seven or twenty-eight,my family began to get worried.My siblings were also impatient to marry me off. Like Thanh,the two sisters,Hongand Tan,knew someone who did business in Wanwei,Hong said: At that time,there was an aunt from my father's side who used to do busi- ness in Mong Cai and Dongxing....Every time she visited,she would tell my father that he should send some of us away to make money,since we labored so hard in the fields and yet still barely made ends meet;when would we ever become better off?Then she also talked to us siblings.She said there was good money doing jellyfish in Wanwei....Hearing her we were rather eager,and my father also agreed;so I decided to go. She took me to Mong Cai,and the following day we crossed over to Wanwei.How she did the paperwork I wouldn't know;I was only told to come along.It was jellyfish season [March-April],so there was much work here.She took me to a processing factory whose owners were a married Vietnamese couple in partnership with a Chinese man from Fangcheng.So I worked as a day laborer in that factory....The work was hard,but it paid well.Back then,if you were to convert to our money it would have been over a million dong (nearly USsso)already.After a few months,having saved a bit of money,I was planning to go home to ask my younger sister to come work for the next season.But right when the jellyfish season was ending and work was waning,somebody introduced me to a seafood gatherer.I thought it would be good to earn some more money,so I stayed on.After another few months of work,my landlady introduced this guy to me.At first I hesitated,because I didn't know what he was like....I sent word to the auntie to ask her opinion.She came to my place and told me just to marry,to get it over with.If I returned home, I would have to work in the fields again,a hard life without money.And in the countryside,women still unmarried at thirty could only hope to be a secondary wife. Tan had her own reasons for joining her sister in Wanwei: When I was twenty-two,I fell in love with someone living far away in a different district,but he worked in Hai Phong.My father didn't like it, but didn't say anything,while my older siblings showed their open dis- like.They said a guy who had left home like that,how could I be sure 422 Cross-Border Bridesùöö Cross-Border Brides seven or twenty-eight, my family began to get worried. My siblings were also impatient to marry me off. Like Thanh, the two sisters, Hồng and Tân, knew someone who did business in Wanwei, Hồng said: At that time, there was an aunt from my father’s side who used to do busi￾ness in Móng Cái and Dongxing. . . . Every time she visited, she would tell my father that he should send some of us away to make money, since we labored so hard in the fields and yet still barely made ends meet; when would we ever become better off? Then she also talked to us siblings. She said there was good money doing jellyfish in Wanwei. . . . Hearing her we were rather eager, and my father also agreed; so I decided to go. She took me to Móng Cái, and the following day we crossed over to Wanwei. How she did the paperwork I wouldn’t know; I was only told to come along. It was jellyfish season [March–April], so there was much work here. She took me to a processing factory whose owners were a married Vietnamese couple in partnership with a Chinese man from Fangcheng. So I worked as a day laborer in that factory. . . . The work was hard, but it paid well. Back then, if you were to convert to our money it would have been over a million dong (nearly US$50) already. After a few months, having saved a bit of money, I was planning to go home to ask my younger sister to come work for the next season. But right when the jellyfish season was ending and work was waning, somebody introduced me to a seafood gatherer. I thought it would be good to earn some more money, so I stayed on. After another few months of work, my landlady introduced this guy to me. At first I hesitated, because I didn’t know what he was like. . . . I sent word to the auntie to ask her opinion. She came to my place and told me just to marry, to get it over with. If I returned home, I would have to work in the fields again, a hard life without money. And in the countryside, women still unmarried at thirty could only hope to be a secondary wife. Tân had her own reasons for joining her sister in Wanwei: When I was twenty-two, I fell in love with someone living far away in a different district, but he worked in Hải Phòng. My father didn’t like it, but didn’t say anything, while my older siblings showed their open dis￾like. They said a guy who had left home like that, how could I be sure