Chapter 13 — I Can't Be Patient Anymore

His voice was hoarse.

"Mom knows it's wrong, I know it's wrong too. Give us one more chance, okay? 30,000,000 yuan, we will pay, pay for life, as long as you don't sue, don't divorce..."

“Chu Minh.”

I interrupted him.

"Give it back to me. Now."

“Do you have to be like that?!”

His voice suddenly became harsh.

“Lam Uyen Thanh, after three years of being husband and wife, do you not have any love left?!”

“Love?”

I laughed.

"When your mother broke my mother's photo, did you say the words of gratitude to me? When she stole the vase, did you say it? Now you are holding my papers and saying gratitude?"

"I'm not a thief! I'm just afraid you'll take a risk!"

I speak slowly.

“If not, I will report to the police and accuse you of appropriating property.”

The other end of the line was silent for a long time. He hung up. I watched the screen turn off. Put away the phone. Continue packing. The papers are gone, but the other things are still there. I folded each item and put it in my suitcase, carefully as if I was gathering the remaining pieces of my life. The phone bell rang. Message from Chu Minh.

"The items are in the second drawer of the desk. I won't change the password, you can take it yourself."

I went into the office. Open the drawer. Marriage certificate. But one thing is missing. My mother's jewelry box. Red wooden box, carved with patterns. Inside were gold earrings, a pearl necklace, and a gold ring. Not worth much money. But it's her whole life.

“Where is the jewelry box?”

Mother-in-law rolled her eyes.

"What box? I don't know..."

“Red wooden box, carved, this size.”

I raised my hand to illustrate.

“Haven't seen it yet.”

She turned away. I looked at her.

“Okay, haven't seen it yet, right?”

I opened my phone and turned on recording.

“Mom, I ask one last time, my jewelry box, have you seen it?”

"I told you I couldn't see it! It's so annoying!"

"In there are gold earrings, pearl necklaces, and a gold ring, total value is about 10,000 yuan. Are you sure you didn't see it?"

"Can't see! Can't see! Keep asking!"

I turned off the recording.

"Then I'll report it to the police, saying you appropriated 10,000 yuan of property. It's not a big amount of money, but combined with the previous case, the husband's crime... do you think you can still get bail?"

Her face immediately turned pale.

“You… you dare!”

“I dared to report once.”

I looked at her.

“Don't hesitate again.”

She glared at me. Chest heaving violently. A few minutes passed. She turned around and went into the bedroom. Get under the bed. Pulled out the red wooden box. Throw it towards me.

"Give it back to you! Stingy! Who cares?"

I take it. Necklace. No shortage.

“Is there anything else?”

“What else!”

“My mother's photo frame.”

"You threw away the broken pieces, but the peach wood frame is still usable. Where is the frame?"

“Where to throw it away?”

“The trash downstairs… must have been collected!”

I took a deep breath. Not angry anymore. Not worth it. I nodded. Holding the jewelry box. Step out. Walk across the living room. Mother-in-law suddenly spoke up.

“Do you really want to send our whole family to death to be satisfied?”

I stopped. Don't turn around.

“It was you guys… who cornered me first.”

I opened the door. Step out. The door closes behind. Her cry rang out. Miserable. As if she was the one who was hurt. No more feeling. Just cry. When you cry like this... Do you ever think of me? Did you cry when my mother passed away? I opened the jewelry box. Look at what's inside. Pair of gold earrings. It was a wedding gift from my grandmother to my mother. Pearl necklace. My father saved three months' salary to buy it. Golden ring. It was the first birthday gift I gave my mother when I went to work. She always couldn't bear to wear it, saying she was saving it for me as a dowry, as if she had gathered up a lifetime of tenderness just to put it in my hands. On the day I got married, she smiled and said, these things are not worth much money, you should keep them as souvenirs, her voice was as light as the wind but her eyes hid a world of love. I said at that time, mom, wear it, it's beautiful, no need to save it, I want to see you shine on my day more than anything else. And she actually wore it, at my wedding, wearing gold earrings, a pearl necklace, a gold ring, wearing the red dress I bought, standing under the lights, smiling brightly as if she had never known fatigue. She looked at me and said her daughter was so beautiful, and I looked at her and saw a woman who had sacrificed her whole life and finally had one day to live for herself. That was the last time she wore those jewelry, the last time the light remained on her face without being taken away by illness. Then she fell ill and was so thin that she could no longer keep the things that once belonged to her, so she quietly put them in this box, as if storing away a part of her past life. She said when mom left, I kept it, and when I missed her, I opened it, her voice was very light, as if she was afraid that if she touched it too hard it would break. Now, the box is still there, the items are still there. Just a person who is no more.