Chapter 1: DETERMINATION AND FAILURE

             At the end of the twentieth century, the country of Cassiongine enters its most prosperous period ever. However, in some suburban and rural areas, people's living standards are quite low, and life still faces many difficulties: Crops fail, livestock and poultry often encounter diseases, extreme weather, etc. all step by step pushing people into poverty. They are forced to borrow money from high-ranking officials with very high-interest rates to be able to make a temporary living.

             Mia was born and raised in a land always covers by sunshine and dust, she is the first daughter of a poor farmer family. Her family consists of 4 people: Father, mother, younger brother, and her. Each member of the family has the characteristics of the real poor, only she is the most different.

                          Despite living in a difficult situation, Mia was given a beautiful face by God, with balanced five senses. Mia's fame also resonates further. Although she is only 19 years old, there have been many boys in the village who asked to marry her because of her beauty and cute, and kind personality. Whenever they want to ask for love, these men often liken her beauty to all kinds of beauty in the world. They complimented her eyes like the deep sea and the sky with shining pearls, they said her shiny auburn hair was the color of rare wood, they thought her charming smile was the stars, then her voice was like the whispers of the angels in the sky. They used all the vocabulary and imagination they had, hoping to possess her. Mia knows that these people don't love her, they just love the looks she is lucky to have. So, even though her parents repeatedly advised her, she still refused all of them. Since then, fewer people have come to bother Mia's family.

 “But why is your skin still white even though you expose yourself to the field every day?... Oh, that's right, you are covered all the time”

Mia smiles, answering her younger brother:

 “It's very dangerous in such hot sun!” – The girl turns her innocent eyes to the boy sitting on the edge of the field, frowning. – “Why did you go out here without wearing a hat?”

While saying that, Mia puts down the rice she is picking, takes her hat, and puts it on her brother.

 “It's so sunny, you might get heatstroke, Asher”

Asher gives her a bored look, returning her hat

 “You should take better care of yourself. That is also a bad trait of you”

Both of them bent their backs under the rice fields, continuing their unfinished business. Suddenly, Asher sighs, saying in a deep voice:

 “Hey, do you know? I heard our family's debt and interest payments are due. But (holding up a rice plant), even they almost withered, how do we have money to take care of this?”

 “Really?” – Mia asks again, even though she has known about this for a long time – “Was it because I was too selfish, just for my own sake? If I accept his marriage proposal…”

Asher is getting angry and he interrupting his sister’s sentences:

 “Don't think about this anymore. Also, never blame yourself. No matter what, parents don't want you to suffer”

 “But… still, we have some extra money and food”

Mia is saying in a regretful voice. To make her sister not have to worry too much about this matter, Asher can only threaten that he will not help her with the farm work anymore. Done, he comforts her:

 “I will try to find a stable job, I'm a man after all!”

 “You look at everyone around, all of them are like us. Is there anyone so good that they hire people with high salaries?... But you are not a man yet, you are only a boy. And, I am an adult”

Asher smiles slightly, his eyes curve up, and his face is both bright and a little dark.

 “Who said I will work here? You also know who our family borrows money from, I plan to go there to work to clear the family's debt. In addition, you're so boring when saying I am not a man”

Although Mia raises many negative questions about this plan, Asher still wants to try. He is a man of courage, his words must be immediately implemented. Therefore, at only 4 a.m. The next morning, he sets off on his own. Since the place Asher wants to go is in the city center, he has to hitchhike the merchants to get there. The boy also has to pay them some money to thank them. Asher forces himself to succeed. When Asher prepares to leave, Mia offers to go with him, but because he is afraid that it will incur more costs and for some reasons that are not convenient to say, he just refuses her. Although Asher never said it out loud, he always treasures her older sister. He has promised to protect her and her family at all costs.

             The horse walks for about 5 hours. When he arrives, he got off at a fork in the road and asks everyone the way to the official’s mansion. The search is not as easy as he thought, he has to walk so much that his bare feet would peel off his skin and bleed from walking the wrong way too many times. Struggling on the crowded street for about an hour and a half, he finally arrives. Standing in front of the luxurious 3-story house, Asher is very admired. He looks inside, not knowing how to meet the other high-ranking official. After a while, Asher decides to call out. He calls many times, and from inside the house, a woman about 60 years old comes out. She stands on the other side of the gate, showing her displeasure and reprimanding Asher:

 “Don't know how to ring the doorbell? It's impolite. I thought it is some wild dog that comes over to be so arrogant, but actually, it is a ragged country dog”

Even though he is humiliated, he only admits the wrong part of himself.

 “Madam, I need to see Mr. Malcolm Hiddleston. Is he at home now?”

The woman smirks scornfully.

 “If he meets you, he will stay away from you because of the stench and filth from your body. You should ask yourself who you are first, that's disrespectful”

Suddenly, a man with a long blazer walks up to him, arms crossed. The woman immediately bows politely and says:

 “Sir, there is nothing but my ability to deal with it. Please go back to your room and rest”

He curls his lips, turning his sharp red eyes toward the woman and Asher.

 “Who do you think you are to remind me?”

 “I… don’t mean that, sorry sir!” – Her ferocious just now disappears as soon as this man appears.

 “Sir… are you the son of Mr. Malcolm Hiddleston? I’m Asher Blair, I…” - Asher raises his voice trembling because he has a little scared about this man.

The man immediately widens his eyes, glancing at Asher.

 “I don’t ask you, shut up. Blair?... Well, you have a pretty sister, right?”

Asher nods.

“Do you come to ask me to bring your sister here?” - He smiles wickedly.

He immediately denies it and states his true intentions. As soon as the man hears that, he resumes his sarcastic laugh.

 “I don't get any stinky guys here. If it's your sister, it may be okay. Stupid!”

             After scolding, the man turns on his heel and enters the house, despite Asher's petition. Then, he is chased away by the blue hair. Because of his failure, he can not return home. He doesn’t want to spend another penny. Humiliation and disappointment fill the young man's heart, he has to vent his anger at the cobblestones lying on the road. Asher sits in a corner of the street until 4 pm. At that time, a passerby thinks he is a beggar because of his gesture. As soon as the coin is thrust into his callused hand, he immediately throws it away for the sake of self-respect. The passerby is also scared by him and runs away. After he calms down, he just picks up the coin and stores it carefully. Anyway, he has nothing to lose.

As soon as the thought ends, a hand runs out of nowhere, snatching the canvas bag containing all the money Asher has had. He immediately runs after him, but because his legs hurt and his stomach is hungry, he can only watch the back of the bandit gradually fades away.

“So it's lost…” – Asher falls to his knees in pain.