“You must stay with me for five years. Besides the tuition and your mother’s medical expenses, I’ll give you an additional three million and a high-end apartment of 200 square meters in the city center! All this will be yours after five years.” He pulled out a contract, essentially a deed of sale for her.
Her hand clenched; she crumpled the check and threw it at his face. “Go to hell!” She grabbed her bag and strutted out of the café like a proud rooster, her dignity intact. Two minutes later, she returned.
“Decided?” he asked, still calm.
“Remember, if you die, make it ugly!” she said, barely restraining from spitting in his face. Her dignity lasted only two days; on the third, her mother’s condition worsened, and she sold herself to the scumbag!
“It’s a good price, but I hope for a better deal!” She sat elegantly in the sunlight, negotiating over a glass of plain water.
“Five million, a million a year! How does that sound?” He sat lazily in the shadow, sipping coffee with confidence.
“The price is good, but I also want to know about the benefits, like health insurance, social security, retirement plans, and holidays. I demand two days off a week! At least half a month’s vacation annually, and overtime pay!” She counted the benefits on her fingers.
“Everything except the vacation time is fine. I can ensure you have two days off each week, though not necessarily on weekends, and the annual leave will be the same!” After careful consideration, he agreed.
She slapped the table to seal the deal and signed her name “Lai Hui” on the contract with a flourish. From then on, she could no longer come and go as she pleased.
The water droplets slid down the mirror, the character “来” sprouted many branches, becoming blurred. She walked back to the bedroom, sat in front of the gold-embossed vanity mirror, her innocent face still visible, though her eyes were now icy. She picked up the old, yellow-blackened peachwood comb, its teeth broken like the signs of aging, the handle engraved with two lines of small characters filled with dark dust: “Come come Hui Hui, happiness and auspiciousness!”
“Little Hui, peachwood wards off evil. This comb was handmade by your mother. Using this comb will bring you a lifetime of happiness and auspiciousness!”
