Chapter 2 — I Returned After 18 Years and Found Mother's Lifelong Secret

I looked at Giang Minh. That face was both familiar and strange and uncomfortable at the same time. Eighteen years is enough to change everything. Even the eyes of a human being. There was no joy in his eyes at seeing his biological sister again. Just boredom from being bothered, not even bothering to hide it. I don't answer. Just quietly looked at him. My silence seemed to make him even more upset. I walked directly past him and went straight inside. Giang Minh paused, instinctively wanting to stop me, but in the end he still didn't dare to raise his hand. The scene inside made my eyes hurt. The entire house has been completely renovated. European style is so sophisticated that it is stuffy. A giant crystal chandelier hangs right in the middle of the living room. The large leather sofa set almost takes up all the space. There is also a large wedding photo hanging on the wall. In the photo, Giang Minh and a strange woman are smiling very happily. This house no longer has any traces of belonging to me. It has turned into someone else's home. A home built with my sweat and tears. At that moment, an old figure slowly walked out of the room. He was even more emaciated than I imagined. His hair is almost completely white. The back is also clearly bent down. Seeing me, those dull eyes suddenly brightened.

“Vi Vi… you're home.”

His voice trembled. I looked at him, my throat suddenly tight. It took a long time to call out: Just one word. Behind me, Giang Minh closed the door. A woman wearing an apron poked her head out from the kitchen. Probably his wife. She looked at me with wary and searching eyes. It's like watching an outsider suddenly invade your home. Giang Minh coughed, trying to regain control.

“Sister, where have you been all these years?”

“I didn't say a word when I left, and I didn't even contact my family.”

That reproachful tone sounded as if I was the one in the wrong. I didn't bother looking at him. His eyes only stopped on his father.

“Where is the letter?”

Don't carry any emotions. I came back just because of that letter. Not to stand here and watch this family of three live the life that belongs to me. My words immediately tore through the artificial atmosphere in the room. The air froze. Giang Minh's face changed continuously. The wife next to him gently pulled his sleeve. Dad sighed, the wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen.

“Vi Vi… I just got off the plane.”

“Sit down and rest first, eat something and talk later.”

I still stood still.

“I didn't come here to review things.”

My voice is not loud. But cold enough. So cold that everyone in the room clearly felt that unreachable distance. Jiang Ming finally got angry.

"Sister! What attitude do you have?"

“Your mother just passed away, are you that cold?”

“Do you still have a conscience?”

He stood there, using morality to question me like a judge. I turned my head and looked straight into his eyes. Maybe my eyes are too cold. It was so cold that he unconsciously took half a step back.

"Conscience?"

I repeated those two words softly, as if I had just heard something extremely funny.

“That year, when you guys wiped out all my money, why didn't anyone mention conscience?”

“You live in the house bought with my money, enjoying the life that originally belongs to me…”

“Now you stand here and talk to me about conscience?”

I looked straight at him, every word was chillingly clear.

“Giang Minh.”

“You have no qualifications.”

He immediately choked. His face turned red like a pig's liver. The atmosphere was so tense that just one more sentence would explode. Dad quickly stepped in between the two of us.

"Okay! Stop talking!"

He tiredly waved his hand. Then he turned to look at me, his voice lowered.

“The letter… I still keep it in your mother's room.”

He slowly pointed towards the closed room at the end of the hallway. He paused for a few seconds, his eyes becoming extremely complicated.

“She also left me something.”

“She said… you must let me see for myself.”

Mother's room. Also used to be my room. After I left home eighteen years ago, she moved here. I said nothing. Just quietly go straight to the room at the end of the hallway. Behind me, the eyes of Giang Minh and his wife clung to me like sharp thorns. Not committed. Full of precautions. Dad walked behind me, wanting to open his mouth several times but then stopped. I put my hand on the door handle. The door slowly opened. An old smell that had been sealed away for too long immediately rushed in. There were no lights on in the room. Only weak light from the living room shines in, vaguely outlining the outlines of each item. I put my hand on the wall and turned on the switch. The pale yellow light glowed. I stood dumbfounded. Everything in this room... Still the same as the day I left. The single bed is small and narrow. The old desk. Wardrobe with mostly peeling paint. Even the poster of the band I was crazy about that year is still stuck on the wall, it's just faded and yellowed over time. This room looks like it was forgotten by time. Completely out of place in the midst of the house's flashy exterior. It's as if someone deliberately kept a scar that refused to heal. My eyes stopped on the desk. The table top is wiped very clean. In the middle, there was just an old, faded envelope. It's my mother's handwriting. Like a candle light about to go out. On the envelope was written:

“To my only daughter — Giang Vi.”

I walked over and picked up the letter. But it was so heavy that it made my chest tight. I didn't open it right away. Dad said there was something else. I slowly looked around the room. Finally my eyes stopped on the bed. On top of the neatly folded blanket was placed a dark brown wooden box. The box's surface is engraved with old patterns. Next to it is a small key that has been covered in green copper color because of time. I recognized that box. That was my mother's dowry. Since childhood, she has always said that the most precious things in her life are in this box. One time, I was just curious and tried touching it a little, but she yelled at me and scared me. But now... It's placed on my bed again. Along with the key. Is left to me. Is compensation coming too late? Or another, more carefully hidden trap? There was no emotion in my heart at all. Only the precautions are getting thicker and thicker. I sat down on the edge of the bed. The hard mattress made a dry creaking sound. In one hand I hold the letter. The other hand holds the key. The letter can be read later. If it was truly an apology, she must have prepared it for a long time. But this box… The secret that my mother kept her whole life… I want to know immediately. I put the letter aside. Insert the key into the lock. The lock made an unpleasant screeching sound because it had not been opened for too long. I used strong rotation. The sound of the lock opening rang out clearly in the quiet room. I took a deep breath. Then slowly open the lid of the box. There is no gold or silver inside. There are also no housing documents. On the dark red velvet layer, there are only a few old savings books quietly placed. The top roll has the account owner's name: Luu Ngoc Phan. It's my mother's name. Next to the notebook, there is also a black and white photo that has yellowed over the years, the edges of the photo are curled because of age. In the photo is a young man. He wore an old-fashioned military uniform. Bright face. Sharp eyes. The smile is very bright. But I have never met this person. Because he… Not my father. Not Giang Chan Quoc.