The news report broke.
Those who knew were overjoyed. Su Zhen had really arrived. And for the many who had never heard of her, their curiosity was piqued.
“Who is that? My God, she looks so cool.”
“She looks Asian. Why would an Asian woman get so many people excited?”
Someone said in astonishment:
“Buddy, are you blind? Look at how many bodyguards she has with her. And that private plane behind her. There’s no question about it, she’s rich.”
That powerful argument instantly silenced everyone.
In America at that time,
money represented everything.
More and more people learned that an Asian super-millionaire had arrived in the United States, making quite a spectacle of herself. No sooner had she settled in than a number of prominent socialites and wealthy figures, names familiar to all, sent invitations and publicly expressed their desire to be close to her.
Ordinary people knew nothing of the twists and turns of high society. They simply watched the spectacle unfold.
Su Ning’s immense fortune, her background, and penicillin
were brought up once more,
discussed again and again.
At last, even places cut off from the outside world learned of it. In filthy, overcrowded neighborhoods, roadside clinics still had doctors with long queues diagnosing patients by the pulse, everyone speaking in dialects from their hometowns.
“Have you heard? A very wealthy Asian has arrived. She’s being fawned over everywhere.”
“She might be Chinese.”
“I asked around. Her surname is Su. She’s Chinese, all right, and a woman, too.”
“What’s so exciting about that? What good is it that she’s Chinese? You and Landlord Wang are both Chinese, and you even share the surname Wang. Yet here you are, working yourself to the bone in this place, while he stays back home eating and drinking his fill. If you ask me, rich people only belong with other rich people!”
“...I didn’t think that far ahead. I just thought that if she builds a factory here and hires workers, maybe we’d have a chance to work for her.”
At those words,
the room fell silent.
Life was never easy on someone else’s soil. The Chinese Exclusion Act was still in force, and they occupied the very bottom rung of American society.
Good jobs were beyond their reach.
They could only take the dirtiest, hardest, and lowest-paid work,
and even then, their wages were often withheld.
Most of them could not even speak English. When they were mistreated, there was nothing they could do. If they could work under a fellow Chinese person, even if the labor were just as hard and exhausting,
at least, at least they would not be treated like animals.
Holding on to that hope,
these Chinese immigrants began following the outside world, and every piece of news about Su Ning in particular, more closely than ever before.
The Hawthorne family was much the same.
With broader channels of information, they had learned more, and in greater detail.
“My God, I’ve never seen diamond jewelry this beautiful. The necklace, bracelet, ring, earrings... Is it an entire set?”
Lily gasped as she looked at the photograph in the newspaper.
Even in black and white, the diamonds’ brilliance seemed impossible to conceal.
The design was exquisite, and the diamonds enormous.
They were dazzling.
“More than that. The main stones in the bracelet and necklace appear to have been cut from the same diamond,” Flora said softly. Having seen more of the world, she recognized the detail at once.
There was no doubt that this made them even more valuable.
Lily grew even more dissatisfied. “Such fine diamonds, and she gave them to someone with no connection to her at all. It’s an absolute waste. It does not accord with the virtues of our nobility. She ought to be properly educated.”
She had only one diamond hair clip.
And it wasn’t a particularly large diamond, either.
Even that had been bought on credit. Lily had treasured the hair clip so dearly, but after comparing it with the set in the picture…
She gritted her teeth and gave a cold snort.
“But Elizabeth Fulton is terribly ill-mannered too. They aren’t even related—how could she casually accept such an expensive gift from someone else? Flora, don’t you agree?”
“Don’t say that.”
The elegant noble girl shook her head and replied gently, “As ladies, even when someone else makes a mistake, we shouldn’t discuss them behind their back.”
“Quite right.”
Their older brother, John’s eldest son, nodded approvingly.
“Flora is absolutely right. No matter the circumstances, we must never disgrace the Hawthorne family. Lily, you should learn from Flora. They’re only a few pieces of jewelry. Once you’re formally acknowledged, you’ll receive things far better than these.”
