Chapter 5 — Eighteen People, One Meal, One Divorce

My mother's eyes turned red, she looked at me for a long time then reached out to touch my face.

“You idiot, why didn't you tell me?” her voice choked.

“What use is it if I say it?” I cried too, I couldn't hold back my tears.

“My mother always told me to hold off, saying that after getting married, women must know how to take care of their family.”

“I endured it, mother, I endured it for two years.”

“But this year he is even more outrageous, eighteen people, mother, eighteen people.”

My father stood next to me and didn't say anything from the beginning, but his face was dark and scary. The two cloves of garlic in his hand were crushed, the peels fell to the ground, but he did not bend down to pick them up.

“Where is Trieu Khai now?” he asked, his voice low and heavy.

“When I left, he just went out to pick up Mom and Dad.” I replied.

"I turned off the phone for a while. He called me and didn't answer."

"He called again in the car just now. I heard it and said I wouldn't come back."

"Whoever opens his mouth to receive this meal will take care of it himself."

After I finished speaking, I immediately looked towards my father, my eyes not avoiding him. My father was silent for a few seconds, then turned and went straight to the red landline phone that he had used for many years, picked up the receiver and dialed the number. He called Trieu Khai, each number was pressed down decisively as if he had memorized it for too long. The phone connected, my father turned on the speaker, the ringing sound rang out in the quiet living room. After three rounds of "tut tut tut", the other person picked up the phone. Trieu Khai's voice echoed, a bit urgent, surrounded by the noise of traffic and people talking.

“Trieu Khai, it's me.”

My father spoke, his voice low and steady.

“Dad?” The other party paused for a moment then immediately changed their tone and became welcoming.

“Dad, happy new year, happy new year, I was about to call you to wish you a Happy New Year!”

“Is Vu Ninh with dad?”

"LIVE." My father answered concisely, without adding a single extra word.

“That's good!” Trieu Khai's voice sounded like a sigh of relief.

"Dad asked Vu Ninh to answer the phone for you, there's something urgent at home, it's really urgent."

“What?” my father asked, his voice still calm.

“Well… we have guests at home, we need Vu Ninh to help.”

“What guest?”

“So… your parents, then your sisters, the whole family came over to eat.”

“How many people?”

“Uh… about twenty people.”

“What is twenty?” My father's voice was still steady but the pressure was clear.

The other side was silent for a few seconds before responding.

“Eighteen people.”

“Dad, tell Vu Ninh to answer the phone, I have to tell her about this.”

“There's no need to tell him.”

“You just tell me.” my father replied, his voice starting to cool down.

“Trieu Khai, my daughter married you to live with you, not to come to your house to be a cook for the whole family.”

"Eighteen people, without saying a word in advance, only opened their mouths on New Year's Eve, forcing him to take care of the meal alone."

“Does your family treat him like that?”

The other end of the line was silent, only chaotic noise remained. After a while, Trieu Khai spoke up, trying to keep his voice gentle.

"Dad, you misunderstood. It's not like she's going to do it alone. I'll help too."

"Besides, this year is different from last year. I already ordered the semi-finished products, I just need to reheat them and it's done."

"Really, dad, tell Vu Ninh to go home, I'll make sure not to let her get tired."

“Fu Man Lau does not accept applications on New Year's Eve.”

My father spoke, every word clearly.

"Vu Ninh called yesterday to ask, they were off, and the semi-finished products were sold out early."

“Trieu Khai, you are still lying to this day.”

The other side fell silent for a long time, as if there was no other way to say anything bright. Then I heard him take a deep breath, his voice changed when he opened his mouth. No more politeness, no more laughter, just obvious frustration.

"Dad, this is between me and Vu Ninh, please don't interfere."

“Dad, give her the phone, I said it myself.”

"She must come home today. Your parents and sisters have already arrived and are standing downstairs."

"She is a wife and child, if there are guests in the house, what would happen if she left to return to her mother's house?"

“If you say it out loud, aren't you afraid that people will laugh at you?”

