Chapter 19 — I Can't Be Patient Anymore

"Ms. Lam, congratulations. In addition, there is news, Chu Minh's company has just issued an internal notice: suspension of work for investigation, all work is temporarily stopped. His misappropriation of public money has been transferred to the audit department."

“Yes, I know.”

"Also, your mother-in-law's case, the trial will begin next Wednesday. You need to be present to testify."

“I will be on time.”

I hung up. Look at the paper in your hand for a long time. Then put it in your bag. Get the car keys. The traffic in front swept me away. In the rearview mirror, the marriage registration building gradually receded, then disappeared completely. Like those three years. Finally… turn the page. Public trial of criminal and civil cases. I sat on the plaintiff's side, next to lawyer Truong, on the opposite side, my mother-in-law was wearing an old gray suit, her hair was half white, her back was hunched, her whole body seemed to be drained of vitality, her eyes avoided, not daring to look at me. Chu Minh sat in the front row, his face was haggard, Chu Dinh sat next to him, his eyes were red and swollen, he had clearly cried a lot. The auditorium also had a few reporters and people watching.

“The trial begins.”

The judge tapped his gavel. The prosecutor stood up, read the indictment, each sentence and each word was clear and cold, accusing Truong Tu Lan of intentionally destroying other people's property with particularly great value, serious circumstances, constituting a criminal offense. Present evidence. Lawyer Truong submitted in turn: surveillance videos, livestream videos, appraisal papers, auction records, police records, damage valuation reports... one by one, clearly and indisputably. When the livestream was replayed in the courtroom, the sound of the vase breaking echoed in the quiet space, so sharp that it made people shiver. Below were the sounds of muffled intake of air. The mother-in-law bowed her head even lower.

"Defendant Truong Tu Lan, do you have any comments regarding the conduct being prosecuted?"

She trembled and raised her head, glanced at me, then immediately bent down, her voice as small as a mosquito:

“I… I admit I broke… but I didn't know it was worth that much… I thought… thought it was fake…”

“You mean you don't object to the behavior, but object to the value of the property?”

The lawyer just stood up, his voice was still a bit young but tried to stay calm, making arguments to reduce responsibility, emphasizing the factors of false perception, old age and weak health, and cooperative attitude. It's our turn. Lawyer Truong stood up. His voice was calm, but each word was like a scalpel precisely hitting a weak spot.

"Dear jury, the defendant's claim that he did not know the value of the property cannot reduce the nature of the act. Even if it is believed to be a fake, the ownership still belongs to my client. The defendant arbitrarily took it, took it away, and publicly broke it in front of the crowd, an act of clear intentionality."

"In particular, this behavior was not accidental but an act of venting anger, stemming from an attitude of disdain and malice, of a serious nature."

"Second, the damage of the case is extremely large. The vase belonged to a mandarin of the Thanh Hoa period, and was determined to be a national cultural relic, with a market value of about 30,000,000 yuan. This is not only a financial loss, but also an irreversible cultural loss, and at the same time caused severe mental damage to my client, because it was the only relic her mother left behind."

So quiet that you can clearly hear your breathing. Sit straight back. But in my heart. There's nothing left to lose anymore.

"Finally, up to now, the defendant and the defendant's family still have not had any substantive compensation. The so-called money spinner, in fact, only collected 500,000 yuan in bail money. Compared to the loss of 30,000,000 yuan, it is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. Our side resolutely demands strict handling according to the law, and at the same time forcing the defendant to compensate for all damages."

Lawyer Truong finished speaking and sat down. Her voice was still as steady as before, but the atmosphere in the courtroom had cooled down a bit. The judge turned to me.

“Plaintiff, do you have anything to add?”

I stood up. The whole courtroom was so quiet that it almost stopped breathing, all eyes were focused on me, like an invisible pressure on my shoulders.

“Judge, I'll just say a few words.”

I looked towards the defendant and my mother-in-law trembled slightly.

"That vase was left to my mother by my grandmother, and then my mother left it to me. Before she passed away, she held my hand, saying it wasn't worth money, just a memory, telling me to keep it carefully, and later pass it on to my children."

"She didn't say it was worth 30,000,000 yuan, because she was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep the money, afraid I'd get into trouble. Even when she died, she was still thinking about me."

"Now, the vase is broken. Smashed in front of millions of people by someone I called 'mother' for three years."

"She said she didn't know the value. Yes, she didn't know. But she knew it was my thing, a relic my mother left behind. She knew, but she still took it, still broke it. Because in her eyes, I had never been respected. My things were hers, my feelings were insignificant, and my mother... was even more insignificant."

My voice is not loud. But each word fell, as heavy as a stone. The mother-in-law began to cry, soft sobs rang out.