Chapter 18 — Awakening Brick

Camera withdrawing money at the bank. Loan contract. Video in front of the factory gate. Messages threatening to burn household registration books. And the receipt for testing the bowl of waste. Each part is like an old wound torn from the mother's body. When the staff received the documents, they asked her: "Are you sure you want to ask for a divorce?" Mom didn't look at me. She answered herself: “I'm sure.” Her voice was not loud. But very solid. After leaving the court, the lawyer reminded: "The other party can continue to use the child's status and the so-called agreement to delay." "If you agree to do a paternity test, the results can be used as evidence to refute the rumors." Mom looked at me. "Tieu Am, do you blame me?" I froze. "Blame me for what?" Her eyes turned red. "Because of you, I was bullied by him for so many years." I shook. head. "Mom, the one who was threatened was you." "The one to blame is not you." She tried to hold back but tears still fell. "Then let's get to work." Paternity testing must be done according to the procedure. When taking the sample, my mother's hands were still shaking. I placed my hand on the back of her hand. "Whatever the outcome is, it won't change one thing." "I'm your mother." She looked at me, her tears finally uncontrollable. Staff gave tissues. She wiped the corners of her eyes and thanked in a low voice. In the afternoon, the factory issued a certificate certifying that mother did not violate the rules, and also helped her change her salary card. The accountant held her hand. "Miss Tham, from now on, the salary will be transferred to your own card." "Don't give it to anyone." Mom nodded. "Not again." On the way back to Aunt Ngo's house, she suddenly stopped in front of a phone store. I thought she was tired. But she looked at the cheapest phone in the glass cabinet. "Tieu Am, I want to change my phone." My nose stung. Her old phone's screen had been broken for half a year, causing small cuts on her fingertips. I bought it for my grandmother before and she always said it was still usable. Today was the first time she said she wanted to buy it herself. I said: "Let's exchange." She chose the most ordinary one. When paying, she took out a new bank card and entered the password very slowly. But when the sound of successful payment rang out, a very clear light appeared in her eyes. It was like she finally confirmed that the money inside really belonged to her. In the evening, the police informed us to go to the station. Duong Duc Hai's so-called agreement to leave empty-handed has been taken out. On the paper, it was written that my mother voluntarily gave up her house, her savings and all her assets. The signature is crooked. Bright red fingerprints. The date is three years ago. Mom finished reading, her face was pale. "I remember this day." "I fell down the stairs, hit my head and bled." "He said to take me to the clinic." My heart sank. "What happened after that?" "Then when I woke up, mom was already in the house." "He said the doctor examined her, there was nothing." The policeman put the agreement in the evidence bag. "We will examine the handwriting and fingerprints." "If we can prove that the document was created when you were incapacitated." The nature of the protest will be very serious.” Duong Duc Hai was brought in for questioning. Seeing his mother change to a new phone, his eyes froze, then became gloomy. "Tham Ngoc Mai, now you know how to spend money." Mom looked at him. "I spend my salary." He smiled coldly. "Yours?" "You eat from me, have been in my house for more than twenty years, do you really consider yourself a human being?" Mom did not back down. "From today onwards, I only consider myself a human being." As soon as that sentence ended, the flesh on Duong's face appeared. Duc Hai jumped up. He suddenly laughed. "Okay." "Then you just wait for the results of the blood test." "By then the whole village will know that you brought an illegitimate child who has been clinging to me for more than twenty years." Just as I was about to open my mouth, the phone on the policeman's desk rang. The person on the phone exchanged a few words and his face became very strange. Older brother

She raised her head to look at us. "The hospital has just contacted." "The medical examination records from twenty years ago have been found." "Inside, in addition to recording the child's age, there is also a copy of the report from that year." The whole mother stiffened. Duong Duc Hai's smile was also frozen on his face. The police officer continued: "The content of the record shows that before Tham Ngoc Mai became pregnant, she reported that she was beaten by her husband and had to return to her mother's house." "In the signature of the person participating in the trial, the name Duong Duc Hai was himself." 19 Duong Duc Hai's face in that moment was pale white. He stared at the phone in the policeman's hand, as if he wanted to turn the records from twenty years ago into ashes. "Fake." "Definitely fake." "The things from twenty years ago, who knows if they were added later?" The policeman looked at him. "The hospital records have the original storage code." "The report also had a copy saved at the police station that year." "If you think it was faked, you can ask for verification." Duong Duc Hai's lips trembled. up. Of course he didn't dare. Because on that record there is not only mother's name. There is also his own signature. Mom stood next to me, tears not falling. She just looked at Duong Duc Hai. "Look." "You always knew." "You knew I was beaten by you so I returned to my mother's house."