The fortune teller said I was destined to have siblings. My foster parents found me in a dumpster and took me home. They had no children of their own and treated me like a precious gem. When my foster mother became pregnant, she patted my head and said, “Daisy, you must bring us a boy.” The following spring, they had a son. Suddenly, I became the family’s scapegoat. One day, while washing my little brother’s diapers, I added some hot water to the basin. My foster father kicked me to the ground. “You’re so delicate. Making such a fuss over washing diapers.” I looked helplessly at Grandma. When my brother was born, she had called me the family’s lucky star. But now, she just rolled her eyes at me. “We can’t afford to raise a princess,” she scoffed. I didn’t dare speak and was sent to the pigsty. With no food again today, I had to rummage through the garbage. A neighbor took pity on me and gave me some rice porridge. My foster mother stood at the door, cradling my brother and taunting me. “Hey, you old hag, if you really feel sorry for her, why don’t you take her in?” She had given birth to a son and now felt superior in the Lee household. Even the fierce Grandma had to give way to her. The neighbor awkwardly returned to her house and locked the door. I curled up, trying to avoid my foster mother’s disapproving gaze. I thought about going fishing early the next morning. My foster mother’s body hadn’t fully recovered, and fish soup would be nourishing. If she drank the soup, she might be happy for a few days, and I wouldn’t get beaten. But while fishing, I accidentally fell into the pond. The villagers called for the local doctor, who couldn’t help and suggested taking me to the hospital in town. My foster mother wailed and threw herself on top of me, squeezing my neck. “You ungrateful wretch! We’ve raised you all these years for nothing. Even a pig would fetch some money!” I couldn’t breathe and passed out. My foster father gritted his teeth and carried me on his back. As I bounced on his back, I managed to call out, “Dad, please save me.” Bang. I was tied to a rock and thrown into a pit. The sky opened up, and rain poured down. Rats crawled over my face, but I had no strength to fight them off. I thought, no one will save me now. When I was wrapped in a coat, I was completely dazed. There was a fire burning nearby, and Mrs. Johnson held me tightly, trying to warm my body. Seeing that I was awake, she finally sighed in relief. There was egg custard heating by the stove, and she tried to feed me with a spoon. Mr. Johnson peeked through the curtain and brought me a basin of hot water to wash my face. After I had eaten my fill, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson carried me back home. They went door to door asking about me, but the villagers just looked at each other in confusion. “Isn’t she from another village? I heard that child died on the way.” I clung tightly to Mr. Johnson’s neck, while Mrs. Johnson spat several times in disgust. The wind howled, and Mrs. Johnson took off her coat to cover my head. Before we even reached the door, we heard Grandma say, “You should have thrown her farther away. What if she comes limping back?” My foster father coughed, “That pit was for catching tigers. She’ll definitely die out there.” My foster mother was putting my brother to sleep and chimed in, “Whose pit is it? If she really dies, we could make some money off it.” Tears streamed down my face. Grandma came out to dump leftover food and looked at me with disgust. My foster father grabbed my ear and yanked me off Mr. Johnson’s back. “Such an unlucky thing, can’t even die properly.” My foster mother rolled her eyes at the Johnsons. “We don’t want this dead girl anymore. Don’t think you can extort us.” They pushed me into a pig cage, planning to drown me at night. I clung to Mrs. Johnson’s leg and wouldn’t let go. My foster father raised a stick to hit me, and I closed my eyes. “What do you think you’re doing?” The stick didn’t fall. My foster father was furious. Mrs. Johnson held me in her arms. “Let’s pretend we were never here. From now on, she’s our daughter.” My new parents promised to give my former foster parents, the Browns, a load of grain. Once the grain was delivered, Mrs. Brown threw me out. They had a student write a severance letter. “Everyone, bear witness. This money-losing trash belongs to the Johnsons now. Whatever happens from now on has nothing to do with us.” “We picked her up from a dumpster anyway. She’s wasted so much of our food.” Mom took me home. The heavy snow blocked the roads, so she altered her own clothes to make new ones for me. I didn’t have to do chores anymore, and they even killed several chickens to help me regain my strength. At night, when