Chapter 15 — I'm No Longer A Reasonable Daughter-in-law

After hanging up, I lowered the car window a little lower. Doa Doa called and shouted: "Mom, please come home quickly! Grandpa cooks delicious red snapper!"

“Mom is coming home, we'll be home in ten minutes.”

Sunset drags my shadow long. When the car turned into the small road of the district, the street lights began to light up one after another. My mother and I packed our things home. From early morning, Ha Tuan rolled up his sleeves and cleaned the house inside and out. The office has been restored to its original state — the easel is neatly set up, the watercolor tray is neatly arranged, and Doa Doa's small drawing board is also brought in from the balcony. There weren't any extra blankets or cushions on the sofa, nor were there any snack bags or soft drink bottles on the tea table. The air smelled faintly of antiseptic cleaner, with a faint scent of freshly washed curtains. As soon as she entered the door, Doa Doa rushed straight into the office, clung to the easel and shouted: "Mom, my easel is back!" Ha Tuan stood waiting outside the entrance, struggling to help me carry my suitcase.

“I'll take a look to see if there's anything else that needs fixing.”

I glanced around.

“It's okay.”

He exhaled, his tense shoulders finally relaxing. Dinner was his personal performance. Three dishes — stir-fried tomatoes with eggs, braised chicken wings with soy sauce, stir-fried broccoli with garlic. The appearance is not very eye-catching, but the taste is okay. Compared to the full tray of food my mother-in-law once cooked, this meal is much more frugal. But the food went smoothly and my stomach warmed.

“Dad's chicken wings are absolutely delicious!” Doa Doa nibbled on the chicken wings, the sauce smeared around her mouth.

"Is that so? So from now on, I'll cook for you every day."

“Don't make false promises.” I took a towel to wipe her mouth.

“If you say it, you can do it.” Ha Tuan picked up a piece of cauliflower and put it in my bowl, "By the way, To Uyen..."

"I've already told my parents that from now on, my husband and I will give them two thousand yuan in old age allowance, but they are absolutely forbidden to interfere in everything in the house. If they don't agree, then don't worry, I won't give in."

I looked up at him.

“How did your father react?”

“Dad doesn't care about you.” Ha Tuan's movements of picking up the food paused for a moment, "But it's okay. He needs time to calm down."

I didn't ask any more. After eating and drinking, Doa Doa diligently painted in the room, I cleaned up and washed the dishes, and Ha Tuan used a towel to wipe the table.

“To Uyen.” He suddenly spoke.

"I read a saying on the internet, which basically goes 'Marriage is not about two people trying to fight together, but about two people accompanying and growing together'. Before, I kept holding on to the idea of trying to fight and eat sticky rice, thinking that maintaining a facade of fake peace was enough. But when you packed your bags and left, I realized that if you keep suffering like this, eventually even the fake cover of peace will no longer exist."

I turned the faucet tight.

“It's good that you realized those things.”

“It's not like you figured it out on your own.” He bowed his head and whispered, "It's because you forced me to realize it."

I laughed.

“What are you laughing at?”

“Laugh because you finally look like a grown man.”

He was also stunned for a second, then grinned and joined in. Doa Doa waddled out of the room, holding up a scribbled picture: "Mom, look at this! I drew my family of three!" In the painting are three stick figure figures holding hands, standing in front of a huge house. Above the house is painted a sun, the sun is smiling brightly.

“You draw very well.” I took the picture, "Let me stick it on the refrigerator."

Doa Doa happily ran to post the paintings. Ha Tuan stood next to him, thoughtfully looking at his child's small figure, then suddenly whispered softly: "To Uyen, thank you for not letting go of my hand."

“The person I want to let go of has never been you.” I snatched the tablecloth from his hand, "The things I want to throw away are things that are not worth having to endure."

“From now on, you don't have to endure it anymore.”

“If you say it, you can do it.”

“If you say it, you can do it.”

A few months later, our lives took on a completely different rhythm. Ha Tuan is busy with work every day. Doa Doa has moved back to the kindergarten in the city. As for me, during the day I'm almost stuck in my office, drawing, meeting online, closely following the project's progress, and at exactly four o'clock in the afternoon, I put it all aside to go pick up my children. The textile factory renovation project officially entered the construction phase. The first time I returned to the construction site, I wore a hard hat and stood in the middle of a space full of rubble, watching the construction team use a sledgehammer to smash the old southern brick wall. Sunlight poured in through each crack, illuminating the entire space.

“Is it as you imagined?” Luc Vien Chu stood next to ask.

“It's more than you can imagine.” I bent down and touched the old cement floor, "Keep this layer. Add grinded stone on top, creating the feeling of overlapping layers between old and new."

“Costs will increase.”

“But the effect is worth it.” I said firmly, "I'll talk to boss Tien again and add another 20,000 for this item."