Chapter 3 — Freedom Is The Most Precious Gift

He pulled out his phone to call. "Sister-in-law, that pen Tieu Viet brought home last time... hasn't it been used yet?" “What?! Did you put ink in already?” "That... I intended to give it to the leader. My mother didn't know about it, so she gave it to Tieu Viet." "... Okay, if you use it then why give it away? That's it." Hanging up the phone, Lac Tung sighed: "Sorry, I lost control just now. I know it's not your fault, it's just... I'm so angry." I laughed coldly, then turned around and went straight back to my room. To be honest, lately I've always had a feeling of wrongness. I keep feeling that Lac Tung's feelings for me... are not as deep as they seem. The criticism and dissatisfaction that he uttered out of reflex — definitely not an act. At that moment, I suddenly realized - the relationship between us... had a crack. And it seems like it won't be easy to fix anymore. 6 On the day my mother-in-law returned from the countryside, I secretly prepared a tape recorder, one hidden under the living room sofa, one hidden under the bookshelf in the office. To be honest, I did so much just to make Lac Tung understand that his mother's behavior is unacceptable. I just hope that he will seriously talk to her. But because Lac Tung had said one thing in front of me before, then turned around and said another thing to his mother, I had to be on guard, wanting to know what they were really saying when I wasn't there. My mother-in-law is a very dignified person. Lac Tung certainly wouldn't embarrass her in front of me, so I had to use the tape recorder. I made an excuse for you to call out, then left the house. It wasn't until 10pm that I returned. Both of them went to bed, I quietly took back the tape recorder and brought it into the room. Lock the door carefully, put on headphones. Until now, I still didn't know how much that recording would hurt me. In the recording, the two people just entered the door and started arguing. "Mom, you're being too harsh now. Before, you took things from the house and took them away, and I just closed my eyes and let it go, but the last two times, you took all my things, not Lam Doanh's." "What are you yelling at? What's wrong with a fountain pen? What's wrong with giving it to Tieu Viet if he likes it? He's a student, isn't it normal to use a fountain pen? You don't even use that pen, so why leave it there? There's also the wine, I keep it there all the time but I don't drink it, wouldn't it be better to give it to my uncle? This time my uncle really made me smile, I praise you so much!" Lac Tung was so angry that he burst out laughing: "Three million bottles of wine, it's strange that he doesn't praise you! Before, my mother only took a few hundred things to show off, so I couldn't bear it. Now my mother takes a few million to give as gifts, is it worth it?" "What? How many million? Mom, you don't know how expensive it is?" "Of course it's expensive! Those bottles of wine cost me a lot of money to buy. They were kept very carefully, but Mom gave them to someone else to keep safe! And that pen - more than ten million! Mom gave it to Tieu Viet to play with, writing and drawing!" "What? More than ten million?! You don't know anything!?" "Lam Doanh said mom wouldn't listen, she also said that pen is very important to me, don't you listen?" "She only said it was important, but she didn't say how much it cost! If she knew it was more than ten million, how could she be so careless? It's obvious that it was done on purpose — that unlucky girl!" … At this point, I was completely dumbfounded. My mother-in-law... yet dares to scold me as a "slut"? "Mom, please pay attention in the future. You know, we divide our money to manage it separately. Most of Lam Doanh's things were bought by her brother, the rest she bought with her own money, so those things are her money. Once you give them away, you leave, I don't interfere. But my things are all my own money to buy, if you don't feel sorry for me, I'll feel sorry for you. If you want to take anything out as a gift, just take what belongs to you. She, she has so many good things, I won't say anything even if you take it away." … I felt cold all over, like falling into an ice cellar. I never thought that my husband would calculate with me to this extent. It's true that we divide money separately, but most of the household expenses are borne by me. Every time I want to buy more things for my family, he always smiles and says: "Okay, buy whatever you want. I don't have as much taste as you, so I don't dare to interfere. If my wife chooses, she will definitely have taste." But looking back now, it turns out it was just a sweet trap. The sincerity I