Chapter 6 — I Don't Need The House You Returned

“Just try it first.”

“How long has it been since you touched the oven?”

“More than four years.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“Then don't think about opening a store for now.”

“There is a market in the residential area on weekends, I will ask for a stall for you.”

“Let's see if anyone still wants to eat or not.”

The words are not very easy to hear. But it's true. I was busy from Thursday night until late Friday, constantly tweaking the recipe. The first batch of cookies was burned. The second batch had too much sugar reduced and was so hard that it was impossible to bite. The third batch finally regained the old flavor. Saturday morning, I brought eighty boxes of low-sugar chestnut cakes to the market. Booth rental is 200 yuan. The cost of raw materials and packaging was nearly 1,000 yuan. Duong Chi saw the price I offered and immediately crossed out half.

“Do you think it's still seven years ago?”

“No brand, no store, packaging is normal.”

“If you can't sell, you can't sell.”

I don't object. In the first hour, only six boxes were sold. The stall next door had a long queue. In front of my counter it was deserted again. At noon, a mother with her child bought four boxes after trying it. She posted photos to the residents' group. Then one after another, people came. At three o'clock in the afternoon, the last box of cakes on the counter was sold out. Not much to earn. Not even enough to buy a decent oven. But when I got the payment history, my heart suddenly felt strangely peaceful. This money does not belong to Ms. Ha. Nor does it belong to anyone's wife. It was earned by Kieu Tinh Dao herself. On the way back to the apartment, I received a call from Aunt Dao.

“Madam, are you free today?”

“Du An wants to see you.”

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.

“What did the boy tell you?”

The other end of the line was silent for a moment.

“The boss has a social party tonight.”

“Miss Lam took the two children to dance lessons.”

“Du An is alone at home.”

“I asked the master what he wanted to eat, he said he wanted to eat the chestnut cake that grandma made.”

I immediately turned around. When she arrived in front of the old Western-style house, Aunt Dao took Ha Du An out. The boy stood in front of the yard gate, not wearing a school bag. Seeing me, it didn't retreat like that day. I took the remaining box of chestnut cakes from the cooler and gave it to him.

“Try it.”

He took a piece, biting each small piece.

“Not like before.”

I'm a bit stressed.

“Isn't it delicious?”

“Not as sweet as before.”

“Grandma can't eat too sweet, so mom changed the recipe.”

He nodded, took another bite.

“Still delicious.”

I took it back to the apartment. After entering the house, he did not sit down but first looked at each room. When he saw there was only one bed in the bedroom, he asked:

“Mom lives alone?”

“That's it for now.”

“So if I come, where will I sleep?”

I opened the small door next to the living room. Inside was originally a storage room. After emptying it, I put in a folding bed. The bed is covered with dark blue sheets, and a night lamp shaped like an astronaut is placed at the head of the bed. On the table are a new set of brushes and some books he often reads. Ha Du An stood at the door for a long time without entering.

“When did you buy it?”

“The second day after mom moved in.”

“Didn't mom say she wouldn't force me to follow her?”

"Not forcing your child and not leaving room for him are two different things."

He bowed his head, his fingers gently rubbing his tie shirt.

“Dad said this place is too small.”

“It's really small.”

“There is no yard.”

“It's too far to go to school.”

“I will think of a way.”

It raised its head to look at me.

“So why do you still want a divorce?”

I did not mention Lam Man. There is also no mention of the bakery room being removed. A seven-year-old child should not replace adults in judging who is right and who is wrong.

“Because dad made a lot of decisions without consulting mom.”

“I don't want to continue living like that anymore.”

“Can't you forgive Dad?”

“Forgiveness and continuing to be husband and wife are two different things.”

It's as if it doesn't make sense. A moment later, it asked:

“So can I still love dad?”

"Of course."

“I can love anyone.”

“Living with anyone, you can think slowly.”

Finally, he entered the room and reached out to touch the astronaut-shaped night lamp.

“Can I do my homework here today?”

That night, he didn't stay to sleep. At nine o'clock, Ha Dinh Chau came to pick him up. As soon as he entered, he looked around the house. His eyes stopped on the folding bed, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

“Are you going to leave Du An here?”

“This place is only temporary.”

“I also know it's only temporary.”

“Kieu Tinh Dao, don't force me to follow you and suffer.”

I did not answer him.

“You made the chestnut cake?”

He saw the cake box on the table.

“Are you going to go back to work?”

“Open a store?”

“In the immediate future, we will sell at the market and accept orders.”

Ha Dinh Chau seemed to have just heard a plan that was too unrealistic.

“I haven't done it in four years.”

“The market is different now than before.”

“If you really want to do it, I can have someone redo the bakery room.”

“The equipment will also be completely replaced with new ones.”

“There's no need to waste time in a place like this.”