Chapter 10 — After the Divorce, Please Get Out of My House

The article just posted... Like a stone thrown into a quiet lake. At first there were only a few small waves. There were a few night owls who commented first.

“After reading it, I saw that the OP was really miserable, so I gave him a hug.”

"If this type of husband and mother-in-law don't divorce, then they'll celebrate Tet?"

I don't pay attention to the comments section. It takes time to ferment. I turned off the computer, took a shower and forced myself to lie down on the bed. The body is very tired. But the spirit is unusually alert. The mind is like a high-speed machine, constantly rewinding every step of today, deducing all possibilities that may happen tomorrow. That night, I slept very fitfully. The next morning, I was woken up by the constant vibration of my phone. Open your eyes and look. Dozens of missed calls. Over hundred WeChat and SMS messages. Yes from my mother. Yes from friends. There are also many strange numbers. I opened the local forum app first. My article… Exploded. After just one night, views exceeded 100,000. More than 3,000 comments. The forum's editor also put a red pin on the home page in the most prominent position. The comment section was almost collective indignation.

"Damn! Is this happening in 2024? This is really eye-opening!"

"This mother-in-law must have reincarnated as a monster! This practice of lending bride-price is truly unprecedented!"

"Men addicted to gambling are the scariest! OP, run quickly! Run as far as possible!"

"I work in that same neighborhood office! I know Truong Lan! Oh my god, she normally looks like a figure, but who would have thought her back would look like this!"

"Upstairs, continue the story! Full drama please!"

"No matter what else, everyone knows about her bad stories in this area. The son is useless so he only knows how to cling to his adopted daughter-in-law. Previously, she boasted everywhere that her daughter-in-law was talented, but it turns out she is this 'good' type."

Public opinion completely exploded. Truong Lan's name was completely leaked by netizens. Old work unit. The address of the old dormitory where she used to live. All were brought into the light. Some people even posted pictures of her. The face that always had a gentle smile in front of relatives was now placed under the magnifying glass of public opinion, despite thousands of people's scrutiny and scorn. Step three of my plan… It worked. I sent lawyer Vuong a message, with the link to the post.

"Lawyer Vuong, can these be considered evidence that Ms. Truong Lan has caused serious social impact on my honor?"

Lawyer Vuong responded very quickly:

“That's enough.”

“Miss Trieu, this trick of yours is more effective than a lawyer's letter.”

I smiled softly. The phone rang again. It was my mother calling. This time, her voice was no longer choked. Which brings with it a rare feeling of gloating.

"Nguyet Nguyet! Your eldest aunt just called me!"

"She apologized! She said everyone misunderstood me, but I didn't expect Truong Lan to be that kind of person!"

"Your son too! He also called! Saying that our family has suffered too much injustice!"

“And he said… he said he wanted to cut ties with the Tran family!”

I can almost imagine my mother holding her head high on the other end of the line.

“Mom, that's right.”

I said softly.

"We didn't do anything wrong, we don't have to bow to anyone."

“Yes! Yes!”

My mother kept responding.

“Ah yes, Truong Lan also called mom.”

"Oh? What did she say?"

“There's nothing I can say.”

My mother's voice was full of hu angry.

"The whole phone call was just crying, crying to the point of not being able to say a word. Please tell me to delete the online post."

"Tell her she's wrong, say she won't have the face to live the rest of her life."

“So what did you answer?”

“What else can you say, Mom?”

My mother laughed.

"I'll bring back the same sentences she scolded me about that year!"

“Mom said ‘you have today too’.”

“Then mom hung up!”

“It's truly refreshing like never before!”

I also laughed. Three years of my mother's resentment... It was finally returned today. At that moment, a strange landline number called. I picked up the phone.

“Hello, may I ask if you are Ms. Trieu Nguyet?”

On the other end of the line was a very polite man's voice, even carrying a bit of flattery.

"Hello, hello, I am an employee of the neighborhood office where Ms. Truong Lan used to work."

"We saw your article online. The leaders of this side take the incident extremely seriously."

"On behalf of the unit, we would like to sincerely apologize to you. This is a shortcoming in ideological education for retired officers..."

“Can you delete that post…”

“Impossible.”