poured out, in the end, was exchanged for my husband's calculations. This marriage of mine — what a failure. I never realized his real personality. I even hoped that after Lac Tung talked clearly with his mother, we would make up and return to the happy days like before. But looking back now... it turns out I was pitifully naive. Just as I was about to turn off the recorder because I was so disappointed, my mother-in-law's voice rang out again: "Sigh, it's also my fault. At first I didn't research carefully, I thought Lam Doanh's family had money so they encouraged me to pursue her. Who would have thought, it's not her parents who are rich, but her brother who has money. And in the future, that money won't necessarily reach him, so what's the point of his brother having money? He's so stingy, if he takes just a few things, he'll go around with the child." … I felt like my whole body was as cold as ice. It turns out... not only was my marriage a calculation, but even the love I once believed in was also a pre-planned trap. I finally understood - what was the feeling of "out of rhythm" that I always felt in Lac Tung. That's it - fake emotions, no matter how hidden, will be revealed in unconscious reflexes. My brother is much older than me. When I went to college, he started a business and was successful. During my time in college, he was the one who paid for all my tuition and living expenses. Because when I was young, my family was very poor, and my brother always felt guilty, so during his college years, he compensated me in every way - eating well, dressing well, using only good goods. He also often gave me all kinds of branded items, but later I objected so much that he restrained himself. Maybe that's why it feels like my family is very rich. And that is what made Lac Tung "target" me. No — more precisely, it was aimed at my family. I listened to the recording and laughed sarcastically. I felt like crying... but I couldn't shed a single tear. I thought there would be nothing left of the recordings later. As a result, I greatly underestimated the brazenness of that family. "His brother has never gotten married. From what Lam Doanh said, he's probably the type of person who doesn't want to get married. If that's true, then his brother's assets will likely be left to him in the future." give it back.” “Then you find a way to let him have a child, or we think of a way to force him to adopt your outside child. Once she has a child, she won't have time to worry about other things, nor will she have time to scrutinize me all day." “I know, I know what to do.” Too shameless. My hands trembled as I pressed the button to turn off the recorder. I finally understand - why people say: real pain is when tears cannot fall. I trembled all over, paralyzed, lying on the bed. It turns out... Lac Tung has his own child outside. That means — he had an affair a long time ago, and even had a child with another woman. It turns out... my whole family was planned by his family from the beginning. After all… maybe I even have to “thank” my mother-in-law. If it weren't for the fact that she kept taking my things and giving them away, which made me unable to bear it and begin to protest - then how could I have accidentally learned about all these terrible things? If I continue to be blind, I'm afraid one day I will die because I was killed to defraud the insurance money. My love, my marriage — it's ridiculous. I even thought that after they finished talking, I would comfort Lac Tung so that they could reconcile. Looking back now, in their eyes, I was probably nothing more than an idiot who was clingy and thought he understood. 7 A sleepless night. Early the next morning, I got up early and left home to go to the company — I didn't even bother to cook breakfast. I buried myself in work to numb my emotions. It wasn't until seven o'clock at night that I left the office. When I got home, Lac Tung quickly took my bag from my hand, smiled and said: "I'll cook dinner tonight, make some of your favorite dishes." Let's go wash your hands and eat." I looked around and asked: "Where is mom?" “Mom said she wasn't hungry, she went out for a walk. Only the two of us remain.” I sat down at the dining table, and indeed — the table was full of my favorite foods. “Let's try it, see if your skills have deteriorated?” I looked at the plate of food he put into my bowl, not daring to move his chopsticks. Seeing me sitting still, he worriedly asked: "What's wrong?" Not happy?” I pointed to the piece of carrot in the bowl and said: "I don't like eating carrots. Have you forgotten?” “Aw, it's my fault.” He picked up a few carrot strands from my bowl and put them in his mouth and chewed them: "Can I eat now?"