Chapter 1 — Bringing Children to Find a Husband

On summer break, I took my children thousands of miles to find my husband. When I pushed open the door, the house fell apart. My husband works at a construction site in the Northwest, year-round, only coming home for a few days during Tet. I was alone in the countryside, going to work during the day, then coming home at night with my two children doing homework, tired and spinning like a spinning top. My son got a bad grade in his final exam. His words "I'm about to forget what dad looks like" made me immediately collapse. Summer vacation had just arrived, I packed a big bag and a small bag, took my two children with me and sat on the train for thirty-six hours, traveling thousands of miles to give him a surprise. The moment I pushed open the dorm room door, the surprise was real. Only, the one who was scared was me.01The day my son's final exam scores were announced, I was chopping potatoes in the kitchen. The homeroom teacher sent the scorecard to the class group, Tuong Tieu Chu's Math subject only got sixty-one points. I stared at that number, the dagger in my hand stopped for a long time. Tuong Duong Duong's daughter was lying on the dining table practicing writing, smoothing each stroke as slowly as a snail. Tieu Chu threw her schoolbag down on the sofa, bowed her head and stood at the door. I asked my child why the exam turned out like that. The boy didn't argue back. He only said one sentence: "Mom, I'm about to forget what Dad looks like." The tip of the knife sticks to the cutting board. The rope that had been tight in my heart for so long suddenly broke. Tuong Minh Loi works at a construction site in the Northwest region. All year round, all month long, only a few days of Tet when I go home. He said the construction site was busy. He said the project is urgent. He said he wanted to make some more money and later buy a house for his children. Over the years, I have believed. I pay monthly for the installment loan to buy a house in the countryside. I take two children and pick them up. My husband's parents were sick and I ran to the hospital. During the day I work at the supermarket, come home at night to tutor my children, and on weekends do laundry, cook, and clean the house. I'm like a machine that has never stopped. Every month he transfers five thousand yuan (about more than 17 million VND). Ma Thuy Anh always says on the phone: "It's not easy for men to go out and make money, you stay at home and take care of your children, you're happy, don't complain so much." I never told these words to Jiang Ming Lei. I'm afraid he'll be annoying. I'm also afraid that my children will think poorly of their father. But Tieu Chu's words tore away all my patience. On the first day of summer vacation, I took five days off. I stuffed my two children's clothes into the suitcase, packed a few bags of bacon, salted duck eggs, and peanut butter brought from the countryside. Duong Duong happily twirled around the house. Tieu Chu also rarely smiles. The boy said: "Mom, dad sees you and me, aren't you happy?" I patted my child's head. I said: “Yes.” Thirty-six hours on a hard train seat, the car smelled of instant noodles and sweat. At midnight, Duong Duong had a mild fever. I used a wet towel to wipe his palms. Tieu Chu gave her water bottle to her sister, not complaining a single word along the way. I looked at the two children leaning against each other sleeping, feeling extremely sad. I think, when Chiang Minh Loi saw this scene, no matter how busy he was, he should give them a hug. Coming to the Northwest, the weather is so dry that my throat hurts. Outside the construction site is full of dust. The security guard heard that I was looking for Tuong Minh Loi and was a little stunned. He made a phone call, then looked at my mother and I a few times. "Are you his wife?" I nodded. The security guard pushed the registration book over. "The dormitory is in row number two, room number three is in the back." His voice lowered a bit. "You go there yourself." I didn't think much. I just feel like I'm about to meet someone, my legs are weak. The dormitory is very messy. The corrugated iron houses are located close together, in front of the drying door

