Chapter 26 — Debt Book at the End of the Alley

Three weeks after the shared meal to celebrate the news of the prosecution of the case, life in Ben Cat alley gradually regained its familiar rhythm, although there were still echoes of the past turbulent days. Lawyer Khoa announced the good news: thanks to evidence of signature forgery and high-interest lending, the court decided to temporarily suspend the validity of the loan contract between Ms. Hanh and Kim Phat, and at the same time requested to freeze the assets of this company to serve the investigation, meaning that the debt of eighty million that had been hanging over the past few months was considered to have been removed.

“This is just the first step,” lawyer Khoa reminded when Dieu and Uncle Tu stopped by the office to receive the official notice. "The case still has to go through many stages of litigation before a final verdict is reached. But with what has been collected, I believe the possibility of winning the case and getting justice for your family and people in the neighborhood is very high."

Dieu hugged Uncle Tu right in the office, tears rolling down her eyes with relief. The financial burden that caused her to lose sleep and eat for many months has now finally been lifted, opening up a new horizon for the future of the restaurant and her family.

The good news spread quickly throughout the neighborhood, other households in turn received similar notices about their loans, an atmosphere of excitement enveloped the small alley that was so familiar with heavy, anxious days.

Amidst that joy, Dieu still did not forget the mysterious key that her mother tried to point to in the hospital. Mrs. Sau Lien, after many days of asking around the neighborhood, finally found a clue.

“I remember,” said Mrs. Sau, coming to the shop one afternoon, her face full of excitement. "There was a small wooden box that your mother sent me to keep for you about twenty years ago, telling me to give it back only when you were old enough and strong enough to open it yourself. At that time, I didn't ask carefully, I just thought it was Hanh's private matter so I didn't dare to pry."

Mrs. Sau took Dieu home, rummaged through the old altar cabinet, took out a small wooden box covered with dust from time, the lock was rusty but still intact. Dieu trembled as she picked up the key she had carried with her for many days and inserted it into the lock. After a bit of difficulty due to rust, the lock opened.

Inside the box was a stack of old, faded photos of Ms. Hanh when she was young, full of life, standing next to Mr. Tu in front of a small booth, both smiling brightly. There was also a tarnished silver bracelet, and a carefully folded letter with the words "To my daughter, when you are strong enough to read" on the cover.

Dieu trembled as she opened the letter, her mother's handwriting, although old but still clear, appeared before her eyes. In the letter, Ms. Hanh recounted the entire love story of her youth with Uncle Tu, not as an excuse, but as a sincere confession, explaining the reason she kept silent for so many years — not out of shame, but because she wanted to protect the complete happiness of the whole family, and also out of respect for Mr. Phong's wishes. At the end of the letter, she wrote: "No matter how you know the truth, I just hope you understand that everything I do comes from my infinite love for you."

Dieu held the letter in her arms, her tears kept falling, but this time they were tears of understanding and peace, without any resentment. She brought the box home and showed it to her uncle Wednesday, the two of them looked through old photos together, reviewing memories of a youthful time full of dreams but also many hardships.

“Can you keep this bracelet for me?” Dieu asked, giving the silver bracelet to Uncle Tu. "I want later, when mom is better, we can wear it again for her together, as a way to remind her that, no matter what the past is, her love for everyone in this family has never been wrong."

Uncle Tu received the bracelet and clasped it tightly in his calloused palm. His eyes were teary but filled with warmth. “I'll keep it very carefully,” he said, his voice choked. “Thank you, son, for giving me the opportunity to be a complete part of this family story, no matter how late.”

That night, Dieu brought the letter and old photos to the hospital and read each line to her mother, even though she knew by heart what she had written twenty years ago. Her mother listened, her eyes distant as if drifting back to her youthful years, occasionally she gently squeezed Dieu's hand every time she read an emotional passage.

"Mom," Dieu said, folding the letter, "thank you for writing these lines. I understand, you were never wrong. You were just trying your best to protect the people you love, the way you thought was best at the time."

Her mother smiled, a smile still distorted by the aftereffects of the stroke, but filled with enough love that no words could fully describe. She gently touched the photo taken with Uncle Tu when she was young, then pointed to Dieu, as if to say that, no matter how complicated the story, the end result - Dieu's presence in the world - is always the most precious thing that she never regrets.

On the way home, Dieu stopped by Mrs. Sau Lien's house to return her thanks again, bringing a small fruit basket. Mrs. Sau waved her hand, invited her into the house to sit down for a drink, and then told her many old stories about when Miss Hanh was young that she had never had a chance to mention before, when the trust between them was not strong enough to open up and share fully.

"Back then," Mrs. Sau said, her eyes shining with nostalgia, "our neighborhood was very poor, but everyone loved each other like their own blood. Ms. Hanh and Tu were a talented and beautiful couple loved by the whole neighborhood. I still vividly remember the day she cried all night before marrying Mr. Phong, not because she didn't want to get married, but because she had to choose between love and responsibility to the family. He loved her very much, but he didn't know how to help, he only knew how to silently be by her side when she was alone. need.”

Dieu listened, feeling that each story told helped her understand a little more about the mother she always thought she knew well, but it turned out there were still so many layers of emotional sediments and silent sacrifices that she had never touched. She left Mrs. Sau's house when it was dark, her heart lighter and warmer than ever, carrying the old wooden box as a sacred treasure, connecting her with her family's past, present, and future.

Arriving at the shop, Huong was waiting. Seeing Dieu carrying a wooden box, she asked curiously. Dieu tells the whole story, shows you old photos and reads a few paragraphs from her mother's letter. Huong was silent, her eyes were also red.

“I never thought,” Huong said, her voice low down, "behind an old debt book, a small restaurant in an alley, there is such a long story of love and sacrifice. Your house is truly a living novel, Dieu."

Dieu laughed lightly through the remaining tears, feeling relieved to be able to fully share this story with her closest friend. “Maybe so,” she replied. “But I'm glad that finally, that novel is coming to a happy ending, instead of forever being mired in secrets and suffering.”

They sat together until late at night, rearranging old photos into a newly purchased album, carefully noting down the names of each person and place that Dieu had just heard about, as a way to preserve this precious memory for future generations, so that the story of love and silent sacrifice of Ms. Hanh and Mr. Tu would never be forgotten over the years.

Before turning off the light to go to bed, Dieu placed the wooden box on the head of the bed, right next to the pillow, as a new companion on the family's healing journey. She looked out the window, where the late moonlight shone down on the old tiled roof of the shop, clearly feeling a peace that she had not been able to fully feel in a long time.

She thought about the journey of the past few months - from the fateful phone call informing her that her mother was sick, to the sleepless nights following every clue in the old debt book, to the tearful confrontations with the truth about her identity, and to the arduous battle against the underground forces that were trying to devour this small alley. Every journey, no matter how painful, eventually led her here — a true peace, not because everything was perfect, but because she learned to accept, understand, and appreciate all that she has.

Dieu closed her eyes and let sleep gradually come, bringing with her a firm belief that no matter what challenges tomorrow brings, she will be strong enough to face them, because now, she is no longer alone - she has her mother, uncle Tu, Huong, and an entire alley that has become her big family.