Chapter 1 — Don't Touch An An

Married for three years, my husband's salary is 18,000 yuan/month, I have never seen a penny. On the tenth day of every month, the standard hourly salary is transferred to the mother-in-law's account. I opened the bank app, the balance was 90 yuan. "Can you spare some money for living expenses? I'm about to get vaccinated." He threw his chopsticks down on the table: "How hard it was for my mother to raise me, why are you so selfish?" I don't argue, nor make noise. The next day, I gave him a notice: "The agency is sending you to study elsewhere for eight months." He nonchalantly replied "Oh", then continued playing the game. On the ninth day, my phone blew up. Forty-two missed calls, eighty messages.01When Tham Thanh Dao opened the banking app, the screen was so bright it was blinding. The balance is 90 yuan. She stared at those two numbers for a long time, her finger stopping at the message to schedule a vaccination appointment for her child. Tomorrow afternoon at two o'clock, at the community health station. Vaccine injection service, 326 yuan. In the kitchen, the rice cooker has switched to warming mode. Outside the living room, Ha Dinh's game sound was louder than the previous one. Three-year-old An An sat on a small stool, holding an empty milk bottle, mumbling: "Mom, I'm hungry." Tham Thanh Dao turned off the phone, stirred the rice, brought out the food, and fried the last two eggs. When Ha Dinh sat down, his eyes were still glued to the phone. His salary is 18,000 yuan. Married for three years, Tham Thanh Dao has never seen a penny. On the tenth day of every month, in less than five minutes, the salary that entered the account was regularly transferred to Ton My Lan's account. Ton My Lan is his mother. Ha Dinh said, his mother kept the money for him. Ha Dinh said, a man's money cannot be kept by his wife. Ha Dinh also said that Tham Thanh Dao has a salary and living expenses for her to advance, so family members should not calculate too clearly. But Tham Thanh Dao's salary has to pay off the mortgage, pay management fees, go to the market to buy vegetables, buy powdered milk for An An, and also pay car insurance for Ha Dinh. She put down her chopsticks, her voice was very light. "An An is going to get vaccinated tomorrow, there's no money in the house." Ha Dinh didn't even look up. "You've only been paid for half a month?" "House rent has been deducted, child care has been deducted." "So don't you know how to save a little?" Tham Thanh Dao looked at the plate of ribs in his bowl. It was some discounted ribs that she had to go around the market to buy after work. An An hasn't eaten a single bite yet, Ha Dinh has already picked up three pieces. She said: "Can you reduce your salary a little for living expenses?" Ha Dinh finally raised his head. He looked like he had just heard some joke. "Don't you know how hard it was for my mother to raise me?" Tham Thanh Dao said nothing. Ha Dinh threw the chopsticks down on the table. "Tham Thanh Dao, why are you so selfish?" An An was startled and cowered. Tham Thanh Dao reached out and hugged her child in her arms. "I'm just asking for money to vaccinate my child." "Is it okay to die if you get vaccinated two days late?" The words fell and the dining table fell silent. The rice cooker's heating indicator light is still red. The clock on the wall moved one notch higher. Tham Thanh Dao lowered her head and saw An An holding onto the hem of her shirt, holding her small hand very tightly. Suddenly, she didn't want to explain anymore. In the past three years, she has explained too many times. Explain that the child is not hers alone. Explain that the house is for the couple to live in together after marriage, so she should not be left alone to pay the debt. Explain that before Ha Dinh transfers money to his mother, he should at least ask if the family has enough money for food. Every time that happens, Ha Dinh only has one sentence: "It's not easy for your mother." It's as if she and her child are very easy. Ton My Lan's phone call came at that moment. Ha Dinh

Answered the phone immediately, the tone softened. "Mom, I've eaten." "Have you received the money yet?" "Yes, 18,000 has been transferred." Tham Thanh Dao's hand picking up the food stopped. On the other end of the phone, Ton My Lan's voice was very loud. "Your brother wants a car, the deposit is still 20,000, what do you think of?" Ha Dinh glanced at Tham Thanh Dao. "Let me see this side." Tham Thanh Dao raised his head. Ha Dinh hung up the phone, opened his mouth full of reason. "How much money is left on your card?" Tham Thanh Dao burst into laughter. "Ninety." Ha Dinh frowned. "Don't pretend." Tham Thanh Dao pushed the phone in front of him. The balance page is still on. Round 90 yuan. Ha Dinh's face stiffened for a moment, then quickly darkened. "Then go borrow it." Tham Thanh Dao looked at him. "To buy a car for your younger brother?" "That's my biological younger brother." "An An is also my biological daughter." Ha Dinh suddenly stood up. The chair rubbed against the floor, making a very sharp sound. "Don't take the child to force me!" An An started to cry. Tham Thanh Dao picked up her child, turned around and went into the bedroom. Behind, Ha Dinh was still cursing. "Now your temper is getting bigger and bigger!" "If I hadn't married you, would you have been able to live in such a good house?" Tham Thanh Dao closed the door. She coaxed An An to sleep, then sat on the edge of the bed. On the phone, the bank account balance was still 90. She opened the agency's chat group. At 5:27 p.m., the human resources department sent out a notification. Intensive training in another locality, eight months, accommodation and allowance calculated separately. Originally, she was not on the list. But before work today, the homeroom teacher asked her a question. "Thanh Dao, do you want to go?" At that time, she said, she had to go home to discuss. Now there is no need to discuss anymore. Tham Thanh Dao clicked on the homeroom's dialog box and typed two words. "I'm leaving." The message was sent in less than half a minute, and the homeroom replied. "Tomorrow morning come to the office to sign the confirmation." Tham Thanh Dao turned off the phone screen. Outside the door, the sound of Ha Dinh's game rang out again. He didn't ask if he cried. Don't ask what the vaccine will be like tomorrow. Tham Thanh Dao bowed her head, looking at An An's small face, red from sleep. She reached out and gently removed her child's hand from her shirt. That night, for the first time, she put all her salary cards, mortgage payment history, and living bills into a folder. At the top of the file, is a thin expense book. The first page reads, after three years of marriage, Ha Dinh contributed to living expenses: zero.02The next morning, Ha Dinh slept until nine o'clock before waking up. Tham Thanh Dao has finished making breakfast. Porridge is in the pot. An An sat on the dining chair, drinking small sips of water. Ha Dinh walked out, his hair messy, the first thing he did was pick up his phone to look at the messages. Ton My Lan sent five voice messages. Every sentence urges the other 20,000. After hearing this, Ha Dinh's face did not look good. He pulled out a chair and sat down, opened his mouth and asked: "Have you borrowed money today?" Tham Thanh Dao put a piece of paper on the table. "Today I went to the office to sign the paper." Ha Dinh glanced at it. Certificate of training focusing on improving employee skills throughout the city. Training location: Nam Thanh. Training time: 8 months. Arrival time: 3 days later. Ha Dinh was stunned for a moment. "What do you mean?" "The agency sent you to another place to train." "Eight months?" "Yes." Ha Dinh frowned. "What about staying at home?" Tham Thanh Dao took off An An's bib. "I'm at home." Ha Dinh seemed stung. "I still have to go to work." "I also go to work." "I'm a man, my job is under great pressure." Tham Thanh Dao nodded. "Because So I wrote the kindergarten's phone number, the community health station's phone number, and the building management board's phone number on the refrigerator." Ha Dinh's face became even more unsightly. "Tham

