Chapter 14 — After My Cousin Moved In, My Family Almost Destroyed

He just made the mistake that so many good people often make. Not clearly distinguishing right from wrong. Between love and principles... He always instinctively chooses love. But forget that... A love without principles... In the end it's just a disaster. My mother and grandfather had a huge argument. It was the most intense argument in my memory. My mother almost poured out all the resentment and dissatisfaction that had accumulated over the years. From how much money my family spent when Uncle Hai got married... To when Aunt Hai gave birth, how devotedly my mother took care of her... And when my grandmother was sick, how filial my family was... But in return... Just endless demands. And this slander almost destroyed our entire family.

“Zhao Weiguo, I tell you!”

My mother pointed straight at my father, her eyes red.

“The reason this house is still a house…”

“It's not because of how good you — the head of the family — are.”

“It's because of me and Van Van…”

“Time and time again, I have stood to pay the price for your ridiculous so-called 'friendship' and 'face'!"

“If you still don't know the difference between right and wrong…”

“Then this house will also disappear!”

After that argument... My father really changed completely. He is no longer the type of person who only needs to hear a few sweet words to be led by the nose. He learned how to refuse. Learn how to say "no". Every time relatives in the countryside called, making all kinds of unreasonable requests, he would directly respond:

“Can't do it.”

“No time.”

“Stop looking for me.”

He put all his energy into our small family. He will go for a walk with my mother. I will cook my favorite braised pork dish. Will remember all family anniversaries. The atmosphere in the house becomes more harmonious and warmer than ever. As for that jade bracelet... My mother put it away and never wore it again. She said every time she sees it, she will remember that painful time. Wait until the day I get married to pass it on to me. I once asked her. The day the bracelet was found in my school bag... Did you really never have even the slightest suspicion? My mother looked at me and laughed.

“So stupid.”

"You are a piece of meat that fell from the mother, the child that she was pregnant with for ten months before giving birth."

“Mom, I watched you grow from a tiny baby to this.”

“What kind of person are you…”

“Mom knows better than anyone.”

“Evidence can be falsified.”

“But not the human heart.”

“Not evidence.”

“But it's my own daughter.”

That moment… The thorn in my heart was finally pulled out. The wound is probably still there. But it doesn't hurt anymore. I passed the entrance exam to a key university in Beijing. My parents took me to school to enroll. Their eyes looking at me were filled with pride and nostalgia. At the train station, my mother stuffed a brocade box into my hand. Open it and look... Inside is that jade bracelet.

“Mom, didn't you say to wait until I get married?”

“Give it to me early.”

She smiled as she adjusted my collar.

“Let it replace me by your side.”

“No matter where you go in the future or what kind of people you meet…”

“You must also maintain your original mind.”

“Living cleanly.”

“Live with dignity.”

“Like this bracelet.”

I nodded. Eye sockets sting. Later I heard... Trieu Tieu Nha still did not pass the university entrance exam. After that year, her reputation at school also changed completely collapsed. No one wants to be friends with her anymore. Uncle Hai put all the blame on her. If you don't hit, then scold. She became increasingly quiet. It's getting darker and darker. One year during Tet, my father finally softened and called to ask about my grandmother. On the other end of the phone, grandmother cried until she choked. She said Trieu Tieu Nha ran away from home and followed a young man from society to the South. Since then there has been no news. After hanging up, my father was silent for a long time. I don't know what he's thinking. Perhaps it is a lament for the impermanence of fate. Perhaps we were lucky because our family finally escaped that mud puddle. Sunlight shines through the window into the living room, warm and gentle. My mother is busy in the kitchen. The fragrant smell of food slowly spread. This family of ours has been through storms. Also saw a rainbow after the rain. The road ahead is still very long. But as long as the three of us are still together. Hearts still turn towards each other. Then there will be no barrier that cannot be overcome. Family has never been a place just to talk about morality. It's where love exists. Trust. And mutual protection. But we… Finally learned how to protect our home.