Chapter 10 — 8 Million Dividend Does Not Include Me, No One Knows I Own Tens of Millions of Yuan

The phone suddenly vibrated. It's a message from Tran Loi. Maybe he's not sleeping yet.

"General Lam."

"I just thought of something."

I looked at the screen. Very quickly, the second message appeared.

"Actually..."

"If you want..."

I stopped. Fingertips unconsciously tightened the phone. The last message appears.

"You can absolutely buy back the factory."

Tran Loi's message stayed on the screen for a long time.

"You can absolutely buy back the factory."

I looked at that text until the screen went dark on its own. Buy back the factory. Four words sound very light. But behind it are many things that I don't want to face. Lam Kien Quoc. Two older brothers. Two sisters-in-law. Old house. All those years where I tried my best to prove that I was worthy of love. I didn't answer Tran Loi right away. Just turn off the lights in the office and stand in front of the glass door for a long time. Outside, the city is still bright. But inside me, it was like a lamp had just been blown away by the wind. The next morning, as soon as I arrived at the company, I received a call from my eldest brother. Since we met at the coffee shop, he rarely calls me directly. Maybe because of fear. Maybe it's also because of shame. I looked at the name displayed on the screen for a few seconds before answering the phone. The eldest brother's voice was hoarse. No longer looks as leisurely as before.

"Old house... started packing today."

I said nothing. He continued.

"Dad has signed a contract to sell the house."

"The buyer requested to hand it over within three days."

I lowered my eyes. The old house was eventually sold. Even though I predicted it. But when I heard the eldest brother say it out loud, there was still an indescribable feeling in my heart. That place is not good for me. But that place once contained my childhood. The eldest brother was silent for a few seconds then continued.

"In the storage room there are a few bags of my stuff."

"Eldest sister-in-law cleaned up earlier."

"I don't know if you still need it."

"If I don't come get it, I'll probably be dealt with by someone else."

I hold the phone. Fingertips are a bit cold. Storage room. A few bags of stuff. I immediately remembered that morning of Thirty Tet. Books were haphazardly stuffed into pineapple bags. The photos have bent corners. The Mathematical Olympiad gold medal was crushed under a stack of old newspapers. Then I said no more. I thought I really didn't need it. But it turns out, some things are not unnecessary. But at that time it was so painful, I just wanted to throw it all away.

"I'll come over this afternoon."

The other end of the line clearly breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll wait for you."

In the afternoon, I drove back to my old house. I have passed that road many times. But this time it feels strange. The iron gate in front of the yard has been sealed with handover papers. The yard is filled with cardboard boxes. Several moving workers were carrying things to the truck. Mom sat on a plastic chair in the corner of the yard. Both eyes were red. She saw me, her lips moved slightly. But in the end, he didn't call my name. I also did not proactively step forward. The eldest brother led me to the second floor. The room that used to be mine was almost half empty. The desk is gone. The curtains have also been taken down. Sunlight shines directly on the floor, revealing thin layers of dust. The eldest brother pushed open the storage room door.

"My things are in here."

I stood at the door. A very light musty smell immediately rushed out. In the corner of the room there are three pineapple bags. The mouth of the bag is not tied tightly. There are a few old books exposed. I step next. Squat down and open the first bag. Inside are high school textbooks. Some books have curled edges. In the middle of the book page is a dry leaf. I remembered that it was a maple leaf I picked up in the school yard in eleventh grade. At that time, I got first place in the entire grade. I want to press the leaves into a book and keep it as a souvenir. The second envelope is a certificate of merit. Many certificates of merit. From elementary school to university. Some sheets have turned yellow. Some sheets are folded. I picked up a sheet. On it was written: Outstanding student in the whole school. That year I brought this certificate of merit home. Mom just glanced at me and said:

"A girl who studies well is not as good as knowing how to live a peaceful life."

I used to be sad because of that statement for a long time. The third bag contains medals and old photos. I found that Math Olympiad medal. The strap got tangled in a notebook. The medal's face is covered with dust. I used my finger to gently wipe it. The old metallic shine appeared under the gray dust. Suddenly I felt a lump in my throat. My entire childhood was spent in these three pineapple bags. Tucked into a dark corner. Covered in dust. People arbitrarily decide to keep or throw away. I bowed my head and tidied up each item. At that moment, my hand touched something hard.