Chapter 11 — Hoa Ky in the middle of Hoe Hoa Alley

It wasn't until a northern caravan returned to the capital that he sewed home letters into the double layer of the leader's leather jacket. On the day he returned to the capital, Co Y Nuong came to the city gate to wait early. Duong Am said he wouldn't cry, but he stuffed three towels in his sleeve. I won't go. I was at the store cooking a pot of wontons. At dusk, a tall and thin young man walked through the door, his face full of weather, and a scar on his right eyebrow. He saw Tue Ninh and stopped. Tue Ninh knew how to run, hiding behind my skirt, only half of her face showing. Luc Hoai Chuong slowly squatted down. “Ninh Ninh, I am big brother.” Tue Ninh looked at him for a long time. “Eat wontons, pay in advance.” The whole room burst into laughter. Luc Hoai Chuong also smiled but tears fell to the ground. He ate two large bowls and put down a small silver bar. We still return the change as usual. He did not accept. “The leftovers are a thanksgiving offering.” “Small shops don't accept bonuses.” Old Mrs. Bui stood outside the door and heard it, laughing so much that her cane kept tapping the ground. After spring, Luc Hoai Chuong participated in the competition and ranked high in the second division. When the messenger entered Hoe Hoa alley, I was chopping people, but the da.a.o did not stop. After returning from riding a horse, the first thing he did was stick a red paper on Hoa Ky's door. On it was written: "Today the owner is happy, free wontons." I chased him half the street. "Who said it's free! You passed the doctorate, not me!" 24 After the Luc family restored the family, the person who was most uncomfortable was me. Before, when I entered the back door, I immediately bowed my head when I saw someone. Now the housekeeper calls me Miss Hoa, the maid brings me tea, my whole body feels uncomfortable. Co Y Nuong told me many times to move to the main courtyard, I always used the excuse that the store was busy. Until Tue Ninh's birthday, she took out a letter of recognition in front of the Luc family's elders. "I want to adopt Miss Hoa as my daughter, put her in Luc family's family tree, and name her Tri Hoa." The whole lobby was quiet. A white-bearded old man frowned first. "Her origin is unknown, and she used to be a slave. The Luc family has just recovered..." "The Luc family was able to recover, thanks to her." Co Y Nuong interrupted him. "The clan's rules cannot be abandoned." Another clan elder said it was even harder to hear. "Give me a little land and money. If I accept her as a maid, what family will her future marriage be based on? Outsiders still think that the Luc family has no one left, so we must marry a maid to make up the number." My face got hot, my feet took half a step back. I've said these words to myself before, just never said them out loud. Co Y Nuong pressed the document down on the table. "When the Luc family was at its most difficult, none of you showed up. It was he who carried the whole family back." Outside the lobby are a few women working at Hoa Ky. Tran was holding a basket of tofu, the blacksmith was still holding a hammer before he could put it down. No one understands my family tree, but they all look at me. I rubbed my fingertips. Copper rust and mud from the human market still seem to be stuck on top. My foot that had just retreated was retracted. Duong Am placed the books on the table. "When it was confiscated, not a single member of the clan dared to come and collect the body. Now that we're talking about rules, everyone actually came in large numbers." Her voice was not loud, but the white-bearded old man's face turned red. Luc Hoai Chuong continued: "If it weren't for her, my mother, eldest sister and younger sister would all be gone. Today I can stand here but I still have no home to return to. If the family tree cannot accommodate her, then erase my name too." Co Y Nuong looked at me. “Are you satisfied?” Our first reaction is to step back. I know how to wrap wontons, how to count copper coins, and how to hit people with a punctured spoon. But the four words "Miss Luc family" are too clean. Putting it on someone's body, it's like wearing a new shirt over a body full of kitchen ash. Tue Ninh ran to hug my leg. “Ah sister.” Before, he called me Hoa Hoa, called Duong Am big sister, and never seriously called me big sister like that. I bowed my head to look at it. “Who taught you?” “Mother.” Co Y Nuong's eyes turned red but she still smiled. "If you don't want it, this document will be put away. A house is not just a piece of paper." I held the pen, my hands shaking even more violently than the first time I wrapped wontons. “Child

consent." From that day on, my name was Luc Tri Hoa. The word Hoa of Hoa Ky. 25 Becoming a Lu family girl doesn't make me smarter. At least at Mrs. Bui's banquet. She invited me to see the flowers. I thought I was really only looking at flowers, so I especially chose the dress that was least afraid of getting dirty. When we arrived, we discovered that there were more than ten ladies in the garden, behind each of them there was an unengaged son. I turned around to leave. Old lady Bui called from behind: "Come back." “The soup in the store hasn't turned off the fire yet.” “I sent someone to watch.” “Stuffed with unminced meat.” “Nghien Thu is chopping.” I stop. Did Bui Nghien Thu's hands only ever hold a pen and sword to chop meat? When I ran back to Hoa Ky, he was actually standing in front of the cutting board. The meat filling is some rough, some smooth, and the onions are so long that they can be used as chopsticks. When the reporter entered Hoe Hoa alley, I was chopping meat, the knife did not stop. “You're ruining things.” “Grandmother said, as long as you are willing to return, the meat can be spoiled at will.” “She's checking your eyes.”