worker uniforms and bed sheets. With one hand I led Duong Duong and with the other hand pulled the suitcase. Tieu Chu held the bag of smoked meat and ran forward. The door to room number three, row number two, is ajar. Inside came the sound of women's laughter. My steps stopped. Tieu Chu turned to look at me. "Mom, is it dad's room?" I didn't answer. Through the door, there was a pair of pink slippers. There is also a woman's flower girl dress, hanging next to Chiang Minh Loi's blue worker's uniform. My hand grabbed the door handle. In the room, Tuong Minh Loi's deep voice rang out. "Don't make trouble anymore, tonight I'll take you and your mother to the city for dinner." Duong Duong raised his head and asked me: "Mom, the children that dad talked about are me and my brother?" I pushed the door open. Chiang Minh Loi was shirtless and sitting on the edge of the bed. A woman wearing his white shirt, holding a boy about two or three years old, was sitting at his feet peeling grapes. On the table are three sets of bowls and chopsticks. The head of the bed has a photo taken together. In the photo, Tuong Minh Loi hugs that woman, holding the baby boy in her arms. Looks like a family of three. Tuong Minh Loi saw me and his face suddenly turned pale. He stood up, his voice also changed. "Ha Xuan Hoa, why are you here?" I didn't look at him. I looked at the red text under the photo. *Celebrating the hundred-day-old party.* The signers were, *Father Tuong Minh Loi, Mother Phung Le Na.* The bag of smoked meat in Tieu Chu's hand fell to the ground. Duong Duong shrank and hid behind me. And the other boy raised his head and called out in a crisp voice. "Dad, who are they?"02 The room suddenly became silent. The wind blew in from outside the door, blowing the photo on the head of the bed to sway. Tuong Minh Loi reflexively reached out and grabbed the shirt. Phung Le Na hugged the baby tightly and spoke first. "Minh Loi, is she the wife you said in the countryside?" She didn't call me sister-in-law. Not even confused. That tone sounded like he was asking about an old item. I looked at Tuong Minh Loi. "Explain." Tuong Minh Loi put on his shirt, buttoning the shirt with two buttons missing. "Xuan Hoa, you heard me." "You and Le Na are not what you think." I nodded. "What about the child?" His lips moved. Phung Le Na stood up holding the baby. "Of course the child is his." She looked at me, without a trace of retreat in her eyes. "He's been here for so many years, he has to have someone around to take care of him." "I'm in the countryside taking care of the child, he's also having a hard time outside." "You can't just think about yourself." Tieu Chu suddenly raised her head. "Is my dad suffering?" The boy's eyes were red. hoe. "My mother wakes up at six o'clock every day to cook for us. When she comes home from work, she still has to wash clothes. When my grandmother is sick, my mother also takes leave to take her to the hospital." "My father comes home for a few days a year, what is he suffering?" Tuong Minh Loi's face darkened. "Tieu Chu, when adults talk, don't interfere with children." Tieu Chu was shouted at, causing his shoulders to shrink. I pulled the boy behind me. "What are you yelling at me for?" Tuong Minh Loi angrily scratched his head. "What are you suddenly running here for?" "The construction site is so chaotic, taking your child with you, do you have any brains?" I looked at him. Thirty-six hours on the train. The two children along the way kept patience to give him a surprise. The smoked meat I brought was still rolling on the ground, covered in dust. The first thing he said was not to ask if we were tired. Don't ask if the children are hot or not. It's asking if I have a brain. I burst out laughing. "Tuong Minh Loi, I'm very awake right now." Hearing these words, his eyes flashed. Ma Thuy Anh's phone call came at this exact moment. Tuong Minh Loi looked at the screen, as if he had grabbed a lifeline. He picked up the phone and turned on the speaker

outside. "Mom." Ma Thuy Anh's voice was very loud. "Did Xuan Hoa come to you?" "You told me he had a brain disease." "He's old and still learning to ask people to check on his husband." "What happens when a man works outside and has someone to take care of him?" I stared at the phone. Chiang Minh Loi did not turn off the speakerphone. Doesn't prevent it either. Ma Thuy Anh continued: "If he makes a fuss, don't tolerate him." "Both of my children have the last name Tuong, can he still turn the sky?" "Tell him to quickly go back to work, the house loan still has to be paid." Duong Duong's hand grabbed my shirt. Tieu Chu bit his lip until it bled. Phung Le Na laughed softly. Very softly. But I heard it. I took out my phone from my bag, pressed the record button and saved it. Then place the phone screen face down on the table. Tuong Minh Loi's face changed. "What are you doing?" I said: "Keep it as a souvenir." Phung Le Na hugged the baby and moved closer to Tuong Minh Loi. "Minh Loi, please tell her clearly." "Anyway, sooner or later she has to know." I looked at her. "Know what?" Phung Le Na did not avoid it. "For my house in the countryside, the down payment was paid by Minh Loi." "What you have spent on clothes and clothes for all these years is all money he earned outside." "If you understand, don't make a fuss." Oh.” “You take the children back, life will still be the same.” “I don't compete with you for that title.” She said very generously. It's like giving me a bowl of leftover rice. I asked Tuong Minh Loi: "Do you also have this idea?" Tuong Minh Loi was silent for a few seconds. "Xuan Hoa, Le Na has been with me for three years." "You're already this big." "I can't help but worry." "You're living very well in the countryside." "Let's not tear this into a big deal." I nodded. "So, I want to stay at home with one person, outside with another." He frowned. "Don't speak so harshly." I took out a photocopy of my household registration and a statement of history minus the house loan from my bag. These things were originally brought here as a backup for summer camp registration for my children. Now there is a place to use martial arts again. I spread each statement on the table. "For the house in the countryside, the down payment was 120,000 from my parents (about more than 400 million VND)." "After the wedding, the monthly installments were deducted from my salary card." "Five thousand yuan every month for you to move back home, three thousand to give to your mother to buy groceries, take care of family matters, one and a half thousand for the children's tuition and living expenses." "The remaining five hundred, even the electricity bill. Gas water for a family of four is not enough.” Tuong Minh Loi was speechless, unable to save face. “Why are you calculating in such detail?” I said: “Calculate.” Phung Le Na sneered. "It's unsightly for husband and wife to settle accounts with each other." I looked at her. "Didn't you say you don't compete for status?" "Then shut your mouth first." Her face stiffened. Tuong Minh Loi slammed his hand on the table. "Ha Xuan Hoa!" The bowl and chopsticks bounced. The little boy cried loudly. Duong Duong also cried. I didn't move at all. I just picked up the phone and opened the recording interface. "You bang the table one more time." "I'll report to the police immediately now." Chiang Minh Loi's hand stopped in mid-air. There were a few workers gathered outside the door. Someone craned their neck to look inside. Someone whispered: "Is Old Tuong's wife coming?" "Doesn't the girl in the room always recognize herself as her sister-in-law?" Phung Le Na's face changed. She hugged the baby backwards. Tuong Minh Loi lowered his voice. "Are you so determined to cause trouble in front of outsiders?" I said: "It's not that I want to cause trouble." "It's you who brought another family and displayed it in front of my children." Tieu Chu suddenly bent down and picked up the bag of smoked meat.