Chapter 5 — Admission Notice Was Sold By Mistake

His hands began to tremble, squeezing the stack of papers so tightly together that his knuckles turned white. “It's done, it's all done!” Mother suddenly stood up and rushed in front of Mr. Trieu. "Didn't you say it hadn't been destroyed? Why did it become like this?" Old Trieu put out his cigarette and took half a step back in disgust, avoiding her approaching body. "After all, these two things are made of paper. Being soaked in all kinds of trash for a whole day, and being transported back and forth by truck, just being torn like this is already good." Old Trieu waved his hand and chased them out of the landfill. "If you find it, go quickly. I'm off work." The iron gate slammed shut. The three people stood in front of the landfill door, their faces unsightly as if they had just swallowed a fly, and could only return home disheveled. To Tam Dao scolded her mother as she walked in the door. "School is about to start now, what did Mom tell me to bring to school?" Mom suddenly turned her head to look at me, her eyes lit up. "Didn't you and your sister apply to the same university? Give your admission notice to your sister to use!" To Tam Dao was stunned, then ran two steps in front of me, begging: "Sister, please give me your admission notice." "Your results are so good, it's okay to repeat a year. I beg you." I pushed his hand away and took a step back, my tone distant. "What happened to you guys, how can I make you pay for it with my life?" Mother's face darkened. She rushed forward, her nails digging into my wrist. "How can you be so selfish? We're all family, so what's the point of helping each other a little?" "Your sister is younger than you. As an older sister, you have to give in to her!" To Tam Dao stood next to her, stomping her feet to help, her voice both high and urgent. "That's right! I'm your biological sister, are you cruel enough to see me not be able to go to college?" Dad put out his cigarette and looked up at me. "Give the admission notice to your sister. The family will continue to let the child study again." I stood still, looked at them and slowly said: "No way." To Tam Dao panicked, rushed into my room and started searching. "I said it doesn't count! No matter what I find, it's mine!" My parents also ran into the room. They had distorted faces, flipped through my wardrobe, pulled out each folded piece of clothing and threw it on the ground. I leaned against the door frame and looked at them twice. Then, I turned around and walked to the corner, carrying the suitcase I had prepared in advance. I pulled the suitcase handle up, the wheels made a clacking sound. So you guys just keep looking slowly. I dragged my suitcase downstairs. When I knocked on the homeroom teacher's door, she was sitting in the living room watching TV. Seeing me and the suitcase at her feet, she was surprised but didn't ask anything else. She went back inside, took out the still intact admission notice and gave it to me. "I'm always helping you. Remember to be safe on the road." I took it and bowed deeply before her. When I stood up straight, my throat felt a little tight. "Thank you, Ms. Tran. If mom and the others come looking for me, just say you didn't see me." Ms. Tran patted my shoulder, didn't say anything else but just nodded. I pulled my suitcase, turned and walked into the night. The wind on the high-speed train station platform is very strong. The phone in my pocket vibrated non-stop, but I didn't look once. Three months later. While I was studying by myself in the school library, my phone suddenly vibrated. The caller displayed is mother. I hung up the call and didn't answer the phone. Immediately after that, each message continuously appeared. "Van Van, your father is unemployed. Every day he stays home and drinks. When he gets drunk, he starts beating me." "Now there's no healthy part left on my mother's body. Come back to see me quickly." She sent me a photo of her body covered in bruises and blood. She tried to awaken the mother-child relationship that had been so broken that not even the residue remained. Before, my mother often complained to me. She said this relative used to make things difficult for her, saying her father often didn't care about her. But every time I stand up to defend her, she smiles and stabs me in the back. She turned to apologize to others, saying she didn't mind at all. The corner of my lips pulled into a teasing curve. After this, I won't care anymore. I swiped the screen, erasing the seeds

ch all notifications. After that, I turned the phone face down on the table and continued to study on my own. In the end, To Tam Dao had to go back to school. Because his admission notice was sold for scrap, he always resented his mother. After school, he refused to go home and went with some male students to an internet cafe to play games. Later, I heard Ms. Tran say she loved a male student at school. Before graduating, she was pregnant by that man. However, the man's family refused to acknowledge the baby in his womb, claiming that it was someone else's child. Mom went to school and made a fuss, forcing the man to marry To Tam Dao. To Tam Dao's reputation is completely rotten. I asked a few questions about Ms. Tran's recent health situation, then buried my head back in the laboratory. Until I received news that To Tam Dao had passed away. It turned out that after completely turning against that man, To Tam Dao lost all hope.