Chapter 6 — Divorced and Reborn: My New Beginning

Now it was her turn to beg me. I simply replied, "That is impossible."

Hua Gui Lan stood there, stunned. I pressed on, "Your daughter committed a wrong, and she must take responsibility for it. After all, isn't the Lu family known for valuing order and strict adherence to the rules above all else?"

Lu Fang began to weep even more hysterically. In the end, Lu Fang was detained for three days, and Ma San was held for seven. When the news reached the Lu family village, Hua Gui Lan lost every shred of her dignity. Meanwhile, my market stall grew increasingly stable. Director Liu even helped me secure a permanent vending spot, which allowed me to start hiring help. The first person I brought on was the niece of Ms. Phung, whose name was Phung Tieu Mai. She was a widow raising her young son alone—a quick-handed, quiet, and diligent woman. I personally taught her the precise ratios for my spice blends, how to manage the ledger, and the proper way to greet customers. She learned with remarkable speed and proved to be immensely loyal.

A month later, we opened our first brick-and-mortar shop for preserved goods. The sign out front was simple, bearing only the name: To Family Preserves. On the opening day, Duong Duong wore a little floral shirt I had painstakingly tailored for her, standing by the entrance to hand out waxed-paper packages to our patrons. She no longer kept her head bowed in shame. When someone praised her beauty, she would offer a shy, whispered thank you. Watching her, my heart swelled with a warmth so profound it felt as though it might burst.

However, that joyful atmosphere was shattered by the arrival of a stranger. Diep Dung walked in, dressed in a bright, crisp shirt with her hair braided over her shoulder, a gentle, practiced smile playing on her lips. She spoke with a saccharine tone, "Comrade To, I am a friend of Commander Lu. I heard you had opened a shop, so I came especially to see it for myself."

The shop fell into an immediate, heavy silence. I wiped my hands on my apron and looked at her. "Have you seen enough?"

Diep Dung’s smile stiffened; she clearly had not expected such a blunt dismissal. "Comrade To, perhaps you have misunderstood my intentions. Commander Lu and I share nothing more than a comradely relationship."

I nodded coolly. "In that case, you have even less reason to be here."

A flicker of irritation flared in her eyes, though she masked it instantly. "I only worried that it would be difficult for you to raise such a young child on your own. In truth, Commander Lu has always thought of the child."

I let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. "He thinks of his child so much that he has not visited her once in six years?"

Diep Dung’s face went deathly pale. Just then, a low, masculine voice drifted in from the doorway. "To Hoa."

I looked up. A tall, imposing man stood there, clad in his military uniform. His features were austere, his posture rigid and straight. Lu Tranh had arrived. This was the first time I had ever laid eyes on him. He radiated a sense of oppression even more potent than what had been described in the books. A man who had spent his life commanding others carried a weight that made everyone in the room reflexively fall silent, but I was not among them. I simply asked, "Are you here to buy something?"

Lu Tranh studied me, his expression unreadable and complex. "I came to see Duong Duong."

Duong Duong, who had been busy counting stacks of waxed paper in the back, dropped them all the moment she heard his voice. The papers scattered across the floor. She scrambled to hide behind Phung Tieu Mai, terrified to take a step forward. Lu Tranh’s expression faltered. He took a step toward her, but Duong Duong only recoiled further. I stepped firmly between them, acting as a barricade. "Do not frighten her."

Lu Tranh’s throat moved as he swallowed hard. "I am her father."

I looked him in the eye. "She knows that. It is precisely because she knows who you are that she is so afraid."

The moment the words left my lips, no one in the store dared to draw a breath. Lu Tranh stared at me, his brows knitted tightly together. "I had no idea my family had pushed the two of you to such an extremity."

I offered a cold, mirthless smile. "There is so much you do not know. You do not know that when she had a high fever, Hua Gui Lan refused to give her money for medical treatment. You do not know that during the winter, she lacked warm cotton shoes, leaving her feet cracked and bleeding from the frost. And you do not know that at night, she would cry herself to sleep, whispering that she was nothing but a burden."

The blood drained entirely from Lu Tranh’s face. Beside him, Diep Dung opened her mouth to speak in a hushed, trembling tone.