Chapter 17 — Debt Book at the End of the Alley

Dieu and Huong spent an entire morning systematically re-analyzing the entire debt book, this time with a much more specific goal than their previous skimmings - firmly confirming the hypothesis that Uncle Tu had been quietly paying off debt on behalf of the most difficult families in the alley for many years.

They spread the notebook out on the table, along with an old calendar Dieu found among her mother's papers, recording the schedule of times Uncle Tu "closed the shop for a few days" that Mrs. Sau had mentioned. Huong, with sharp data analysis skills from her accounting job, began meticulously comparing each date.

“Look here,” Huong said, pointing to three consecutive entries in the book marked with a star. "These three accounts were all written off between the twenty and twenty-fifth of June of that year. And according to this calendar, Uncle Tu closed the shop for exactly five days, from the twenty-first to the twenty-fifth of June."

Dieu leaned closer and felt a mixture of excitement and emotion rise up. “So that means that during those five days, he did something to make money, then silently paid the debt on behalf of these three families?”

“There is a high possibility,” Huong nodded, continuing to flip to other items. “Here, another similar case, September of the following year. And here, the following March.”

They continued working for nearly three hours, comparing each account, and by noon, the results were clear and undeniable: there were a total of twelve large debts marked with stars, and all of them matched the periods of time when Uncle Tu was "absent" from the alley, according to what Dieu could verify through the statements of Mrs. Sau and a few other neighbors she discreetly asked.

“How much does this amount to in total?” Dieu asked, even though she had already made a rough estimate in her head.

Huong does quick calculations on a pocket calculator. "About thirty-five million VND, calculated according to the value at that time. With a normal worker's salary back then, this was a very large amount of money. Uncle Tu must have worked very hard to earn enough to quietly help like that."

Dieu sat quietly, feeling a deep respect rising in her heart for the man who had silently sacrificed himself over the years, not only because of his love for her mother, but also because of the responsibility he set for himself for this small community.

"I think," Dieu said, her voice thoughtful, "he didn't just help because he loved my mother. He really had a big heart for this whole alley, considering it his own responsibility."

“That's right,” Huong agreed. "And I think, this is also indirect evidence that the relationship between him and your mother is much deeper than a normal friendship. No one would sacrifice that much just for friendship."

In the afternoon, while continuing her work, Dieu received a call from Aunt Suong, an aunt in a distant province who had been calling regularly to ask about her mother's health since the last conversation. This time, her voice sounded unusually serious.

“Dieu, I've been thinking about the last call,” Aunt Suong said, her voice somewhat hesitant. “I think, maybe it's time I should tell you a story I've kept secret all these years.”

Dieu's heart beat faster. “Tell me, I'm listening.”

“Back then,” Aunt Suong began, her voice slow as if recalling a distant memory, "I was with your mother for a short time before you were born, helping her prepare things. I remember, one night, your mother cried a lot, telling me that she felt sorry for Mr. Phong, because she wasn't completely sure about... about something related to the baby in her belly."

Dieu held her breath, waiting for her aunt to continue.

"I was still young at that time, I didn't dare to ask more, I could only comfort her," Aunt Suong continued, her voice trembling. "But I remember clearly, Mr. Phong knew about it. I overheard it once, he told your mother that, no matter what the truth was, he would love the baby as if it were his own child, there was nothing to feel guilty about."

Tears welled up in Dieu's eyes again when she heard those words, another confirmation, this time from a completely different person, independent of both her mother and uncle Tu, further reinforcing the truth that she had gradually accepted in her heart over the past few days.

“Thank you for telling me,” Dieu said, her voice choked. “This helps me understand a lot more about the love you have for me.”

“Your father is a wonderful man,” Aunt Suong said, her voice equally emotional. "I hope you always remember that, no matter what the truth about bloodlines is. True love does not lie in blood, but in what people choose to do for each other every day."

Hanging up the phone, Dieu sat quietly for a long time, letting Aunt Suong's words sink deep into her heart. She looked out at the courtyard, where the afternoon sunlight was dyeing the familiar space yellow, feeling a new peace gradually growing in her heart, replacing the confusion and pain of the previous days.

She knew that now, with enough evidence and confirmation from many different sources, she was ready for the final, decisive conversation with Uncle Tu — not to accuse or blame, but to join him, with her mother, in closing a chapter of secrets that had lasted for too long, opening a new page where the truth could be lived with fully, no longer having to hide or avoid.

Huong, when she heard Dieu recount the call with Aunt Suong, couldn't help but feel emotional. "So now you have three sources of confirmation — your mother, the letter, and now Aunt Suong's story. I think it's time for you to talk to Uncle Tu again, there's no need to wait any longer."

“I think so too,” Dieu replied, taking a deep breath to gain courage. "But I want to do this the right way. I don't want to pressure him, I want to give him a space to speak voluntarily, not be forced to confess."

“So what are you going to do?” Huong asked, curious.

Dieu thought for a moment, then an idea gradually formed in her mind. "I think, instead of confronting him directly like last time, I will invite him to a meal, just the two of us, and gently review old stories. Maybe in a more comfortable atmosphere, he will be more likely to open up."

“That's a good idea,” Huong nodded in agreement. "What are you cooking? Let me help prepare it."

“Sour snakehead fish soup,” Dieu replied, a light smile flickering on her lips for the first time after many stressful days. “His favorite dish, my mother still cooks for him every time he visits the restaurant on weekends.”

They spent the whole afternoon preparing, Huong's father Dieu went to the market to buy the freshest ingredients, the two of them cooked together in the restaurant's kitchen, the atmosphere was much lighter than the past stressful days. Magical feeling She finds that being busy with kitchen work helps her temporarily forget some of the worries that are piling up, and is also a way for her to mentally prepare for the important upcoming conversation.

“When are you going to invite him?” Huong asked, while seasoning the pot of sour soup simmering on the stove.

“Tomorrow night,” Dieu replied, her voice much steadier than in the morning. "I need one more day to mentally prepare, and also give him a little more time, even though I won't tell him the specific reason for this meal."

Huong nodded, understanding what you meant. "I'll look after the bar for you that night, so you two can have private space to talk comfortably."

Dieu thanks you, filled with gratitude for Huong's tireless companionship throughout the past few days. She looked at the pot of sour soup that was spreading its fragrance throughout the small kitchen, feeling that, no matter how difficult emotions tomorrow brought, at least she was preparing for it with all the sincerity and love she could give to the man who had silently been an important part of her life for the past twenty-eight years.

That night, after Huong returned to her room to rest, Dieu sat alone in the restaurant, reopening the whiteboard with clues posted many days ago. She took the pen and wrote a new line in the bottom corner, completely separate from the notes about debt and real estate projects: "The truth about Uncle Tu — has been confirmed through three independent sources. Next step: dialogue with Uncle Tu in an atmosphere of love, not confrontation."

She stepped back and looked at the entire board, now filled with notes, arrows, and intricate connections between two seemingly separate stories - one side is the fight to protect the restaurant from a sophisticated financial conspiracy, the other side is the journey to find the truth about her own identity. She realized that, although different in nature, both stories revolve around the same core theme: silent love, unspoken sacrifices, and the power of a community that supports each other through the most difficult times.

She turned off the lights, locked the shop door, stepped out under the city's rare starry night sky, feeling a new peace gradually spreading in her heart, knowing that tomorrow there was still an important conversation waiting, a conversation that could completely rewrite the way she saw her family, but this time, she entered it not with fear, but with a heart ready to receive, understand, and forgive.