Thanh Dao, you're angry with me, right?" Tham Thanh Dao didn't look at him. She took out another small notebook from her pocket, placing it next to the confirmation sheet. "This is An An's schedule." "Wake up at seven thirty in the morning." "Take me to kindergarten at eight." "Pick up at five thirty in the afternoon." "Sleep before nine o'clock." Ha Dinh stared at those words, as if looking at a verdict. He smirked. "You arranged it clearly." It's clear." Tham Thanh Dao said: "There's still a vaccine, two o'clock this afternoon." "Where's the money?" "I borrowed it from a colleague last night." Ha Dinh's face stiffened. He was most afraid of outsiders knowing there was no money in the house. But he was even more afraid of people knowing that his 18,000 salary had been given to his mother. "Who did you borrow it from?" "This has nothing to do with me." Ha Dinh banged on the table. "I'm the husband. me!" Tham Thanh Dao raised his eyes. "So last night when you told me to borrow money, didn't you remember that you were my husband?" Ha Dinh was speechless. An An said softly: "Dad, don't be cruel." Ha Dinh looked at the child and lowered his voice a bit. "I'm not cruel, I'm teaching your mother how to be human." Tham Thanh Dao carried An An down. "An An, go get your small backpack." The child ran into the bedroom. Outside the living room, only the two of them remained. Ha Dinh lowered his voice. "Don't make so much noise that it's unsightly." "You're not making a fuss." "Eight months, are you really planning to leave?" "The confirmation has been signed." Ha Dinh stared at her. He thought she would be like before, waiting for him to frown, waiting for him to get angry, then withdraw her decision herself. Tham Thanh Dao did not do that. She collected the confirmation paper and put it in her pocket. Movement is very slow. The edge of the paper scraped across the table, making a soft sound. Ha Dinh suddenly felt indescribably frustrated. "What about An An?" "You're her father." "I don't know how to take care of children." "You can study." "Your mother can come here." Tham Thanh Dao paused. "She can't move in." Ha Dinh's expression immediately changed. "This is my house, why can't my mother come?" Tham Thanh Dao opened the file and pulled out the loan deduction history. house, pushed it in front of him. "The house loan for the past three years has been paid by me." "The red book has my name on it." "This is not your house alone." Ha Dinh looked at the stack of money deduction documents, his lips moving. He wants to say "husband and wife still distinguish between you and me". But thinking about the 18,000 yuan last night, he was speechless. At that moment, the doorbell rang. Ha Dinh seemed to have found reinforcements and immediately opened the door. Ton My Lan stood outside the door. She was carrying a bag of food, and behind her was Ha Khai, Ha Dinh's younger brother. Ha Khai is twenty-six years old, does not have a stable job, and has dyed blonde hair. As soon as he walked in the door, he sat down on the sofa, not even bothering to change his shoes. Ton My Lan saw the stack of documents on the table and narrowed her eyes. "What training?" Ha Dinh was about to speak, but Tham Thanh Dao spoke first. "You have to go somewhere else for eight months." Ton My Lan's face immediately darkened. "You're gone, who cooks? Who looks after the child? Who serves my son?" Tham Thanh Dao looked at her. "He's thirty-two years old, he doesn't need servants." Ha Khai sneered. "Sister-in-law, you're saying that too much." "My brother earns money to support the family, so what's wrong with you doing a little housework?" Tham Thanh Dao looked at him. "Who does his money support, you know best." Ha Khai's face changed. Ton My Lan threw it away. Plopped the bag of food on the ground, pointing straight at Tham Thanh Dao. "Stop being sarcastic!" "My son is filial to me, what's wrong?" "If you marry into our family, you must agree with us!" Tham Thanh Dao picked up her phone and opened the bank page from last night. She brought the screen in front of Ton My Lan.