Chapter 20 — Between Two Worlds: A Bride Exchanged for a Dumpling

Thua An pushed the dizziness aside. This is no time to be weak.

He stood up straight, pulled Tieu Mien closer, then turned to look straight at Ma Dac Uy, his voice rang out clearly enough for the whole market to hear.

"Chief of Ma village, what crime do you want to arrest me for? Trafficking in banned goods, I have already cleared my name before the government. Having an affair with a demon girl, all the evidence you just lost right in front of everyone. Do you have anything else to accuse me of?"

Ma Dac Uy gritted his teeth, unable to answer.

"Let me speak for you." Thua An took a step forward. "You're jealous because I surpass you in the hearts of the villagers. You're afraid of losing the power you've clung to for so many years by stealing aid. You made up a story, bribed a ghostwriter, planted someone in my house to steal fake evidence you created yourself, and then spread rumors to destroy my wife's reputation. Is that right?"

The crowd fell silent. All eyes turned to Ma Dac Uy.

"You..." Ma Dac Uy took a step back, his face pale. "You have no proof!"

"Yes." Tieu Ha walked forward, dragging a thin, scared man. "This is the writer for hire. He told the government everything."

The ghostwriter nodded tremblingly, confirming every word. The crowd roared with indignation.

Tieu Mien, without waiting any longer, turned to the families who had been rescued standing in the crowd. "Anyone who has received rice or medicine from us during the most famine days, please speak up. We need the truth, not pity."

The widowed carpenter walked out first, his voice choked. "Master Ky and his wife saved my three children from death. I don't believe that such a person is a liar."

One by one, each person stepped forward to confirm the kindness of Thua An and Tieu Mien. The stream of supporters grew more and more, drowning out the initial murmurs of doubt.

The district official's representative raised his hand and ordered silence. "Enough. The evidence is clear." He turned to Ma Dac Uy, his voice cold as ice. "Village Chief Ma Dac Uy, you committed the crime of slander, bribery of false witnesses, and recidivism after being warned of the crime of embezzlement of relief aid. Arrest immediately, take him to the palace to await trial."

"Why?" Ma Dac Uy roared, struggling in the soldiers' hands, his bloodshot eyes looking at Thua An. "How can an outsider like you have everything I spent my whole life building? I ruled this village for twenty years, bowed to the superiors, endured all kinds of humiliation, in the end just to gain a small amount of power. And you, in just one year, have it all!"

"Have you ever wondered why I win the hearts of the people, but you don't?" Thua An replied, his voice not wavering. "It's not because I'm luckier than you. It's because I choose to share what I have, and you choose to appropriate what should belong to others. Power built on exploitation will never be sustainable, village chief."

Ma Dac Uy could no longer respond and could only scream meaningless complaints as the soldiers dragged him away. The crowd moved aside to make way, no one showed any mercy.

At that moment, Thua An felt a warm stream of energy burst into his chest, stronger than any time he had ever felt from the gate. He held Tieu Mien's hand tightly and whispered. "Can you feel it?"

Tieu Mien nodded, her eyes shining with wonder. "I can feel it. It's... getting stronger."

On the other side of the gate, the moment Kieu The Vy's hand touched deep into the swirling light, a fierce stream of energy suddenly erupted in reverse, knocking him away, hitting the wooden shelf behind him. He cried out in pain, his hands burned as if they had just touched invisible fire.

At that moment, the siren sounded shrilly. Pham Dinh Nam, despite his shoulder injury, still had time to crawl to press the silent alarm button he had silently installed after the previous break-in, connecting directly to the security company and the nearby police station.

"You guys are finished," Pham Dinh Nam gasped, looking at Kieu The Vy who was struggling to get up, "the police are about to arrive."

Kieu The Vy panicked and signaled the two henchmen to retreat, but it was too late. The siren sounded right in front of the store.

"Why do you have to protect something that doesn't belong to you?" Kieu The Vy screamed, her hands were still burning, her eyes were both painful and bitter. "You could be a hundred times richer if you would share it with me fairly!"

"Don't you understand?" Pham Dinh Nam forced himself to stand up, his voice shaking but determined. "It never belonged to me to share. It was the trust of a strange family, kept by my grandfather for three generations. You want to rob that trust, and I would rather lose everything than betray it."

The police rushed in and controlled all three people on the spot, amid clear evidence of the break-in, assault and blackmail plot that Pham Dinh Nam had secretly recorded in advance, along with the video Kieu The Vy used to threaten him, which has now become evidence to incriminate himself.

Two crises, in two separate eras, ended at almost the same time.

In Bai Tro village, in the middle of the market that gradually calmed down after the chaos, Thua An hugged Tieu Mien tightly, clearly feeling the warm energy from the gate that was stabilizing and strong like never before. He understood that it was the absolute trust and unwavering solidarity between the two in the midst of the recent storm that had become the greatest strength to protect everything they had built together.

"We did it," Tieu Mien whispered, tears rolling down with relief.

"No," Thua An replied, squeezing her hand, "we did it, together. Not alone."

The surrounding crowd gradually cheered, not because of wealth or power, but because the truth had just been protected, because a couple had proven to the whole village how sincerity triumphs over all dark schemes.

The district official's representative approached, his face softening somewhat compared to the initial serious expression. "Master Ky, ma'am," he said, his voice respectful. "This official apologizes for letting things get this far before intervening. I will fully report to the district official, recommend strict handling of this incident, and officially consider dismissing Ma Dac Uy from the position of village chief."

"Thank you, sir," Thua An bowed his head, his voice still a little breathless after what he had just experienced. "We just want justice to be served, nothing more."

Tieu Ha ran to her sister and hugged her, both of them had tears in their eyes. "You and your brother-in-law did it! I thought my heart was going to stop just now."

The crowd gradually dispersed, but the atmosphere in the market was completely different from before. Those once searching eyes were now filled with admiration. Many people came forward, held Thua An's hand, and congratulated, some even shed tears of gratitude because they witnessed justice being served right before their eyes.

That evening, when everything had calmed down, the three people sat in the house that had gone through so many ups and downs, the flickering oil lamplight clearly illuminated the faces that were still shocked but full of relief. Thua An went out to the warehouse once, placed his hand on the wooden cabinet door, and this time, the pale blue halo of light appeared brighter and more stable than at any time he had witnessed since that fateful first night.

A letter from Pham Dinh Nam was waiting, recounting everything that happened on the other side — Kieu The Vy's arrest, the police's investigation of his entire illegal business line, and his sincere thanks for helping him overcome the biggest challenge since the family secret was passed down. "From now on," Pham Dinh Nam wrote, "I believe that no one can threaten the precious thing that we are both preserving together."

Thua An read the letter to Tieu Mien and Tieu Ha, and all three breathed a sigh of relief. That night, under the rare full moonlight, Thua An hugged Tieu Mien tightly, whispering that no matter how many challenges ahead, as long as they held hands like tonight, no dark plot could knock them down anymore. Tieu Mien leaned her head on her husband's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat mixed with the chirping of insects in the yard, her heart filled with a peace that she had never dared to dream of since the day her parents passed away in the middle of that cruel Great Hunger Year. She knows that there is still a lot of work to do on the road ahead - to heal Bai Tro village after the recent turmoil, to stabilize her business, to help families in difficulty - but at least, right now, she can rest assured that the strongest foundation of all of that is the love and trust between her and her husband who is holding her tightly.