Chapter 6 — Forty-two Days of Confinement

When he got home, Tran Huc still hadn't returned. I picked up the baby from Ms. Truong's house. The baby was sitting on the crawling chair, chewing a cloth book. I sat down next to my child, opened my laptop, and created a new folder. Name: "The Elephant Grows Up - Brand Upgrade". First week after project launch. To Vi sent all documents, product photos, required documents of distribution channels, and competitor analysis. During the day I look after my child, at night I wait for him to sleep and then work until one or two in the morning. The third day, I finished the first logo option. To Vi immediately responded with a long voice message, her voice very excited. "Sister, I really like it. This is the feeling, exactly what I want." "Don't rush, this is just a draft. Details still have to be adjusted." A week later, the draft of the entire image system was completed. To Vi took it away for the distribution channel to see. At ten o'clock at night, she sent a text message: "It's passed. All three channels agree. Sign the procedures to bring in the goods next week." "Congratulations." "I should thank you. Sister, I'm telling the truth." "I looked at the message, smiled but didn't reply. I turned off the computer and went to cover my child with a blanket. That night, Tran Huc worked overtime until eleven o'clock and didn't come back. When he entered the bedroom, I wasn't asleep yet, leaning against the head of the bed looking at my phone. He took off his jacket and sat down next to the bed. "Van Van." "Yes?" "Your mother called today to say..." "What happened again?" "It's not a bad thing." He quickly said. "I want to buy a stroller for my baby, I wonder which brand you like." I looked at him "Let her choose for herself." "Then I'll tell her again." He changed his clothes and lay down. After a while, he spoke again. "Van Van." "Yes." "Are you busy lately? Sleeping very late every day." My finger stopped on the phone screen. "You're working on a project." "What project?" "I received an order for a brand design." He turned to look at me. "Receiving orders? When did it start?" "Since the end of the term." He was stunned. "You... always accept jobs?" "Yes." "Why haven't you started yet?" ever told you?" I put the phone on the nightstand Turn off the lights. "Because there's nothing worth talking about." There was silence in the darkness for a few seconds. "How much do you earn?" He asked, his voice a bit unusual. "Not a little." "After all..." "Tran Huc." I said. "You want to know the specific number?" "You're my wife, of course I..." "Wait until I finish this project and then I'll tell you in detail. Now go to sleep first." He didn't ask anymore. But I can feel him still opening his eyes in the darkness. The project lasted a full six weeks. During that process, the plan was revised four times, the packaging tested twice, and the detailed page E-commerce has also been rebuilt in a new version. To Vi was very cooperative, gave clear feedback, and made quick decisions. On the final handover day, To Vi transferred the remaining amount directly. Including the midterm account, the total is two hundred and twenty-three thousand yuan. I looked at the notice of money entering my bank account and sat in front of my desk in a daze for a long time. Two hundred and twenty thousand. Six weeks. This number is almost equal to one year's salary of Tran Huc. The phone rang. To Vi sent a photo of their product displayed on shelves in distribution channels. The new packaging especially stands out among a row of colorful competing products. "Sister, on the first day of sales, I had to restock twice." "Good thing." "Sister, I'll tell you this. I have a friend who also works in the mother and baby industry, specializing in bathing products for newborns. She saw my new packaging and asked who made it. Can I introduce you to her?" "Okay. Tell her to add my WeChat." I turned off the phone, went to the kitchen and steamed some. egg bowl for baby. The baby is now over four months old I started to get interested in adult food, every time I saw a bowl I reached out to ask for it. After feeding my baby, wiping his mouth, I put him on the bed to practice crawling. In the evening, when Tran Huc returned, I was sitting on the living room sofa watching my tablet. He put down his bag and looked at the printed color palette samples spread on the tea table. "Is this your project?" "Done." "Done?" He sat down. "So... how?" I put down the tablet and looked at him. "Tran Huc, do you want to know how much I earned in the last half year?" He nodded. "From the end Up to now, including this large order, a total of three hundred and forty thousand yuan have been received." His expression froze. It was as if his mind was processing that number but couldn't understand it at the moment. "Three hundred... forty thousand?" "Yes." "You alone?" "You alone. At home. Just looking after the baby." He leaned against the back of the sofa, looking at the ceiling. After a while, he asked: "How do you do it?" "Every day, wait for the baby to sleep and then work until dawn. Every morning, I wake up at six o'clock to answer messages. The days I go on business trips, the nights I work overtime, those times when I thought you were scrolling through your phone." He turned his head to look at me, his eyes very complicated. "Van Van..." "I don't say these things to show off." I cut him off. "I just want you to know, during the time your mother thought I was at home 'free', I was raising my child and building a job enough to support me and my child."