1 When my little brother was born, my father’s business finally started taking off. I thought my days of suffering were over, but my biological mother declared me a curse. She said we were poor because of me, and my brother was the family’s lucky star. If they didn't get rid of me, I’d drag the whole family down. So, I was sold to my aunt and uncle. Years later, I got into Stanford, and my aunt and uncle were rolling in money. My biological parents, meanwhile, were struggling to put food on the table. They clung to our doorstep, refusing to leave. They cried, begging me to come back: "You still have our blood running through your veins!" When I was five, my brother was born, and my mother decided to sell me overnight to the old man in the next village. I knelt on the floor, begging her not to send me away. I kowtowed until my forehead bled, sobbing uncontrollably. That old man was bad news. He was old, unmarried, and often wandered the village without clothes. Every kid in the village was terrified of him. Everyone said he was crazy. After my brother was born, Dad’s business boomed. Overnight, it seemed like money was no longer an issue. They quickly bought a huge house in the city and a luxury car. Just before we were supposed to move, Mom said I was bad luck. If I stepped foot in the new house, their good fortune wouldn't last. The old man from the next village offered a hundred dollars for me. My parents didn't hesitate. It was like they couldn't even hear me crying. That day, with blood trickling down my forehead, my parents were about to sign the contract the old man handed them. Catching the malicious glint in the old man's eyes, I felt dead inside. I was young, but I knew: once they signed, I belonged to him. A terrifying unknown loomed over me... My parents selling their daughter right after getting rich caused a huge stir. My uncle pedaled his beat-up bicycle through the night to stop the sale. "Are you sure about this? She's a curse! Don't say I didn't warn you when things go south!" My mother pointed at me on the ground, her face twisted in disgust. My father looked at my uncle like he was an idiot. They couldn't believe anyone would fight over a jinx like me. My uncle took out a handkerchief and pressed it to my bleeding forehead. "I don't have a daughter anyway. Since you don't want her, I'll raise her." My tears burst forth again. Thank god. I didn't have to go with the old man. My uncle took out a hundred and twenty dollars and handed it to my father. "Let's sign the papers. From now on, this girl is my daughter." "I'm offering twenty more. You gonna fight me for her?" My uncle glared coldly at the old man. The old man looked unhappy, like a tasty meal had been snatched from his jaws. But he didn't raise his bid. My parents agreed instantly. Selling me was selling me, right? Plus, Uncle offered more. As long as I was out of their house, they didn't care. After signing and fingerprinting the papers, with the village chief as a witness, the deal was done. My mother got into a sedan, holding my brother, and my father drove away without a single backward glance. I threw myself into my uncle's arms, sobbing my heart out. "Uncle, Mom and Dad don't want me anymore." His large hand stroked my head gently, his voice warm and comforting. "Sweetheart, even though I bought you for a hundred and twenty bucks, you have to remember—you are priceless." "You are Uncle's priceless treasure." "Be my daughter, and I'll spoil you rotten." Just like that, clutching my patched-up clothes, I moved in with my uncle's family. 2 My uncle lived in a remote area. He pedaled a long way with me on the back of his bike. Just when I thought we were almost there, he took a detour to buy a pound of pork. "Sweetheart, before we go home, let's change your name." My last name was Liu. My parents had always wanted a son. When I was born, they went to a fortune teller. The fortune teller said they were destined to have a son, but they couldn't be too good to me. Even my name had to pave the way for my brother. He suggested names like "Beckoning Brother" or "Hoping for Brother." But my mother didn't hesitate. She named me "Cheap Girl." Yes, my name was Liu Jiannü—Liu Cheap Girl. I was young, but I knew it was an ugly name. The village kids wouldn't play with me because of it. They’d circle around me, throwing stones and shouting my name, laughing. Until my parents abandoned me, my name was the village joke. No one thought it was wrong. It seemed I was born with a cheap fate. A cheap girl in the family. But now, my uncle touched my head with pity, his eyes rimmed with red. "Let's go. Uncle will find someone to give you a new name, okay?" "Our girl is so pretty; she needs the prettiest name!" Uncle went to the village chief. He named me "Joy." Meaning eloquent and full of happiness. "Joy... Lin Joy... Nice, very nice!" Uncle muttered, holding my hand. "Do you like your new name, sweetheart?" Uncle picked me up and carried me home. I finally smiled. I was too scared to show it fully, so I buried my face in his broad back and grinned secretly. My smile grew wider and wider. I finally had a beautiful name. I wanted to run back to the village and brag. Let those people who looked down on my name hear this! But starting today, I didn't belong there anymore. I had someone protecting me now. When Uncle brought me home, my aunt and cousin were there. They only had one son at the time. He was four years older than me. Uncle held my hand and, meeting Aunt's confused gaze, cheerfully explained, "Didn't you always want a daughter?" "Here she is. Her name is Lin Joy. From now on, she's our daughter. She lives here." Aunt's face, which had been relatively kind, fell instantly. She didn't say a word and went straight to her room. My cousin was at that mischievous age. Seeing me, he threw a tantrum at Uncle. "She's not my sister! She's Auntie's kid! She's not my sister!" Uncle tweaked his ear. "Behave! She is your sister. Her last name is Lin now. She's family!" Cousin ran crying to his mom. Uncle was handy. He set up a small cot for me next to my cousin's bed. Considering I was a girl, he hung a curtain around it for privacy. "Joy, make do with sharing a