Chapter 4 — Bringing Children to Find a Husband

“Stop calling me mother.” “Are you worthy?” I said: “Okay.” “So from now on, I don't need to buy medicine for her anymore, I don't need to pay health insurance for her anymore, I don't need to run around the hospital on her behalf, I don't need to save my salary to take care of her lover's affairs on her behalf.” “If you have any problems in the future, go find her son.” Ma Thuy Anh immediately panicked. “Don't you dare!” I hung up. blunt machine. The office fell silent. Doan Man poured me a glass of water. "Sister-in-law, don't be afraid." "I heard everything just now." "If you need to testify in the future, I can explain the situation." I took the glass of water, my fingers burned a little. That bit of pain instead kept me awake. The project director arrived very quickly. His last name is Luong, over forty years old, his face is not very good. He apologized to me first. "When family members come and encounter this problem, it is because our management is not good." "The matter of Tuong Minh Loi allowing people to stay illegally, we will handle it according to regulations." I asked: "Can you provide a copy of the registration documents?" Director Luong hesitated a bit. Doan Man next to him said: "Miss Phung wrote on the registration form that she is her cousin." "But just now she directly admitted that the baby was Tuong Minh Loi's." "In the dormitory there are also photos and household items." Director Luong was silent for a few seconds. "If you carry out legal procedures, we can coordinate with the authorities to investigate." I nodded. "That's enough." Tuong Minh Loi was called out of the office. Through a layer of glass, I saw him bow his head, his shoulders sagging. Before, I always thought he suffered outside. Now I know, he is not suffering at all. He only used me and the children in the countryside as a shield, while he himself lived a different life outside. Half an hour later, I took my children to a nearby motel. The room is not big, outside the window is a yellow dirt road. After Duong Duong took a shower, he fell asleep. Tieu Chu sat on the edge of the bed, still not saying a word. I turned off the hair dryer. "If you want to cry, just cry." The boy shook his head. "I'm not crying." After a while, the boy asked again: "Mom, after the divorce, will my brother and I lose our house?" I squatted down in front of my child. "Mom is here, the house is still here." Tieu Chu's eyes were red. "So what about the house?" "Did he take it away?" I rubbed my child's cheek. "No." "I won't give up an inch of what belongs to us." The phone vibrated. This is the message Jiang Ming Lei sent. *Xuan Hoa, today I'm wrong.* *Don't make a fuss.* *If your children are there, don't let them suffer too.* *I'll transfer you twenty thousand (about nearly 70 million VND), delete the recording, we'll talk properly tomorrow.* Right after that, the notification of money being deposited into the bank account rang out. Twenty thousand yuan. I looked at that notice and suddenly remembered the past years when I asked for tuition money, he always said he was stuck with money these days. I remember when Duong Duong changed season and couldn't buy new shoes, I had to wear my old life jacket for another year. I remember when Tieu Chu was short eight hundred yuan for extra tuition, I had to work the night shift for ten more days at the supermarket. Turns out it's not like there's no money. But we can't bear it. I saved a screenshot of the transfer. Then answer four words. *Let's meet tomorrow.* I do not agree to delete the recording. Also no refund. This is inherently the common property of husband and wife. At eleven o'clock at night, a neighbor in the countryside sent me a video. In the video, Ma Thuy Anh sat in front of the supermarket where I work, patted her thighs and cried loudly. "My daughter-in-law ran away with her son." "She abandoned her children, did not take care of the elderly, and even wanted to force my son to die." "Everyone, please come and help me judge." The lens shook once. I

I saw the supermarket manager standing in the crowd, his face very unsightly. The next second, in the video came Ma Thuy Anh's more sinister words. "If he dares to show his face, I will force him out of this district."05 I watched that video twice. Not because of heartache. But to remember every sentence and every word she splashed dirty water on me. Tieu Chu stood behind me, her voice hoarse. "Mom, why did grandma do that?" I held the phone tightly in my hand. "Because she was scared." If a person had reason, he would not sit in front of the supermarket and cry. The more noise she made, the more it proved that she was guilty. I called the supermarket manager first. The phone rang for a long time before someone picked up. The manager's voice was very awkward. "Xuan Hoa, your house is so noisy and unsightly." "Customers are asking questions now, the supermarket door is full of people." I said: "Miss Truong, I didn't run away with anyone, nor did I abandon my children." "Currently, my two children and I are in the Northwest." "During our marriage, my husband lived with another woman and even gave her his salary card." "My mother-in-law is spreading nonsense." the other side was silent. I continued: "I will send the recording and pictures of the scene to you."