Chapter 18 — Between Two Worlds: A Bride Exchanged for a Dumpling

Three days later, when Thua An opened the gate as usual, a thick letter from Pham Dinh Nam was waiting, with a sincere apology and the whole truth that he could no longer hide. He recounted in detail how Kieu The Vy discovered the secret of the gate, how he threatened him, and how he took advantage of the loophole to plant the brooch and the anonymous letter in the shipment. Pham Dinh Nam did not shy away from responsibility, admitting his mistake in letting another person's greed creep into the trusting relationship between the two, and promised to find every way to prevent Kieu The Vy from causing more harm.

After reading the letter, Thua An and Tieu Mien looked at each other, the last piece of the conspiracy picture now clearly visible. A greedy person in modern times, after discovering the secret of the gate, sought to destroy their marital happiness for personal gain; and a person in this very era, out of jealousy and desire for revenge, took advantage of that false evidence to smear their honor before the whole village. Two greedy people from two eras, even though they have never met, accidentally become allies in bringing disaster to their small family.

At that moment, Tieu Ha returned after three days of secretly exploring the village, bringing important news. "I found Ga Tu," she reported, her voice mixed with excitement and anger. "He is hiding at the house of a distant relative of Ma Dac Uy in the neighboring village. I also found the ghostwriter who received money from Ma Dac Uy to write a second anonymous letter to the village elders - he agreed to testify, because he was inherently unhappy when he learned that he was used in such a dirty plot."

Tieu Ha recounted in more detail her arduous exploration journey. She had to pretend to be a cloth merchant visiting a neighboring village, tactfully interrogate each old acquaintance, to avoid causing suspicion to the family harboring Ga Tu. At one point, she was almost discovered when a relative of Ma Dac Uy became wary of her too many questions, forcing her to quickly change the subject and pretend to be just looking to buy back a family heirloom to avoid revealing her true identity.

"That ghostwriter," Tieu Ha continued, "at first was very scared and didn't dare to confess because he was worried about Ma Dac Uy's revenge. It took me a whole session of persuasion, promising to ensure the safety of him and his family, before he finally told me the whole story. It turned out that he was just a poor man, accepting money to write for hire without knowing the real purpose behind it. By the time I found out, it was too late, and he was too scared to speak up."

Thua An and Tieu Mien immediately worked with Tieu Ha to make a plan to verify all the evidence. They secretly sent someone to meet the ghostwriter, recording detailed testimony about Ma Dac Uy asking him to write anonymous letters with the aim of sowing suspicion. They also tried to approach the relative who was harboring Ga Tu, cleverly convincing him to confirm that he had come to Ma Dac Uy's house on the night the brooch and the letter disappeared from the locked wooden box in their private room.

"We have all the pieces of the puzzle," Tieu Mien said, her eyes steady as she reviewed all the evidence she had collected - the ghostwriter's testimony, confirmation of Ga Tu's whereabouts, along with the brooch and the original letter that Tieu Ha had cleverly retrieved from the relative's house through a discreet exchange. "But we need to choose the right time to announce everything. If we expose it too soon, while people are still whispering and doubting us, maybe Ma Dac Uy will find a way to deny it, blame all the responsibility on Ga Tu and then retreat into the shadows."

Thua An nodded in agreement, a more specific plan began to form in his mind. "The biggest trading market of the year is about to take place in the next few days, gathering merchants and people from all neighboring villages, and there may even be representatives from the district government to supervise because of the importance of this year's market. This will be the best time to publicly expose the entire conspiracy, in front of a large number of witnesses, without giving Ma Dac Uy the opportunity to deny or manipulate public opinion again."

Tieu Ha, after listening to all the analysis of her sister and brother-in-law, also added important opinions. "I think we should invite the families that we helped during the worst famine to be present, so that they can witness the truth with their own eyes and speak up for themselves if necessary. The voices of ordinary people, those who have directly received favors from us, will carry more weight than any excuse from the mouth of a brother-in-law or sister."

That opinion was immediately approved by both. They spent the remaining two days before the market quietly contacting the families who had been helped, tactfully explaining the situation without revealing their plans too early, just reminding them that if they ever had the opportunity to witness anything unjust happen to Mr. Ky at the market, they would not hesitate to speak out the truth they knew. Most families immediately agreed, unable to hide their gratitude and indignation on behalf of their benefactor when they heard briefly about the dirty plot targeting Thua An.

The plan was gradually outlined in detail: Tieu Ha would ensure that the ghostwriter and the relative witness were present at the necessary time at the market; Tieu Mien will prepare all written evidence to present logically and convincingly to the crowd; Thua An will be the one to directly confront Ma Dac Uy, and at the same time send an urgent letter to the official who was sympathetic to his family, asking him to send someone to monitor this year's market for security reasons.

The night before the plan was completed, Thua An stood in front of the gate, sent a final letter to Pham Dinh Nam, informing him of the upcoming confrontation plan and asking him to find a way to stop Kieu The Vy from the other side, to avoid giving him more opportunities to cause trouble at this important moment. He did not know that, in modern times, Kieu The Vy, after realizing that the initial plan to sow suspicion was not enough to completely destroy the target couple's relationship, was also secretly preparing a much more direct and bold attack, aimed directly at the gate itself and its control, right at the upcoming fateful moment.

That night, after all plans had been carefully discussed, Tieu Mien sat quietly next to Thua An on the front porch, the crescent moon hanging in the chilly night sky. "Are you afraid," she asked softly, "if tomorrow things don't go as I expected?"

Thua An held her hand and was silent for a moment before responding. "I'm afraid. But I'm not afraid because wealth or power can be lost. I'm only afraid that if we fail, those malicious rumors will forever follow her, causing her to suffer unjust reputation for the rest of her life. That's what I cannot accept."

Tieu Mien leaned her head on his shoulder, her voice gentle but firm. "Then let's face it together, like we've always done since day one. No matter what tomorrow brings, I will stand by your side, without any hesitation."

The two sat together for a long time in that quiet night, no one said another word, but this silence contained an iron determination, a strong mental preparation for the upcoming decisive battle, where not only honor, but also marriage, career and the magical gate connecting their two worlds will all be on the balance.

Before going to sleep, Thua An went out to the warehouse one last time, placing his hand on the wooden cabinet door. The light blue halo remained steady and steady, like a silent promise that no matter how stormy tomorrow was, as long as he and Tieu Mien held each other's hands tightly, that gate would not be easily knocked down. He closed the closet door, looked back towards the small house where his wife and children were sleeping peacefully, then slowly walked inside, his heart much more stable than the previous restless and anxious nights, ready for whatever tomorrow would bring. Far away, on the eastern horizon, a faint streak of light signals the approach of dawn, like a sign of the decisive day about to take place at the biggest trading market of the year.