room with your brother for now, okay?" "When Uncle makes big money, I'll get you the biggest, prettiest room." I nodded obediently. "Bragging again? Don't you know how poor we are?" Aunt's voice drifted from the other room. Uncle and I looked at each other and giggled. He lowered his voice. "Joy, ignore your aunt. She's all bark and no bite." I knew. Uncle and Aunt were my saviors. I silently vowed to be good to them. Compared to my birth family's sudden wealth, Uncle's family was truly poor. And Uncle had spent a huge chunk of their hard-earned savings on me. 3 "Why did you bring her back? You spent almost all our savings!" "I'm asking you! What about our son's tuition?" "Are we all going to starve?" Uncle and Aunt's room was right next door. Because of the new environment, I couldn't sleep. The walls were thin, and I heard them arguing. Did I really cost Uncle all his savings? I clenched my fists, afraid to breathe. I was terrified Aunt would send me away. I didn't want to go to the old man in the next village. But Uncle cheerfully comforted her. "But I treat Joy like my own daughter." "Didn't we agree before we got married that we wanted a son and a daughter? Look, fate brought her to us!" I heard Aunt retort, "Don't give me that nonsense." "I wanted a daughter, yes, but look at our situation." "And your sister and brother-in-law... you know what they're like!" "What if we raise her and they come back for her?" Uncle lowered his voice. "Keep it down, don't wake the kids." "We have a son and a daughter now. No matter how hard it gets, as long as the four of us stick together, things will get better." My heart finally settled. A long time later, the door opened. Uncle came in, tucked me in, and kissed the top of my head. "Enough already. I don't see you being this attentive to your son," Aunt muttered from the doorway. Uncle whispered as he locked the door, "I just adore my daughter." That night, my pillow was soaked with tears. When I woke up, my cousin was startled by the dark circles under my eyes. He screamed that I was a ghost. Aunt twisted his ear impatiently. "Why are you yelling all day? Go serve your sister some porridge!" I looked up at Aunt, a feeling of acceptance spreading in my heart. Unlike Uncle's gentleness, Aunt had a fiery temper. She was strict with both me and my cousin. I knew it was because she treated me like her own child. Her "tough love" parenting style was fully displayed. For example, sticking chopsticks vertically into my rice bowl got my hand smacked. She said it was rude and showed a lack of breeding. My cousin went through a phase of swearing, and Aunt beat him until he learned his lesson. After that, he'd only recite ancient poetry around us. Crossing legs, slouching—we both got our fair share of beatings for bad posture. Uncle watched with heartache. He'd sneak me lollipops and comfort me. He said Aunt just didn't want us to pick up bad habits. She wanted us to be upright people. Not to develop bad habits just because we were poor. Not to be looked down upon by anyone. Poverty is not an excuse for depravity. Some bad habits, once formed, follow you for life. 4 Uncle sold steamed buns. He and Aunt got up at 3 or 4 AM to make them. Then Uncle would transport them to town. Having his own shop was Uncle's lifelong dream. After selling buns in the morning, he worked construction. Aunt helped out at home. My cousin and I often helped plant peanuts and beans after school. During harvest, we got up early to work in the fields. At dawn, we'd run home to eat breakfast and sprint to school. Even though we were poor, Uncle and Aunt decided to send me to school. I didn't disappoint them; I was always top of my class. One day after school, Aunt was sitting in the living room with a dark face. "Why did you fight a classmate?" She held a feather duster, clearly angry. "The teacher said you shoved a student's head into the toilet!" "Lin Joy! We send you to school, and this is how you repay us?" "What's the reason!" I pursed my lips and refused to say a word. Aunt rolled up my pant leg and whacked me with the feather duster. Until Uncle came back and shielded me. They had a big argument. Uncle said she shouldn't hit the child. Aunt yelled at him, "Then you teach her! You brought her back!" That day, I buried my head in the doorframe, remembering my birth mother's words. She said I was a jinx, a curse... Maybe I was. During lunch, my cousin came home and went out again. Uncle and Aunt were giving each other the silent treatment. After lunch, Uncle applied ointment to my legs. "Joy, does it hurt?" He blew gently on my legs. I shook my head. After applying the medicine, he pulled me into his arms. "Our Joy has always been sensible." "There must be a reason for the fight, right?" "Tell Uncle, okay?" I still stayed silent. Later, my cousin ran back, out of breath. He shoved a lollipop into my hand and called Uncle and Aunt out. "You dummy! Why didn't you say anything when you were bullied? Am I invisible?" Cousin explained what happened. I fought because someone crossed the line. Classmates found out I wasn't Uncle and Aunt's biological child. So they spread rumors that I was a jinx, a disaster. That my birth parents sold me because of it. Hearing this, I was calm. Because it was true. My birth parents didn't want me. But I didn't feel unlucky. On the contrary, I was lucky. I met Uncle and Aunt. I came to a loving home. But the classmates went too far. They started cursing my Uncle and Aunt. Saying my Uncle's family would die horrible deaths for adopting a jinx like me. Uncle and Aunt taught us to be tolerant. But that day, I couldn't take it anymore. Uncle, Aunt, and Cousin were good people. I wouldn't let these scumbags insult them! When they provoked me again and again, I taught them a lesson. I poured toilet water into their mouths and shoved their heads into the sink. Since their mouths were dirty, I thought I'd clean them. In that moment, I even wanted to end it all with them. The commotion in the bathroom attracted attention, and someone called the teacher. The teacher looked at me with a complicated expression and told me to call my parents.
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