Chapter 1 — Awakening Brick

My mother was busy in the kitchen for two hours, sweat dripping into the pot. My uncle threw down his chopsticks: "Sister-in-law, the rice is only being served now, did you do it on purpose?" My father said nothing, right in front of the whole table of relatives, he raised his hand and slapped my mother. One, two, three... Ten. My mother stood still in place, her face swollen to the point of disfigurement but not shedding a single tear. The whole room was full of people, no one stood up to say a word for her. I put down the bowl and chopsticks, went out to the yard, and picked up the brick lying there
wall corner up. Seeing my eyes, my father laughed: "What do you want to do? It's the opposite, isn't it..." The moment the brick fell, the whole main house fell silent.01My mother, Tham Ngoc Mai, had been in the kitchen for two hours. The fire in front of the stove has never gone out. As soon as the fish in the pot was put down, she turned to slicing the cold dish. The main house was filled with relatives of the Duong family. My father, Duong Duc Hai, sat in the chair, holding a cigarette in his hand, the ashes falling to the edge of the bowl. My uncle, Duong Duc
Giang, crossing her legs, holding chopsticks and tapping on the table. "Sister-in-law, is the rice not ready yet?" My mother replied from the kitchen: "It's almost done." Duong Duc Giang smiled coldly. "Almost, almost, almost. From the moment I sat down, you said it's almost done." I bowed my head to shovel the rice. In the bowl there was only half a bowl of white rice. The dish had not yet been fully served, but Grandma Wei pushed the plate of braised pork in front of Duong Hao. Duong Hao is my uncle's son. He just entered high school, three years younger than me, and never knows how to wait for others when eating. It picked up
two pieces of meat, my eyelids didn't even bother to lift up. "You and your girls always cook rice slowly." I put down my chopsticks. My mother brought in the fish, sweat running down her face from her forehead. The back of her hand was stained red by hot oil. No one asked her if she was in pain or not. Duong Duc Giang used chopsticks to pick at the fish. "Why does this fish smell so fishy?" My mother was stunned. "I marinated it with cooking wine." Ma Thuy also continued: "Sister-in-law, are you getting older so you don't work as quickly as before?" My mother wiped her hands on them.
apron. "There are so many people, there's so much food, I can't do it alone." The main house was silent for a moment. After that, my father stubbed out his cigarette on the edge of the bowl. He looked at my mother. "Do you still dare to argue?" My mother bowed her head. "I don't." My father stood up. The chair's legs scraped the ground, making a harsh sound. My heart sank. From childhood to adulthood, as long as he stood up like that, no one in the house would dare to speak up. I remember when I was ten years old, because my mother bought me a new pair of shoes, she was beaten by him for half a month
don't dare leave the house. I also remember in eighth grade, my fever reached forty degrees, my mother begged him to borrow a car to take me to the hospital, he said women were too talkative and kicked the hot water bottle over. Those things were like nails driven deep into my bones. But my mother always said: "Your father has a bad temper, but after all, he is still your father." I used to believe it. After that, I no longer believed it. After going to college, I worked and studied every month and sent money home to my mother. Every time she does
return. She said life at home is still okay. But this time when I returned from school, I found out that her phone screen had been broken for half a year, and in the winter she still wore an old cotton shirt that was so torn that the cotton was showing. My dad's new phone was just bought. The shoes on Duong Hao's feet cost more than a thousand yuan. My mother in this house is like an unpaid maid. Today's meal is a gathering of the Duong family after the anniversary of my grandfather's death. It's not yet dawn, my mother has already gone to the market. Bet it was her doing.
The chicken was stewed by grandma. The dough is kneaded by her herself. Even the large round table in the yard was cleaned by her alone three times. Now the rice is only a little slow, they seem to have caught her sin. Duc Giang Duong threw down the chopsticks. "Sister-in-law, I said something a bit harsh." "There are so many of us sitting here waiting for you, are you intentionally making a cold face towards us?" My mother's face turned white. "I didn't." My father raised his hand and pointed at her. "Apologise, uncle." Mother looked at him. "Duc Hai, I've been busy all day.
It's morning." "I told you I'm sorry!" His voice suddenly became high-pitched. I tightened my grip on the chopsticks. The wooden chopsticks made a soft cracking sound in my hand. Grandma Wei glanced at me. "Duong Am, don't make your father angry." I raised my head. "Your mother cooked rice for two hours, who does she owe an apology to?" Everyone at the table looked towards me. Duong Duc Giang was the one to laugh first. "University student It's really different, I already know how to argue with my elders." My father's face fell. "Sit down." I'm not sitting. Mom was in a hurry.
