Chapter 5 — After My Husband Slagged Me To Please My Mother, I Cleaned The Whole House

Vuong Loi said:

"The conciliation period before divorce is thirty days. This regulation cannot be waived."

"But the personal safety order can be approved today."

"I know."

A protective order was quickly issued. The black and white paper clearly states: Tran Kien Quan and his family members are prohibited from continuing to commit any acts of violence, harassment or stalking against me. I took a photo of the protective order. Save to phone. From the police station to the court. It took two and a half hours in total. During those two and a half hours. My phone received... 17 WeChat messages. 9 missed calls. Message from Tran Kien Quan.

"To Man, where have you gone?"

"What do you want to do anyway?"

"Don't make trouble anymore, go home and talk."

"Why can't the supplementary card be used anymore? You locked it, right?"

"To Man, don't force me."

"Wife, am I wrong? Go home and let's sit down and talk properly."

Luu Que Phuong only sent one message. Is in the family chat group.

"The Kien Quan family's daughter-in-law is about to leave again. This type of woman is truly spoiled."

Four or five people responded one after another.

"Let's calm down."

"Sister-in-law, stop being angry."

"You're young, you still don't understand."

No one... Ask me a single question. What's wrong with my face? Where am I injured? Am I okay? Neither does one person. After the family group texted continuously. Tran Tieu Yen sent me a private message again.

"Sister-in-law, please go home and apologize to your mother."

"Mom is really angry."

"As a daughter-in-law, if you keep running out, what's the point?"

I stared at that message for about five seconds. Quietly exit the family group. No notifications. No goodbye. Just leave quietly. When seeing me out of court. Vuong Loi asked:

"What do you plan to do next?"

"Do you want to go back to your mother's house for a few days?"

"No need."

"I'll go get my things."

"Remember to pay attention to safety."

"The protective order is in effect."

"He won't dare to raise his hand again."

"If you still dare..."

"Immediately report to the police."

I nodded. Then get in the car. When starting the machine. I looked at myself in the rearview mirror. The left half of the face is swollen. The blood at the corner of his mouth had dried into a black streak. My eyes. Brighter than ever. Before going home, I stopped by the company first. Two o'clock in the afternoon. All six employees were present. As soon as he saw my face, Tieu Ly in the warehouse opened his mouth slightly, but in the end he still didn't dare to ask. I opened a short meeting, less than ten minutes.

"From today, Tran Kien Quan will no longer participate in any work of the company."

"If he comes, there's no need to continue."

"All contact with customers will be directly handled by me and Ms. Luu."

"Does anyone have any comments?"

No one spoke up. Because everyone knows. Tran Kien Quan at the company was originally just a decoration. Every day, I sit in the warehouse and dial the phone. Occasionally carry a few boxes of goods. If you don't go out to smoke the rest of the time, call your mother. I told Ms. Luu to print out the entire financial statement for the last three months. Then compare yourself again. In addition to the shady money transfers I discovered before... There was one more. Last month. Tran Kien Quan used company funds to buy his mother a massage chair. That amount is declared under the category... Stationery. While every day I bring cold rice from the previous night to the company. Just because eating out every day is too expensive. On application for use of funds. I saw Tran Kien Quan's signature. The handwriting is crooked. Like an elementary school student just learning to write. When you raise your hand to hit someone. So healthy again. I took pictures of everything. Save as evidence. Leave the company. I went straight to the bank. Function to automatically transfer salary to linked account... Supplementary card in Tran Kien Quan's name... Supplementary card of Luu Que Phuong... Supplementary card of Tran Tieu Yen... Previously locked. Cancel now. Bank staff confirmed:

"Are you sure you want to cancel all three cards?"

"Sure."

Just walked out of the bank. Tran Tieu Yen's phone call came. I picked up the phone.

"Sister-in-law! Why can't my card work anymore? I'm about to transfer money to the supplier!"

Her voice was both urgent and shrill. Just like a cat whose tail was stepped on.

"Tieu Yen."

"That card is a supplementary card in my name."

"I canceled."

"You... where do you rely on?"

"Based on that it's my card."

The other end of the line was silent for two seconds.

"Sister-in-law... is it because of what happened this morning?"

"I also know how my mother is..."

"I know."