Chapter 4 — Gentlemen at the Wholesale Market

It was later discovered that the customer did not read the instructions and misused it himself. Hanging up the phone, Lao Tuong said to me: "If you have a problem, don't rush to admit your mistake. First, you have to clarify where the problem lies. Business is about solving problems, not constantly apologizing." I bought a small notebook and wrote down everything Lao Tuong said. "Being respectful does not mean letting you lower yourself to be someone else's nephew." "Price can be negotiated, quality must not be compromised." "Saving face for others is also leaving room for yourself. me.” That notebook was quickly filled with writing. I am no longer just a person moving and packing goods. I started using my mind to work. I gradually understood that this giant wholesale market did not operate solely on physical strength. It has its own rules and wisdom. And Old Tuong is giving me the key to open this world little by little. 07 Days pass like that. I live a busy but extremely fulfilling life. Mom never called me again. I called my mother twice. One time she didn't listen, the other time she hung up after just saying a few sentences. I know my mother is still angry with me. Aunt also did not appear anymore. I figured this would just go away. Until one day at the end of July. That afternoon, heavy rain fell in Yiwu. Rain drops as big as beans hit the corrugated iron roof, making a constant pattering sound. The stall didn't have many customers, Lao Tuong and I were arranging the shelves. Suddenly, two people holding an umbrella rushed into the stall. The rain was so heavy that half of their bodies were soaked. One of them is an aunt. The other person surprised me. It's my mother. Why did you come here? Mom looked a lot more haggard than the last time I saw her on video, her hair was also grayer. "Mom." I called. Mom didn't respond, just looked at the old T-shirt and dusty pants on my body. She folded the umbrella and shook the water from above. On her face was a look of "I knew it would be like this", she pulled my mother's arm. "Look, look at what it's become now!" "I told you a long time ago, this child goes out to study badly, hang out with bad people, you still don't believe it!" She pointed at me, her voice high as if she was accusing. "Look at this place, it's dirty and messy, is it a place for people to live? He refuses to live in the good house I rented. Cho, I'm determined to stay here and suffer, if it's not that there's a problem with my mind, then what is it?" Mother's lip trembled. My mother looked at me, tears rolling around in her eyes. "Vuong Vu, come home to me." Lao Tuong walked over, looked at my mother and then looked at her aunt. He didn't say anything, just poured each person a cup of hot tea. "It's raining heavily outside, take a sip of tea to warm yourself up." Auntie completely ignored him, walked in front of me, pointed straight at my nose. "Vuong Vu, your mother is coming here in person today, you must come with us!" "Your aunt is right." Mom finally spoke, her voice hoarse, "Go with me, don't stay here anymore." I looked at my mother, then looked at my aunt who was extremely pleased next to me. I know my mother was tricked into coming here by my aunt. She must have added salt to the phone, portraying me as a depraved child, beyond treatment. Mom didn't feel secure so she came personally. Auntie wants to take me out of here right in front of my mother. This is not simply about taking me away, but also about proving to my mother that she is right, and I am wrong. Proving that an aunt like her deserves more trust from her mother than her son, like me. A silent confrontation took place between me, my mother, my aunt and Lao Tuong. The stall was very quiet, only the sound of the rain outside. "I'm not going." I said. I looked into my mother's eyes and said word by word: "Mom, I live here very well." "Good? How good?" Aunt immediately interrupted, "Is it good to live in this tattered warehouse, or is it better to do the work of low-class people?"

storehouse. Old Jiang rented a staff dormitory for me.” I calmly objected, “I don't do low-class work either. I'm learning bravery.”“Learning bravery?” She laughed coldly, "Learning how to argue with your family?" She turned to my mother and started to add fuel to the fire. "Listen, listen to what he's saying! Now even her sister refuses to accept it anymore, she must have been bewitched by this boss!" Mother's face became increasingly pale. She looked at me, her eyes filled with disappointment and pain. "Vuong Vu, do you really... really refuse to come back to me?" I looked at my mother, my heart hurt like a needle. I wanted to tell her the truth. I wanted to tell her how she left me outside the market gate. I wanted to tell how she defamed me. I wanted to tell what Lao Tuong had done. How to help me? But I opened my mouth but couldn't say a word. I was afraid that after knowing, my mother would be even more heartbroken and unable to accept. At that moment, Lao Tuong, who had always been silent, suddenly spoke. 08 "Sister." Lao Tuong said to my mother in a very gentle voice. "Don't be angry." He pointed at me. "This child has worked at my place for more than a month." "What he does every day, I see." She tried to interrupt but was interrupted by Lao. Tuong used a look to stop him. Old Tuong continued: "He doesn't do the work of a lowly person. He is learning.”