Chapter 3: Claiming the Prize and Arriving in Style in an Audi A6!

At half past eight that evening. The image from River City Local TV Station was streaked with horizontal static. River Lyson sat on an old sofa in the living room, its foam stuffing collapsed years ago. His eyes remained fixed on the fourteen-inch black-and-white television. Beside him, Mason Lyson smoked one cigarette after another. The cigarette butts beneath his feet had already been crushed into a small mountain. With a $10,000 debt hanging over his head like a death sentence, he had no interest in whatever was playing on the television. Onscreen, the host smiled as she read out the drawn numbers for this week's Welfare Lottery. "The winning numbers are 05, 12, 16, 24, 27, 31, and 08." River leaned back against the sofa and released a long breath. The thin Lottery Ticket in his shirt pocket, pressed close to his heart, warmed his skin through the fabric. It was done. Five hundred thousand dollars. There had been no butterfly effect and no cruel twist of fate. This colossal sum, enough to buy half a street in the year 2000, belonged entirely to him. The door lock clicked. Mrs. Lyson pushed the door open, and Renee Lyson followed her inside with a backpack faded nearly white from washing. "Cough, cough... Mason, why have you been smoking so much?" Mrs. Lyson covered her mouth and coughed violently several times. Years of hard labor had left her back slightly hunched, and her temples were streaked with gray. Renee changed out of her old Warrior sneakers, whose soles were almost worn through, then walked over to River. She pulled half a roasted sweet potato from her pocket. It was still warm from her body. "Big brother, eat this. I bought it on my way home. It's really sweet." River looked into his sister's clear eyes. In his previous life, this thoughtful girl had dropped out of her senior year of high school to work night shifts at an electronics factory and help the family repay its debts. In the end, she had died beneath the wheels of a drunk driver's car. He took the sweet potato and bit off a large piece. It was sweet. Sweet enough to make his eyes sting. "Mom. Renee." River swallowed the sweet potato and raised his head. "May Lapwood and I are divorced. We completed the paperwork this afternoon." The room fell silent. Mason's hand jerked, sending ash tumbling onto his trouser leg. He did not even notice. Mrs. Lyson froze where she stood. Her cloudy eyes fixed on her son, and her lips moved, but no scolding came. For the past six months, the old couple had seen exactly what May Lapwood was like at home. She looked down on the poor and chased after the rich. She did not even cook meals, spending her days dressed to the nines and running off somewhere. "Divorced... then so be it." Mrs. Lyson sighed and walked over to pat River on the shoulder. "Her heart was never with this family. There was no point forcing her to stay. It's just that $10,000 debt..." "Mom, don't worry about the money." River rose to his feet and swept his gaze across the cramped, damp home filled with the smell of mold. The paint was peeling from the walls, and the furniture was worn-out. But in this life, he would never let his family suffer in a place like this again. "I'll go out tomorrow and bring the money back." River looked at his parents. "Dad, remember what I said today. No matter who comes, don't sign anything." The next morning. River South Province Welfare Lottery Issuance Center, the provincial capital. The air-conditioning in the Prize Claim Room was blasting. River slid his twenty-cent Lottery Ticket through the glass window. The middle-aged female clerk took it without much interest and ran it through the scanner. "Beep!" A long string of numbers appeared on the screen. The woman's hand trembled violently. She nearly dropped the ticket. She looked up and examined the young man outside the window from head to toe. He wore a yellowed white T-shirt and old sandals. "Five... five hundred thousand dollars?!" "That's right," River replied. "Please hurry. I'm in a rush." An hour later, after twenty percent was deducted for Incidental Income Tax, the full $400,000 was deposited into the account linked to River's newly issued Agricultural Bank Passbook. When he walked out of the Provincial Agricultural Bank, the sunlight outside was so bright that he had to squint. River opened the passbook. $400,000.00. As he stared at the long string of zeros, his fingers tightened around the passbook until his knuckles turned white. Yesterday, $10,000 had left him with nowhere to turn. Today, he had $400,000. River hailed a taxi. "Driver, take me to the biggest car market in the city." Half an hour later, River stood inside the lavish showroom of an imported-car dealership. In 2000, anyone who could afford a private car was either rich or powerful. A showroom specializing in luxury cars was even more exclusive. A brand-new black Audi A6 stood in the center of the showroom. Its streamlined body gleamed with a cold sheen beneath the lights. In those days, the car was a symbol of power and wealth. River walked straight toward it. "Hey, hey, what do you think you're doing?" A saleswoman in a professional suit and heavy makeup hurried over and blocked River's path. She gave his clothes a sweeping glance. The disdain on her face was impossible to miss. "If you want to look at cars, the Jetta and Santana are outside. Do you think you can just touch this one? It costs over $40,000. Sell your house and you still couldn't cover a scratch!" Not far away, Fat Boss was looking at cars with a young woman tucked under his arm. A thick gold chain hung around his neck. When he heard the saleswoman, he turned and sneered. "Lucy, how are you letting just anyone in here? I can smell the poverty from here." River did not even glance at Fat Boss. He stared at the saleswoman. "Can I drive this Audi A6 away today?" The saleswoman rolled her eyes. "Of course. It's $43,000 in cash. Do you have that much?" River did not waste another word. He pulled out his brand-new Agricultural Bank Passbook and bank card, then slapped them onto the glass coffee table beside him. "Transfer the money. Process the paperwork now." The saleswoman froze. Suspiciously, she picked up the passbook and opened it. Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands... $400,000! Her knees went weak on the spot, and the passbook trembled in her hands. Fat Boss leaned over and took a glance. His face turned a deep liver-purple. He grabbed the young woman and slunk away. "Sir!" The saleswoman's voice changed instantly. All traces of disdain vanished from her face. She bent so low her waist nearly touched the floor. "I'm so sorry! I was blind and failed to recognize a true big shot! This way, please. I'll have someone brew you some Premium Darjeeling in the VIP Room!" "No need. Get me another salesperson. Anyone can have the commission, but you won't be getting it." River's tone remained calm. Two hours later, all the paperwork had been completed by a different female manager. The saleswoman stood blankly in the service area, utterly at a loss. He had really signed the deal. That had been a commission worth several hundred dollars. Regret spread through her chest. River settled into the spacious leather driver's seat and gripped the steering wheel. Someone tapped on the car window. The female manager leaned over and handed him the keys. Her finger deliberately curled across his palm. "Mr. Lyson, these are your keys. If you have any trouble with the car, call me anytime." She slipped a perfumed note into his shirt pocket and cooed, "I'm available twenty-four hours a day." River pinched the note between two fingers and tossed it out the window. She had a good figure, but her face was nothing to write home about. He started the engine. The low rumble reverberated through the showroom as the black Audi A6 rolled into the traffic of the provincial capital. After leaving the car market, River went straight to the nearest Agricultural Bank Branch Office. In the VIP Lounge, the branch manager personally received him. Half an hour later, River walked out of the bank carrying a black combination-lock briefcase. Inside were $30,000 in neatly stacked cash. Two in the afternoon. River City Old Town, tube building family compound. The early-summer sunlight was sliced into fragments by a dense web of power lines. The second-floor corridor outside the Lyson family's apartment was packed with neighbors eager to watch the spectacle. "Mason Lyson! Don't push your luck!" Leo Zimmerman stood arrogantly outside the Lyson family's door in a fake Pierre Cardin suit, a Dunhill cigarette caught between his fingers. Two men in bank uniforms stood behind him, carrying an ink pad and sealing strips. Mason blocked the doorway. His eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion, and his voice was hoarse. "Leo, you and River were childhood friends! Your father and I worked together for decades! Must you push us to the brink over $10,000 today?!" "Childhood friends?" Leo sneered and blew out a ring of smoke. His eyes hardened. "Uncle Lyson, when your son turned against me at the restaurant last night, why didn't he remember our friendship?" He turned toward the bank employees. "Director Lapwood, the deadline has passed, right?" Director Lapwood stepped forward with a cold expression and produced a document. "Mason Lyson, you used this house as collateral for a $10,000 mortgage loan. Today is the final repayment date. Since you cannot pay, we will seize the property according to the contract. Pack your belongings and move out immediately." Mrs. Lyson was crying inside the apartment. Renee bit her lip so hard it turned pale, tears circling in her eyes. The neighbors whispered among themselves, but no one dared to step forward and help. In that era, $10,000 was an astronomical sum. "I... I'll sign." Mason's back finally buckled, his whole body seeming to lose its bones. He extended a trembling hand and accepted the fountain pen Director Lapwood held out. A flash of triumph crossed Leo's eyes. Once the Lyson family was driven out, there would be no way for them to refuse a transfer of the land and equity belonging to that run-down machinery factory. Just as the pen tip was about to touch the Property Seizure Agreement, a car horn sounded from the narrow alley below. "Beep, beep!" Everyone instinctively turned toward the sound. A brand-new, gleaming black Audi A6 had come to a smooth stop in the open space below. Sunlight struck the Four-Ring Emblem on its grille, flashing so brightly that it hurt the eyes. The entire building fell silent. In a family compound where even a Santana was a rare sight, a $40,000 Audi A6 could only mean one thing. Had some neighbor's relative struck it rich? Someone in the crowd swallowed hard. Leo froze as his brows drew together. The car door swung open. A foot in an old sandal stepped onto the ground. A moment later, River Lyson's calm, steady face appeared in everyone's line of sight.