Chapter 3 — Broken Pearls Are Hard to Heal

Although he was smiling, the deep eyes passing through Tham Truong An carried a pressure that made people breathless. Truong An was young and so scared that he didn't dare to refuse, so he could only grit his teeth and invite him to get in the car. The carriage was already narrow, and four people were even more cramped. My mother-in-law sat next to me, awkwardly twisting the hem of her shirt, before speaking for a long time.
"I would like to thank Lord Quy for standing up and presiding over justice for the Tham family on the public road that day. If it weren't for your wisdom, I'm afraid the store wouldn't have been able to maintain it."
She held my hand.
"This child Van Nuong is not easy. She supports the store alone, everything inside and outside is taken care of by her."
The corner of Quy Hanh's lips moved slightly. His eyes carried a seemingly meaningless sarcasm, nonchalantly gliding across my face.
"The old lady has said too much. To enjoy the king's benefits, one must be loyal to the king. This mandarin only works according to the law. Besides, Lady Tham works so thoroughly, Mr. Tham is truly a lucky person."
Hearing the three words "Tam bachelor", tears suddenly fell from the mother-in-law's eyes. Quy Hanh looked at her in confusion, seemingly not understanding why the old woman suddenly became emotional. In his eyes, the whole family happily went out to reunite, perhaps she was just crying because of joy. The carriage went a little further. The mother-in-law wiped her tears and changed the subject.
"Are you married yet? Is your wife still well?"
Quy Hanh leaned his back against the side of the car, his appearance a bit more relaxed.
"We're married. She's very nice."
Speaking of this, the corners of his lips curled up slightly, and a gentle, almost gentle, nostalgia appeared in his eyes.
"She is very simple. When she was in Duong Chau, every day she would cling to me and ask to buy chestnuts. Every time she bought them, she would peel the first fruit and feed it to me. If I didn't eat it, she would complain for half a day."
Mother-in-law smiled.
“The relationship between Sir and Madam is very good.”
Quy Hanh softly said "yes", his cold eyes fell on him.
"She's a coward. She can't sleep at night when there's thunder and lightning. In the summer, she even forced me to watch the stars with her, saying that in the future she wanted to plant gardenias in the yard."
I bow my head. Those words sounded strangely familiar, my heart ached. It turns out that during his days in Duong Chau, Quy Hanh never forgot a single thing. It's just that he placed each of those memories on his current wife, then deliberately and cruelly bragged in front of me. Mother-in-law didn't notice the undercurrent between us, she just sighed softly.
“To be loved like that by your lordship, you must be very happy.”
"YES."
Quy Hanh's voice suddenly became very soft.
"It's me and Cao. She's stubborn but soft-hearted. She can't bear to see others suffer. She takes care of everything herself."
Mother-in-law patted the back of my hand.
“Then it's exactly like our Van Nuong.”
Quy Hanh's eyes looked out the window, the corner of his lips slightly raised in self-mockery.
"Really."
The carriage turned a corner. The road became increasingly narrower and the weeds on both sides grew taller. At the foot of the mountain, I helped my mother-in-law get out of the car. The mountain wind is very strong, blowing the hem of my shirt fluttering. Quy Hanh still followed behind us, neither close nor far. From the corner of my eye, I quietly saw his face was very gloomy. In those deep black eyes, there seemed to be an anonymous fire burning, staring at the basket in my hand. We know what he is thinking. Maybe He had already prepared his stomach for harsh words, just waiting to meet Tham Thuc Ngoc to aggressively insult us. What a pity... At the end of the mountain road, there was no loving couple holding hands to welcome each other. There is only a lonely grave hidden under the green pine trees. I walked to the front of that grave and slowly squatted down. Quy Hanh, walking behind, suddenly stopped. The late afternoon light casts a long shadow on the tombstone. All around it was so quiet that only the sound of the wind remained. On the tombstone are clearly visible large words: Tomb of the late husband Tham Thuc Ngoc. I used my rough fingers to gently brush away the fallen leaves on the surface of the beer. I lit a fire and burned paper money. The firelight swayed weakly, reflecting on the stone stele as cold as ice.
“Thuc Ngoc, I came to visit you.”
Behind him, Quy Hanh's eyes were filled with horror and disbelief. The hot ash of paper swirled in the wind, passing over his pale face. His voice was hoarse and trembling to the point that he couldn't hide his despair.
“Tong Van Am… when did this happen?”
“Why I… why I don't know at all…”
… That night, after returning from the mountain, I used the excuse that I was tired and turned off the light to rest early. Lying on a small, narrow, stiff wooden bed, the moonlight shining through the window filled the ground, making it impossible for me to sleep. Each scene during the day in front of the grave is like a marching lantern, constantly torn in my mind. Quy Hanh almost crushed my shoulder, and his last desperate question was like a knife flying back after three years, accurately stabbing back at himself. I don't feel satisfied. Just feel tired. For the past three years, I have been carrying the burden of the Tham family being on the verge of collapse, and my heart has long since become callous. I don't want to find out what the panic and pain in his eyes are all about, nor do I want to get involved with him any further. It was late at night. All around it was so quiet that there was only the sound of the wind rustling the branches and leaves. I don't know how much time passed, just when I was about to fall asleep, in the quiet night suddenly a very soft "creaking" sound rang out. That's the old window on the west side of my bedroom, being slowly pushed open by someone from the outside. My whole body jolted, I immediately woke up, staring at the window that was slowly opening. Moonlight immediately flooded in. A tall figure kept blocking the door frame. Seeing clearly who was coming, my breath suddenly caught. It's Quy Hanh. I don't know how long he stood out there.