Chapter 4 — I Overturned My Own Sentence

One thousand ninety-five days. The day I was released from prison, it rained heavily. I stood in front of the prison gate, in my hand carrying a transparent plastic bag containing the clothes I had when I first entered prison. That high school uniform when I was eighteen years old, the cuffs were yellow. My clothes don't fit anymore. Three years of training made me much stronger than before. Wider shoulders, straighter back. You came to pick me up. He was visibly old. Half of his hair has turned white, and the wrinkles on his face are as deep as a carving knife. He looked at me, his lips trembling a few times. Finally, I couldn't help it anymore, I squatted down and burst into tears. I stood in the rain, not moving. I waited until he finished crying before I said a word.

“Take me to see mom.”

The cemetery is located on a suburban mountainside. Cheapest location. A small gray stone stele. The name is engraved on it: Truong Tu Lan. 1970 — 2022. The bouquet of flowers in front of the tombstone has long withered. I squatted down, quietly cleaned up the pile of withered flowers, then conveniently picked a bunch of wildflowers from the roadside and placed them in front of the grave.

“I'm home.”

I don't cry. I just sat there for a long time. Until the rain stops completely. He stood behind the umbrella, not urging me. On the way back, I asked the first question.

“Mom's hospital fees… how much is still missing?”

“Don't think about those things anymore.”

“How much is left?”

He sighed.

“Thirty-four.”

I nodded.

“And Tran Duyet?”

"I graduated from Jinghua University this year and just returned to Hecheng. I heard that I'm working as a vice president at my father's company."

“Twenty-two years old and already a deputy general.”

"Yes. Last time, it was on the local news, who were the typical young entrepreneurs."

“What about Tong Dat?”

"I'm back, working as a project manager at Tran Kien Hoa company. I heard you two are getting engaged."

I nodded slightly. He looked at me for a few seconds.

“Van Van, what are you going to do?”

“Let's find a place to live first.”

“Go back to your house.”

“No need.”

“But now inside me…”

"Three hundred yuan. Money will be given upon release from prison."

He was silent for a while.

“Your aunt must be…”

“I understand.” I interrupted. “I won't bother your family.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but in the end he was speechless. That night, I rented a temporary room in an urban village. Two hundred yuan a month. A bed, an iron shelf, a shared toilet. Putting my bag down, I sat on the edge of the bed and took out the other piece of paper. Then dial the call number.

“Hello, I want to find Ton Minh.”

“It's me. Who are you?”

“Trieu Hong told me to call this number.”

The other end of the line was silent for two seconds.

“Are you… Lam Van?”

Another two seconds of silence.

“You got out of jail?”

“Just came out today.”

“Sister Trieu once mentioned you.” His voice lowered. "In that exam case, she said she was wronged."

“It's not 'saying'. It's the truth.”

"Okay. Tomorrow afternoon at two o'clock, room 712, Kim Nguyen building, East of the city. Come see me."

Ton Minh is about thirty-five years old. Tall and thin, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. His office is very small, filled with files and law books. I sat down. He pushed a glass of water in front of me.

"Sister Trieu has already told you about your situation. I'll ask a few questions first."

“You ask.”

“First, do you have any direct evidence to prove that Tran Duyet harmed you?”

"Not yet. But Phuong Tieu Linh and Liu Tu Tu know the inside story."

"Phuong Tieu Linh is working at Tran Kien Hoa company, and Luu Tu Tu has already received benefits. They will not open their mouths."

"I know."

“Second, do you have any recordings, messages or paperwork?”

"Do not have. The year the incident occurred, my phone was confiscated. When I returned it, the data had been erased.”

Ton Minh nodded.

“Third, the person who took the test for him, his last name is Vuong… do you really not know him?”

"Unfamiliar. But I looked up her sentence. She was sentenced to a year and a half, lighter than me. After being released from prison, he disappeared and was never found again."

“In prison, you can still find out the sentence?”

“Trieu Hong help me find it.”

Ton Minh burst out laughing.

“Sister Trieu is still the same in there as before.”

He opened his laptop and typed for a while.

“Lam Van, I tell you the truth. Overturning a criminal case in China is the most difficult thing. Your case has been over for three years, and a lot of potentially important evidence has been erased.”

“But it's not completely without a chance.”

"Correct." He raised his head to look at me. “Did you just say that Ms. Trieu told you to remember a few accounts?”

“It's an account linked to Tran Kien Hoa's company. She said there was a problem with cash flow.”

“If Hoa Kien really committed money laundering, then this would be a different direction. Maybe not enough to overturn the exam case, but enough to bring down Tran Kien Hoa."

“I want both.”

Ton Minh looked at me for a moment.

“What about attorney fees?”

“I will go to work to make money first. The case can be slow.”

“I can temporarily not take your money. Respect Ms. Trieu."

"No need."

I looked straight at him.

“Obtaining gratitude is more troublesome than owing money. You just charge the normal fee, I pay in installments.”

He gently pushed his glasses.

“Then first you go solve the survival problem. My side will start a basic investigation first, and will contact you if there is news.”

I stood up.

“Lawyer Ton.”

“Three years in prison made me understand something.”

“What?”

“I don't just want to prove my innocence.”

I looked straight at him.

“I want Tran Duyet to kneel in front of my mother's grave and confess his crime.”

Having finished speaking, I turned around and left. Going downstairs, I saw a black Maybach parked on the side of the road. License plate: Hac A00001. There is only one house in Hac city using that license plate. A young man wearing a suit got out of the car and entered the building. I didn't think much, turned around and turned into a small alley. The first thing I need to do now... Is to find a job.