Lily had just been about to argue, but at that, her eyes lit up.
“Really?”
When he nodded, she was overjoyed.
She immediately began wondering what kind of jewelry she should ask for. Rubies? Sapphires? If it was going to be diamonds, then they absolutely had to be better than this set.
She was filled with delight, never considering any other possibility.
Her brother was the eldest son.
Wasn’t that the same as being the heir to the Hawthorne family? As long as he agreed, everything would be fine.
“All right, they’re only a few pieces of jewelry. It’s nothing worth making a fuss over, so show some restraint.”
John’s eldest son spoke with youthful confidence.
Then he turned to his other sister. Before she could say anything, he stopped her with a smile and said softly, “Flora, I know you’re not a girl who cares for extravagance. But my beautiful, gentle sister, I want to see you adorned with gorgeous jewelry. You’re sure to look even lovelier.”
“Brother.”
Flora called out to him, touched.
“Don’t worry. You’ll always be my favorite sister. No one can ever take your place.”
Everyone knew who he meant by “no one else.”
At any rate, it certainly wasn’t Lily.
Lily tugged at him coquettishly.
“What about me?”
“Of course I love you too. You’re my sister.”
Their parents watched this warm and affectionate scene with great satisfaction.
………………
When Mrs. Kelly first received the diamond jewelry, she was astonished. Her instinct was to refuse it.
“This is far too valuable.”
And just how valuable was it?
The country was in the midst of the Great Depression, and property prices had plummeted. A single diamond necklace from the set was enough to buy the house they currently lived in.
“Please, accept it without worry,” Lin Sen said.
That was right—he was the only one who had come.
As if. America was full of unemployed people at the moment. Anyone with even a little common sense knew that the country was like a powder keg packed to the brim, needing only the smallest spark to explode.
Until he had figured out the situation with Su Er and confirmed that he was safe enough, Su Ning had declared that she would not set foot outside.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Sen added, “This is a blessing gift from the young lady for Miss Fulton. It cannot be taken back. Or perhaps, Mrs. Kelly, do you feel that the gift is not good enough?”
“Of course not.”
No one could look at that set of jewelry and say it was anything less than exquisite.
Not even royalty.
Mrs. Kelly had no choice but to let her daughter accept it. She suddenly understood what her father had meant when he taught her about the old saying, “It would be impolite to refuse a generous offer.”
How marvelous. Four syllables could express such a complicated situation.
Then she took the opportunity to ask about her husband.
“Charles is doing well.”
Lin Sen smiled. “Because of your excellent performance, as well as Charles’s hard work, Miss Su has decided to promote him. He’ll be put in charge of a new oil field. That’s wonderful news, isn’t it?”
Promoted?
Of course, that was good news.
Kelly was delighted. She was clever, and quickly realized what it meant—
Her husband was no longer working under a sentence of redemption!
And he would be leaving Yumen.
He should be able to use the toilet properly now, right?
But… “Where is this new oil field?” Kelly suddenly thought to ask. As far as she knew, Miss Su owned several oil fields, but all of them were already being developed steadily. Surely there was no need to call any of them “new.”
Perhaps it was another industry that outsiders didn’t know about.
“It’s still in China, in the northeast.”
Lin Sen said, “It’s a newly discovered oil field with enormous reserves. Charles has a very promising future ahead of him.”
Kelly: …
The northeast?
Wasn’t that place in the middle of a war?!
After seeing him off, Kelly said through her tears, “My Charles… May God hear my prayers and keep you safe. We’ll work hard, too.”
Work hard at what?
Winning Miss Su’s favor.
Of course. She couldn’t change Charles’s assignment, so for now, the most important thing was to ensure that Charles’s “sacrifice” brought them even greater benefits.
Amid the tense preparations,
Elizabeth Fulton’s coming-of-age celebration soon began under the watchful eyes of the entire crowd.
