Sold for Twenty Bucks Chapter 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.