Chapter 13 — Behind the Door is Still Home

An animation is playing on the TV, the volume is very low. Dad sat down on the sofa again, picked up the remote and switched to the news channel. Mom wiped her hands on her apron and said:

"Tri Dao, your room... I've been cleaning it up for the past few days. Can you come in and take a look? It's convenient to put your suitcase."

I nodded, pulled up my suitcase. My room is at the end of the hallway. Arriving in front of the door, I paused for a moment before turning the handle. The lights in the room are on. Compared to the last time I left, not much seems to have changed. The blankets and pillows are neatly folded, and the bed sheets are clean. The desk is still in its old position, the top is empty, only a small desk lamp remains. There are a lot less books on the shelves, more than half of them are empty. But what made my pupils slightly shrink was— Those empty spaces were now occupied by several stuffed animals and children's comic books. Right in the corner of the wall next to the desk appeared a tiny pink plastic easel, with a piece of paper haphazardly painted in many colors on it. On the ground is a brand new carpet with cartoon cars printed on it. Right next to the familiar flower pillow on my bed, there is now a small rabbit-shaped children's pillow. This room still retains the appearance of my room. But inside... Little by little it is being changed into a different shape. Slowly approaching the appearance of a "children's room". No wonder my dad was so panicked when he called and advised me to sleep in the living room. Turns out it's because this place hasn't been "renovated" yet, are you afraid I'll see something? I stood in front of the door, quietly watching everything. The cold, hard mass in my heart finally lost what little heat remained. Only ashes remain.

“Sister, do you see what's missing?”

Tri Tinh's voice suddenly rang out from behind, carrying a smile and a hint of scrutiny that was difficult to detect.

"For the past two days, Mom has insisted on cleaning your room thoroughly. I even told you that it's clean so you can clean it yourself. Do you think this is okay?"

I turned around to look at her. Tri Tinh smiled politely enough, but her eyes kept gliding over my face as if she was silently observing my reaction.

“It's okay, thank you mom.”

My voice was calm, not sounding happy or sad.

"It just seems like there are quite a few things missing. Where are your previous books?"

“Ah, those books?”

Tri Tinh patted his hand lightly.

"Mom said that keeping it on the shelf easily collects dust, so I moved it all to the bin on top of the cabinet. If you want to see it, let Chu Hao take it down for you later."

“No need, it's not urgent.”

I dragged my suitcase into the room and placed it against the wall.

“I'm only staying for a few days, that's fine for now.”

“Oh, what are you saying?” Tri Tinh pretended to blame. "It's just my family, so what's the difference between temporary and temporary?"

Her eyes roamed around the room again.

"It's just... this room faces the sun and is warmer, so Doan Doan likes to run in here to play. The toys haven't been cleaned up yet so it's a bit messy, don't complain."

“It's okay, it's children.”

Then he walked over to the desk, his fingertips lightly brushing the glossy surface of the desk. There wasn't a speck of dust. It has indeed been "carefully cleaned".

"You should rest a bit, wash your face, the dumplings are almost done. Wait until Chu Hao comes home to eat."

Tri Tinh finished speaking and added with a smile:

“Let's have a fun reunion dinner with our whole family tonight!”

I nodded, half-closed the door, blocking out the sound of the TV and conversations outside the living room. Pull the suitcase next to the bed and open the zipper. Clothes are folded immediately short. At the top is a thick file pocket. That's what I hesitated for a long time before leaving last night before putting it in my suitcase. Inside there is a printed history of the times I transferred large sums of money to my family that year. There are also a few laws I looked up online related to home ownership, property donation, and notarization. There is also a small USB. On the USB is the entire content of last night's phone call that I stayed up all night to write down from memory. Every sentence, every word. Every little detail. I try to restore as much as I can. I'm not recording. There is no evidence. But at least… I can't rely on emotions alone. I have to remember every word that cut into my bones. Those papers were cold and stiff. It's the only thing I can hold tightly in my hands right now. I stuffed the file bag back into the bottom of the suitcase, covering it with another layer of clothing. I'm not planning on taking them out right now. It's still too early. I have to see each person's face clearly. See clearly how much they want to do. Then decide when to put all of this on the table. I walked to the window. Outside were countless closely spaced windows of the opposite building. Some houses hang red lanterns. There is a balcony where blankets are drying. There are people standing and smoking on the balcony. There were sounds of children jumping in the house.