Chapter 3 — Du An's Store

I put the pen on the table. "It's okay not to sign. At five o'clock in the afternoon, the store will be closed." At twelve noon, Tan Hoa posted a crying video online. In the video, she cut out the documents, leaving only the scene of her mother-in-law wiping her tears, Chu Nghien Bach pounding the table and me saying to cut the line. The headline reads: The evil sister-in-law controlled her husband's three stores, and after the birthday party for her father-in-law, forced the elderly to stop doing business. Comments quickly piled up. Someone scolded me for having an unsightly appearance. Some people say that after getting married, women cannot be too strong. There are also people calling for justice to go to Dong Street to demand justice. A Tran was so angry that she wanted to smash the phone. “This woman really knows how to cut and paste.” I returned the phone to her. “Just let her post.” A Tran doesn't understand. “Ms. Du An, if you let it ferment anymore, the store will really be blocked.” “Blocking is good.” I put a stack of supply forms in my file bag. “When the line stops this afternoon, the more people the better.” A Tran looked at me for a few seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing. “Are you going to publicly flip the bottom?” I said: "Otherwise they'll think I'm just threatening." At three o'clock in the afternoon, there were indeed quite a few people in front of the three shops on East Street. Tan Hoa stood in front of the crowd, his eyes red, as if suffering from all sorts of frustrations. The mother-in-law sat on a small chair, holding a thermos. "Everyone, please help me decide. I treat her like my own daughter and love her. Now she wants to force us two old people to die." A man in a floral shirt shouted: “Give the store back to the old people!” Another person chimed in: "If you have such bravery, why don't you open it yourself? What's the point of holding your husband's house sign?" When I got off the bus, the sound of scolding immediately came. Chu Nghien Bach stood in front of me. “Du An, there is still time to take back what you said.” “You came at the right time.” I gave him the file bag. "This is the list of employees of the three stores. Those who want to stay can come with me. Those who don't want to have their salaries finalized today." He didn't accept. “Do you really want to do it so desperately?” I asked: "Chu Nghien Bach, is there anything in the Chu family where you don't have to wait for me to retreat to the wall before saying I'm in love?" His jaw was tense. Tan Hoa raised the phone again. "Eldest sister-in-law, don't beat around the bush. We're just asking you, the store that your husband's parents worked hard to maintain for seven years, on what basis do you say it's collected?" I went to the front of the first store. On the shelves are rice, oil, paper towels, all the things neighbors need to buy every day. I picked up a bag of flour. “Who imported this bag of flour?” Shop Elder Liu walked out. "Ms. Tran gives the list of suppliers, I'll go get the goods." “Who pays for the goods?” “Company account.” Tan Hoa immediately caught these words. “Isn't the company owned by the Chu family?” Old Liu looked at her. “Which Chu family?” Tan Hoa was stunned. I posted a copy of the business license on the glass door. On it is written: Du An Trade. Business owner: Tran Du An. The crowd was quiet for a moment. The man in the floral shirt stretched his neck to look, the spirit of his face fading in half. The mother-in-law quickly said: "Before, I used to borrow his name to do it." I pasted the second sheet again. "This is the first annual debt agreement. Mom, you snitched." The cup in her mother-in-law's hand tilted, tea spilled onto her pant leg. “Me, I'm illiterate.” "So at that time I read it to my mother three times. Lao Pham and Aunt Ho were both there." Old Pham stood next to the car and nodded. Mr. Ho also joined the crowd and said: "I was there." Tan Hoa did not give up. "Even if the procedure is yours, your parents have put in the effort. You can't let them do it for free." I nodded. “So my monthly salary, Tet red envelopes, retirement insurance, I don't lack anything.” A Tran spread out the salary schedule. Mother-in-law twelve thousand per month, father-in-law twelve thousand per month, Chu Tu fifteen thousand per month. The people watching clearly saw the number and their tone changed. “This salary is not low.” "You take so much from a small shop, but you still say you work for free?" Chu Tu's face became even whiter. Tan Hoa grabbed the salary slip. “That's what they deserve!” I don't stop. “So Tan Hoa, the code you exchanged last night is also what you deserve

?” Her hand movements stopped. I pasted the third sheet up. “Last night between nine and ten o'clock, the three stores had a total of twenty-seven payments into your account. The amount is not large, eight thousand six hundred forty-four.” Someone whistled. Tan Hoa's tears were about to flow again. I interrupted her. “Don't cry. Within ten minutes of returning the money, I'll just consider it your fault." She gritted her teeth. “What if I don't pay?” I took out my phone and called the police station. “Then let the police teach you the difference between housework and money theft.” Chu Nghien Bach kept my phone. His strength was very strong, his fingertips pressed on the screen. “Du An, don't call the police.” I raised my head to look at him. “Let go.” “Tieu Hoa is pregnant.” Tan Hoa suddenly looked at him. Chu Tu was also stunned. The mother-in-law was the first to react, patting her thigh. “Yes, that's right, Tieu Hoa is killing the Chu family's child and can't stand the stimulation.”