Chapter 2 — I Can't Be Patient Anymore

I walked over to the trash can, sat down, and used my hand to scrape off the melon seed skin on top. The glass shard pierced my fingertip, blood flowed out, but I didn't feel any pain. I picked up the largest piece, and on it were my mother's eyes, gently looking at me, still smiling.

"What are you doing! You're dirty, don't you know?"

Chu Dinh shrilled.

“The trash can is dirty, throw it away!”

I stood up and turned to look at them.

“Who let you into my house?”

The mother-in-law's face immediately darkened.

"What are you talking about? I can't even enter my son's house?"

“This is mine and Chu Minh's house.”

“Chu Minh's house is mine!”

The mother-in-law slapped the sofa hard and stood up.

"I'm his biological mother! Having raised him to this age, what if I come to stay for a few days? You still have pictures of dead people pointing at me, I haven't called you unlucky yet!"

Photos of dead people. That's what she called it. I squeezed the piece of glass in my hand, blood trickling down my fingers.

“That's my mother.”

I say every word.

"Her name is Lam Uyen Thu. When she was alive, she was an elementary school teacher. She taught for thirty years. The students all called her mother Lam. She is not dead, she is my mother."

“Oh my god, you even color it.”

Chu Dinh rolled his eyes.

"Sister-in-law, didn't I tell you, your mother came from far away, you can't say a pleasant sentence, and because of a torn photo, you show your face for anyone to see?"

I looked at them. Two women arbitrarily broke into my house, made a mess of my living room, broke my most precious things, and then turned around and blamed me. I suddenly felt tired. It's been three years. After three years of marriage, every time my mother-in-law comes over, she always criticizes me. It's wrong for me to cook salty food, if I go to work, I don't take care of the family, spending money is a waste, and not having a child at the age of thirty is also a sin. Chu Minh always had only one sentence.

“Mom is getting old, give her some time.”

I gave in. Yielded for three years. But this time, I don't want to give in anymore.

“Where is Chu Minh?”

“Going to work overtime.”

The mother-in-law sat down again, holding the remote to change the channel.

"My son has a hard time, he works overtime every day to take care of this house, unlike others who only know how to spend money all day."

I didn't answer, turned around and went into the bedroom. The main room door was slightly open, and snoring could be heard from inside. I turned on the light. My mother-in-law's pajamas were thrown on my dressing table, her cosmetics were lined up in a row. In bed. The wedding bed that belonged to me and Chu Minh, she slept on to the point that the sheets and pillows were a mess. On the nightstand, Chu Minh and I's wedding photo was face down on the table. I gently closed the door and backed out. Chu Dinh is in the extra room, two children sleep next to him. That room was originally a children's room that I had prepared. Even though I didn't have children yet, I decorated it early, thinking that one day I would use it. Now it's turned into a mess by her child. The cartoon drawings I drew by hand were on the wall, covered in graffiti with crayons. I returned to the living room and sat down on the sofa. There were food scraps and Chu Dinh's nose tissue on it. I picked up the phone and texted Chu Minh.

“Do you know your mother broke my mother's portrait?”

No reply. Still silent. I called directly. This time he picked up the phone, his voice lowered:

“Wife, I'm really in a meeting…”

“I'm at home.”

“Your mother and your sister are both here, sleeping in our room, your mother broke my mother's photo, the broken pieces are still in the trash.”

Chu Minh was silent for a long time.

"Wife, please calm down. Mom probably didn't mean it, she's old missed…”

“Chu Minh.”

I interrupted.

“The peach wood frame is very heavy, there is no chance of slipping. She raised it up, then threw it down with force. I saw clearly through the camera.”

“Do you still have cameras installed in the house?”

Chu Minh's voice suddenly rose.

“Are you following us?”

I laughed. Really laugh.

“Installed to prevent theft. Last year there was a burglary in our area. I discussed it with him and he agreed. Now your mother arbitrarily entered the house and broke my mother's photo. What you care about is the camera?"

“I didn't mean that…”

Chu Minh sighed.

"Let's do this, find a place to sleep temporarily, I'll come back and take care of it tomorrow, okay?"

“How do you handle it?”

“Tell your mom to apologize, okay? Then buy me a new frame, whatever gold and silver you choose. Wife, we are all family, don't make things so unsightly..."

“Chu Minh.”

I looked at the dried blood on my hand, the piece of glass still in my palm.

“I told you, that is the last photo my mother left behind, there are no more negatives.”

The other end of the line was silent for a long time. Then he said:

“The dead cannot be resurrected. The living must continue. Wife, I beg you, don't make a big deal out of it, okay?"

I said nothing. The phone screen was dark, reflecting my red eyes. I remember three years ago, when my mother was seriously ill, she held my hand and told me:

“Uyen Thanh, I'm most worried about you. Chu Minh looks gentle, but his mother... well, if you're willing to be angry, you must tell her, she will have your back."

I then just said:

“Mom, just heal well, don't say these things.”

After that, she left. During the funeral, Chu Minh's mother-in-law pulled aside and whispered, I heard one sentence:

“That's good, less burden.”

I stood right next to it. The whole body is cold. But I said nothing. Because Chu Minh gently squeezed my hand and whispered:

"Mom just doesn't speak well, her heart is not bad."

The heart is not bad. I believed for three years. Now, I look at the debris in the trash, at the woman sleeping soundly in my wedding room, at the house as messy as if it had been torn apart. I picked up the fragment of my mother's portrait and held it tightly in my hand. Blood dripped to the floor. Suddenly, I didn't want to cry anymore. I slowly let go. The piece of glass fell, making a very soft sound. I stood up and went into the office. This is the only room that has not been touched. Because I locked the door. I opened the computer, extracted all the cameras today. From the moment my mother-in-law entered the house. Don't miss a second. Then she broke the photo frame, I looked at it three times. Then save it. Backup to cloud. Take a few more photos. Each frame is clear: raised, thrown down, broken glass. Once done, I turned off the computer. Sit down on the chair. It's about dawn. Outside the window, the sky appeared pale white like a fish's belly. I looked at my hand. The blood is still there. I temporarily applied a band-aid. Then turn on the phone. Start searching.

“Crime of intentionally destroying other people's property, prosecution level.”

“Are photos considered property?”

“Arbitrarily entering someone else's house, legal consequences.”

Each line of results appears. I read very carefully. After reading it, I saved it all. Create a new folder. Name: “Evidence”. Then I opened WeChat. Message your assistant:

“Contact me the best civil lawyer in Giang Thanh, specializing in marriage, family and property disputes. Price doesn't matter, I need to meet as soon as possible.”

I leaned back in my chair. Aim eyes again. In the darkness, my mother's face appeared. Still smiling gently. I whispered softly.

“This time… I won't give in anymore.”

Outside the window. The sky was already bright.