Chapter 5 — Dawn After the Crack

After ten days of moving to Tong Dao, Lam Niem So's life was so quiet that it had never been before. In the morning she gets up to draw design sketches, in the afternoon she goes for prenatal checkups or talks with Cam Lan's craftsmen to make models, in the evening she waits for Tong Dao to come home and then the two of them cook together. The first six works of the brand "So Kien" have completed the design of four items, feedback from the craftsmen shows very high feasibility. That afternoon, Lam Niem So spread out the drawing on the living room table and was editing details for the fifth work when the doorbell rang. Tong Dao hasn't returned yet. She walked out and looked through cat eyes. It's Tran's mother. Tran's mother carried a bag of fruit with a rare smile on her face.

“Niem So, mom came to visit you.”

“Mom, come in.”

Tran's mother entered the house and looked around.

“This house is so small, it's cramped for me to live alone.”

“That's enough.”

Tran's mother put the fruit bag on the table, sat down and held her hand.

"Nien So, I know everything about you and Canh Tham being angry at each other. As young people, conflicts are normal. Look, you're pregnant like this, it's inconvenient to stay out alone, or should you go home?"

“Mom, I want to ask you something.”

“You say it.”

“When did you know about Phuong Di Nhien?”

The smile on Tran's mother's face stopped.

“What method…”

“The woman outside of Canh Tham, when did you know?”

Tran's mother let go of her hand, her back straightened, her face changed.

“Nien So, men go out to socialize…”

“Seven visits to the hotel.” Lam Niem So's voice was very calm. "For four months. Starting from the third month of my pregnancy. Do you see that as communication?"

Tran's mother's lips trembled slightly.

"But... it's not enough to move out. Think about the baby in your belly..."

“I think about it every day.” Lam Niem So said. "But I'm also thinking, in the future I have to show her what kind of mother she is. Is she someone who is betrayed but still endures, is forced to share money but doesn't dare to speak up, or is she someone who can stand on her own."

Tran's mother was silent for a long time.

“Nien So, Canh Tham's company is not going well these days, it's stressful…”

“So his pressure must be relieved by having an affair and forcing his wife to split the money?”

“Don't keep clinging to this anymore.” Tran's mother's voice rose. "Today I came to give you good advice. Now you have signed a contract, earned money, come home to live together..."

“Mom.” Lam Niem So interrupted. “Did you hear Canh Tham say I signed a contract with Cam Lan?”

Tran's mother's eyes flashed.

“What kind of contract, I just want you to come home…”

“Have you told your mother about his yearly salary?”

Mother Tran was silent.

“Fifty thousand.” Lam Niem So said. “Plus commission.”

Tran's mother's eyes lit up for a second and then quickly stopped.

"So it's better, the family lives together, the children earn more, and life gets better..."

“Mom, the money I earn is not to cover the cost of your son's affair.”

Tran's mother's face immediately darkened.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I understand what you mean.” Lam Niem So stood up, walked out and opened the door. “Please leave the fruit, Mom, go home.”

Mother Tran sat quietly.

"Lam Niem So, don't forget that the baby in your belly is from the Tran family..."

“It's my child.” Lam Niem So put her hand on the door handle. “What is their name? I'm not sure yet.”

Tran's mother's face turned white. She stood up, picked up her bag and walked out, passing by her let out a cold sentence:

“Don't be too much.”

“Me too.”

The door closes. Lam Niem So leaned her back against the door. The baby in her belly kicked gently, she bent down to look at the protruding belly.

“Are you cool today mom?”

Stomach kicks again. She took that as the answer. The second week after signing the contract with Cam Lan, the first product samples of "So Kien" were completed. Six pieces of jewelry. Three rings, one necklace, one pair of earrings. Each dish is imbued with Lam Niem So's signature "cracked aesthetic" style. The irregular cracks on the metal surface are encrusted with crushed diamonds, and under the light, they radiate a multi-dimensional, deep and sharp light. When the samples were brought to Co Tham's office, he arranged all six items in a row on the table and looked at them for a long time.

“Even more beautiful than the drawing.”

Lam Niem So sat opposite.

“The craftsmen's techniques are very good, the finished product rate is about ten percent higher than I expected.”

“Mr. Lam wants to see.” Co Tham placed the samples in a specialized box. “He asked me to ask you, what have you thought about DNA testing?”

Lam Niem So gently touched the silver lock on her neck.

“Co Tham, do you know why he wanted me to do the test?”

Co Tham looked at her for a moment, then put the box down.

"I know some of it. But he hasn't given me permission to say it yet."

“Then let me ask you a question.”

“You say it.”

“Lin Sungshan once had a lost grandchild, right?”