Chapter 4 — 19 Lakhs 2, Buying Out a Family

That car horn sounded like an order. All four of us... stood still. The faces of Chu Hao, Ly Mai and Truong Tu Mai were pale after the lie was ripped apart. As for me… no expression. But inside, there was a stir in my heart. I tightened my grip on the key, turned and walked straight out the door.

"Sister! Where are you going?" Chu Hao screamed and quickly rushed forward to block me.

Truong Tu Mai also cried behind her. "Tieu Tinh! Don't go! It's dark outside!" I don't stop. The more they stop... the more it proves that the other car has a problem. I opened the door and rushed down the stairs. Footsteps and calls from behind rushed after us. I didn't turn around, I ran straight down. The old building does not have a parking garage, only a row of outdoor parking spaces. At this time, the car is almost full. I stood downstairs and pressed the unlock button again. Not far away, a car covered with a gray tarpaulin flashed its lights twice. That's it. I walked quickly. Chu Hao and Ly Mai also caught up, panting in front of me.

“Sister, listen to my explanation!” Chu Hao's voice carried a pleading tone.

Ly Mai directly hugged my hand.

"Sister-in-law, this car is not ours! It's... borrowed from a friend! We're just parking it temporarily!"

Up to this point… still lying. I didn't bother to answer. I forcefully shook Ly Mai's hand away and walked to the front of the car. Reach out and pull away the tarp. A brand new, black Volkswagen sedan appeared before my eyes. Under the street lights, the car's body is shiny, without a speck of dust. The glass also has a temporary stamp from the dealer. This is clearly a new car that was purchased not long ago. I looked at the car, then looked back at Chu Hao and Ly Mai who were wearing cheap pajamas. The panicked expressions on their faces… were so funny that they made people feel cold. 19 thousand 2 yuan. I saved every penny, not even daring to buy a set of clothes worth more than 500 yuan. I don't dare to gather to eat, I don't dare to travel, I don't even dare to get sick. I collected every penny and sent it all home, just hoping they could live better, at least a little more decently. Yet they used my hard-earned money to buy a car that they themselves could not afford. Then they performed a "starving to death" drama in the family group, both defaming and forcing me to continue giving money. An irrepressible anger flared up in my chest. I tightened the key, walked to the driver's seat and pulled out the car door.

"Sister! Don't touch!" Chu Hao rushed forward like crazy, but I was already sitting inside.

The smell of new car leather hit my face, and on the dashboard was a lucky cat. All show how much its owner cherishes it. My hands trembled as I opened the storage compartment in front of the passenger seat. Inside was a thick stack of papers. I pulled out. The top sheet is the vehicle certificate. Name of car owner, clearly written in two words: Chu Hao. Below is the car purchase invoice. Invoice date... is last month. Price: 18 thousand 8. Payment: pay in one go. Plus taxes, insurance, registration... Nothing missing, nothing too much, fits my 19 thousand 2. The truth... is clear. No need for any further explanation. Those black and white sheets of paper... are the coldest evidence. I took the pile of papers and got out of the car. When Chu Hao and Ly Mai saw it, they immediately became weak. They know... they can't hide it anymore.

With a "thud" sound, Chu Hao knelt down in front of me.

“Sister, I was wrong!”

He hugged my leg tightly, crying to tears heart.

"I'm possessed by a ghost! I'm not human!"

“I just want vanity… seeing all my friends have cars, I want too…”

"Ly Mai talks in my ear all day, saying it's inconvenient to go out without a car, I'm losing face..."

“I was suddenly confused… just touched your money…”

Hearing him push responsibility, Ly Mai immediately screamed.

"Chu Hao, you bastard! I bought it myself! Not to flirt with girls for convenience!"

“It has nothing to do with me!”

The two of them stood in front of me, starting to tear each other apart, fighting each other to clear their responsibilities. Ugly to the point of being unbearable. I looked at them coldly, like looking at two dogs falling into the water and trampling each other to survive. I didn't say anything, just turned my eyes to Truong Tu Mai who was standing not far away, like a lost soul. She was also looking at me, tears streaming down her face, her lips trembling.

“Tieu Tinh… mother…”

I interrupted her.

“Mom… also knows about this, right?”

Truong Tu Mai's whole body trembled violently. She neither nodded nor shook. But her silence… was the answer. She knew from beginning to end. Not only did he know… but he was also an accomplice. She herself gave the card to Chu Hao. It was she who helped him hide it after buying the car. It was she, this afternoon, along with Chu Hao and Ly Mai, who performed the entire play in the family group. My heart... fell straight to the bottom of the abyss. It's even colder than knowing the money was wasted. I withdrew my eyes and never looked at them again. I bent down, looking at the invoice and car documents in my hand. Then I made a decision. I took the phone and made a call. As soon as the other end picked up the phone, I calmly said:

“Hello, you are manager Vuong at the used car market, right?”

“Yes, I am Chu Tinh.”

“I have a car, just bought it a month ago, with all the papers.”

“I want to sell.”

As soon as my words ended, Chu Hao's crying suddenly stopped. He raised his head and looked at me in disbelief.

"Sister! Don't!"

His pitiful voice seemed to tear through the night. My voice transmitted clearly through the phone, and also fell into the ears of Chu Hao, Ly Mai and Truong Tu Mai. Chu Hao's cry suddenly stopped, as if he was being strangled. He jumped up from the ground, his eyes bloodshot, filled with blood and despair.

"No! Chu Tinh! You can't do that!"

He rushed forward like crazy, trying to snatch my phone. I was on guard beforehand, I just needed to lean one step to avoid it.

“Mr. Wang, you heard it too.”

I spoke into the phone, my voice cold and calm.

“The car owner is a bit agitated.”

“The car is a black Volkswagen Sagitar, just got it last month, 1.5T automatic version.”

“Less than five hundred kilometers, no collision, no flooding, not even the first maintenance.”

"What's the highest amount you can collect...?"

With every word I said, Chu Hao's face turned a little paler. Ly Mai also reacted, rushing forward to scratch my face.

"You cruel woman! You won't end well! That's my family's car!"

I raised my hand to stop her, letting her nails scratch a few marks on my hand. This little bit of pain... is not a thousandth of what is in my heart. On the other end of the line, manager Vuong явно is an experienced person, he has encountered many family problems like this. He pondered for a moment, then told the price.

“Ms. Chu, your car is in almost new condition, with complete papers, we charge about 130,000 5.”

A car costs 19 thousand 2, runs for a month... a loss of nearly 6 thousand. But me not interested. Today, I just want them to understand... what is the price to pay.

“Okay, that's the price.”

I said decisively.

"Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock, I will bring people and money to building 5, Thanh Ha area."

“Money given, car received.”

"Sister! I beg you! I kneel down! Don't sell!"

Chu Hao knelt down again, this time... he was really scared. He hugged my leg, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"You're wrong, sister! You're really wrong! This car is all for you! From now on, it's your car! You can take it anytime you want! Just don't sell it!"

Ly Mai also knelt and hugged my other leg.

"Sister-in-law! We know it's wrong! We can act like buffalos and horses! Please forgive us this time!"

The two of them, like two pitiful people, knelt at my feet and begged. The previous aggression… disappeared completely. I looked down at them, my eyes not wavering at all. Knowing today... why do it from scratch? As for Truong Tu Mai... She did not kneel. From beginning to end, she just stood there. Look at me with resentful eyes. That look... was not like looking at a girl. It's like looking at someone who destroyed everything for her.