: Raising the Price

3

My younger brother was spoiled rotten by our family. He was a good-for-nothing who was always getting into fights at school and skipping class.

One time, he beat someone up so badly that our family had to pay them $7,500.

Even so, in my parents' eyes, they still thought my brother was the most well-behaved and outstanding kid.

He was a Star Scholar incarnate, destined for greatness.

My brother said he didn't want to study anymore. He wanted to focus on learning to play video games so he could compete in tournaments and win a gold medal someday.

My parents actually fell for his bullshit and let him drop out of school.

They gave him tons of money and let him play games at internet cafes every day.

They called it "esports training."

Every day, my brother was either playing games at home or looking for people to play against at the internet cafe.

And he played like a complete loser.

My mom and dad could barely afford to support their precious son anymore.

So $30,000 was a complete windfall for them right now.

There was no way my mom would let me off the hook.

"You damn girl, I'm telling you, you're going to give me this money whether you want to or not."

Seeing the look on my face, my mom's expression turned cold.

She raised her hand and pinched my arm again.

'I bet she's going to leave a bruise on my arm.'

'All of this can be used as evidence against her.'

I clenched my fists, enduring her abuse.

"Mom, look at this!"

My brother suddenly shoved his phone in front of our mom's face.

He tapped the screen with a chubby finger, then looked up in my direction.

"Isn't that my sister in this picture?"

he exclaimed excitedly.

A few days ago, the college entrance exam results came out. I scored First in the Province.

The media was clamoring to interview me, and the principal asked me to say a few words.

So I said a few words to the reporters.

"The province... First in the Province,"

my mom cried out, reading the headline.

She and my brother both looked up at me at the same time.

My brother smirked. "Mom, is $30,000 a little too cheap?"

"She's First in the Province. Shouldn't we raise the price a bit?"

'His little eyes glinted with the same cunning as my mom's.'

'These two are absolutely insatiable.'

Back in high school, my grades were so good that the school waived my tuition.

When I didn't have class, I worked in the school cafeteria.

Just to earn some spending money.

My family never gave me a single penny, but even so, my mom would still call and ask me for money.

When I refused, she would yell over the phone, "If you don't give it to me, I'll go to your school and demand it!"

I was scared of her, so I gave her more than half of everything I earned from my part-time job.

Over time, this only made the whole family's appetite for money grow larger.

Whenever I came home, I would often overhear my mom and dad secretly talking about me.

"That damn girl is pretty good at making money. I have to put the screws to her every time before she's willing to cough it up."

My mom chuckled slyly in the room. "The moment she graduates high school, I'm marrying her off. I've already found the guy."

"Who?"

my dad asked nonchalantly.

"Who else? Butcher Shaw from the county. The one who slaughters pigs. He's rich. He said if we marry the damn girl off to him, he'll pay this much."

"$30,000."

After my dad's gasp of surprise, he and my mom both started cackling.

Standing at the door, my heart went cold as I listened.

'They only brought me into this world to be sold for cash.'

Butcher Shaw was almost thirty, and his last two wives had died. No daughter from a decent family was willing to marry him.

He slaughtered pigs in the county every day, and a few times, my mom had deliberately taken me to his stall.

The way he looked at me was both creepy and disgusting.

'So that was my mom's plan all along.'

Right then, I swore a silent oath to myself. I would get into the best university, escape this family, and change my own life.

: One Million Yuan

4

This life-changing opportunity was right in front of me. I was determined not to let these people ruin it.

My mom saw that I was refusing to hand over the $30,000.

She raised her hand high and brought it down toward my face.

This time, I didn't hold back. I raised my hand, gripped her wrist tightly, and blocked her slap.

My mom froze for a second, then started squawking like a mad hen.

"Fine! You wretched girl, you've gotten bold now, haven't you? See if I don't slap the life out of you."

My mom yanked her hand back forcefully, ready to leave a bright red handprint on my face.

I gritted my teeth, glaring at her hand.

Suddenly, my dad's voice came from the doorway.

"What's all this racket? I could hear you shouting all the way from the front gate. Have you no shame?"

My dad kicked his shoes aside and strode in.

He stood in front of me, patted my shoulder lightly, and gave me a fawning smile.

"Not bad, Pan Nan. First in the Province. I hear a lot of universities are fighting to recruit you."

I furrowed my brow, staring nervously at my dad.

In this family, I wasn't afraid of my mom, because all she did was screech.

It was my dad, on the other hand, that I was wary of. He wouldn't say much, but you could almost hear the beads of his mental abacus clattering away.

If I wasn't careful, one of those beads would fly off and hit me in the face.

"I hear the city university is offering you $150,000 to enroll."

"$150,000."

"$150,000."

My mom and my brother cried out at the same time. They looked at me like wolves that had just seen fresh meat, as if they couldn't wait to tear me to shreds and devour every last piece.

'Heh. A regular university. They're such wonderful parents.'

'Prestigious schools that countless families could only dream of mean nothing to them.'

My brother led my parents back to his room. I didn't have to guess; I knew the three of them were going to scheme about how to sell me for the best possible price.

'How pathetic.'

I went back to my room as well.

'Heh. My "room." It was just a converted storage closet, a freebie that came with the apartment. It doesn't even have a window.'

When I shut the door, dust rained down from the walls, making me choke and cough for a good while before I finally fell silent.

'I've always been the unwanted one in this family.'

'It's as if they've never considered me their child.'

'My brother, on the other hand, is treated like he's the only one.'

One time, I had a fever. It was almost 104 degrees, and things were starting to get blurry.

I was terrified, so I went to find my mom.

I wanted her to take me to the hospital.

My brother was throwing a tantrum, refusing to eat. She was holding him and cooing, "Be a good boy, Jason. After you finish eating, Mommy will take you to the amusement park, ride the carousel, and buy you ice cream, okay?"

My brother's tantrum escalated, and he repeatedly hit our mom on the head. "No! I want a hamburger! If you don't buy me one, I'll beat you to death!"

His little hands thumped against our mom's head.

It looked painful even to me, but my mom just kept smiling.

She kissed my brother's cheek. "Okay, okay, okay. Mommy will take you right now."

She picked up my brother and stood up without even glancing at me.

I collapsed to the floor with a THUD, grabbing the hem of her pants. "Mom, I feel so sick."

"If you're going to die, then go die somewhere else."

My mom kicked my hand away and took my brother to get a hamburger.

'But I guess she was afraid I might actually die.'

Before she left, she tossed a fever reducer at me.