the bitter wind howled, she and Dad sandwiched me between them, like two big furnaces. Dad even made me little toys – a rocking horse, a pinwheel, and other things. These days of being well-fed and warmly dressed felt surreal. I often thought it was just a hallucination before death. As the snow gradually melted, Dad prepared to go out and find work. The village women’s director came to our house and pushed me out to play. I clung tightly to the doorframe, listening to her say, “Little brother, adopted children can never truly be your own. Listen to your big sister, take your wife to the hospital for another check-up.” “Hurry up and send the child away.” Dad shook his head, and Mom got anxious. “Sis, once we’ve taken in a child, we’ll raise her for life. She’s mine and Johnson’s daughter.” “Ai, you two stubborn fools. What if this child turns out to be ungrateful? You’ll have plenty to cry about then.” “Sis, don’t worry about these things. She’s old enough for school now.” Dad kept using sign language, seemingly urging her on. Big Sis sighed and agreed. The next day, she came to get me. Mom wanted to come along, but she was refused. She carried me, walking quickly forward. I didn’t dare ask, afraid she’d find me annoying and tell my parents bad things about me. She put me in a car and told the woman inside. “Hey, didn’t you want a daughter? I’m handing her over to you.” I knew she was selling me, but I didn’t dare move. This was the second time I’d been sold. The first time was after my birth parents were imprisoned. My father couldn’t bear the hardships of prison life and sold twelve-year-old me to a leering police officer. I became his tool for release, but I couldn’t endure it. When I woke up again, I was a baby abandoned in a dumpster. A passing fortune teller said I was destined to have siblings, and my foster father saved me. I brought them a brother, but I was still abandoned. The woman in the car frowned at me. “Is she an idiot? She’s not crying or making a fuss.” Big Sis pinched my flesh hard. “She’s not stupid. She was playing happily yesterday.” I forced a smile. “I’m not stupid.” The woman gave Big Sis $30. They were even now. The car rocked back and forth as it drove. After a while, I heard Mom calling out. The woman wouldn’t stop the car, so I jumped out. My hand hurt, but I scrambled up and ran towards my parents. My parents were covered in sweat. Mom hugged me and cried, gasping for air. The woman was furious. “Let go of her. She’s my child now. I even paid thirty bucks for her.” Dad took out thirty dollars and gave it to her, but she wouldn’t take it. Mom wiped her tears. “This is kidnapping. Let’s go to the police station and let them settle this.” She immediately snatched the money from Dad and drove away. I nestled in Mom’s arms. When we got home, Big Sis was waiting awkwardly. “You brought her back?” Mom ignored her and changed my clothes. My arm was dislocated and I couldn’t lift it at all. She panicked and wanted to take me to the hospital in town. “I don’t want to go.” Seeing a doctor would cost a lot of money, and I was afraid my parents would regret bringing me back. Dad didn’t listen to me and borrowed a bicycle from a neighbor again. Luckily, the doctor didn’t charge us, and my arm was quickly fixed. Mom thought I was traumatized and wanted to buy me some snacks. Dad went back first; he had to feed the pigs and chickens at home. Christmas was almost over, and someone had ordered fresh chicken and pork to take back to the city. The street was bustling with people. Mom bought me some roasted chestnuts to fill my stomach. I stuck close to her, never having been so happy before. As we passed the stone bridge, I saw someone sprawled on the steps, soaking wet. She was struggling to get into the river. I tugged on Mom’s arm. “Mrs. Johnson, is that person trying to catch river snails?” Mom took one look and exclaimed, rushing down the steps with me. Mom was too frail to pull the person up by herself. The person kept struggling, and I was afraid Mom would be pulled in, so I quickly called for help. Many people gathered around, and everyone worked together to save the person. The old lady wasn’t grateful and cried, beating her legs. “Why did you save this old woman? Just let me die!” “Ma’am, it’s better to live than to die. You’re already so old, what could be troubling you?” I took off my coat and wrapped it around her, just like Mom had saved me. “Grandma, I have chestnuts here. Don’t cry, I’ll peel them for you to eat.” Her crying stopped abruptly, and she let us take her to the police station. Just as we reached the entrance, someone came with news. “Mrs. Johnson, your husband has been in a car accident. He’s already been taken to the hospital.” Mom