In my last life, my younger sister Jade Fox fought tooth and nail to take the state factory boiler unit job.
Not even six months later, the boiler exploded.
Her face was destroyed, her job gone. She became the disfigured freak everyone whispered about.
And me? I was forced to marry that lame hunter from the Back Hills, Quinn Mason.
Turns out, Quinn was obsessed with spoiling his wife. And here's the kicker—he dug up a gold mine in those same hills.
Overnight, I went from village nobody to coal boss's wife, dripping in gold and silver, my ten fingers never touching a day of real work.
Jade was so jealous she went insane.
At our wedding banquet, she slipped rat poison into the liquor.
When I opened my eyes again, it was now.
My sister was kneeling in front of Mom and Dad, face drenched with crocodile tears.
"Dad, Mom! I'm not going to the city anymore! I'm marrying Quinn Mason instead!"
"Give the factory position to Evelyn!"
The spatula flew right out of Mom's hand.
"Jade, have you lost your mind? Quinn Mason? That lame hunter from the Back Hills beats his wife without batting an eye!"
Dad shot up too, banging his long-stem pipe against the table so hard it echoed. "The city job is an iron rice bowl! Sure, boiler work is tough, but it's government pay! Your sister's too slow—what's she supposed to do out there?"
In my last life, I would've been sobbing right now, touched by my little sister's sacrifice.
This time, I just wanted to laugh.
1.
Jade grabbed my pant leg, her eyes glittering with greed she couldn't quite hide.
I knew exactly what she was after.
She wanted to be the rich man's wife. Wanted the polyester dress, the little Western-style house.
That doomed factory slot? She was more than happy to hand it to me—her idiot big sister—and let me die in her place.
"Evelyn! You're my real sister! I was selfish before, but I've changed. Let me suffer this time. You go to the city and live the good life!"
Her sobs could've put a soap opera to shame.
I stared at her flushed, excited face and sneered inside.
Good life?
That boiler unit was the deadliest post in the whole factory. In my past life, the explosion was a major industrial disaster—three dead on the spot, five more crippled for life.
Since you're so eager to send me off to my "good life," I'll play along.
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.