Kim pulled my sleeve. "Tieu Am, stop talking." Her hand was very cold. It was clear that the kitchen was as hot as a steamer, but her hands didn't have any warmth. I looked at the burn on the back of her hand. At that moment, I really wanted to ask: How long are you going to endure? But I couldn't ask out loud. Because I know, she has been patient for more than twenty years, so patient that she no longer knows how to cry for herself. Duong Duc Hai walked in front of her. His shadow fell over her face. “Sorry.” My mother's lips were soft
"Duc Giang, sorry, the rice was served a bit late." Duong Duc Giang raised the tea cup and slowly took a sip. "What's the use of just apologizing?" "In the future, when my sister-in-law works, she must learn from experience." Ma Thuy smiled and added a sentence: "Brother, you should also manage her properly." Right after that sentence, my father's hand was raised. I immediately stood up. "Duong Duc Hai!" All eyes were on my face. My father turned to look at me, his eyes filled with warnings. "Could you call again?” My mother squeezed my wrist.eded my wrist. Her nails dug deep into my skin. She was begging me not to act. She was afraid I would be beaten. She was afraid that this house would become more chaotic and unsightly. She is afraid of everything. The only thing is not to be afraid of hurting yourself. I looked at my father's hand raised in mid-air. The hand stopped for a few seconds. Then it came down. “Pop!” My mother's face shifted to the side. The main house was so quiet that the only thing left was the sound of the soup vibrating in the bowl. I heard Duong Duc Giang laugh softly.
Dad looked at me. "See clearly?" "In this house, it's not your turn to speak yet." My mother slowly turned her head. She didn't cry. She just looked at me, her lips trembling. I suddenly burst out laughing. Not because this is funny. But because I finally understood. This meal from the beginning was not just a meal. It was a trial they arranged for my mother. And my father was the first person to raise his knife. He raised his hand again.02When the second slap fell, my mother took a step back. She bumped into the car
rear seat. The chair leg shifted, making a heavy sound. No one helped her. Grandma Wei just frowned. "Okay, don't knock over the table." I looked at the people present in the room. Some people bow their heads to eat food. There were excited spectators. Some people pretended not to hear. Duong Hao even picked up the last rib on the plate. I rushed forward. "Try to hit her again!" Duong Duc Hai pushed me away. My back hit the corner of the table, the pain was so bad that my eyes went black. Mom quickly rushed to help
me. “Tieu Am!” Duong Duc Hai turned around and slapped him again. This slap hit her on the other cheek. Her whole body stiffened. Duong Duc Giang slowly said: "Brother, the children are grown up, you can't beat them." Ma Thuy covered her mouth. "Duong Am's personality is like this now, if he gets married in the future, he will have to suffer." I stood up straight. "Whether I get married or not is not your turn to control." Duong Duc Hai pointed at me. "Can you say one more sentence?" I stared at him. "I said, all of you.
are not human." The main house immediately exploded. Grandma Wei slapped the table. "Treason!" Duong Hao stood up. "Sister, do you talk to elders like that?" I looked at him. "You shut up." "Your mother came to my house to eat, you just sat and waited to be served, my mother was so busy that her hands burned and you still criticized her for being slow." "What kind of elder do you think?" Duong Hao's face turned red. "I told him to do it." I laughed. "Then don't eat it." I raised my hand to pick up the plate of braised pork in front of him. Duong Hao raised his hand to steal it. I placed it straight.
plate on the ground. "If you want to eat, bend down and get it yourself." Duong Duc Hai rushed forward and grabbed my arm. "You're crazy!" I pushed him away. "The crazy one is you." "Your wife was ordered around by your younger brother like a maid, you didn't protect her but even beat her." "Duong Duc Hai, do you still have the face to sit in the chair position?" His face turned red. Up until now, he has never been openly opposed by me like that. In the Duong family, men talk, women have to listen. Elders open their mouths, children must keep their mouths shut. My mother was patient
half life. They immediately thought that I would also be patient. Duc Duc Hai suddenly raised his hand. This time he didn't hit me. He turned around and hit his mother again. My mother did not shy away. She was like a piece of wood nailed in place, standing still. “Pop!” The fourth one. “Pop!” The fifth one. I rushed forward but Duong Duc Giang grabbed my shoulder. "Duong Am, don't be rude." I turned to look at him. "Let go." He laughed. "Can you still bite me?" I raised my foot and stomped hard on the instep of his foot. He cried
hmm for a moment then let go. Just as I was about to rush forward, Ma Thuy rushed forward and hugged me. "It's not over, my niece hit her uncle!" I yanked her hand away. "Don't touch me." The main house was in chaos. But Duong Duc Hai's slaps continued to fall. The sixth one. The seventh one. The corners of my mother's mouth were torn. Blood dripped down the chin. She still didn't cry. She just looked at me. That look seemed to be saying, don't worry anymore. But how can I ignore it? She raised me
big. She gave me an education. During the most miserable days, she always gave me the only good thing. When she was a child, there was only one egg in the house, and she said she didn't like eating the yolk. Later I learned, it wasn't that she didn't like it. It's that she can't bear to eat. Now, these people sit in front of the dinner table that she cooked herself, picking on her, watching her being beaten. If I can still sit still, I'm not worthy of being your daughter. When the eighth slap came, I ran straight to the kitchen. There's still soup left in the kitchen
bring it up. The da.a.o is on the cutting board. I looked at it but didn't touch it. I picked up the iron ladle next to the stove. Then put it down again. Impossible. These things will make them come back to bite you back. I can't let my mother take on a new crime. In the yard there is a red brick. This morning it was used to make water jars. I walked out. The night wind blew into my face, and I heard the sound in the main house continue. “Pop!” The ninth one. Duong Duc Hai's voice echoed. "Today I will give it to you two
You children know, in the end, who is the god in this house! "I bent down and picked up that brick. The brick was very heavy. The sharp edge cut into my palm.