Chapter 2 — Behind Mother's Tears

"I have to be very careful when putting food into a woman's mouth. If I spoil my stomach, who will be responsible?" My mother stood next to me, as if she was about to cry. But there was clearly not a trace of oil on her hand. "Am I too useless?" Aunt Ton immediately shook her head. "How can I blame you? You don't know." "Old Tong is the one responsible for the guardianship and care, right? Then he has to take care of himself." These words "the person responsible for the guardianship and care" were written by my father in the report the day before. Aunt Vuong stood to the side and held another knife. "You let Linh Nghi serve my wife, isn't that making things difficult for people? Why is she meddling." "Hoai Son values love and kindness, he will definitely take care of himself." I almost burst out laughing. My mother's image of being weak and unable to carry was deeply ingrained in people's hearts. My father was stared at by several pairs of eyes, his face was sometimes blue and sometimes white. In the end, he could only carry the vegetable basket out. That night, he was busy in the kitchen for two hours. The stewed chicken soup has not yet been plucked. At the dinner table, my father asked Hua Nhu: "How's it going?" Hua Nhu held the bowl, she couldn't drink it, she couldn't even drink it. "It's very delicious, it's hard for Mr. Tong." My mother sat next to me and smiled and advised: "Hua Nhu, drink a little more. Hoai Son is busy all night." I pulled my mother's sleeve and secretly asked: "Mom, that pot of soup was intentional, right?" My mother blinked. "What are you saying, my cooking is normal." She paused for a moment, then added another word. sentence: "But this time it was intentional." The next day, my father suddenly asked my mother for money. He said that Hua Nhu's health was poor, supplements, prenatal care, and hospitalization all needed money. He told my mother to withdraw a term savings from the house. My mother paused for a moment, smiled and said: "Money should be spent." "But where is Hua Nhu's martyrs' allowance?" "Han Phong's survivorship and visitation money, shouldn't priority be given to her and the baby?" My father's hand stopped. Hua Nhu's eyes blinked, ready to cry again: "Sister-in-law, are you criticizing me for wasting money?" My mother cried even faster than her. "How is that possible? I'm afraid you'll be resentful." "You're already a pitiful person. If anyone dares to keep your allowance, I'll sit and cry in front of the military family office." I raised my hand: "I'll go cry with mom." The blue veins on my father's forehead twitched. "...Why are you contributing to the fun?" "There's no one holding back, I'm thinking too much." The more impatient he became, the more gentle my mother became. "Then write me a list. How much money was distributed, who handled it, how much will be left in the future." "Her belly has grown, I'll help her receive it." "Tieu Tuyet, write it down, I'm afraid I'll remember wrongly, and at that time I'll let Hua Nhu suffer the resentment." My father looked at me. Stared at my mother for a long time. For the first time, I saw a bit of caution appear in his eyes. But it quickly disappeared. Perhaps he still doesn't believe that someone like my mother who can't even count books clearly can discover anything. I stood next to him, feeling hot inside. Before, I always felt my mother was too soft. Now I can see clearly. Every sentence "I'm afraid" from her is a retreat that has been laid out in advance. On the evening of the third day, my father held a family meeting in the compound because of Hua Nhu. She moved into the area, her status must have an explanation. But my father wants to legitimize her. My father was dressed in a neat military uniform, standing in front, with a sad look on his face. Hua Nhu sat in the front row, her hand supporting her stomach. My mother is very calm. I sat in the back, my palms were sweaty. My father took out a document. "You and Linh Nghi have already discussed it." He spoke very slowly. "Comrade Han Phong sacrificed his life for the mission, we cannot help but care about the relatives he left behind." "For the organization to feel secure, and also for comrade Hua Nhu to rest assured, our Song family

agree to shoulder the responsibility of care." The name of the document was written very solemnly: "Confirmation of support for the care of martyrs' families." I glanced at it, my spine chilled. As long as my mother signed it, it was tantamount to admitting that Hua Nhu was Han Phong's relative. At the same time, it also acknowledged the subsidies, arrangements, and medical facilities that my father had previously helped her with, and the family all knew and supported it. This was for my mother to be a guarantor. Hua Nhu stood up, made a "thud" sound and knelt down. "Sister-in-law, I'm not fighting for status." "I just want the baby to have an explanation in the future." Some people around him sighed in low voices. "What a pitiful baby." "Even though her husband is dead, luckily his brothers are trustworthy." "Lanh Nghi is an honest person, he will definitely agree." My father turned to my mother, his voice was low, but loud enough for everyone to hear. see. "Lanh Nghi, I've never asked you for anything." "This time, don't make me feel awkward." I was so angry that not only did he have an affair, but he also wanted my mother to take care of me. As soon as I was about to stand up, my mother held my hand down. There was a flash of anticipation and impatience in Hua Nhu's eyes. My father also clearly let out a sigh of relief.