Chapter 1 — Behind the Ladder is a Life of Atonement

On the day I moved into the new house, I pre-selected the main bedroom on the first floor, with access for disabled people, for my mother because her legs were inconvenient. But when the moving company arrived, they told me that the person on the first floor was Luc Can Chau's ex-wife's mother. My mother was placed in the extra bedroom on the fourth floor, in a house without an elevator. She used crutches and climbed up step by step. Every time she climbed a floor, she stopped and panted. I called Luc Can Chau. He only said one sentence: "The lighting upstairs is good, don't overdo it." But just now, with my own eyes, I saw him bending down to install a night sensor light in front of Aunt Trinh's bedroom door. He is afraid that the elderly will wake up in the middle of the night and fall. Mom finally climbed to the fourth floor. She held the door frame and smiled at me: "Daughter, this room is very bright, I like it." Her lower legs were bruised, and her pants legs were still rolled up before they could be pulled down. I looked at that steep road for disabled people. Suddenly I felt like I didn't want to live in this house for even one more day. On the day I moved into the new house, I pre-selected the main bedroom on the first floor, with access for disabled people, for my mother because her legs were inconvenient. But when the moving company arrived, they told me that the person on the first floor was Luc Can Chau's ex-wife's mother. My mother was placed in the extra bedroom on the fourth floor, in a house without an elevator. She used crutches and climbed up step by step. Every time she climbed a floor, she stopped and panted. I called Luc Can Chau. He only said one sentence: "The lighting upstairs is good, don't overdo it." But just now, with my own eyes, I saw him bending down to install a night sensor light in front of Aunt Trinh's bedroom door. He is afraid that the elderly will wake up in the middle of the night and fall. Mom finally climbed to the fourth floor. She held the door frame and smiled at me: "Daughter, this room is very bright, I like it." Her lower legs were bruised, and her pants legs were still rolled up before they could be pulled down. I looked at that steep road for disabled people. Suddenly I felt like I didn't want to live in this house for even one more day. …… I gently closed the door to the spare bedroom on the fourth floor, my palm still covered in cold sweat on my mother's forehead. She took painkillers and lay on her side on the bed. The crutch leaned next to him, the bruise under his pant leg was still not covered. When I got downstairs, the handicap ramp was dazzlingly clean. The handrails are even covered with anti-slip tape. The kitchen door was ajar. Luc Can Chau rolled up his shirt sleeves and used a racket to filter out the layer of fat floating in the clay pot little by little. In the pot is pigeon soup stewed with wild cohosh. The dining table on the first floor is full of soft cakes, all of which are Aunt Trinh's favorite dishes. I held the door frame and softly asked: "Luc Can Chau, you changed the main bedroom on the first floor to Aunt Trinh, why didn't you tell me in advance?" He didn't turn around, just poured the layer of fat he had just scooped into a small bowl. "Moving house is just a small matter, do you have to think about it right now?" "My mother has three steel braces in her leg. Today she had to climb four floors, and by dinner time she was still in so much pain that she couldn't eat." Luc Can Chau turned down the heat, his voice still low. calmly: "Two days ago, Aunt Trinh was checked for signs of mild cerebral infarction. The doctor said she shouldn't work. She's alone, her daughter is gone, what's wrong with me taking care of her a little?" I stared at his side profile. "What about my mother? Her legs are not convenient to walk, can't you see it with your own eyes?" Finally he turned around, his eyebrows furrowed. "At least your mother still has you here every day." What does Aunt Trinh have? Her daughter is sick and can't survive.

