Chapter 1 — Eight Years Divided

My husband and I have been married for eight years, and our finances have always been divided in half. I pay half of the house loan, you pay half, electricity, water and gas are calculated to the exact dime. Over the past eight years, you have never asked me how much money I have on my card, nor have I ever touched a penny of yours. The rules are set by you, I always follow them. That day, he drank some wine, put his arm around his sister's shoulder, and bragged in the living room: "Does my brother treat you well? I'm responsible for this entire house alone." His sister smiled widely,
turned to me and said: "Sister-in-law, thank you." I was stunned for three seconds: "What does it have to do with me? I don't know about this." The living room immediately fell silent. My husband's face darkened: "Can you not upset everyone like that?" I didn't argue, nor did I make a fuss. That night, waiting for him to fall asleep, I sat on the sofa and spent forty minutes transferring each of the 5.8 million yuan investments to my mother's name. The next morning, as soon as he turned on the phone, he called me seventeen times in a row. I
I didn't hear anything.01Luc Minh Xuyen and I have been married for eight years, and there is a notebook in the house. Home loan, half for each person. Management fee, half for each person. Electricity, water, gas bills are calculated exactly to two decimal places. Even the box of cherries in the refrigerator, as long as it was bought by you, if I eat more than a few, I will receive a transfer note from you the next day. "Fruit difference, 36.8 yuan." The first time I saw this note, I sat in front of the dining table, stunned for a long time. Luc Minh Xuyen
Putting down his chopsticks, his tone was very calm. "Khuong Du An, siblings still have to be fair when it comes to money." "If we do this, we will have less arguments." "From now on, no one will take advantage of anyone else." That year we were only married for three months. I thought he was just afraid that the books after marriage were unclear. I also don't like having to bow my head for money. So I agree. From then on, all household expenses were divided in half. His parents came to stay, and he paid for food. My mother comes by sometimes, and I pay for the fruit.
You bought a phone for Luc Giai Ky, I didn't ask. I bought a health checkup package for my mother, but he did not interfere. For eight years, we were like roommates renting the same house. Just an additional marriage certificate. A lot of people advised me, "How can a husband and wife live together so clearly?" I just laughed. "If you're not clear, it's easy to argue." Actually, it's not that I'm generous. But because the rules are not set by me. I just followed suit. Luc Minh Xuyen is very satisfied with this rule.
He often tells me I know things. When dining with friends, he even complimented me. "My wife doesn't cling to people, nor does she care about money." "How much I earn, she never asked." "Very comfortable." At that time, the men at the table all laughed. I also laughed. I picked up the cup to drink water without saying anything. No one knows me and I've never let Luc Minh Xuyen touch a penny of mine. My salary, bonuses, and investments I bought early are all in my own account. My mother, Thieu Man, first
I work as an accountant and once taught me a saying: "Women can believe in feelings, but they must not entrust their savings books to others." I always remember. So Luc Minh Xuyen doesn't know how much money I have. Perhaps you think that an ordinary project manager like me only has a few hundred thousand yuan on hand at most. I'm also lazy to explain. This misunderstanding makes me feel very safe. Until that night. Luc Minh Xuyen's mother celebrated her birthday. The location was chosen at our house. The dish you ordered.
You bought the wine. The birthday cake was also paid for by him. I don't get involved. According to the rules, this is an expense for his family. I just got off work early and went home to clean the living room. At seven o'clock in the evening, people from the Luc family arrived one after another. Luc's father sat in the main position. Luc's mother wore a gold bracelet and smiled until wrinkles filled her face. Luc Giai Ky put on a new coat, walked in holding Luc Minh Xuyen's arm. As soon as she entered the door, she placed a red notebook on the tea table. I glanced. Certificate of home ownership. The name on it shows
revealing a word "Ky". The fruit plate in my hand stopped. No one looked at me. Luc's mother clapped her hands first. "Our Giai Ky family finally has our own home." Luc Giai Ky leaned on Luc Minh Xuyen's shoulder. "I'm still the brother who loves you the most." Luc Minh Xuyen drank two glasses of wine, his face slightly red. He looked at his relatives filling the room, smiling very proudly. "My sister has suffered with me since she was young." "Now she wants to stand firm in Hai Thanh. If someone like me doesn't help, who will help?" Luc's father nodded. "Being an older brother is a must."
brother's appearance." Luc's mother glanced at me. "There are some people who have been married here for so many years, so they should learn a little." I put down the fruit plate. "Learn what?" The living room was silent for a moment. The smile on Luc's mother's face faded a bit. "Learn how family members help each other." Luc Giai Ky quickly reconciled. "Sister-in-law, my mother didn't mean that." Having finished speaking, she raised the red book in her hand again. "Sister-in-law, thank you." Thank you." I looked at her. "Thank us for what?" She blinked. "About the house." She spoke very
nature. As if I knew it all along. As if I had also nodded in agreement. As if that house had even half a cent to do with me. Luc Minh Xuyen's finger lightly tapped the wine glass. The sound is very quiet. I looked at him. "Which house?" The smile on Luc Giai Ky's face stiffened. Luc's mother immediately frowned. "Du An, don't pretend you don't know." "Today is a happy day, don't make everyone uncomfortable." I didn't move. I just looked at Luc Minh Xuyen. "You say it." Luc Minh Xuyen put down the wine glass. The smile on his face disappeared
lost. "No big deal." "Giai Ky still lacks a little deposit, I'll advance it for him." "Don't ask back and forth at this time." I asked him. "How much do you advance?" Luc Minh Xuyen stared at me. "Khuong Du An." "Do you have to talk about this right now?" I looked at the house ownership certificate on the tea table. The red cover is still very new. New and dazzling. In the living room no one said anything. Only Luc Giai Ky muttered softly. "Sister-in-law is too calculating." Luc's mother immediately continued. "That's right, brother."
