Chapter 8 — Conflict with Co Thieu

Lam Tien shook his head slightly, his fingertips brushing the gold-embroidered sleeve. She missed two opportunities for a bone marrow transplant. If her severe aplastic anemia lasts one more day, the danger increases by one. Whether there is a future or not, no one can say for sure. This hasty wedding is probably the last ceremony in her life. At the auspicious hour of noon, the ceremony was held in the small banquet hall in the ancestral house. There were no noisy guests, only a few close relatives of the Co family sitting below, the scene was simple and solemn. When Co Viet Nien was pushed in the wheelchair by his assistant, Lam Tien raised his eyes and glanced at her. Indeed, he has an extremely excellent appearance. The bridge of the nose is high and straight, with deep lines. Even if a long-term illness makes the face pale, it cannot hide the elegance and beauty of the skeleton. It's just that his hand on the wheelchair armrest didn't move at all, his whole body seemed to be covered with a layer of gray ash. The ritual process is very short, the person leading the ceremony follows the order, instructing the two people to bow to their elders, then turn to face each other and bow to pray. The assistant stood next to Co Viet Nien, supporting his shoulders to help him keep his body stable. Throughout the process, Co Viet Nien did not say a word, his eyes looked blankly forward, like an outsider standing outside everything. After completing the ritual, the assistant took them to the master bedroom in the backyard. The room was very large, the bed was covered with four bright red sheets, on the window sill were two cheerful decorative lamps, and a few happy letters were pasted on the wall, which seemed to add a bit of a newlywed look. The assistant let go of the wheelchair and used a steady pace to instruct: "Miss Lam, every night at eight o'clock, the nurse will come to clean the master's body. At twelve o'clock at night, I need to help him turn over once, please pay more attention." After saying that, he bowed slightly, closed the door and went out. Leaving Lam Tien and Co Viet Nien looking at each other without saying anything. Lam Tien sat down in front of the dressing table, raised his hand to remove the crown on his head, and the metal jewelry collided with each other, making a small clanking sound. She still hasn't figured out how to live with this silent husband. Suddenly there was a soft laugh from behind. Co Viet Nien's voice carried a bit of mockery: "Even though you're seriously ill and still have to marry here to serve a useless person like me, you're really taking a risk." "For the Co family's money, you're about to risk your life, is it worth it?" Lam Tien's hand that was removing the crown paused, through the mirror she couldn't clearly see the face of the person behind her. She took down the last brooch, put it in the jewelry box, then turned around to look at him: "I'm not after money, what I need is the Co family's resources to treat the disease." "I don't know how much you understand about this transaction, but rest assured, I won't skimp on what needs to be done." Co Viet Nien was stunned, seemingly not expecting her to answer so frankly. He stopped saying sarcastic words, turned to look out the window, and threw back an annoyed sentence: "I already have a nurse to take care of me, no need for you to do anything. Don't wait until you get sick first, you have to make someone else take care of you." Over the next few days, Lam Tien gradually adapted to life in the ancestral house. Her activities are regular, most of the time spent in the room reading books or walking in the yard. The Co family's family had many maids, and not everyone knew the relationship between her and the Co family. Some people even saw that she had no background and gradually began to slack off. That afternoon, Aunt Truong brought food in from the kitchen, placed the tray firmly on the table, and said in a low voice: "Eat." Lam Tien closed the book, said nothing, picked up chopsticks and prepared to eat. But Aunt Truong did not go, standing next to her, pouting, right in front of her, muttering in a low voice: "What is that young lady? I think she's just greedy for the family's money."

Co." "The young master is like that but she still wants to marry her, her heart is really ambitious." As soon as the words fell, the sound of wheels rolling on the floor was heard at the turn. Co Viet Nien was pushed forward by his assistant, his face as cold as ice. He did not look at Aunt Truong, just faintly instructed the assistant next to him: "This person is in the back kitchen, there is no need to come tomorrow." "Since when do people of the Co family have the right to discuss the owner right in front of them?" Aunt Truong's face turned pale. Angry, he kept begging, but Co Viet Nien didn't even lift his eyelids. The assistant took a step forward, politely but not allowed to refuse, and the room quickly became quiet again. Lam Tien sat at the dining table, raised his eyes and said "thank you". But the other person frowned, his voice still hard to hear: "I won't help you, it's just that the Co family can't afford to lose face like that." There's no one else in the Co family." Lam Tien didn't expose his strong excuse, quietly remembering this concern in her heart. One afternoon a week later, she went to the library to look for a medical book. As soon as she pushed the door in, she saw Co Viet Nien frowning at the tablet. The assistant stood next to him, using a stylus to circle the screen, but the image still stopped at the chart page. Lam Tien found the book he wanted, and couldn't help but ask one more question.