Chapter 2 — After Being Kicked Out of the Retirement Party, I Went to Germany for 50 Days

At an altitude of more than ten thousand meters, the plane's engine made a steady buzzing sound. I turned off the reading light and leaned back in the spacious chair. Each frame in the photo album on the phone continuously appeared in the darkness. Five years of marriage, like a mythical black and white silent movie. The first time I came to Phuong's house, Tu Phuong Tien used his eyes to evaluate me from head to toe.

"Are these conditions enough? My son graduated from a top university and works in a state-owned enterprise."

That disdainful tone is still imprinted in my memory. Immediately after that, she turned and shouted loudly to the relatives next to her:

“The in-laws are in the countryside and have no background at all.”

On the wedding day, right at the wedding, she held the microphone and announced in front of all the guests:

"My family did not take a single dong of bride price, that is enough to show respect to the Diep family."

The guests all looked at her with appreciative eyes, as if the Phuong family were generous enough to do charity. No one knew that although the wedding house was paid for by the Phuong family, the car was also bought by them. But the renovation cost of hundreds of thousands of yuan and the installment payment of more than 10,000 yuan each month afterward required me to scrape all of my and my family's savings to shoulder the burden. On the third day after getting married, the mother-in-law blatantly used the spare key to open the door and enter.

"From now on, I have to go to my mother's house to eat every weekend. Prepare six dishes in advance, four salty dishes and two vegetarian dishes."

That's not an offer. It's an order. From that day on, every weekend I became a free chef for the Phuong family. On the first Tet after getting married, I cautiously suggested that I wanted to go home to celebrate the new year. The mother-in-law immediately slammed her chopsticks on the table. Her voice was sharp and shrill:

"A daughter getting married is like a bowl of water being thrown away! Do you still miss the poor relatives in your mother's house?"

Phuong Vu Hang sat next to him like a piece of wood. Don't dare say a single word. Phuong Vu Tinh's sister-in-law's yoga shop suffered heavy losses. My mother-in-law came to me directly, asking me to give her 100,000 yuan to save the situation.

"We're all one family. As a sister-in-law, if I don't help, who will?"

That's all the money I've saved after many years of working. Money was taken away. Not even a word of thanks. Three months after my mother-in-law was hospitalized for a cerebral infarction, I became a full-time nurse. Phuong Vu Tinh only spends half an hour at the hospital every day. She took a few photos of herself feeding and massaging her mother and posted them on social networks. Attached status line:

“A girl's love is the best medicine.”

Then he used the excuse of being busy and quickly left. As for me, I stayed up day and night in a hospital room that reeked of disinfectant. After being discharged from the hospital, her mother-in-law boasted to everyone she met:

"This time, I'm lucky to have my daughter Vu Tinh. She is truly a filial child."

For three months I took care of her. She did not mention a single word. Last year, Phuong Kien Quoc's father-in-law had heart surgery. The situation was urgent, I didn't say a word and immediately advanced 50,000 yuan in hospital fees. Then I mentioned this to Phuong Vu Hang. Before he could even open his mouth, his mother-in-law interrupted him:

"Isn't that the right thing to do? Now that I also have the Phuong family name, it's the Phuong family's money to spend."

My name is Diep. Forever is Diep family. The most recent conflict happened half a month ago. That day, I had my period and was in so much pain that my face turned pale and I curled up on the bed, unable to move. My mother-in-law called and asked me to immediately bring her a portion of her favorite family dish. Phuong Vu Hang held the phone and looked at my painful appearance. Finally, just say one thing:

“Just bear with it a bit, my mother is home alone.”

Right at that moment. Some corner of my heart is completely cold. The plane passed through dense clouds. Outside the window there was only endless darkness. I looked at my faint reflection on the glass. His eyes became colder and colder. More and more tough. For the past five years, I've been like a spinning top that's been whipped continuously. Non-stop rotation. Constantly trying to meet the needs of all of them. I used to think that my sacrifice would earn me respect. Get recognition in return. In exchange for a real home. Now I understand. In their eyes, I am not a wife. Not even a daughter-in-law. I'm just a free maid. A person can be ordered around at any time. Sacrifice at any time. And forgotten at any time. An outsider whose name doesn't even deserve to appear on the retirement party guest list. The plane landed at Munich airport. As soon as I stepped out of the gate, I saw An Kha. She was wearing a neat black trench coat and sunglasses, with a very strong aura. The moment she saw me, she immediately took off her glasses and frowned tightly.

"Diep Tri Thu, how have you lived these past five years? Why have you turned yourself into this?"

I gently pulled the corners of my lips, wanting to smile a little. But I found that my facial muscles were terrifyingly stiff. An Kha's apartment is located in the city center. Top floor. There is a giant ground-level glass window. Outside the window, the endless Alps are covered with white snow, reflecting brilliant golden light under the sunlight. I stood in front of the glass door, looking at that majestic scene. Stunned for ten minutes. Over the past five years, the landscape I've seen most has been the gray sky outside my kitchen window. An Kha helped me open the suitcase. From inside, I pulled out a pile of specialty gifts that I prepared for the Phuong family. I bought the massage machine specifically for my mother-in-law. She took each item out and threw it on the floor.

“Are you here to relax or are you here to receive relatives?”

“Even though you've come to this point, you're still thinking about buying gifts for adults who only know how to suck your blood?”

Her voice was filled with helplessness because I didn't know how to fight for myself. During dinner, I finally told the whole story of the retirement party. Don't hide anything. After hearing this, An Kha immediately slammed her chopsticks on the table.

“Are you still planning to go back?”

“Diep Tri Thu, do you have a tendency to abuse yourself?”

I bowed my head. A voice as small as a mosquito:

“After all, we are all family…”

“One person?”