In Which the Story of China Aster is at Second-Hand Told By One Who, While Not Disapproving the Moral, Disclaims the Spirit of the Style
- China Aster is a poor candle maker.
- China's formerly poor friend Orchis is a shoemaker who won the lottery.
- Orchis forces China to accept a check for $1,000 to invest in a different kind of candle material.
- China thinks this is a bad idea. His dad's old friends, nicknamed Plain Talk and Old Prudence, think this is a bad idea.
- Orchis makes China accept the money, anyway.
- China plans to return the money, but he dreams that an angel tells him it's okay to accept the check.
- Plain Talk and Old Prudence tell China this doesn't mean an actual angel told him anything; it just means he dreamed of an angel. China accepts the money anyway.
- Before Orchis leaves on a flashy trip to Europe, he tells China not to worry about the loan that's due in four years, because he's not even going to accept repayment.
- China cashes the check and tries the new candle material Orchis suggested. It bombs.
- China tries two other business moves to improve his sales. They bomb.
- China's been paying a lawyer working for Orchis interest on the loan (even though the two men never discussed interest payments), but it's clear he's not going to have the money when the loan period is up.
- China takes out another loan from a farmer. This one is way worse, because China promises the inheritance his wife will get from her rich uncle if the repayment fails.
- To make money, China sells his shop, becomes a journeyman, gets into more debt, opens a new shop, mortgages that shop to partially pay Orchis back (he's still been paying interest payments but doesn't have enough), then dies.
- China dies by falling down and hitting his head after Orchis has given him a guilt trip about being a bad friend. Why a bad friend? Because China doesn't have the money to pay Orchis back (Orchis is broke again), that's why.
- At the spot where China fell, Plain Talk and Old Prudence find China's wallet. In it, he had written his own premature epitaph. Super grim.
- It's basically a bleak warning about going against your better judgment to have giddy confidence in others.
- The incident causes a stir among the people in town who have profited off of China's debt and death.
- Afterwards, Plain Talk and Old Prudence add a line about how this all started with a friendly loan. Dark.