Chapter 4 — After Divorce, I Take Everything Back

Liu Guilan was stunned. The living room was silent for a few seconds. Only the sound of commercials on TV echoed loudly. Tran Vu lowered his voice: "So... what now? The deposit money for my house... is mostly hers..." Luu Que Lan glared.

“Why didn't you think when you took the money?”

“Well… Mom gave it to me…”

Tran Vu muttered.

"Did I give it to you? Where did I get the money? Didn't it all come from his card?"

After Luu Que Lan finished speaking, she herself stopped. That sentence... is like admitting it yourself. Tran Hao looked at his mother, then at his younger brother. In an instant, he suddenly saw— This house was like a rotten beam. The outside still looks sturdy, but the inside has been empty for a long time. And he... still tried his best to paint on it.

“You, how about you give me an advance?”

Tran Vu approached, his voice cautious. Tran Hao smirked.

"My salary is 9,000 yuan. House payment is 4,500. Car payment is 1,800. Tell me, what do I get in return?"

"Then I'll think of another way. Should I really let my mother get sued?"

Tran Vu said that without any guilt on his face. Of course as it should be. As if he was the one being harmed. As if the person who took the most money... wasn't him. Tran Hao looked at that face.

“Tran Vu, you are 26 years old. Not 6 years old.”

"In the past eight years, how many jobs have you changed? Have you had any job for more than four months?"

"When I ran out of money, I raised my hand and asked my mother. My mother turned to me and asked me. If I didn't have any, I forced Niem Senh to give it to me."

"Now Niem Senh is gone. There's no one to take care of you anymore. Are you scared?"

Tran Vu's face was sometimes red and sometimes white.

“You, how can you say that—”

“So what should I say about you?”

Tran Hao stood up.

"Praise you for your understanding? Praise you for being independent? Praise you for thinking about your family?"

"Tran Vu, you sucked Niem Senh's blood for eight years. Now the IV is removed... you deserve it."

After speaking, he went straight to the bedroom. The door slammed shut, the sound echoed throughout the house. In the living room, Luu Que Lan and Tran Vu looked at each other.

“Mom, he…”

“Don't pay attention to it.”

Liu Guilan gritted his teeth.

“I don't believe Lam Niem Senh dares to sue me.”

She picked up the phone, flipped through the contacts, and dialed.

"Hello, big sister? It's Que Lan. There's something I want to ask you..."

I'm at the law office right now. Lawyer Chu is over forty, his hair is tied neatly at the back of his head. Speak quickly, without unnecessary words. I like this style.

“Miss Lam, according to the documents you provided, the possibility of winning is very high.”

She gently pushed her glasses.

"Bank statements, personal notebooks, WeChat screenshots, call recordings. The chain of evidence is basically closed."

“If they don't pay, after filing a lawsuit, the court is very likely to uphold your claim.”

I nodded.

“Then follow the plan.”

"Okay." Lawyer Chu stopped for a moment. "But I still have to remind you one thing. Once you file a lawsuit, it's considered completely severed. After all, both sides were once—"

“Lawyer Chu.”

I interrupted.

“When they used my money... there was no mercy.”

She looked at me for a moment. Then nodded. "I get it."

“If you don't pay within fifteen days, apply immediately.”

When I left the law office, I did not return immediately. Stroll on the street. From the time it was still light... until the street lights were bright. Passing by a shopping center, in a glass cabinet there was a dinner jacket displayed. Dark blue, cashmere material, neat cut. Price 4,200 yuan. I remember last winter I also liked a similar one. At that time, I sent the photo to Tran Hao. He say nothing. Luu Que Lan sent another message to the family group: "All day I only know how to buy clothes, I don't know how to save money. Tieu Vu's side still lacks some resources." I don't buy. It's not that there's not enough money. It's about being "taught" to the point where— Spending money you earned yourself... also feels guilty. I entered the store. Try that shirt. The person in the mirror is a little thinner, but his shoulders are straight. Something was welling up in my eyes.

“Sister, can I wrap it up?”

Swipe your own card. Hands are surprisingly steady. My money. I can spend it however I want. Carrying my bag and walking out of the shopping center, I texted Diep Tri Thu.

"Let's go eat tomorrow night. I invite you."

She answered immediately: “Did you win the trick?”

“No. Just want to spend money.”

"Okay. Let me choose a seat. Choose the most expensive one."

After sending it, I called a car. Report an address. It was a Japanese restaurant I had passed by countless times, but had never entered. Online, friends check in all the time, each person costs three or four hundred yuan. Every time I pass by I think: let's leave it later. Wait until you have money later. Waiting for "later"? Now is "later". Outside the car window, neon lights flash by in patches. I suddenly remembered eight years ago, when I first got married. Tran Hao took me to eat at a sidewalk restaurant. A bowl of spicy and sour noodles, fifteen yuan, plus a braised egg for two yuan. I eat happily. At that time, I thought that as long as I had someone by my side, it didn't matter what I ate. In the following years, the money earned more and more. But there's not a single penny... to spend on myself. It's not a matter of money. It's a human issue. Now, the money is demanding back. The person… left. The family... has broken up. But I felt— Like I was alive again. The Tran family has been in complete chaos these past few days. Liu Que Lan called everywhere. Relatives, colleagues, friends, anyone who can contact me calls. Suffering. Denounce. Say I'm ungrateful and ungrateful. But the reaction of her relatives... made her almost stop breathing.

"Que Lan, it wasn't me who said it. Holding someone else's salary card for eight years is really unreasonable."

"It's normal for people to get their cards back after a divorce. If I change mine, I'll do the same."

"More than seven hundred thousand? Tieu Vu spent eight years of someone else's money that much? What did that girl get in the end?"

The more she heard, the angrier Liu Que Lan became. Finally broke the phone.

"A bunch of unscrupulous people! Normally they eat what's mine and drink what's mine, but now they're defending outsiders!"

Tran Vu huddled in the corner of the sofa playing games. Phuong Tinh Tinh has not contacted him for four days. Messages are not answered, phone calls are not answered. Even blocked him from his friends circle. It's because of the bride price.

“Mom, what should Tinh Tinh do now?”

"What can I do? The kind of person who sees money and sees money, so you can give up!"

Liu Guilan is hot.

"Mom! You can't talk about Tinh Tinh like that!"

“What if I say?”

She screamed.

"I tell you, Tran Vu, what you should worry about now is not your girlfriend—it's money! More than seven hundred thousand! You spent it! How are you going to pay?"

"That money was given to me by my mother, I didn't take it myself..."

"I give it to you? That's your sister-in-law's salary!"

Mother and daughter quarreled. The sound became louder and louder, as if it wanted to turn the roof over. Tran Hao lies in the bedroom. Hear every sentence clearly. He turned around, holding the phone. Inside are many of my photos. While cooking. While reading books. While standing on the balcony basking in the sun. There is a photo taken on the first day. I stood by the window, turning head looking at the camera, lips slightly curved. He remembered that day I made braised ribs, his favorite dish. He looked at that photo. The phone screen turns off then lights up, lights up then turns off again. He used to have such a good person. But he didn't take it seriously. Now... it's really gone. Day four. Liu Guilan received another parcel.