In terms of ethics, I can't help but care." "Ethics?" I opened the original house renovation design on my phone and brought it in front of him. "This first floor master bedroom was designed for my mother from the beginning. The ramps, handrails, and seats in the bathroom are all made according to her figure." Luc Can Chau just glanced over. "The fourth floor has good lighting, which is also beneficial for the elderly's rheumatism. Don't always be so petty." I was so angry that my fingertips were numb. "Change rooms tomorrow." He put the ladle on the kitchen counter, the metal hitting the table made a sound. Luc Can Chau wiped his hands and slowly walked in front of me. "Aunt Trinh couldn't stand the excitement. If you dare to come in front of her and cause trouble, making her heart uncomfortable, don't blame me for not saving face for you." I raised my head to look at him. "Are you threatening me now?" He reached out and grabbed my wrist. The strength was not too strong, but did not allow me to back away. "Hua Le, it's okay for my family to suffer a little. Outsiders will look at how we treat people. Don't make me lose face." "So does my mother deserve to suffer?" "If you must understand like that, I have no choice." He let me go, picked up the pot of soup, his voice became cold: "I brought the soup to Aunt Trinh first. She hasn't been sleeping well these past few days." As he passed by me, he smelled faintly of sandalwood, a sedative incense often burned in Aunt Trinh's room. I stood in the kitchen, my stomach suddenly churning. I quickly held the refrigerator door, my palm pressed against my lower abdomen. The phone in my pocket vibrated. It was a reminder to have a follow-up examination at the hospital sent yesterday. 【Miss Hua, you've been cured. eight weeks, please re-examine on time.】 I looked at that text and remembered that I originally planned to tell him tonight, wanting this baby to bring a little more joy on the day of moving house. From downstairs, Aunt Trinh's voice rang out: "Can Chau, I'm bothering you again. Won't Le Le be happy?" Luc Can Chau replied in a low voice: "She's just a child, she'll be fine in a little while." I turned off the phone screen, but the heavy feeling in my lower abdomen still didn't disappear. Outside the door, Aunt Trinh smiled and said: "This old skeleton of yours, how does it deserve to be in such a good room?" Luc Can Chau's voice was very light: "You deserve it, don't think too much." I leaned against the refrigerator, tightening my muscles little by little. fingers. Early the next morning, it was raining heavily outside. Luc Can Chau promised to take us to the hospital, but neither he nor the car were there. Mom stood in the lobby on crutches, trying to endure the pain in her leg but still found an excuse to help him: "Can Chau is busy with work, we can call a car." On the screen was the message he just sent shop in the west of the city. I was in line to buy the car. The phone rang for a long time before I heard someone calling the queue number. "Luc Can Chau, last night you promised to take my mother to the orthopedic clinic. Her legs hurt all night. It's raining heavily outside. It's completely impossible to call a car here." His voice was a bit impatient: "I've been waiting in line for an hour. Isn't it a waste of time to leave now?" Please call a premium service car, I'll pay for it, okay?" "There are more than a hundred people waiting for the car ahead. In weather like this, there is basically no driver to take the trip!” “Hua Le, don't turn a small matter into such a tragedy. At this age, do you still need someone to go with you to the doctor?" My mother stood next to me and gently pulled my sleeve. Her face turned pale. "Stop arguing. Mom, just walk a little slower." I hung up the phone and went to the management

borrow a large umbrella. Rain pounded on the umbrella. Every time my mother took a step, the tip of the crutch slipped on the wet tile floor. I held the umbrella in one hand, the other hand supporting her arm. "Mom, lean on me, don't use your own strength." She panted but still smiled at me. "It's okay, daughter. Before, my legs could still support me when I went to work in the fields, but today they can handle it." The bus stop is three hundred meters from the residential area. Normally it's not far, but today it feels like it's half a city away. When I reached the puddle near the gate, my mother suddenly withdrew her hand from my elbow. "You're pregnant... Don't always use force, I can walk over by myself." My heart jumped. "You know?" She lowered her head to look at my bag. "Yesterday your medical examination form was exposed. I didn't ask because I wanted to wait for you to happily tell me." The bridge of my nose stung. Before I could speak, the crutch under her foot suddenly slipped. Mother fell hard into the mud, her knee hit the curb, her crutch flew next to the wheel. "Mom!" I rushed to help her. As soon as I exerted force, my lower abdomen suddenly felt severe pain. Mom was in so much pain that she broke out in a cold sweat, but she held my hand first. "Don't carry me, don't move anymore. Call a car, quickly call a car." I knelt in the mud and waved to the car on the side of the road. Several water-throwing vehicles passed by, but not a single one stopped. I trembled and took out the phone to call an ambulance. As soon as she finished reading the address with a trembling voice, at the top of the screen a notification of a new post appeared in Aunt Trinh's circle of friends. In the photo, the yellow crab shell cake is still steaming hot. Next to the tea cup, Luc Can Chau's hand is revealed, the sleeve is clean, the knuckles are long. The status line reads: 【Even though the daughter is no longer there, the half of the son is more filial than his biological son. No one else can be jealous of this blessing.】 I stared at that line, my nails digging deep into my palms. When the ambulance finally arrived, Mom was in so much pain that she couldn't speak in complete sentences. The doctor put her on the stretcher, frowned and asked me: "Why do family members let an elderly person walk in this weather? Her legs cannot fall." I opened my mouth, and finally just said: "Doctor, please hurry up." Arriving at the hospital, the orthopedic doctor looked at the film and his face immediately darkened. "The steel splint shows signs of movement, the inflammation is also serious. Has she been going up and down the stairs often recently?" Mother bowed her head and lowered her voice. said: "Just moved into the house, the floor is a bit high." The doctor looked at me: "You must rest in bed. From now on, try to use a wheelchair, absolutely no climbing stairs anymore." I nodded, went to the payment counter, swiped the last personal amount on my card, and then rented an old wheelchair. When he left the hospital, Luc Can Chau finally called. His voice was calm: "Have you two gone to the hospital? Aunt Trinh felt a bit dizzy after eating the cake, I'll be home a little late." I looked at my mother's pant leg soaked in rainwater until it was wrinkled. "Luc Can Chau, my mother fell." He was silent for a second. "Is it serious?" Before I could answer, Aunt Trinh's cough was heard on the other end of the line. Luc Can Chau immediately lowered his voice: "I won't talk anymore. Don't always exaggerate minor illnesses and pain. Let's go home and talk." The phone was disconnected. Mom held the bent crutch in her arms and softly asked me: "Le Le, is the steep path in the house really not your turn to use?" My hand pushing the wheelchair stopped. Rainwater flowed down the sleeves and entered, so cold it was painful. After struggling at the hospital, it was dusk when we got home.