Chapter 13 — After My Husband Slagged Me To Please My Mother, I Cleaned The Whole House

There's one word left unsaid.

"Tran Kien Quan."

"If I meet someone else in the future..."

"Stop hitting her."

He stood motionless. Fingers tightened around the edge of the divorce papers. Knuckles turn white. I opened the car door. Sit in the driver's seat. Through the rearview mirror. His figure became smaller. Then disappeared around the corner. I adjusted the mirror. Ahead... Is a very long road. There's only the front left. ________________________________________ Half a year later. I rented a small apartment in another part of the city. There is only one bedroom and one living room. Everything inside was chosen by me. Warm gray linen curtains. On the tea table is a green pot of betel nut. In the refrigerator... There are only foods I like to eat. The company was not affected at all. From the beginning, nothing belonged to Tran Kien Quan. After removing his name from the company. Ms. Luu also smiled and said:

"Finally, the books are clean."

My mother had arthroscopic knee surgery. The surgery was very successful. Now every morning she goes to the park to dance in the square. The spirit is better than mine. My father learned how to use a smartphone to watch short videos. One time he even sent me an article on nutrition. Attached is the message:

"Girls, remember to take care of your health."

Made me laugh the whole time. News about Tran Kien Quan... I only heard it vaguely from other people. After Luu Que Phuong returned to his hometown. Mother and daughter had another big argument. The reason is that the resettlement house in the countryside is about to be divided. Her younger brother's family refused to give in. She forced Tran Kien Quan to handle the matter. He doesn't have money to hire a lawyer. The mother and daughter argued a few more times over money. Luu Que Phuong moved to live with her daughter. Tran Tieu Yen's store also closed since the end of last year. My source of goods and distribution channels are gone. She has to find a new supplier herself. Import prices nearly doubled. Quality is not stable. Customers continuously complain. Loss of more than 100,000 yuan. In the end, there was only one way to close the door. After Luu Que Phuong moved there. Conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law... Same thing again. She began to criticize Tran Tieu Yen's husband for making money poorly. Criticize small houses. Criticize the rice for not being delicious. Tran Tieu Yen posted a status line.

"There are sufferings that only insiders can understand."

I see. Then scroll through. Tran Kien Quan applied to work as a loader for a logistics company. Monthly salary is more than 6,000 yuan. While my monthly installment payment is 7,000 yuan. I heard... He also has to pay the company's salary in advance. Currently living in a small room in a working area. Open the window. Only saw other people's sewer pipes. One night. Almost eleven o'clock. A WeChat message popped up on my phone. It's by Tran Kien Quan. There are no words. Just a recording. I'm not open. Leave it on all night. The next morning... It's not because I still hate you. No need anymore. No need for his apology. No need for regret. It doesn't matter... whether he lives well or not. Those things... are no longer important. ________________________________________ Another two months later. A weekend afternoon. I am sitting at home reading a book. The phone suddenly rang. It's some strange machine. Normally I wouldn't listen. But that day. I don't know why I picked up the phone.

"Please tell me if it's Ms. To Man, General Director To?"

"It's me."

"Hello Ms. To, I am Ly Lam, Hoa Trung regional agent development manager of Gia Nghi brand. We received your business card at an industry exhibition..."

It's work. A new brand wants to cooperate with an agent. We talked for about twenty minutes. See you next Monday morning. After hanging up. I leaned back on the sofa. Suddenly smiled. Three years ago. I'm busy pleasing my mother-in-law. Busy comforting her husband. Busy trying to patch up a so-called family that has been broken for a long time. Three years later. I sat alone in my own living room. Receive the first cooperation call for a new journey. Outside the window. The wind blew gently. Make the curtain move. The betel pot on the tea table grew another young branch. Bright blue color. Silently head towards the light. I poured myself a cup of tea. Long Tinh Tea. It's still the same type of tea that Liu Que Phuong liked to drink that year. But this time. I mixed it myself. There was no one sitting next to me, chewing peach cake and saying:

"A woman who doesn't hit doesn't know how to obey."

No one gives orders anymore. There is no one left to obey. In the living room... I'm alone. Sunlight penetrates through the window. Fall to the carpet under your feet. I bowed my head and looked. The carpet is very clean. No instant noodle shells. No cigarette butts. There are no more water stains today. No more of my blood. I took a sip of tea. Still very hot. From nine thirty that morning... Until today. It's been 247 days. Enough to end a three-year marriage. Let one person... Stand up for yourself. It's not because anyone raised their hand to pull it up. Right from the start. She shouldn't have knelt down.