A guy buys a house for his sister, not for an outsider." I nodded. "Buy a house." Luc Minh Xuyen's face darkened. "Khuong Du An, don't talk sarcastically like that." I didn't argue. I also didn't make a fuss. I just took my eyes off the house ownership certificate. Then I asked him a question. "Is this money coming from my account, or from our family's money?" Luc Minh Xuyen's eyes changed. changed.02The atmosphere in the living room froze. Luc Minh Xuyen did not answer immediately
Without saying anything, I immediately knew this was a problem. Luc Giai Ky was the first to get impatient. "Sister-in-law, what do you mean by this?" "My brother bought me a house, of course using his money." "Do you and your husband have to divide it so clearly?" I looked at her. "The clear division was not suggested by me." "It was your brother's suggestion." Luc Giai Ky choked. Luc's mother patted the sofa armrest hard. "At first, I did this to stop you and your husband from arguing." "Now that everyone in the family is having trouble, how can they be like
I asked her. "Who's having trouble?" "Giai Ky earns twelve thousand yuan every month, yet she's determined to buy a house worth 3.6 million yuan." "Is that called difficulty?" Luc Giai Ky's face turned red. "What if I buy a house?" "A girl must have a house to have support." I nodded. "I agree with this." "Then you pay the deposit yourself, repay the loan yourself, you will have even more support." Luc Giai Ky's eye sockets immediately turned red. "Brother, look at your sister-in-law." Luc Minh Xuyen stood up. He smelled of alcohol. He walked towards her
I lowered my voice. "Khuong Du An, today is my mother's birthday." "Can you understand a little bit?" I looked at him. "You don't understand?" "My sister came to the door with the house ownership certificate to thank you. I asked a question and didn't understand what happened?" Luc Minh Xuyen's temples twitched. "He was just so happy that he said that casually." I said. "Then explain." "Why should she thank you?" Luc Minh Xuyen's expression turned even darker. fall. Luc's mother stood up and pulled Luc Giai Ky behind her. "This woman?"
How difficult is it to deal with?" "Minh Xuyen makes money for his sister to spend, what does it have to do with you?" I laughed. "So why did you thank me just now?" Luc's mother immediately closed her mouth. Luc's father coughed softly. "Du An, husband and wife are one." "Minh Xuyen's money is also your family's money." Hearing that sentence from his mouth, I almost laughed out loud. For eight years, the thing the Luc family liked to say the most was that Luc Minh Xuyen and I managed our own money. They said that since I married into the Luc family, I shouldn't take advantage of it
by Luc Minh Xuyen. They say that only women who are economically independent are respected by men. They said it would be good to divide it in half to avoid me from peeking into the Luc family's assets. Now that Luc Minh Xuyen bought a house for his sister, they changed their tone, saying that husband and wife are one body. I picked up the phone. Eight years of books are arranged page by page. Home loan. Electricity and water bills. Management fee. Parking management fee. Money to repair electrical appliances in the house. Even last month the living room light bulb broke, Luc Minh Xuyen also asked me to send him twenty
three and a half yuan. I turned the screen towards Luc's father. "Dad, this is an eight-year record." "Dad, say it again, husband and wife are one." Luc's father's face turned pale. Luc's mother reached out to snatch my phone. "What are you doing writing these things for?" I took the phone back. "Because your son wants to be clear." "So I'm clear with him." Luc Minh Xuyen roared. "Enough!" The relatives sitting at the table all looked over. Luc Minh Xuyen's uncle put down his chopsticks. Luc Giai Ky's cousin said in a low voice. "Even the money for light bulbs is divided in half?" Luc's mother glared
eyes looked at her. "It has nothing to do with you!" The living room became even more chaotic. Luc Minh Xuyen grabbed my wrist. "Come into the room with me." I lowered my head to look at his hand. "Let go." He didn't let go. Maybe he's forgotten that I'm no longer the girl who got married eight years ago. He's just scared when he's cold. I raised my eyes to look at him. "Luc Minh Xuyen, say it again." "Let go." His fingers stiffened. Luc Giai Ky cried. "Sister-in-law, I don't need you anymore, okay?" "Don't argue with me." She cried very well. Luc's mother immediately hugged him
marry her. "What is your fault?" "My brother loves me, my sister-in-law is jealous!" I looked at Luc Giai Ky. "What don't you need?" "Don't need the house, or don't need the loan that your brother is paying for?" Luc Giai Ky's crying stopped. Luc Minh Xuyen's eyes became cold. "Are you investigating me?" I said. "Not investigating." "You forgot to log out of Alipay." "On the third day of last month, a message automatically deducting the loan payment appeared." "Every month sixteen thousand eight hundred yuan." "Note: Giai Ky, Hai Canh Uyen." In the crowd
The sound of cold air was heard from relatives. Luc's mother's face became unsightly.