Chapter 2 — Freedom After Hands

He stopped chewing his cud and stared at me with eyes like looking at a rare animal. "Lin Vien, are you the only man in the country who is supported but still has to pay for it himself?" "...Can you change the way you say it?" "Okay." He took a bite of a grilled dumpling. “You're the only one who still brings his own food.” I stuffed a skewer of grilled eggplant into my mouth, not wanting to say anymore. “Honestly.” Vuong Loi wiped his mouth. “At that time, what did you like about her?” I thought for a moment. “When we first got together, she was quite good.” “What happened after that?” “After that…” I looked at the skewer of meat sizzling and dripping fat on the grill. "After that it became a habit. When she opened her mouth and wanted something, I immediately gave it to her. Over time, I forgot what the concept of adding all these things together was." "Frog boiled in warm water." "Almost like that." Vuong Loi shook his head, raised his beer bottle to shake at me: "Thank you for regaining your freedom." I collided with him. The wine hits the throat, cold, spicy, refreshing. The phone lights up. A WeChat message, not from To Oanh. To Oanh's close friend, Truong Duyet. "Lam Vien, please don't be too cruel. Now that To Oanh has no income, please cancel all payments for her. Next week her car loan will be overdue, are you cruel?" I looked at this message and smiled. Answer in four words: "It has nothing to do with me." Then drag it to the blacklist. Vuong Loi stopped by, glanced at him, and gave him a thumbs up. "Barbecue tonight." He said. “You pay.” “Based on what?” “Based on the fact that from today you have an extra twenty-three thousand left over each month.” I wanted to argue, but I really didn't have the strength to convince. “Okay.” This barbecue costs two hundred and sixty. The same amount as To Oanh's previous day's cat food money. But these two hundred and sixty are well spent. 【Chapter 4】 The fifth day after breaking up. I received a text message, not sent by To Oanh, but sent by the bank. "Dear customer, your credit card supplementary card number 3071 has incurred overdue fees, please handle it promptly." Supplemental card. I almost forgot about this. Three years ago, when we were deeply in love, To Oanh said it was convenient to make an extra card, so my brain got hot so I did it for her. Limit of fifty thousand, she swiped, I paid. The day we broke up, I canceled things on Alipay, but the credit card supplement had to go to the bank counter to cancel. Right at lunch break that day I went to the bank. The counter staff was a young girl wearing glasses, looking at me. "Sir, if you want to cancel the supplementary card, you need the main cardholder to be present in person, and the supplementary card currently has no outstanding invoices." "How much is owed now?" She typed a few times on the keyboard: "Forty-seven thousand, three hundred and twenty-one yuan." My finger tapped lightly on the counter. “What was the last transaction?” “The day before yesterday, a luxury goods store, spent thirty-eight thousand.”The day before yesterday. The third day after breaking up. She took my supplementary card and went to buy a bag of thirty-eight thousand. I sat in the bank lobby, looking at the receipt in my hand, my expression very calm. I sent Vuong Loi a text message: "The extra card was forty-seven thousand. After we broke up, she swiped another thirty-eight thousand." Vuong Loi immediately replied: "Report to the police." Me: "I voluntarily made the extra card for her. Legally, it's hard to say clearly." Vuong Loi: "So it's considered tuition?" I didn't answer him. I sat there thinking for a while. Then call To Oanh. After ringing three times, the phone was answered, very quickly. Proves that she's always waiting for me to find her. "Lin Vien?" Her voice tried to sound calm, carrying a hint of scrutiny. “Extra card.” I said. “Forty-seven thousand, pay in full before the end of the month, then cancel the card.” The other side was silent. “I don't have money now…” “That's my limit.” I interrupted her. “I don't care how you pay. Before the end of the month, forty-seven thousand,

"Lam Vien, you..." "End of the month." I hung up. When I left the bank, it was sunny outside. I stood on the steps, took a deep breath, took my phone to take a photo. The sky was blue with white clouds, clear without a single cloud. Posted to my friends: "The weather is really beautiful." Three minutes later, To Oanh was the first person to like. Then cancel immediately. I see. Laugh once. I went to the convenience store to buy a bottle of mineral water, two yuan. Previously, To Oanh only drank imported carbonated water, fifteen yuan a bottle, available in the refrigerator all year round. Now in my refrigerator are mineral water worth two yuan and Coca-Cola nine yuan. My savings were enough for me to live like a normal person.——That night, at eleven o'clock, I was preparing to sleep. The phone lights up. To Oanh's mother called. I looked at the screen for three seconds. Answer the phone. "Tieu Lam." To Oanh's mother's voice is still the same, enthusiastic but clever. “Auntie told me this. You and Oanh Oanh are angry at each other, I understand, you're young. But aren't you doing it a little too hard? Don't leave her anything…” “Auntie.” I said. “Not angry. It's a break up." "Oh well, breaking up is just a temporary impulsive thing..." "Not impulsive. She suggested it, I agreed. Both sides volunteer.” The other side paused.