Chapter 8 — After Rebirth, I Won't Marry You Anymore

Every time Lam Tri Dao expressed self-pity, everyone around him would automatically continue writing the plot. The more I explain, the more petty I become. If you don't explain, it's like being startled. Finally, Chu Chieu Da will come to advise me:

“She didn't mention your name, don't take it personally.”

I also remember this sentence very clearly. The knife doesn't call anyone's name... Stabbing you still hurts as usual. Half an hour later, Chu Chieu Da arrived. When he entered the shop, he was holding a phone in his hand, his face not looking good. I thought he was coming to explain again, and even prepared the sentence "My shop does not accept warranty on love affairs." Unexpectedly, he gave me the phone. On the screen was the post he had just posted to his circle of friends.

"The boundaries between adults should not be left to others to shoulder. My personal matter will stop here. Please do not speculate about anyone, and do not bother Hua Trung Uong."

No photos available. Very true to Chu Chieu Da's style. Exactly like the "Please line up" sign in front of the police station gate. I stopped. Tong Chi leaned over to look and snorted: "The future ex-husband no longer has a father this time." Chu Chieu Da looked at her, perhaps intending to object to that call, but in the end he still resisted. I returned the phone to him: "If you post like that, aren't you afraid that Lam Tri Dao will be embarrassed?" He was silent for a moment then said: "It will be awkward for her, but this is something I should have done a long time ago."

“I didn't think like that before.”

"Before, I thought as long as I wasn't ashamed, you should trust me." He looked at me. “Now I understand, in an intimate relationship, if you let the other person feel uncomfortable for a long time, that in itself is a problem.”

I bowed my head and twisted the lid of the water cup, my fingertips rubbing over the ridges of the plastic lid. If these words were in my previous life, perhaps I would have immediately rushed to hug him, then wrap up all my self-pity and put it away, telling myself that he finally understood. But after coming back to life, I learned one thing: A person who changes for the better is worthy of recognition. But that doesn't mean I have to immediately reward him.

“I think that's good.” I said.

A hint of disappointment flashed in Chu Chieu Da's eyes, but he quickly hid it:

“I didn't come to demand answers.”

“So what did you come for?”

He placed a slip on the counter:

"Order twenty late-night meals, delivered to the station. Everyone works overtime, want to eat at your house."

I looked at the note on the ticket: Less spicy, more vegetables, delivered on time is fine. This is a very practical order. I accept:

“Payment by agency or individual?”

Chu Chieu Da replied:

“Personally, I invite them.”

At that moment, Ta Nghien Thanh came out of the back kitchen. Hearing that sentence, he laughed and interjected:

“Captain Chu, does this count as using orders to save feelings?”

Chu Chieu Da looked at him:

"No. She does business, I buy food."

The two people's eyes met, the atmosphere was like two cats baring their fangs through a glass. I tapped lightly on the counter:

"If you two want to fight, go to the other side of the street. Don't affect the lady in collecting money."

Tong Chi stood next to him and laughed until he couldn't close his mouth. After finishing making the late-night meal, Chu Chieu Da did not let me deliver it. He called the delivery person, and I stood in front of the restaurant waiting. Waiting for delivery After receiving the things, he turned around and left. Before leaving, he said:

"In the future, I won't let you face it alone anymore in the circle of friends."

I said nothing. He also didn't wait for me to respond. The streetlight stretched his shadow all the way to the doorstep, then was cut in half by the glass door. At that moment, I suddenly remembered my previous life. He always let me stand in the wind. But I never realized it... I also know it's cold. It seemed like he was finally standing in the wind. On my father's birthday, the restaurant closed for half a day. Hua Hoai Xuyen said with his mouth that there was no need to celebrate his birthday, but since six o'clock in the morning he had been pacing back and forth in the kitchen. Sometimes I criticized the fish I bought for not being fresh enough, sometimes I criticized my mother, Khuong Hoa, for cutting the onions too big. In the end, after my mother glared at me, he obediently stood next to the stove stewing a pot of radish soup.

"Celebrating a birthday is even more worrying than hosting a state banquet." My mother put the bowl and chopsticks on the table. "I didn't know but I thought you were receiving diplomatic guests today."

My father snorted:

"What do you know? Old people, birthdays must have a sense of ceremony."

“Dad, your sense of ritual smells like stewed ribs.”

He glared:

“This girl, I don't know how big or small she is.”

At noon, relatives arrived one after another. Neighborly love in the old neighborhood is very simple, bring some fruit, some tea, sit down to eat a meal, wish a few words "good health", and then ask about my annulment. Their aunt had just sat down for less than five minutes and asked:

“Tung Uong, is the Chu family still in contact with you?”

I picked up a chopstick of vegetables:

"So what do you think? How good the police are, the job is stable, and you have a good face."

“Auntie, the stability of a police officer is a career, not a marriage.”

The whole dining table was silent for a moment. My father immediately gave my aunt a piece of ribs:

"Eat meat, eat meat, don't ask anymore. Now my daughter is easily allergic to hearing the word 'face'."