. He had taken the day off due to a headache and toothache, returning home to rest.

Seeing Lin Ning, his eyes lit up. “The 600 yuan is back! This time, I won’t let her escape!”

Snatching the bag from her hand, he demanded, “Where are you going with these clothes and this teacup?”

“None of your business! Give it back!”

Lin Yong flung the bag into a corner and pushed her. “Get back inside!”

Lin Ning glared. “Didn’t I knock sense into you yesterday? Want to lose another tooth?”

Lin Yong grimaced, revealing the gap left by a missing front tooth. The dentist said it would cost three or four yuan to fix, and even then, it wouldn’t be the same.

Fueled by both old and new grievances, Lin Yong grabbed a dustpan and swung it at Lin Ning. “You little wretch! I’ll kill you!”

“You’re the wretch! Selling your sister for money! Go to hell!”

But Lin Yong was no match for Lin Ning’s combat skills. She leapt up and punched him square in the mouth.

“Duang-“

“Ah-!”

Lin Yong stumbled back, blood spurting from his mouth as he spat out yet another tooth. Tears welled up in his eyes-both front teeth were now gone!

Picking up her bag, Lin Ning strode toward the door. But Lin Yong, desperate to secure funds for his house, lunged at her legs, clinging on tightly.

“You can’t leave!”

Lin Ning sneered. In her previous life, Lin Yong bought the neighboring house, which, 20 years later, earned him dozens of new apartments and a large compensation during demolition. That wealth had been built on the original owner’s suffering. This time, she wouldn’t let him have his way.

Dragging him outside, Lin Ning shouted, “Help! My brother is trying to kill me!”

The neighbors rushed out. “What’s going on?”

“My brother is trying to beat me to death! Help!”

Panicked, Lin Yong shouted, “Don’t listen to her! She’s running away. Stop her!”

The neighbors separated the two, giving Lin Ning a chance to escape. By the time Lin Yong gave chase, she was long gone. Furious, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

When Lin Father and Lin Mother returned, Lin Yong explained what had happened.

Lin Mother rushed to the drawer, opened the household registration book, and saw Lin Ning’s page was missing.

“The little wretch stole her registration page!”

Now they were truly worried. With that page, Lin Ning could stay in guesthouses, buy train tickets, and even get married without them knowing.

The Lin family hurried to report her missing, but despite their efforts, they found no trace of her. Lin Ning had vanished completely.