Chapter 7 — Don't Touch My Limits

My father-in-law, Cao Kien Lam, is a long-time worker at a textile factory. He worked all his life in the factory, from an ordinary worker to the factory manager. He was diligent and hard-working, saved all his life, and accumulated a lot of assets. Five years ago, he suddenly died of a myocardial infarction, leaving so suddenly, without leaving any written will. According to the provisions of the Civil Code, the inheritance of an estate, if there is a will, is according to the will; if there is not, it is according to the law. The first line of inheritance includes: spouse, children, and parents. His parents passed away a long time ago. Therefore, there are only three people left in the first line of heirs: his wife, Truong Nguyet Cam; son is Cao Trung Dan; daughter is Cao Hieu Quyen. After his death, the entire inheritance was clearly recorded in the records: First, the house in the textile factory complex, building 12 units, 3 rooms 502, was the joint property of him and Truong Nguyet Cam. When purchased, it cost less than ten thousand yuan, but by the time he died, the market price had increased to eighty thousand. Second, his housing fund account balance was eighty-six thousand, accumulated all his life, and was withdrawn once after his death. Third, the pension paid by the factory because his death was related to a history of work accidents, totaled ninety-eight thousand. Fourth, the bank deposit of twenty thousand is the retirement money he has accumulated all his life. In total, these four amounts... are worth up to two hundred twenty-four thousand. Not a small number. According to inheritance regulations, these two hundred twenty-four thousand are the common property of husband and wife, they must first be divided in half, half, or one hundred twenty-four thousand, belongs to Truong Nguyet Cam. The remaining one hundred and twenty thousand will be divided equally between three people: Truong Nguyet Cam, Cao Trung Dan and Cao Hieu Quyen, each about thirty seven thousand. In other words, Cao Trung Dan as a son... could legally receive more than thirty-seven thousand. But after his father died... What did Truong Nguyet Cam say to him? She said, he passed away suddenly, the medical expenses were huge, the funeral arrangements were also expensive, and he owed a lot of money to outside parties. All housing fund and subsidy money were used to pay off debt, and the old house was also sold for medical treatment. Calculating again and again, not only did she no longer have any inheritance, but she also owed a few thousand more, so she had to use her pension to pay it off in installments. Cao Trung Dan has a soft personality and is filial, never doubting his mother. He thought his mother wouldn't lie to him, his father had just passed away, his mother was heartbroken, he couldn't make her sad because of money. So he believes. Trust completely. For five years... never doubted. She even felt that it was not easy for her mother to raise two brothers alone. Now that her husband had passed away, she lived very miserably, so every time Truong Nguyet Cam complained of being poor and asked for money, he gave it without hesitation and never refused. But he didn't expect... His own mother... had tricked him for five years. The records clearly state: After my father-in-law passed away, there were absolutely no major medical expenses. He died of an acute myocardial infarction, from the time he was admitted to the hospital to his death in less than two hours, with almost no cost, most of which was also covered by insurance. Funeral expenses are largely supported by the factory union. Funeral money from relatives and friends is enough to cover the expenses, and there is basically no debt. That dormitory house... has never been sold. Just three months after his death, Truong Nguyet Cam secretly completed the name transfer procedure, in the name of a gift, and changed her name to Cao Hieu Quyen... without spending a dime. The amount of eighty-six thousand from the housing fund, ninety-eight thousand in subsidies, and twenty thousand in deposits... Not a single penny was spent on other things. Truong Nguyet Cam used all that money as a deposit to buy Cao Hieu Quyen a house in the Hoa Vien Anh Duong area, for one hundred and twenty thousand. She used the remaining money to rent a kiosk at Van Hoa street market, open a dry goods store for Cao Hieu Quyen, rent, renovation money, import money... a total of tens of thousands, all taken from that inheritance. In other words— Two hundred twenty-four thousand inheritance left by her father-in-law... Truong Nguyet Cam did not give Cao Trung Dan a single penny. Everything... was all focused on Cao Hieu Quyen. Not only that— She also lied to him for five years, saying she didn't have a penny left, and then cried every day in front of him, using all kinds of excuses to ask for money, before and after taking more than ten thousand... And all that money— Also poured into Gao Xiaojuan's store.