Chapter 5 — Dad's Wishes

"Because I took 320 thousand from you to give Tham Kien Quoc to pay off his gambling debt, gave 150 thousand to Tham Van Chau to buy a store, and also used Thanh Hoa money to study for the graduate exam for Niem Tu to get married." “I accept those payments.” “No one can touch this money.” The air in the living room seemed to freeze. It's not that I don't know about those old stories. It's just that every time Tham Van So says she has no choice. My dad always said to leave it alone. But I didn't know the amount of money was that big. The recording stops for a few seconds, then comes the sound of a chair dragging on the floor. Tham Van So's voice suddenly became sharp. “Hua Truong Bach, don't force me.” “If you really leave all your money to him, I will let him know that he is not my biological child at all!” Boom. All sounds in my ears fade away. Tham Van So rushed forward like crazy. This time she snatched the recording pen and threw it on the ground fiercely. The plastic case cracked, the battery rolled under the coffee table. But that last sentence has already come out. I looked at her. “What did Mom say?” She covered her mouth, her whole body trembling. “No, Thanh Hoa, those were words when angry.” “In the recording are the words spoken when angry?” I bent down to pick up the broken recording pen. “Why didn't dad object?” Tham Van So held my hand. “I raised you for twenty-three years, does it matter whether you are biological or not?” This sentence is like living da.a.o, stroke by stroke hitting the bones. Is it important? If it's not important, why did you use it to threaten my father? If it's not important, why did you hide it from me for more than twenty years? The knock on the door rang again at this moment. Uncle Chu stood outside the door, holding a bandage in his hand, and behind him was a middle-aged woman wearing a dark coat. The woman saw me, her eyes immediately turned red. “Thanh Hoa, I am the lawyer entrusted by your father, Van Nhuoc Hanh.” She opened the briefcase. "Before he passed away, Mr. Hua signed an authorization. If Ms. Tham reveals or intentionally conceals your identity, I will be forced to hand over all documents to you." Tham Van So shouted: "Who let you come!" Lawyer Van did not pay attention to her. A pile of yellowed documents was placed on the table. Birth certificate, death certificate, photocopies of documents related to the adoption, and an old photo. In the photo, my father holds a baby in diapers, and next to him stands a young woman. The woman has gentle eyebrows and eyes, and when she smiles, she looks a lot like me. Lawyer Van pointed to the photo. “This is your biological mother, Ta Tri Vi.” “She died in a car accident when she was three years old.” My throat couldn't make a sound. Tham Van So suddenly knelt down in front of me. "Thanh Hoa, I didn't mean to hide it from you. When you were little, you kept crying for me, I was afraid you would be heartbroken." Lawyer Van pushed another set of documents over. "Mr. Hua left an explanation that when Mrs. Tham married him, she knew clearly that she was not his biological daughter, and also promised to treat her as her biological daughter." “But since she was fifteen years old, she transferred the family assets to the Tham family many times, and also requested to change the beneficiary during Mr. Hua's serious illness.” Tham Van So suddenly raised his head. "I do not have!" Lawyer Van took out a photocopy of the bank statement. "This is the document Mr. Hua provided when he was alive." The page is spread out. Each money transfer is like needles neatly lined up. The biggest one happened the day my dad had his first chemotherapy session. The note read: loan to Tham Kien Quoc for rotation. Amount: 200 thousand. I stared at that line, so angry that I almost couldn't breathe. Outside the door suddenly came the sound of my grandmother crying. "Van So! Open the door! Your brother has been called by the police station to question him!" Tham Van So's face changed, she crawled and ran out the door. As soon as the door opened a crack, Dieu Que Phan led the Tham family to squeeze in. This time, there was no fake concern on their faces. Only bloodshot eyes remained because of money. As soon as her grandmother entered the door, she slapped Tham Van So. "Useless thing! The police called Kien Quoc and said someone accused him of forging loan documents!" Trieu Khai followed behind, his eyes gloomy. “Hua Thanh Hoa, you are really cruel, you still keep a recording behind your back.” Contemplation of Compassion c

also come. She was wearing an exquisite coat, holding her child in her arms. As soon as she entered the door, she frowned. "Thanh Hoa, we are all relatives, do you have to go to this step? If the unit knows about your father, his pension will also be affected." I looked at the child in her arms. Three years ago, she got married and lacked money. Tham Van So cried all night in front of my room. Finally, my father took the money for me to register for a graduate school exam review class. At that time, Tham Niem Tu held my hand and said: "Thanh Hoa, I will definitely pay you back in the future." After that, she changed her car to a new one, posted her wedding photos in Sanya on social networks, and never mentioned payment. Lawyer Van folded the documents. "Guys, if you continue to harass me, I will go with Ms. Hua to report to the police and ask the court to issue a personal safety order." Trieu Khai smiled coldly. "Who is the lawyer threatening? There's Aunt Tham's part in the Hua family's money. Aunt Tham voluntarily gave it to her mother's family. Is it your turn to manage it?"