Chapter 5 — Broken Pearls Are Hard to Heal

The new district leader is the living King of Hell. Hearing those rumors, my heart did not waver at all. Still waking up early every day to open the store, check goods, calculate accounts, cut fabric, living peaceful days that are as quiet as ashes. But that peace was finally broken in the third year after Tham Thuc Ngoc passed away. Several matriarchs of the Tham clan led more than a dozen young men from their clan and aggressively rushed into my fabric store. As soon as they entered, they chased away the guests who were choosing fabric. Then, with a "bang" sound, the store's large door was slammed shut. Tham Thuc Ngoc's uncle, Tham Dai Thanh, kicked the wooden chair in front of the door, spat, and looked at me with a fierce face.
"Tong Van Am and Thuc Ngoc died three years ago. How can a foreign widow like you keep taking over the Tham family's fabric store and house?"
I stood behind the counter, coldly looking at the hungry and greedy wolves in front of me. The year Tham Thuc Ngoc passed away, they came to cause trouble. At that time, I took scissors and risked my life to chase them out. Now three years have passed. Seeing that the store's business was growing more and more, they finally couldn't bear it anymore.
"This shop was built by me weaving day and night. The house is also in my mother-in-law's name."
I tightened the steel scissors in my hand.
“There is no half-way relationship with you Shen clan.”
"Fart!"
Tham Dai Thanh slammed down on the table, pointed straight at my face and cursed.
"Don't pretend to be noble! A widow like you goes out to the market every day. Who knows where that money came from? Who knows if you slept with a wild man to earn it! We came here today to obey the patriarch's order to recover the Tham family's property, and by the way, chase an unchaste woman like you out of An Duong district!"
The young men in the back laughed loudly. Someone tried to overturn my counter, someone even reached out to grab the notebook in my lap. I gritted my teeth. I was about to raise the steel scissors and risk my life against them.
“Bang!”
The heavy wooden door of the store was suddenly kicked open by someone from the outside. The force was so strong that the two doors smashed straight into the wall, sending dust flying all over the room. Sunlight immediately flooded in, causing everyone in the room to squint their eyes. In the middle of that reverse light. A tall, thin figure slowly walked in. It's Quy Hanh. He wore a black plain clothes. His body became even thinner, as fragile as a piece of paper that could be blown away by the wind at any time. His face was pale and full of sickness. Just stood quietly at the door. Behind him is a team of servants with their hands on the hilt of the knife, their faces cold and serious. The noise in the room immediately fell silent. Tham Dai Thanh was originally just a gangster who had never seen big things. As soon as he saw the maid, he quickly smiled and walked up.
"Sir! Why are you here? The villains are just taking care of housework."
Quy Hanh's eyes immediately fell on the person behind the counter. Only when he saw that I was still safe and sound did he slowly speak.
“Housework?”
He walked in front of Tham Dai Thanh.
"Why did this mandarin hear that someone in An Duong district blatantly broke into people's houses, plotting to rob people's property?"
Tham Dai Thanh was so scared that he knelt down with a "thump" sound.
"Sir, you're unjust! It's the Tong shi Tham family's daughter-in-law, she doesn't keep…”
“Slap your mouth.”
The guard immediately received orders. He stepped forward, grabbed Tham Dai Thanh's collar, raised his hand and slapped him more than ten times hard in succession. In just a moment, Tham Dai Thanh was kicked until his mouth was full of blood, several teeth were lost, and he couldn't even ask for forgiveness. The young men of the Tham family who were with each other had bloodless faces. Each person knelt to the ground, shaking like a leaf. Quy Hanh looked down from above at the limp crowd below his feet.
"If the officer remembers correctly, in last month's salt smuggling case, there are still a few accomplices still on the run?"
The guard immediately understood and clasped his hands in response.
"Sir, if you look carefully, these people look very much like the wanted salt smugglers."
The words just ended. The Tham family immediately panicked. Smuggling salt is a serious crime, if it's light then it's exile, if it's serious it's beheading.
“Sir, spare your life! Sir, spare your life! This store belongs to Lady Tong! It's all hers! From now on, we absolutely don't dare step in here!"
Tham Dai Thanh crawled and bowed his head. His forehead hit the blue tile floor hard, blood flowing.
“Sign your name.”
The crowd seemed to receive amnesty. After signing, we all scrambled to get out of the store, not even daring to pick up our fallen shoes. The servants also quickly retreated outside. Conveniently, he thoughtfully closed the door. All noise disappears. In the store, there were only me and Quy Hanh left. He took out a pure white handkerchief from his chest, covered his mouth and coughed violently for several times. Until I put down the towel. We clearly see that on the white silk background, another dazzling red streak appears. He conveniently stuffed the towel back into his chest. Softly calling my name, voice reserved.
“Ah Am…”
“The store has been cleaned out.”
I looked at the blood stains at the corner of his lips that had not yet been wiped clean. Look at your hands that are shaking slightly because you are trying to be patient. In his eyes full of expectation. I just bowed my head slightly. The voice was distant but polite.
“The people thank you sir, sir.”
"If you don't give any more instructions, the people still have to check the goods, please forgive me for not sending them off."
Quy Hanh's whole body suddenly stiffened. The corners of his lips moved slightly. Seems like he wants to say something. But in the end he just laughed to himself.
“Okay.”
Done talking. He looked at me deeply one last time. Then turned around, opened the curtains, and slowly walked out of the store. …