My father's hand holding the stethoscope tightened, his knuckles turned white.

“Trieu Khai.” His voice was low, cold as water.

“I'll say it again.”

“My daughter will not return today.”

"Those eighteen people, whoever opens their mouth to accept it will do it themselves."

"Your family matters, you solve them yourself."

“Don't call anymore.”

Having finished speaking, my father hung up the phone strongly, the receiver hitting the body of the phone making a resounding "click" sound. The living room immediately fell silent, only the laughter on the TV echoed incoherently. My father turned back to look at my mother and me, his voice firm.

“This year celebrate Tet at home.”

“Not going anywhere.”

My mother nodded, wiped her tears with her hand, her voice choked but determined.

“Yes, we will celebrate Tet at my house.”

She stood up, grabbed my hand and pulled me into the kitchen, her voice returning to its familiar warmth.

"Go, go help mom pack the dumplings, your dad makes the cabbage meat stuffing, you like it the most."

I followed her into the kitchen. The kitchen was small but warm, the heat spreading out made people feel secure. On the window was paper cut out the red word "Phuc", on the stove a pot of soup was boiling, emitting steam. On the table were kneaded dough and mixed fillings, all so familiar that it made my heart soften. This is the image of Tet in my memory, not that cold house.

“Come here, roll the dough.” Mom handed me the rolling pin, her voice gentle.

I took it and started rolling each piece of shell, evenly round, thick in the middle and thin on both sides. My mother sat next to the package, her hands moving quickly, each piece forming a neat gold bar. Mother and daughter did not say anything, but the atmosphere was rare and peaceful. The peace that I have hardly had for the past two years. Until my phone vibrated again. This time it wasn't a call but a text message, each "ting ting" sound rang out continuously in the kitchen. I wiped my hands and took out my phone to look. As Trieu Khai, he immediately sent a series of more than a dozen messages. The first thing I saw were the words, each sentence caught my eye without time to avoid.

"Lam Vu Ninh, what do you want to do?", "My parents and sisters have already arrived, they are standing downstairs, can you bear it in this cold weather?"

"Please go home quickly, can I beg you?", "Last year I was wrong, I admit my mistake, but this year I can't do that!"

"Today is New Year's Eve, don't let me lose face", "you go home first, after today you can punish me however you want!"

"My parents are old, they can't stand this", "My sisters have started talking in and out", "Lam Vu Ninh, answer the phone!"

“Answer the phone!!” Below are a series of missed calls and two voice messages.

I pressed open the first part, Trieu Khai's voice rang out, a bit urgent, behind the noisy sound of children crying and adults talking.

“Vu Ninh, I admit I was wrong, I shouldn't have lied to you, but now that everyone has arrived, you can't let them stand outside in the cold, okay?”

“You go home, let's think about it together, okay no, I beg you.”

After listening, I played the second part again, this time it wasn't him but my mother-in-law's voice, sharp and full of anger.

“Lam Vu Ninh! Answer the phone for me!”, “What are you hiding from, huh?”, “On Tet, if you leave the whole family waiting like this, what kind of system is there?”

“I tell you, come back immediately!”, “don't make me have to go to your mother's house to find someone!”

"Let the neighbors and relatives see clearly what kind of daughter-in-law this family is!" The recording stopped suddenly, apparently Trieu Khai snatched the phone back.

But I didn't need to look to imagine the scene behind me. Her face turned pale with anger, she pointed her finger and cursed, and he stood next to her to stop her. I looked at the phone screen, black, reflecting my own blurred face.

“Whose is it?” my mother asked, her hand wrapping the dumplings stopped.

“Trieu Khai with his mother.” I answered briefly.

“What did they say?” Mom continued asking, her voice lowered.

"Tell me to come home. If I don't come back, I will come to your house."

After hearing that, my mother immediately changed her expression, put down the dumpling and wiped her hands on her apron.

“Give the phone to mom.”

I gave her the phone, she opened the recording and turned on the speakerphone.