Chapter 19 — Behind the Door is Still Home

The skin is a bit thick, the filling is rich, and with just one bite, the smell of meat spreads out. My taste is no longer what it used to be.

"Sister, is it cold in Guangzhou this year? I see you've become thinner."

Tri Tinh pushed the plate of dumplings towards me a little more.

“Eat more, don't be polite.”

I bowed my head and took a sip of soup. Everyone talked about a few everyday stories, but no one really paid attention. Mom occasionally looked at me, then looked at Tri Tinh. Eyes averted. Chu Hao bowed his head while eating and rarely interfered. Halfway through the meal, Doan Doan started tapping his bowl with his chopsticks. Sometimes I eat a piece, sometimes I jump out of my chair and run to get peanuts on the table.

“Doan Doan, don't run around.”

Tri Tinh called after her. The little girl dodged and laughed. It ran around the dining table, along the hallway to the front of the innermost room. Hold the door frame with both hands and poke your head in.

“Mom, I want to go to the drawing room to play.”

That's my room.

“Doan Doan, come here.”

Tri Tinh's face suddenly stiffened.

“You sleep in that room today, don't play around.”

“But that's my drawing room…”

The girl spoke in a baby voice. That statement was so natural that... It was as if it was a truth that everyone implicitly acknowledged. At that moment, I raised my head. I saw my mother's chopsticks stop. Dad's hand that was picking up the food also stopped in mid-air. Tri Tinh smiled wryly:

"Children just talk nonsense, don't take it to heart."

"No problem."

My voice was very calm.

“Children… are often the ones who tell the most truth.”

The dining table was silent for a moment. Mom immediately forced a smile:

"Doan Doan, when my aunt comes home, let me sleep in that room first. Wait until I leave and then go back to painting, okay?"

“So when are you leaving?”

Doan Doan innocently continued asking.

“In a few days.”

Tri Tinh quickly jumped in to answer. I slowly put down the bowl of soup and looked up at her. Tri Tinh's face suddenly panicked.

“I finished eating…”

I spoke up.

“Let's all sit down and talk for a bit.”

My voice is neither fast nor slow. But it's like a stone thrown into still water. The entire dining table immediately fell silent.

"There's nothing to say, Tet is the best."

Mom reflexively wanted to change the subject.

"Once you're back, stay a few more days. Don't think about work anymore. Take advantage of the holidays to rest well."

Dad also chimed in.

"Let's talk later if there's anything else, my sister is busy, I'm busy too."

“I'm not busy.”

I looked at them.

“I came back today to clarify this matter.”

The smile on Tri Tinh's face gradually disappeared. Chu Hao raised his head and looked at me, his eyes very complicated. The meal ended hastily in an awkward atmosphere. Mom was about to tell Tri Tinh to wash the dishes, but I stopped her.

“Mom, let's wash it later.”

I cleared the table and carried the bowls and chopsticks into the kitchen.

“Let's clean up the living room first.”

“Are you discussing something so serious?”

Tri Tinh stood next to him and bitterly mumbled a sentence. I turned my head to look at her.

“Everyone must sit down, no one can hide.”

My voice is not strong. But he brought with him a steadfastness that had rarely been seen in the house before. That steadfastness... Is something I've been honed by life out there after many years of struggling on my own. Mom opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just sighed. She carried Doan Doan into the bedroom, opened the cartoon for her to watch and then closed it leave the door open. There were only five adults left in the living room. The TV is off. The house was so quiet that you could clearly hear the gentle sound of the heater running. I sat down on the single sofa, my eyes scanning each person in turn.

“The phone call last night…”

I was the one who spoke first.

“Everyone knows you heard it, right?”

No one answered.

“Last night I transferred to my parents 6,000 yuan in Tet money.”

I speak very frankly.

“Then I forgot to turn off the phone, so I heard everything everyone said.”

Tri Tinh's expression immediately changed, reflexively wanting to explain:

"It's just a few random words, no one says a few words behind someone's back, don't take it seriously."

I looked at her.

"What you said about me being an 'outsider' and telling me 'if you don't want to go home, don't fight for the house', is that just nonsense?"

When I said it out loud like that, Tri Tinh's face turned a little white.

“I… I just spoke quickly.”

She stubbornly resisted.

"I don't know anything about you. You talk straight. Besides, we just discussed it. If we really want to do anything, we still have to let our parents decide."

“The content of the discussion is to transfer the title of this house to you.”

I continued her words.

“Then you will be ‘filial’ to your parents.”

I deliberately emphasized the words "filial piety". Chu Hao finally couldn't bear it anymore:

"Sister, can you please stop speaking so harshly? Who said they would send their parents away? Just write down Tri Tinh's name, so everyone can feel more secure, in the future, parents will be guaranteed wherever they go."

I turned my head to look at him.

“Have you seen the house documents yet?”

“This house belongs to my parents.”

Chu Hao said it very matter-of-factly.

“Parents can't write down anyone's name if they want.”

"Not."

I replied softly. Just three words.