Chapter 17 — Awakening Brick

"You guys lure others home to snitch, I'll record the evidence." "In the end, who is the one who can't let others know?" Duong Hao suddenly spoke tremblingly: "I didn't send the message." I looked at him. "So who sent it?" He didn't dare look at Ma Thuy. Ma Thuy immediately rushed forward and hit his arm. "Don't talk nonsense!" Duong Hao burst into tears. "Mom, I don't want to go to the police station." "I really don't want to." Ma Thuy's face changed. Grandma Wei scolded loudly: "You have no future!" The policeman walked up to Duong Hao. "Hand over the phone." Duong Hao shook his hand and handed over the phone. Ma Thuy still wanted to stop. But with one look from the police, she did not dare to act. In the phone's message history, the account logged in with the temporary number has not yet logged out. Duong Hao bowed his head, his voice trembling. "It was my grandmother who told me to send it." "My mother also knows." "They said that as long as you and your sister come back and sign the withdrawal form, nothing will happen to your father, and nothing will happen to you either." Mother closed her eyes. She did not scold him. But the disappointment on her face was heavier than the scolding. She looked at Duong Hao. "How many meals have you cooked for me before?" Duong Hao's crying stopped. Mom said: "When you were young and had a cold, your mother wasn't at home, so I stayed up all night to wipe you down." "When I took the high school entrance exam, my uniform pants were short, and I fixed it for you." "I never expected you to repay me." "But how could you help them force me to return to the station?" Duong Hao's lips turned white. "You two, I was wrong." Mom shook her head. "You weren't wrong because you were cowardly." "You were wrong because you thought I was easy to catch." "Duong Hao bowed his head, unable to say another word. The police took grandmother Wei, Ma Thuy and Duong Hao to coordinate the investigation. Grandma Wei scolded as she walked: "Tham Ngoc Mai, you will be retaliated!" Mother stood in the yard and suddenly looked up at her. "My retribution is living in the Tang family for more than twenty years." "From now on, it's your turn to bear the consequences." Grandma Wei's voice immediately fell silent. This was the first time I saw my mother respond to her like that. Don't raise your voice. Not cruel. But it's like pushing away a corner of a heavy rock on my chest. The yard was finally quiet. The village head checked the door lock, then asked Pham Thanh to put a temporary seal. "Don't stay tonight." "Tomorrow I will go with you to redo the procedure." Mother held the household registration book and nodded. Before leaving, she suddenly walked into the kitchen. On the stove, there is still half a bowl of unused waste. Black. Smell bitter. My heart sank. "Mom, is this the drug he gave you that day?" She stared at the bowl for a long time. "It looks like it." I took a clean bag, put the bowl and the drug residue in. "Give it to the police." The village head saw it and his face also changed. "If there really is a problem inside, Duong Duc Hai can't explain it even more." Mother's fingers squeezed. Change household registration book. At that moment, I could feel her trembling. Not fear. It's fear after thinking about it. When Aunt Ngo returned home, it was almost dawn. As soon as we sat down, the police called. He said Duong Duc Hai at the station heard the news that his household registration book had not been burned and was very agitated. He still insisted on not admitting the drug abuse. Just as I was about to hang up, the police officer added: "But the drug you brought back, we will send it for testing." "In addition, just now Duong Duc Hai said that he also had a divorce agreement signed by Tham Ngoc Mai in his hand." Mom suddenly raised her head. My heart sank. "What deal?" The policeman said: "He said if he took it out, your mother would have to leave empty-handed." 18 That night, she almost didn't sleep. She sat beside the bed, holding the burned household registration book in her hand. The black ash on the cover stuck to her fingertips but she didn't wipe it off. I poured

hot water for her. "Mom, don't think about that agreement." "Even if a fake is taken out, it's still fake." She looked at the steam in the cup. "What if it's real?" I frowned. "Did you ever sign it?" She was silent for a long time. "I don't know." This answer is even more annoying than a denial. Over the years, she was beaten, threatened, given drugs, and forced to snitch. Even she herself did not know how many things Duong Duc Hai had used her name for. I sat down next to him. “Let's check each thing one by one.” “He takes out one, we break one.” “Break until he has nothing left to take out.” She nodded slowly. When morning came, I went with her to renew the household registration book. The village chief and Pham Thanh were both present. The procedure is more convenient than imagined. The staff saw the injury on her face and her voice became much softer. When receiving the new household registration book, my mother's fingertips trembled. She opened it to the page with her name on it and looked at it for a long time. I knew she wasn't just looking at the paper. She was looking at the road that was finally reclaimed by her own hands. After that, we went to court to apply for a personal safety protection order and file a divorce lawsuit. The lawyer helped us organize the evidence. Video clip. Injury assessment certificate. Report receipt. Recording of salary card.