Chapter 5 — From the Ashes to the Pinnacle

A person who has died once will not shed tears easily. "Dad." I called out. Tham Ve Quoc's tears immediately flowed down. Large drops fell to the ground. He hugged me, squeezing so tightly that my nose was pressed against the fabric on his shoulder, smelling the smell of sweat mixed with the cold air from the air conditioner in the car. He drove for a day and a night. Maybe he never stopped in the middle of the road. "Dad is here." His voice came down from above, choked and trembling: "Dad is here, I won't go anymore." I didn't push him away. Just let him hug you. Ten seconds. Twenty seconds. I don't know when Aunt Ho came out, standing in front of the residential area's door, wiping the corner of her eyes with a tissue. Next to it, there were two or three neighbors standing around, chatting in low voices. Finally, Tham Ve Quoc let go, took a half step back, and looked at me up and down again. His eyes stopped on my feet for two seconds. For some reason, he looked a little longer. But he did not know about his past life. He was just confirming—his son was still healthy, alive, standing in front of him. “Go.” He wiped his face, his voice still hoarse: “Dad, take me away.” “No need to rush.” I said. He was stunned. I looked at him: "Trieu Ngoc Phan still doesn't know dad has arrived." Tham Ve Quoc's face immediately changed. That change is not anger, but more like the hatred that has penetrated deep into the bones has finally found a place to vent. He gritted his teeth, the muscles in his cheeks bulging. "She..." "Dad." I interrupted: "Go inside and talk." I led him into the residential office. Aunt Ho was very thoughtful, poured two glasses of water and then found a reason to go out. The door closes. It's just me and him. "Dad, there are a few things I have to tell you clearly." I sat opposite, looking into his eyes. "First. When the fire broke out, I was sleeping on the second floor. Trieu Ngoc Phan was on the first floor, she woke up first. She didn't call me. She went to save Lam Phong, Lam Kien Quoc's son next door." Tham Ve Quoc's breath stopped. "Second. After running out, she didn't come back to look for me. I'm on my own." Jumped down from the second floor window." Tham Ve Quoc's hand tightened on the paper cup, causing the cup to cave in. "Third. In the eight years since dad left, every month he sent twelve hundred yuan in allowance, but not a single penny was spent on Lam Phong. He bought new clothes and changed his school bag. "My voice was very calm. Like telling someone else's story. The paper cup in Tham Ve Quoc's hand cracked. Water flowed from the crack onto his fingers. He didn't feel it at all. "Fourth." I paused. "She knew that Dad had been looking for me for the past eight years. She intentionally moved house, intentionally changed her phone number, intentionally told outsiders that Dad had died. She was afraid that after Dad came to find her, the twelve hundred yuan payment would be cut off." Shen Wei Guo stood up. The chair rubbed backwards, making a harsh sound. His face turned pale, as if something was stuck in his throat, emitting a low roar like an animal. "Dad..." "Dad." I called again. He stopped. “Sit down.” He looked at me. I was only fourteen years old, sitting across from him, more than half a head shorter than him. But at that moment, I knew what he saw was not a child. He slowly sat down. "What do you want to do?" He asked me. His voice dropped very low, like a rock crushed through sandpaper. "I want to go with you." I said: "I want to change custody." "But we can't make a fuss now." "Why?" He clenched his fist so hard that it made a cracking sound: "That woman..." "Because now she has nothing left." I said: "The house burned down, no money, no job. If you cause trouble now, she will cry everywhere, saying that you took advantage of the house fire to save you." robbery

"The neighbors will agree with her. The Civil Affairs Department will favor her. The court will also say that dad is a person who 'didn't care after the divorce, only now is he coming back to enjoy the results'." Tham Ve Quoc's hand gradually relaxed. There was something more in his eyes looking at me. Not surprised. But... strange. Like he was looking at someone who shouldn't say such things at this age. "I..." He opened his mouth. "Dad." I said: "I have lived in such an environment for eight years. Do you think I can still be a child who doesn't understand anything?" He was silent for a long time. Then he closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "Say it. Dad, I hear you." I nodded. "First step: Dad now appears as 'visiting you after the fire'. Reasonable." "Second step: notify the neighborhood that I want to temporarily bring you to live next door for a while. The reason is that Trieu Ngoc Phan currently has no accommodation conditions." "Third step: after everything is stable, proceed with legal procedures. Change custody rights. Evidence for you to prepare." Tham Ve Quoc stared at me: "What evidence?" "The police exit report on the night of the fire clearly stated - the person who was rescued first was Lam Phong. I escaped on my own.”