Chapter 3

Leon's mother, Susan, paused for a moment, a look of concern flickering in her eyes. She quickly stood up and affectionately took my hand.

Susan said warmly, "You must be Ellie, right? Your parents have told me all about you. They say you've always been independent, strong, and so capable since you were little!"

Susan continued, "I can't believe your folks are so trusting. Something as big as getting your marriage license, and they just let you come here on your own..."

I had no clue what Ashley told the Gordons in the last timeline.

But in this life, I wasn't about to hide anything from my parents.

I sat down, took a sip of water, and with a steady voice, laid out every single detail of my parents' and Ashley's plans to the Gordon family.

I said, "My dad's really worried he won't be able to dodge getting sent away this time, so he wants me to marry Leon right now. For him, it's like having a backup plan in case he ever needs to bounce back."

I went on, "Actually, it was supposed to be Ashley marrying Leon, but my dad was afraid Mr. Richard Gordon might get transferred too.

"With Mr. Richard Gordon's job, if he gets sent away, he'd probably end up in some really tough, remote place.

"My parents just couldn't stand the idea of Ellie having to go through all that with you guys. So, they decided I'd step in for Ashley and marry Leon instead."

I added, "Susan, that's how things are. If Leon doesn't want to marry me, this whole engagement can be called off right now."

Susan's face went pale with shock. "Call it off? But what will you do?"

I gave her a small smile. "I've already cut ties with my family. I can just sign up to go to the countryside and become a sent-down youth."

"You don't have to. I'll marry you!" Leon suddenly spoke up.

I looked up, startled, and met Leon's eyes.

His gaze was gentle and unwavering, full of worry and affection.

But the contempt and annoyance I was so used to, none of that was there.

My nose prickled, and before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face.

Even someone I'd just met showed me more genuine care than my own family ever did.

But my own parents treated me like I was disposable, like I didn't matter at all. They couldn't wait to hand me off to a stranger.

Seeing how heartbroken I was, Susan threw all formalities aside and hurried over to sit next to me, pulling me into a comforting hug, her face overflowing with worry and care.

Susan gently said, "Ellie, don't cry, sweetheart. If your family doesn't cherish you, we do! You and Leon should go get your marriage license right now! Once you marry Leon, we'll be your parents from now on."

As she said this, she gave Leon a quick smack. "What are you standing there for? Go grab the family register and the introduction letter, quick!"

With Susan pushing us along, Leon and I got our marriage license in just half an hour.

Staring at the marriage certificate, which looked just like a prize, I saw our names, Leon Gordon and Ellie Knapp, right next to each other.

I knew that in this life, I finally had a family of my own.

In the end, my dad still couldn't escape being sent to the farm.

And the funniest part? My mom and Ashley had been stashing cash and valuables everywhere, but a relative who'd always been jealous of us snitched on them.

This time, all the stuff my parents tried to save for Ashley was gone. Not a penny.

To top it off, my dad got caught up in the mess and was sent to an even harsher farm than the one he ended up in the last timeline.

The day before my parents were sent to the farm, Ashley came looking for me.

She saw me walking out of the military compound in my brand-new dress, and her eyes were full of venom as she glared at me.

Ashley sneered. "Don't get too cocky, Ellie Knapp! The Gordon family is about to get sent to the farm too, and they're going to the poorest, most remote, and toughest farm out there.

"You'll die there for sure. You'll never make it back in this lifetime!"

I looked at her with pity.

I couldn't say for sure if I'd ever return.

But I knew for certain, as weak as Ellie was, if she went to the farm with our parents, she'd never last until they made it back to the city...

But why should I even warn her? After all, my own sister never cared if I made it out alive.

Still, we would see who would get the last laugh between us later on.

After my parents and Ashley left, I spent the whole night with the Gordons, doors shut tight, just talking and sharing until the sun came up.

The next morning, Leon and Richard went straight back to the barracks to sort things out.

I asked Susan to pull out all the old clothes we had lying around the house.

Then, I wrapped up the cash, food stamps, and some coupons we could give away in wax paper and stitched them into the seams of those old clothes.

We even had someone melt down all our gold and silver jewelry and turn it into little gold and silver pieces.

Susan and I went through the house and rounded up everyone's old shoes.

We split open the soles, stitched the gold and silver leaves inside, then added a layer of insoles on top. No one would ever be able to tell from the outside.

Half a month later, it was time for the Gordon family to get sent down, just like in the last timeline.

This time, because I gave them a heads-up, Richard and Leon got everything ready in advance. We still couldn't dodge the wave of devolution, and many people were forced to go to the countryside.

But thanks to Richard working his connections, instead of being shipped off to that remote forestry camp like the last timeline, we ended up in a small fishing village just a hundred miles or so from the provincial capital.

Turns out, both Richard and Susan grew up by the sea. Their families had been fishing for generations.

Once we got to the fishing village, Richard and Leon joined the village guys and headed out to sea to fish.

Susan and I teamed up with the village ladies to forage for seafood along the shore.

This time around, I didn't have to get drained by leeches until I was pale as a sheet, or be forced to plant seedlings out in the fields.

And I didn't have to spend all day toiling in the fields, only to come home exhausted and still have to do my parents' laundry, cook their meals, haul water, and chop firewood.