Chapter 18 — I Bring My Grandparents to Celebrate Tet

“Aunt Trieu, please tell me.”

“Your father is not in good health these days.”

“Blood pressure can't be lowered forever.”

"The doctor said to rest and recuperate, not to worry too much."

Trieu My Phan paused for a moment before continuing:

“The matter of that house… can you put it aside first?”

"Wait until your father gets better before continuing?"

“Aunt Trieu.”

I calmly replied:

“The house and dad's health are not in conflict.”

“I'm just following the normal inheritance process.”

“No need to worry, Dad.”

“But the fact that I hired a lawyer made him very uncomfortable…”

“Who hired the lawyer to do the name transfer procedure first?”

The other end of the line was silent for two seconds.

“Tieu Niem.”

"I know that the previous matter was not handled properly."

"But we're all family, is there anything we can't sit down and talk about?"

“Do we have to go to the extent of a lawsuit?”

“I'm not suing anyone.”

I said leisurely.

“It was my aunt who went through the transfer procedures first.”

Trieu My Phan choked up a bit.

“I just thought you weren't paying attention to that house.”

"It's been so many years that I don't care."

“Not paying attention and not caring are two different things.”

This time, Trieu My Phan really didn't say anything. I waited five seconds then asked:

“Is there anything else, Aunt Trieu?”

"…Do not have."

She hung up. Less than an hour later, Trieu Uyen Tinh's message arrived.

“Tieu Niem, your mother is not in a good mood today.”

“Can the matter of that house be postponed?”

“My mother said she could apologize to you directly.”

I looked at that line for a long time. Not "don't do it anymore". It is not "withdrawing the name transfer procedure". After apologizing, what happens? After apologizing, do you continue to try to take that house? I replied:

“No need to apologize.”

"It's okay to withdraw the name change thing."

Trieu Uyen Tinh did not text anymore. But that night, a new post appeared in my circle of friends. It's hers. In the photo, Trieu My Phan is sitting on the sofa, her face pale, with a medicine box next to her. Caption wrote:

“Mom is not well, it hurts my children to look at her.”

“Hope things get better soon.”

Below are a series of comments:

“Remember to take care of it.”

“I love you so much, auntie.”

“You must pay attention to your health.”

I skimmed a few lines. No one mentioned the house. But every comment... is implicitly saying that someone is bullying their mother and child. This post is not for friends to see. But post it for me to see. They are creating public opinion. For the next two weeks, Trieu Uyen Tinh did not send me any more messages. But that doesn't mean she did nothing. First, the eldest lady called.

“Tieu Niem.”

"Aunt Trieu's family is going around saying that you are ungrateful."

"Tell me how many years your father raised you, now he won't even let you handle an old house."

“My aunt's relatives.”

“You guys are passing it around in the group.”

Then the second uncle called.

“Tieu Niem, this is very noisy now.”

“It's not just this side who knows.”

"Even my mother's relatives have heard the news."

“My eldest uncle even called me to ask what was going on.”

“I don't know how to answer either.”

Finally, it's my grandmother's phone.

“Tieu Niem…”

“I heard that someone out there is saying bad things about you?”

“Grandma, don't pay attention to those words.”

“She didn't pay attention.”

“But my eldest uncle is very angry.”

“He said he wanted to go to your father's house to explain things.”

“Don't let him go.”

“I handle it myself Okay."

“I'm a girl…”

“Grandma.”

I interrupted softly.

“I can handle it.”

Grandma was silent. After a few seconds, he said softly:

“My mother was the same when she was little.”

"Whatever you say do it yourself... will definitely do it yourself."

After hanging up the phone, I sat in the office thinking for a long time. What Trieu Uyen Tinh is doing is actually extremely simple. She never directly attacked me. She uses others to create pressure. Let her relatives speak for her. Let public opinion be on her side. Let everyone feel that I am cold and unfilial, making small matters big. Let me give in under that pressure. She's been using it for eight years. From the day Trieu My Phan walked into my house. Every time there is a conflict, Trieu Uyen Tinh does not go to the field herself. She stands behind. Let my father speak up. Let her mother cry. Let relatives advise. Wait until everyone is on her side... She will step forward to be the mediator.

“Come on, come on.”

“We are all one family.”

Then everything went by. Every time. Because before… I had no support. A lowly employee earning a few thousand yuan a month, standing in the middle of that crowd... Truly has no voice. But now it's different. I opened the computer and organized all the studio's project documents for the past half year. Renovate old factory. Community library. Resident activity center. Hang Duyet hotel renovation chain. Accompanied by a certificate of Top 10 Best Designs of the Year. Then I opened all the files related to that house. Scanned copy of certificate of ownership. Certificate of inheritance relationship. Legal opinion of lawyer. And also a photocopy of the name transfer application receipt that Trieu My Phan once submitted. I put them all in the same folder. Then call him.

“Are you free on the fifteenth of next month?”

"What is up?"

“I want to invite you, my grandparents, to Hangzhou.”

“What are you doing in Hangzhou?”

“See my studio.”

"By the way, I also notarized the inheritance of my mother's house."

He agreed very emphatically. After hanging up, I called one more time. For my dad.

“Are you free on the fifteenth of next month?”

"What is up?"

“I want to invite dad to Hangzhou for a trip.”

“What do you want to do again?”

“I want you to see my studio.”

“By the way…”

“Let's solve the house problem once and for all.”

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds.