Chapter 2

At 10:00 pm that night, my family came home after their sushi dinner.

Jasmine was carrying a takeout box.

"Here. This is for you. That place was so expensive. I didn't even want to order too much, but I specifically saved a few pieces for you."

I opened the box. Inside were four dried-out seaweed rolls, the rice around the edges already hard. There was no salmon or shrimp, just a few strips of cucumber and some imitation crab meat. It was obvious they were leftovers no one else wanted.

"Thanks."

I closed the box and pushed it aside.

Jasmine frowned. "Josh, I carried this all the way home for you, and you're giving me this attitude?"

Mom came in when she heard the commotion. "What's all the fuss about?"

"Mom, I brought him food, and he won't even touch it!" Jasmine hooked her arm around Mom's and pouted.

Mom glanced at me, her eyes full of impatience. "Your sister was thinking of you. Don't be ungrateful."

"Just leave it there. I'll heat it up tomorrow morning," I said calmly.

Mom couldn't be bothered to argue anymore. She turned to Jasmine and said, "Jas, wasn't there a skincare set you had your eye on? I'll take you to buy it tomorrow."

"Thanks, Mom!"

The two of them chatted and laughed as they left. The door closed behind them, cutting off the light from the living room. I threw the box of sushi into the trash can beneath my desk.

The next morning, I got ready to leave.

Dad was sitting on the couch, reading the newspaper. Without even looking up, he asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the restaurant on South Street for a server interview," I said.

"Mmm." He turned another page and added, "While you're out, stop by the dry cleaner and pick up Jon's suit."

"Okay."

I put on my shoes, opened the door, and walked out.

But I didn't go to the restaurant. Instead, I headed to the local police station with my backpack. Inside were my ID and household registration records I had secretly taken out in the middle of the night.

I handed the documents to the officer at the counter. "I'd like to transfer my legal residency."

The officer looked at the confidentiality agreement bearing the official seal. "Kid, it's a tough place out there. Are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure." I looked at him and nodded.

The officer typed a few things into the computer. The printer hummed as it began printing. A brand new household registration transfer document was handed to me. On the original household registration document, the page bearing my name, Joshua Hayes, was stamped with the bright red words "Transferred Out."

From that moment on, my official address and records were no longer tied to this family.

I found a copy shop nearby and scanned and uploaded my household registration documents and personal identification materials. Every procedure was completed.

On the way home, I stopped by the dry cleaner and picked up Jonathan's suit.

When I got back, Mom happened to be carrying a plate of barbecue ribs out of the kitchen.

"How did the job search go?"

I hung the suit on the rack behind the door and said, "I start tomorrow. They pay 120 dollars a day."

"That's good."

Mom set the meat in front of Jonathan. He picked up a rib and stuffed it into his mouth, his brows furrowing as he spoke. "Oh, Mom. My large loan is still being processed. But I need to take the investors out for dinner tomorrow and give them some gifts. I'm still a few thousand dollars short."

The air around the dinner table went still for a second. Dad put his fork down.

"We don't really have much extra money right now. Jas will need living expenses once school starts too."

Jonathan sighed, poking at his food with his fork. "Maybe I should just take out a loan from a loan shark."

Mom immediately panicked. "You can't do that!"

She thought for a moment, then suddenly turned to me. "Josh, didn't Grandma leave you a gold bracelet when she passed away?"

My hand froze.

Grandma knew I was the least favored child in the family. Before she died, she secretly slipped the gold bracelet she had worn her entire life into my hand, telling me to keep it for when I got married someday.

"That bracelet weighs at least two ounces. At today's gold prices, it could sell for around ten thousand dollars," Mom said as she stared at me.

I looked up. "That was Grandma's gift to me."

"Can't you lend it to Jon just to get him through this crisis?" Mom's expression hardened. "He's your own brother. Do you really have the heart to watch him take out a loan from a loan shark?"

Dad tapped the table. "What are you arguing about? We're family. Those in favor of taking the bracelet to get through this, raise your hand."

Dad was the first to raise his hand. Mom followed without hesitation. Jonathan's eyes darted away for a moment before he raised his hand too.

"Think of it as me taking a loan from you, Josh. Once my company starts making money, I'll pay you back double."

Jasmine bit down on her fork and raised her hand with a bright smile.