I bent down, pretending to be moved, and helped her up.
"Jade, are you sure about marrying Quinn? I heard when he's drunk, he goes after people with a knife…"
She stiffened, but the thought of that gold mine straightened her spine right up.
"I'm not afraid! If it means my sister gets to live well, I'd marry the devil himself!"
Such sisterly devotion.
I turned to our parents—biased as ever.
"Dad, Mom, since Jade's thought this through, I won't refuse. I'll get the paperwork reissued and leave for the city tomorrow."
They still looked like they thought it was a waste, but Jade had made her choice—marrying a lame man. All they could do was curse under their breath and agree.
Jade let out a breath of relief, that smug little smile tugging at her lips.
She thought she'd just stolen heaven-sent fortune.
She had no idea she'd just signed her own death warrant.
That afternoon, I grabbed the household registration booklet and headed to the township office.
But I wasn't there to get my paperwork reissued.
I made a detour to Village Chief Abbott's house instead.
His precious son Derek Lambert was a good-for-nothing who dreamed of becoming a city factory worker.
"Five hundred dollars. The slot's yours."
I slapped the reissued letter of introduction on the table.
The chief's cigarette dropped from his lips. "Evelyn Fox, are you crazy? That's an iron rice bowl!"
"I don't want to suffer. I'm heading south to try my luck." I shrugged. "Cash in hand, letter in yours."
Five hundred dollars was a fortune in this era.
But for a man who loved his son more than life itself, getting that punk into a state factory was worth every cent.
Half an hour later, with five hundred dollars tucked against my skin, I walked out of Village Chief Abbott's front door.
I turned back and glanced at the Fox family's run-down courtyard. Jade was inside trying on her wedding dress, grinning like an idiot.
Sis, I'm taking the money you sold your life for and heading to Seaview City to become the richest woman alive.
You shouldn't be idle either—hurry up and get to that crappy thatched hut and dig your gold.
Early the next morning, before dawn even broke, the village came alive.
On one side, the Fox family was marrying off a daughter. On the other, the village chief's son was heading to the city.