Chapter 9 — After All, We All Learn How to Be Better People

Text back to Luc Thoi Hanh: "You're right, you have to have wine to swallow."

“How to handle it?”

"Leave it for a few days. Don't answer hastily. Let him get impatient first."

“Understood. Oh, about this.”

He paused, his voice lowered.

“He started borrowing Thinh Hang's name to talk to outsiders.”

"My grandfather's side seems to have known that he was planning to quit his job."

"During the meal, he mentioned it. He told grandpa to call and scold him, asking if he was crazy. But he didn't listen. He even said one thing — 'Grandpa is too conservative and doesn't understand business.'"

Don't understand business. A twenty-four year old boy, taking his inheritance money to bet, said his grandfather did not understand business.

“Diep Thanh, what is your grandfather's attitude now?”

"I don't know. I haven't contacted home for more than a week."

“What about your mother?”

“She texted me every day, I just replied ‘yes’ and ‘yeah’.”

Luc Thoi Hanh did not ask further. At 11 p.m., I was about to turn off the computer when the phone rang. I hesitated a bit, still answering the phone.

“Tieu Thanh.”

His voice was hoarse.

“Your grandfather was hospitalized today.”

My hand stopped.

“What's the situation?”

"My blood pressure was up to 190, my head was dizzy all the time. I almost fell at home this afternoon. My aunt-in-law called the ambulance."

“What now?”

"I'm in the emergency department of the city hospital. I'm on fluids. I'm fine. The doctor said I'll have to monitor for a few more days."

The other side was silent for a while.

“Tieu Thanh… can I come visit grandpa?”

I leaned back in the chair. The ceiling light was so bright it hurt my eyes.

“Do you know that Minh Huy plans to quit his job?”

"I know. We argued about it this afternoon. He didn't let me rest, he insisted on quitting. We argued back and forth, I couldn't stand it anymore."

“What about Tien To Phuong?”

"In the care home. She... doesn't seem to support Minh Huy quitting his job, but she can't stop him."

I called out.

“Hospital fees, who pays?”

The other end of the line was silent. A long time later.

"We haven't discussed it yet... My uncle-in-law said Minh Huy is doing the procedures and the money hasn't been withdrawn yet..."

"200,000,000 yuan inheritance. No money for hospital bills."

I speak very softly.

“Tieu Thanh, don't be like that…”

“Dad, I won't pay the hospital bills.”

"Before, you were my grandfather, I volunteered. But now - you said it yourself - the Diep family has no children. So let the people in the Diep family take care of your business."

“Tieu Thanh!”

"Dad, tell Minh Huy. It's not like he can't get that 200,000,000 yuan. He just can't bear to use it for grandpa."

I hung up. Fingers remain on the screen for a long time. Finally locked it. In the darkness there was only the sound of my heart. Hits very clearly. Each beat, each beat, is like tapping on the chest. Grandpa was hospitalized for four days. The final hospital bill was advanced by my father. Swipe two credit cards, collect 37,000 yuan. Diep An An secretly told me.

"Mr. Huy didn't spend any money. His mother said he was running a project, all the money was withheld, told the eldest uncle to pay in advance and pay later."

Will pay later. I've heard this sentence for more than twenty years. When I was young, my eldest uncle borrowed 5,000 yuan from my father to buy an air conditioner, saying "pay it back later". Still haven't seen it yet.

“Are you discharged from the hospital?”

"Okay. Back to the old house. Third aunt is coming to take care of her."

“How is your health?”

"My blood pressure is stable again. The doctor told me not to get excited. But he didn't listen. The day I was discharged from the hospital, I scolded Huy again."

Diep An An glanced at the door and lowered her voice.

"Grandfather Tell Huy to deposit money in the bank, don't do anything wrong. Mr. Huy said that he had already discussed several projects and could not leave them halfway. He asked what he was doing, and he said he was cooperating with a listed company owner.

“Do you believe it?”

“Sell faith, sell doubt. Mr. Huy showed him the chat with Mr. Luc. When he saw the word Thinh Hang Technology, he calmed down. After all, it is a listed company. Then he said one sentence — 'If Thinh Hang really wants to cooperate, that's fine. But don't be fooled.’”

“And then what?”

"Then Mr. Huy said something very... unbelievable."

Diep An An's expression is quite complicated.