Chapter 1 — After the Rain, the Sun Comes Bright Again

When unpacking the parcel, I discovered that my husband - Tu Chi Nhac had bought an ergonomic chair. With a seven-month pregnant belly, I finished assembling it, then sat down to try it out, comfortably breathing a sigh of relief. Tu Chi Nhac and Ha Diem were talking and laughing happily as they entered the house, just in time to see me lying on the chair. Ha Diem's face darkened: "Sister-in-law, why do you freely use other people's things?" I looked at Tu Chi Nhac in confusion: "I'm not taking it personally. Lately I've been having back pain as I've grown older. I thought your brother bought it for me." Tu Chi Nhac smiled wryly and explained: "Blame me, blame me, Diem Diem plays games so he wants this chair. Di Than, give her up, tomorrow I'll buy you another one." I quickly stood up, but Ha Diem still pouted: "You're already sitting, I don't want you anymore." Tu Chi Nhac quickly chased her into the room to comfort her. Looking at the backs of the two of them entering the room, I tried to suppress the strange feeling in my heart, packed my things and left the house to go for a prenatal check-up. When I left the hospital, it was already dark and pouring rain. I was stuck in front of the hospital door. Water overflowed in front of the subway station, and the wind gusted so strongly that it could break tree trunks. I jostled in the panicked crowd, one hand holding my belly to protect my child, the other hand calling Tu Chi Nhac. But I called twenty-two times, but not one person picked up. When my waist was so tired that I could no longer stand, the girl standing next to me supported me: "Girl, where is your husband? In this weather, he let you go alone?" I smirked, just about to argue that he was busy. At that moment, I saw Ha Diem updating his circle of friends: [On a stormy day, staying at home to play games, happy!] In the attached photo, Ha Diem is holding Tu Chi Nhac's neck, smiling extremely happily. The phone was abandoned in the corner of the photo, and on the screen were countless missed calls from me. Outside the window, dark clouds swirled, but inside the house it was so peaceful and warm. I slowly raised my head, blinking my stinging eyes: "My husband died, auntie..." "Just passed away, he died very sad."1. She was stunned, her eyes filled with pity: "So when will you come back later?" Since Ha Diem fell in love and was still unemployed, Tu Chi Nhac never went with me to regular medical check-ups every two weeks. He was busy chasing away his ex-girlfriend who was a stalker to help Ha Diem, busy editing her CV, busy walking around the city to relieve sadness with her... What was left for me were just a few empty words of advice on his lips: "Di Than, can I go alone?" "Remember to call a car, pay attention to safety." He didn't know that the road was being repaired in front of the hospital gate. I didn't know that after getting off the bus, I would have to walk another 500 meters in the hot sun. I supported my back with one hand, sweat dripping down my neck, walking very gingerly and carefully along the way. The pregnant woman walking next to her was supported extremely firmly by her husband. Her mother-in-law walked behind, raising her arm to cover her daughter-in-law with an umbrella. As for me, I went alone to pay money, queue alone, and go see my child's 4D ultrasound alone. The moment I saw my child's face clearly, my nose stung. I hastily chose the clearest one and sent it to Tu Chi Nhac. Wondering if he is like other dads who treat the photo like a treasure? It wasn't until I finished taking blood and went to the pharmacy counter that I received a reply from him: [Where is the medical box at home? Diem Diem cuts her hand cutting vegetables.] Below is a voice message. Ha Diem's pampering voice rang out: "Sister-in-law, come quickly and save me!" "I just want to make the curry beef dish you cooked last time, but Tu Chi Nhac won't let me do it..." A warm male voice with a bit of tolerance rang out: "I'm not Di Than." "My parents have always treated me like a princess. Now that they know that I come to your place and have to do housework, I'm sure I'm not Di Than."

I can't live beyond tomorrow."*You're not Di Than.* So that's it, I was born to be a humble person, I have to do everything myself. The glass doors in the waiting lobby were rattled by the wind. Anxiety and insecurity spread throughout the crowd. Most of the people stuck in the hospital received text messages from their family members. Only my phone was silent. Yet Ha Diem's post received countless comments. Mother-in-law Complimenting her cousin's closeness, her father-in-law worriedly asked her if she was afraid of thunder. If my mother was still alive, her message would definitely be 99+. I took a deep breath, turned off the phone screen, and waited for everyone in the lobby to be picked up, before I could get on the taxi that had to be charged five times to enter the house The laughter in the house suddenly stopped. Tu Chi Nhac was holding a glass of water, a smile still on his face: "Are you back?" "... Why did you make yourself so wet?" Seven months pregnant, I bowed my head and could no longer see the toes of my shoes. I struggled to change my wet shoes. "The car couldn't get into the community, so I waded in and walked in." He stopped and walked over to help me: "Why don't you tell me? You can come pick me up." What do you say? Say that after that I called you more than a dozen times but no one answered? Or say that the moment the phone vibrated, I opened it in a split second, but only saw a notification from the media: [Red storm warning, people should limit going out]? Ha Diem stuck her head out from behind him, sticking out her tongue in a mischievous manner: "Di Than, sorry." "We're used to playing games on silent phones." "After all, the two of us used to be college roommates, I thought you knew." Pretending what? I gently withdrew my hand and walked around them. I went to the hospital at 8:00 a.m. and didn't get home until 7:00 p.m. I was so tired that I didn't have the energy to talk. But Ha Diem kept talking in my ear nonstop. I was disinfecting the scratch on my calf, when she exclaimed that the thunder was too loud this afternoon, she was scared. It's terrible. I applied anti-stretch mark oil on my belly, and she cried out, "It's so ugly." Then she continued talking endlessly about the excitement of fighting the boss with Tu Chi Nhac in the game. "Stop it, girl, I don't know who was so scared that they didn't dare open their eyes anymore." Tu Chi Nhac picked up the heated tray of rice and placed it in front of me, smiling and teasing her: "You can only speak loudly." "Tu Chi Nhac, do you want to die?" The two of them laughed loudly again, talking about topics I couldn't interfere with, using jokes that only the two of them could understand. In the past, I would laugh along, feeling that their brotherly relationship was very good. But now I just see noise. Too noisy. I used chopsticks to pick up the leftovers in front of me. These are all Ha Diem's favorite dishes. There are eggplants that pregnant women must avoid, and also shrimp - something I will be allergic to when I eat it. "Can you two be quiet for a moment?" No one paid attention to me. They were talking about their parents urging them to get married, and about the "fighting" times when they first met. My heart was pounding. I reached out and picked up the plate of food. Use all your strength to throw it down at their feet. Fragments of the ceramic plate mixed with soup splashed everywhere. The world is finally quiet. I held my waist, panted, and said word by word: "Do you understand human language?"