Chapter 3 — Escape from the Trieu Family

"Dad," I put down my chopsticks and looked at him, "I got 687 points on the exam. You told me to go work at the fish pond. Didn't you see this word going out, how will people see it?" Trieu Duc Phat's face twitched. He values face the most. This is the only weakness of this man that I have observed in my forty-three years in my previous life. "Aunt Vuong already knows that I have registered for the University of National Defense Technology. Yesterday at the head of the village she told a few people." I gently added a sentence. "Sister Truong also knows. She said that our village has a military school student, making the whole village smile." My father's expression is changing. From indignation, to hesitation, then to something I'm very familiar with——calculation. He's reassessing. Recalculating this account. If I really go to the National University of Defense Technology and graduate as an officer, my future salary will be much higher than that of a teacher. At that point, tell me to send money home... I can almost see the process of the abacus beads clicking in his head. But he hasn't finished counting yet. Because the military school had a rule that he didn't like—during the student's period of study, the student's allowance was provided by the state, making it very difficult for family members to get involved. He needs time to think clearly. I give him time. Stand up and clean up the dishes. "I'm going to wash the dishes." Behind him, Trieu Duc Phat sat on the chair without moving. I could feel his eyes still glued to my back. Like watching an item lose value. At nine o'clock in the evening, Trieu Kien Quan played games in the next room. The sound of keyboards and cursing came through the thin wall, so loud that I rolled over. But I don't go knocking on walls. In my previous life, every time I knocked on the wall, what I received was a sentence from my mother: "It's not easy for your little brother, it's hot during the day, only when it's cool at night can you relax a little." I put paper in my ears and closed my eyes. There was another thing on my mind—— Admission notice. Normally, the admission notice is sent by EMS. Where to send? Contact address when filling out application. At that time I filled in my home address. In other words, the admission notice will be sent to this yard. As long as my dad blocks the notice—— No. I have to change my address. Tomorrow morning, I have to call the admission office of the University of National Defense Technology to confirm whether or not I can change the address to receive admission notices. If I can't fix it, I have to make sure that the day the notice arrives, I will definitely be the first person to encounter the postal staff. Watch every day. Twenty days. I opened my eyes, making plans in the dark. The moonlight outside the window shines in, illuminating the yellow walls. In my past life, this summer was the last summer of hope in my life. I buried it myself. This time, I had to hold it myself in the palm of my hand. Whoever comes to rob me, I will risk my life against that person. 【Chapter 3】 Early morning of the third day. At five twenty, I woke up on time. The biological clock formed in a brick kiln in a previous life has been engraved into the bones, and even a new life cannot be fixed. In Trieu Kien Quan's room, there was a steady sound of snoring. He played games all night, now sleeping like a dead pig. There was no sound in my mother's room, but I knew she would get up at six o'clock to feed the chickens. I have forty minutes to spare. Gently put on clothes and go out of the yard gate. The public phone booth at the beginning of the village still exists——in its previous life, it was dismantled when I was in twelfth grade. Put in five dimes, call 114. "Please help me look up the phone number for the undergraduate admission office of the University of National Defense Technology." After writing down the phone number, I put in another dime. Call over. It took a long time for someone to listen on the other side. "Hello, Admissions Office of National Defense Technology University." "Hello teacher, I am a university entrance exam candidate

This year, registration number XXXX. I want to confirm a little, can the address where the admission notice is sent be changed?" "Hello. The notice address is based on the address you entered in the request system. After the system closes, it can't be repaired anymore." My heart sank. "But," the other person paused for a moment, "if you yourself need to change the way of receiving, you can bring your ID card to the local post office to do the paperwork, request that EMS deliver it to you and sign for it yourself." ID card. ID card again. "Yes, thank you teacher." Hang up the phone. Standing in the phone booth, I stared at the receiver for a moment in a daze. All the roads are not bypassed. got that card. What my father wanted was this—to hold my identity card, to hold my life. He had held it for forty-three years. He couldn't wait any longer. When I got home today, my mother was feeding the chickens. "Nguyet, where are you running in the morning?" She didn't ask anymore. At ten o'clock in the morning, Trieu Duc Phat left the house to find someone to talk to. He went to find the village secretary and asked, "What is military school?" He was doing his homework. But this gave me a chance.