panicked. Dad was the pillar of our family. Mom occasionally made handkerchiefs and pillowcases to supplement our income. If anything happened to Dad, our family would fall apart. I choked up. Mom hugged me, reported the incident at the police station, and asked the old lady to go home with me while she went to see Dad at the hospital. “Mrs. Brown, please take care of my Pearl. She’s too young, and she’ll be scared with no adults at home.” Mrs. Brown nodded and took us home. The old lady’s hand was cold as she silently held mine. I kept my chestnuts close to my chest, intending to bring them for Dad to eat. Mrs. Brown made noodles for us, but I had no appetite. The old lady forced me to eat. “If you don’t eat and get sick, your mom will have to rush back to take care of you.” At night, I squeezed into bed with the old lady. She told me stories to help me sleep. Mom didn’t return until noon the next day. She packed up everything in the house and took out a gold bracelet from under the drawer. We went door to door borrowing money. The person who hit Dad had run away. The doctor said Dad needed immediate surgery, or his life would be in danger. We ran everywhere and only managed to borrow $2,000. Mom took me to the pawnshop. Seeing our urgency, the pawnbroker kept lowering the price. Mom gritted her teeth and pawned the bracelet anyway. On our way to the hospital, someone ran out from an alley. He tried to snatch Mom’s bag, but I bit his hand hard. Dad’s life-saving money was safe, but it was still far from enough. I tugged at Mom’s sleeve. “Mom, sell me! We can get some money to save Dad.” Mom choked up, “You’re our daughter. We’d sell ourselves before we’d ever sell you.” She sent me home and told me to wait with the old lady for her return. The old lady saw the pigs were hungry and took a sickle to cut grass for them. I went to help. At the village entrance, we met people from the neighboring village. Mrs. Brown was holding my brother and chatting with them in the sun. “Well, well, whose family have you latched onto now? You’re just a jinx. You made Little Bao sick at home. Johnson took you away and got into a car accident.” “Why don’t you go drown yourself? The sooner you die, the sooner you can be reborn.” The old lady shielded me behind her and brandished her sickle. “Why don’t you go die yourself?” The people around tried to mediate: “Mei, the child is suffering enough. You raised her for a few years, why do you need to hurt her like this?” Mrs. Brown backed away cautiously. “Hmph, I don’t want to hurt her. We’ve already severed ties. Don’t even think about coming back.” “I’m telling you, if Johnson dies, you come back and I’ll sell you to the widower in the west village.” That day, Mom sent word through someone but didn’t come home. The old lady helped me wash my face and go to bed. I had nightmares. I dreamed of the police officer lying on top of me, and then of my foster parents kicking me to death. I woke up startled, secretly prepared the next day’s pig feed, and slipped out. I had heard that if you fill your pockets with stones, your body won’t float up after you die. I wanted to ease the family’s burden so that they could raise money for Dad’s treatment sooner. The river water engulfed my head, but I wasn’t afraid at all. My ears were buzzing, and the old lady was wailing. The villagers all rushed over. Big Sis, soaking wet, stroked my head. “What a tragedy. You foolish child. If I hadn’t seen you, you would have been gone.” I couldn’t help but cry loudly. “Big Sis, I don’t want anything to happen to Dad. I want to trade my life for his.” Many people around were wiping their tears. “Everyone, let’s chip in a bit more. For the child’s sake, let’s help the Johnson family through this difficult time.” The old lady picked me up. “Pearl, don’t be afraid.” “Grandma will help your dad.” Early the next morning, the old lady took me to the city. The houses in the city were big and beautiful. I sat on a soft sofa, staring in wonder at the television. The old lady took out a bankbook and went to the bank. A whole suitcase full of red bills. The bank manager drove us himself. “Ma’am, is there an emergency? If you need any help, just say the word.” At the hospital, Dad was struggling to leave. The surgery cost too much, and he was afraid of burdening the family. Without a word, the old lady found the doctor, paid the fee, and demanded they arrange the surgery as soon as possible. The manager made some calls and arranged a small suite for my dad. He even went to the police station personally. “The police already have some leads and will make arrests soon. Don’t worry about the surgery costs. I’ll help as much as I can.” My family and I were stunned. Everything seemed to be resolved