Chapter 2 — After Taking Mother Away, We Changed Our Lives

“Ly Nguyet, are you crazy?!”

Finally, my father, Ly Cuong, also recovered. He threw the cigarette butt on the ground and jumped up.

"You want to take your mother away? She is my wife! What right do you have to take her away?"

His face was red with anger.

“Character?”

I smiled coldly, turned my head to look at him.

“Have you ever considered her your wife?”

“All these years, besides treating her like a sin, as a place to vent your anger, have you ever cared about her life or death?”

"She's sick, have you ever asked a question? When is her birthday? Can you remember?"

"You just remember that your son has to get married and buy a house. Have you ever thought that she also needs money and wants to live a few decent days?"

Every sentence I said was like a continuous bullet, forcing Ly Cuong to take steps back. He opened his mouth, but could not refute anything. Because it's all true.

“Sister, don't be like that, say something slowly.”

Ly Duong walked over and pulled me, trying to force a pleasing smile on his face.

"Money matters are not negotiable. At best... at best, from now on, I'll send you a little money for living expenses."

“Let go.”

I shook his hand hard, my eyes cold.

“I feel dirty.”

Ly Duong's face immediately became extremely ugly. I didn't pay attention to them anymore and directly pulled my mother back to my room.

“Mom, let's go.”

My mother, Vuong Cam, was still in deep shock, letting me drag her around like a soulless puppet. I quickly packed my things. Actually, there's nothing to clean up. In this house, the things that belong to me are pitifully few. A few changes of clothes, a few books, and 3,000 yuan I hid under the mattress - money I had accumulated over the years from my part-time job. That's all my assets. I put money into my mother's hand.

“Mom, take it.”

Mom's hand trembled, wanting to push it back to me.

“Mom, you don't need it, Nguyet Nguyet, this…”

My voice doesn't allow for refusal.

“This is our new beginning.”

I also gathered a small luggage bag for my mother. Throughout the entire process, father and son were still screaming and cursing outside the living room. From scolding me for being unfilial... To threatening to break my legs. I pretended I didn't hear it. When I pulled my mother and carried two small luggage bags to the living room again, Ly Cuong blocked the door.

"If you dare to take her away today, don't recognize me as your father anymore!"

His eyes were red like an angry mad cow.

“From the moment you decided to give him all 1,000,000 yuan…”

“I don't have a father anymore.”

I calmly looked at him. The last bit of love in my heart was completely cold. I pulled my mother, pushed past him and opened the door directly. Outside is the yellow streetlight of the apartment complex. Behind him, Ly Duong's panicked scream rang out:

"Sister! Mom! Don't go! Who will cook for us tonight?!"

Mother's body stiffened slightly. I squeezed her hand tightly, without turning around, walking step by step into the night. The train station was crowded with people. I used my savings to buy two green train tickets to the South. There is no specific destination. If the ticket is cheap, buy that ticket. Just leave this place. When the train started moving, the city lights outside the window quickly receded. Mom leaned by the window, looked out, not saying a word. She is crying. I gently rested my head on my mother's shoulder.

“Mom, don't be afraid.”

“I will have children later.”

The train roared forward. Take us with you and leave that rotten past, entering a completely strange tomorrow. I don't know what the future will hold. But I know… We are finally free. The train rolled into the deep night. The car compartment was filled with the smell of instant noodles mixed with the smell of sweat, creating an indescribably stuffy atmosphere. My mother leaned on my shoulder and finally fell asleep. Her breathing was very light, mixed with almost imperceptible sobs. The corners of his eyes were still streaked with undried tears. I didn't dare move, even though half of my body was pressed by her until she felt numb. Outside the window is endless darkness. Only a few lonely lights occasionally flash by, proving that we still exist in this world. I'm not sleepy at all. In my head, I kept replaying every scene when I left the house. My father's screams. Little brother's words: "Who's cooking tonight?" And my mother's cold hands when I pulled her away - the coldness of resignation and despair for half her life. Am I really doing it right? Bringing a mother in her fifties, no job, no survival skills, to a completely strange city. In our pockets we only had 3,000 yuan that I had saved from my part-time jobs. That's the whole property. I looked at the blurry reflection of mother and child on the train window. The girl's eyes in the glass were both strange... and determined. I told myself: Ly Nguyet, you can't be afraid. If you're scared, what should I do? Since you decided to take her away, you are no longer the little girl who only knows how to hide in the corner and cry silently. You are the breadwinner of the family. Is my mother's only support. As soon as it was dawn, the train stopped at a southern city called Dung Thanh. I gently shook my mother awake.

“Mom, it's here.”

She looked blankly out the window. This is a completely strange world to her. The air is damp. The local accents are incomprehensible. The stream of people passing by hurriedly with cold faces. My mother's hand unconsciously squeezed my arm, as if afraid of being swept away by the crowd.

“Nguyet Nguyet… where are we… going?”

There was a bit of panic in her voice. I patted my mother's hand gently, trying to smile as reassuringly as possible.

“Let's find a place to live first.”

We walked out of the train station. The sunlight is somewhat blinding. Heat rushed straight to my face. The mother and daughter were carrying two small luggage bags, standing in the middle of busy traffic like two abandoned baby birds. I found a roadside newspaper stand and bought local house rental advertisements. The price above makes my heart cold. The amount of money in our hands is not even enough for a month's deposit. Mom saw my awkward look and said in a low voice:

“Or… should we go back?”

I answered emphatically.

“Mom, we have no way back anymore.”

Going back... is going back to hell. I would rather sleep under the bridge than step into that house again. I dragged my mother aimlessly around the city. Specializes in crawling into old, shabby alleys. Finally, before it got dark, we found the cheapest room in a village called Trung Thon. 300 yuan a month. There are no windows. There is only a rickety wooden bed. The shared toilet and bathroom are at the end of the hallway, emitting an unpleasant odor. The homeowner is a fat woman smoking a cigarette. She looked at me and my mother with eyes full of scrutiny.

“Deposit one, pay three month. 1,200 yuan, not even one penny short.”

I gritted my teeth and counted out 1,200 yuan. In the blink of an eye, almost half of the 3,000 yuan of accumulated money was lost. The moment I held the key in my hand, my hand trembled. We also have a place to stay. Although this place is dark and damp, it even carries a sense of humiliation. But it belongs to us. Only belongs to mother and child. I bought two boxes of instant noodles and asked the landlord for some hot water. Mother and daughter squatted in a room less than ten square meters, eating their first "big party" since arriving in this city. The rising heat stung my eyes. Mom ate a few bites and tears fell again.

“Nguyet Nguyet… I'm sorry… I'm useless and made you suffer.”

I put down the box of noodles and hugged her.

“Mom, don't say that.”

“This is not a burden.”

“This is relying on each other to survive.”

“Before, my mother took care of me.”

“Now it's your turn to take care of mom.”

“Life will definitely get better. Mom, believe me.”

That night, mother and child were crowded together on a small, narrow wooden bed. I clearly heard the couple arguing in the next room. The sound of street vendors downstairs hawking their wares. And the sound of mice running on the ceiling. Everything is strange. But my heart is at peace like never before. Because I know... From today on, we are truly free. A new life... also officially begins.