Chapter 5 — I Returned After 18 Years and Found Mother's Lifelong Secret

I held my breath.
“He doesn't need money.
He told Giang Minh: Father owes his son to pay, brother owes his brother to pay. He wanted Giang Minh to go to the same construction site from the past. From that exact position... jump down. One life for one life.” I stopped. Continuing the family line. It's all just a smoke screen. A mother hides her husband's blood debt and her son's foolishness. She used the word "bias" to gently erase all sins. I read on.
“Mom almost went crazy.
Mom kneels before your father. Beg him to surrender. Tell the truth that year. But he didn't dare. He is a coward. He's been a coward all his life. Just hide behind mom and let her handle everything.” I closed my eyes for a second.
“Mom has no choice but to find Lam Dao.
Mom knelt in front of him. Begged him to forgive Giang Minh. Mother knelt for three days and three nights. Finally he gave in. He said he didn't need a network. But money is not enough." I squeezed the paper harder.
“He didn't just demand Giang Minh's high-interest loan.
He also demanded a price for his brother's life. He said… six hundred fifty thousand. Not a penny missing. That's what his brother deserves. And it's what the Giang family owes the Lam family." The number is painfully familiar.
“Vi Vi, at that time, I had no choice.
Your money... is the last line to save your life. I know I sent you to hell. But I always thought you were strong. I can survive on my own. And my younger brother is not. If it dies… everything is truly over.” I burst out laughing without a sound. Strong... so worth sacrificing. Weak...so worthy of being saved. That argument is cruelly familiar. These three words, I owe you eighteen years. Now I can finally give it back.” I thought the mail was over. But at the bottom of the page there is a small line. Write with trembling ink as if you have exhausted your strength.
“That amount of money… doesn't solve everything.
Lam Dao is not an easily satisfied person. He is the wolf that is never full. He's still staring at our house. You must be careful with him. If one day he finds you... go... go find..." The last few words blurred into a streak of ink. Illegible. An address? A name? I do not know. I just know. Mom didn't just leave a letter of repentance. She left behind an unexploded bomb. Its name is— I folded the letter carefully. Put it in an envelope. Then put it in your pocket.
During that process, my hands did not shake at all. The heart is also terrifyingly calm. Not indignant. No grief. Eighteen years ago, my heart died. Today is just another bucket of cold water poured on the ashes. I stood up. Unlock the door. Step out. The living room is still stuffy. Dad sat on the sofa, like a soulless statue. Giang Minh and his wife huddled together, like two startled birds. Seeing me, all three raised their heads. Eyes mixed. Scared. Probe. And the resentment cannot be hidden. I'm not
look at Giang Minh. Go straight in front of dad. I stand taller than you. Looking down at the man who destroyed my life. Cowardly. Selfish. Impotent. He didn't dare look at me. His eyes avoided, like a child making a mistake. I gently called that name. His body jerked as if he had been electrocuted. He looked up suddenly, his eyes panicked.
“In the letter… is it all written?”
“Very clear.”
His face fell. The last layer of camouflage crumbled. He seemed to have been drained of all strength and leaned back on the sofa.
"Dad! What's going on!"
"Who is Lam Dao? What blood debt?"
Giang Minh rushed forward, grabbed his father's arm, and shook him hard. Dad was shaken to the point of dizziness. Tears flowed from his hazy eyes. His voice was hoarse.
“In the letter… everything is true…”
“That year I owed Lam Dao…”
“He forced me to die…”
“Your mother… is your mother who took money from your sister… in exchange for your life…”
The broken truth fell from his mouth. Giang Minh's face changed color continuously. From red to white. From white to blue. He looked at his father, then at me. There was no guilt in his eyes. Only anger at being exposed. He suddenly threw his father's hand away and turned to scream at me.
“It's over now!”
"It's been eighteen years! Why are you still coming back?"
“Do you want to kill the whole family!”
His wife also showed the same resentment. As if I was the one causing the trouble.