Chapter 12 — Fascinated by the Rooster Farmer Raising His Children

After her grandmother's surprise visit, news of Khanh Vy and Vinh Khang's success spread further within the Chu family, reaching Nha Dinh's ears through the words of the driver who took Mrs. Le Phuong to Binh Xuyen that day. Already stressed due to financial pressure from her husband, that news seemed to add fuel to the fire of jealousy that had been smoldering in her heart for many weeks.

"Did Grandma really come to visit Khanh Vy?" Nha Dinh asked the close maid again, her voice unable to hide her discomfort. "What else did you say?"

"I heard the boss seems very satisfied, and even praised the way second aunt manages her new life." The maid replied, not knowing that she was unintentionally sparking a smoldering jealousy in Nha Dinh's heart.

That news, combined with the increasing difficulties in her own marriage, made Nha Dinh unable to bear it any longer. In her mind, the image of her sister, who was once pushed into a "worst" marriage by her and her grandmother, was now enjoying happiness and success, while she - who was once confident of being a winner - was drowning in a marriage full of lies and debt.

"We can't let things happen like this." She thought to herself, sitting alone in the room, her eyes thoughtfully looking at the phone screen displaying an article about Binh Xuyen farm. "If I can't be happy, you don't deserve to be happy either."

She recalls her childhood years, when she always had to work twice as hard to get equal attention as her older sister, who was always considered the perfect role model in the eyes of the whole family. That feeling of being overshadowed, although she had cleverly hidden it for many years with a smiling appearance, now emerged stronger than ever, pushing her to make decisions that she, if she were more alert, would never have allowed herself to make.

She began looking for ways to collect information about the business activities of Binh Xuyen farm, initially with the simple intention of finding weaknesses so she could defame and sabotage Khanh Vy's reputation in the eyes of the family. But the deeper she dug, the more she realized the farm was becoming part of a much larger coalition of farmers, attracting the attention of even large agricultural corporations.

*

At a charity party, Nha Dinh happened to meet Tuong Bach Uy, Chairman of Dai Thinh Agriculture Group, a famous name in the agricultural business world with the ambition to expand production scale throughout the provinces neighboring the city.

"You are Chu Nha Dinh, daughter of the Chu family, right?" Tuong Bach Uy took the initiative to start a conversation, his sharp eyes observing her as if evaluating a potential partner. "I heard about your sister, who runs the farm in Binh Xuyen."

Nha Dinh frowned slightly when she heard Khanh Vy mentioned, but quickly regained her smiling, polite expression. "Yes, my sister is living there with her husband."

"That farm is quite interesting." Tuong Bach Uy said, his voice seemed calculating. "Actually, I am planning to expand the group's raw material area to the Tan Hoa area, including Binh Xuyen village. But it seems that your husband's farm is creating a significant impact on the psychology of farmers in the area, making them not very interested in our cooperation proposal."

Hearing this, a dangerous idea began to form in Nha Dinh's mind. She realized this could be an opportunity for her to both take revenge on her sister and win the favor of a powerful businessman who could help her solve her husband's financial problems.

"I heard you are one of the most talented entrepreneurs in the agricultural industry today." She said, skillfully flattering to gauge his attitude. "Your group's expansion plan must have been very methodical to dare to invest on such a large scale."

"Of course." Tuong Bach Uy replied, his voice full of complacency. "We have researched the market for many years, and have enough resources to turn any land into a modern agricultural production center. The only thing holding us back now is the stubbornness of some small farmers who do not see the big picture."

"Mr. Uy," she said, her voice cautious but calculating. "If you need information about the operations of that farm, or about the connections between farmers in the area, perhaps I can be of help. After all, she is my sister, I have some communication channels in the family."

Tuong Bach Uy looked at her for a moment, his eyes flashing with the excitement of a predator who had just found suitable prey. "That's great. We should talk more about this. It might be beneficial for both sides."

He gave her his business card, his finger lightly touching her hand deliberately, a gesture just enough to suggest a cooperative relationship that both of them implicitly understood would not be pure. Nha Dinh received the business card, feeling a stream of excitement mixed with fear running down her spine, as if she had just set foot on a path of no return.

*

For several nights in a row, Nha Dinh tossed and turned restlessly, torn between reason and emotion, between her remaining conscience and the bitterness that was urging her to act. In the end, the fear of losing everything I had overcame all hesitation.

A few days later, at a luxury restaurant, Nha Dinh met Tuong Bach Uy again to discuss in more detail. He presented a plan to acquire land in the Tan Hoa region, with arguments wrapped in the guise of "agricultural modernization".

"Such small farmers cannot compete with the market in the long term." Tuong Bach Uy explained, his voice full of confidence of someone who believes absolutely in his vision. "We will combine land into large-scale specialized farming areas, apply comprehensive automation technology, creating output and export value much higher than the current fragmented model. This is an inevitable trend of modern agriculture, sooner or later farmers will have to accept it."

"But I heard that farmers don't want to sell their land?" Nha Dinh asked.

"Because they don't understand the long-term benefits, and because someone is organizing them, making them believe they can develop without us." Tuong Bach Uy replied, his eyes cold. "If I know the specific plans and strategies that your husband's farm is building with other farmers, I can find ways to... speed up the negotiation process."

Nha Dinh hesitated for a moment, a remaining part of her conscience warned her about the consequences of what she was about to do. But the jealousy and bitterness that had accumulated for so long overwhelmed everything.

She thought about Khai Van's huge debt, thought about the contemptuous eyes of those who once admired her and now turned away, and thought about the image of her sister being happy with her small family in Binh Xuyen. All those negative emotions mixed together, pushing her to make a decision that she knew was wrong but still did not have the courage to refuse.

"I will help you find out more information." She said, her voice harder than she expected. "But in return, I need you to help me solve some financial problems for my husband, and keep this a secret, not letting anyone in my family know I'm involved."

"Of course." Tuong Bach Uy smiled, the handshake between the two seemed to seal a dangerous alliance that was about to cause serious consequences for an entire farming community trying to build a better future for themselves.

Leaving the restaurant, Nha Dinh sat in the car, clutching her bag tightly, feeling both relieved and uneasy. She told herself she was doing what was necessary to save her own marriage, but deep down, she knew she had just crossed a moral line that, once crossed, there would be no turning back.

That evening, when Khanh Vy called to inquire as usual, her sister's familiar warm voice rang through the phone, causing Nha Dinh to pause for a moment, a bit of guilty conscience rising. "How are you these days? Is the farm growing well?" She asked, trying to keep her voice as natural as always.

"I'm fine, everything is going very well." Khanh Vy replied, her voice filled with undisguised joy. "We have just formed an alliance with farmers in the area, which we hope will help many people."

Hearing those sincere sharing words, Nha Dinh felt an uncomfortable silence in her heart, but she quickly quelled that feeling, telling herself that she had no other way back but to continue on the path she had chosen.