Chapter 5 — I am the Fourth Thien Co

I clasped the tea cup in my hand. In that moment. All sounds from the street seemed to disappear. I looked at the female counterkeeper named Trinh.

“Are you telling the truth?”

She nodded slightly. His eyes showed a very deep sadness.

“I also thought I guessed wrong.”

“But that day.”

"Her eyes don't look like someone who doesn't know anything."

I slowly put down the tea cup.

“Please tell me.”

The female counter clerk was silent for a long time. Then open your mouth.

“Three days before it happened.”

“Miss Thuong has come to find me.”

“At that time she asked me a question.”

‘If one day I am no more.’

'Will you continue to open the store?'

I was a bit stunned. This is not a question for someone who is worried about making money. It's a question from someone who has prepared for his disappearance. The female counter smiled bitterly.

“I thought you were joking.”

“I said if she was gone, I would close the shop and rest for a few months.”

"After listening, Miss Thuong shook her head."

“She said.”

‘No way.’

'You must continue to open.'

‘Our people must not panic.’

‘Everything must be as if it never happened.’

My heart beats strongly. Our people. Everything must be like it never happened. It was clear from that moment. Thuong Minh Chau knew someone was staring at him. We return to the silver name Nhu Y. The silver-haired shopkeeper gave me another wooden box.

“This is what the lady ordered.”

“If someone brings the key, you can open it.”

I immediately opened the box. There is no gold or silver inside. There was just a lot of correspondence. And work diary. I sat in the back yard reading the silver sign continuously from morning to night. I feel even more admiration for Thuong Minh Chau. Because she is not the richest person in Dai Chu thanks to luck. But because she really sees much further than others. In recording the last three months. She kept mentioning one thing. Someone is investigating the treasury. Someone is asking about cash flow. Someone is trying to control the merchant guild. The names of those people are not clearly written. But it appears many times. Among them is a familiar name. To Lien Nguyet. First time. To Lien Nguyet came in the name of concern. Bring breakfast. Bring greetings. Saying that a woman's business association is admirable. Second time. She asked for the silver signal. Third time. She asked the treasury. Fourth time. She started asking about places that only people in the merchant guild knew about. Thuong Minh Chau's notes were very brief.

“To Lien Nguyet doesn't want to know how much money I earn.”

“She wants to know where the silver is.”

I close the book. My heart felt a little colder. Truly dangerous person. Often don't ask for what they want from the beginning. But ask little by little. It's like having a conversation. Like caring. Until you unconsciously tell all the secrets. The last three days before the incident happened. Thuong Minh Chau's diary changed completely. She began to transfer assets. Checks are split. The money was sent to many places. The merchant network is separated into independent parts. Even the communication codes between shopkeepers were changed. We read until here to understand. The room behind the painting is not the treasury. It's just a distraction. The real treasury has long since disappeared. More precisely. It was actively hidden by Thuong Minh Chau. She knows someone else is want to take. So she made the first move. In a short letter.

“If the other party wants to take a tree.”

“I will turn it into a forest.”

“If the opponent wants to take the treasury.”

“I will make them not know where the treasury is.”

I burst out laughing. Indeed very similar to her. A woman who is both realistic and hateful in a way that makes it impossible for others to hate. Last page of the notebook. It's the day it happened. The handwriting is still very beautiful. Not shaking at all. Not at all chaotic. It's like the writer is preparing to go to a party.

“She's coming.”

“Bring tea this time.”

“I know there's a problem with the tea.”

“I also know if I don't drink.”

“They will act in another way.”

I look here. The hand suddenly clenched. But the next lines make us stunned.

“My people haven't finished moving yet.”

“The list hasn't arrived yet.”

“I need more time.”

“So I will drink.”

I raised my head. For a long time, I couldn't say anything. She knew from the beginning. She knew there was a problem with that cup of tea. She knew people were waiting for her to drink. But she still raised her cup. Not because of stupidity. Not because of being tricked. But because she is taking advantage of time for the people behind her. For the ladies. For the shopkeepers. For the trade association. For everything she has built. Some people thought she lost because she drank a cup of tea. But actually. From the moment she raised the cup. She won half a game against them. I close the book. My heart feels both pain and relief. Thuong Minh Chau did not save the people like Co Thanh Hoa. Not holding troops like Ky Truong Anh. But she uses her own way. Protect those who follow her until the end. Right at that moment. A thin sheet of paper fell from the middle of the notebook to the ground. I bent down to pick it up. Above is just one line of text. The pen stroke is very strong. It's like intentionally letting people who come later see it.

“My real treasury.”

“It's not just about silver.”

My heart beats strongly. We turn it over. The pupils immediately constricted. Because there is another sentence written below.

“Inside there is a list of people who have taken money from me.”