Permanently Changing a Variable as the Result of a Choice

I have decision points that not only advance the story, but also change a variable. The code I've used so far helps me exit the if statement, but it doesn't permanently change the variable. I need to be able to track it over the course of the story.

Code:
(set:$1st to 1)
(if:$1st is 1)[
|choice>[
(link: "(A) \“Hello .... District\”")[
(set:$1st to 2)
(replace: ?choice)[“Hello ... District.”]]
(link: "\“Good .... cause.\”")[
(set:$1st to 2)
(replace: ?choice)[“Good .... cause.”]]
]](else:)[ERROR]