suddenly. Mom couldn’t stop crying and knelt down to kowtow to the old lady. The old lady helped her up. “Good deeds are rewarded. You saved me, so it’s only right that I repay you.” “I didn’t know it was this serious, or your husband could have suffered less.” I finally understood. The old lady was from a wealthy family. After her husband died last year, her children pressured her to divide the inheritance early. She distributed it according to her husband’s will, but her children felt it was unfair. They were cold and harsh to her, even wanting to send her to a nursing home. The old lady ran back to the county, but her old house was gone. In her despair, she tried to drown herself. If it weren’t for me and Mom, she might have really gone to join her husband. After returning home, she found a letter her husband had left for her. Her husband had arranged everything for her later life. If the children were filial, everyone would be happy. If not, she would still be well taken care of. The bank manager, Mr. Zhang, listened and was furious. He had once received help from the old lady’s husband. To thank us, Mr. Zhang specially ordered food from a big restaurant. I had never eaten so many delicious things before. After dinner, he wanted to take the old lady to his home. The old lady wanted to take me along. “Pearl, Grandma will be very, very good to you.” “Don’t you like Grandma’s big house? It will be yours in the future.” Mom let go of my hand. I felt full of grievance. Were they giving me up after just a few days? Mom kissed my forehead, “Our family’s conditions aren’t good. It would be hard on you. Go with Grandma, you’ll have a better life.” I hugged her tightly: “Mom, I don’t feel it’s hard. Please don’t give me up.” The old lady couldn’t bear to separate us mother and daughter, so she gave our family a large sum of money. Mom refused to accept it, but the old lady was fierce. “If you don’t take it, I’ll take Pearl away.” Mr. Zhang persuaded Mom not to be polite, saying the old lady was elderly and could easily fall ill if upset. Before leaving, the old lady made me promise not to forget her. “Once I’ve settled everything, I’ll come back for you.” I nodded vigorously. After they left, Mom put the money in her chest, telling me she’d deposit it in the bank for me in a few days. Dad gradually got better. He had a good constitution and could return home to recuperate in less than a month. When we returned to the village, Big Sis brought a lot of eggs. “Your Pearl is a good child. From now on, she’s my own niece.” When Dad learned about my idea of trading my life, he slapped himself hard twice. Mom was also heartbroken. “Pearl, if you were gone, Dad and Mom would go with you.” “Honey, let’s make some meat for Pearl to eat today.” Big Sis spread the word in the village, earning me a Good Samaritan award. I got two hundred dollars, bought Dad a pair of shoes, and Mom a pair of gloves. My parents couldn’t stop showing off, praising me for being filial and kind-hearted. Mrs. Brown secretly found me and told me to give her the remaining money. “You dead girl, if it weren’t for me, you’d be long gone. How dare you glare at me?” She raised her hand to hit me, and I screamed shrilly. Big Sis came running, cursing, and my foster mother fled in panic. I stood with my hands on my hips. I had people to protect me too. A month later, Mr. Zhang brought the old lady to our home. They brought many things – candies, chocolates, milk, and more. The old lady told me to share them with the village children, and I instantly became the most popular kid. After dinner, the old lady proposed that we move. “You should all come with me to the city. Johnson can be a chef at the City Wild Restaurant, earning $800 a month.” “Lisa, you’ll learn handicrafts with me. I’ve seen your pillows, they’re quite good. You’ll be my apprentice from now on.” The old lady had already found a school for me. She wanted me to go to a bilingual school first, then start elementary school at seven. Mom didn’t want to take advantage but also wanted me to have a good environment. Mr. Zhang actively tried to change their minds, worried about the old lady’s loneliness in the city and the poor quality of village education that might hold me back. Big Sis strongly supported the idea, excitedly telling the whole village. Naturally, my former foster parents also found out. The Brown family brought their relatives and friends to make trouble. Mrs. Brown rushed in and twisted my ear. “I raised her to this age, a bit of grain isn’t enough.” Mr. Brown chimed in: “Why should you get all the benefits after raising her for just two days? Daisy is mine, I picked her up. I’m not selling her anymore!”
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