Chapter 19 — I Was Evicted From Home In The Middle Of The Night, I Rebuilt A Home For My Children

I poured hot milk into the cup. White smoke slowly rose.

“She is already very good.”

Han Thanh did not say anything more. He stayed for more than an hour. Then leave. Before leaving. At the mysterious gate. He squatted down. Carefully tie Niem Niem's shoe laces. The baby is wearing cotton slippers. Standing at the door to see dad off.

“Nem Niem.”

“Dad, please come home.”

“Next month, Dad will come to visit you again.”

“Dad, remember to post that picture.”

“Definitely remember.”

He smiled at her. Then turn around and step into the elevator. The elevator door slowly closed. Niem Niem is closed. Trotted back to the living room.

“Dad said he would come again next month.”

“That's good.”

The child raised her head to look at me. Bright sparkling eyes.

“Are you happy, Mom?”

I looked at my child. Niem Niem immediately smiled from ear to ear.

“Then I will draw one more picture.”

“Next time give it to grandma.”

She hugged her little chair. Crawling back to the room. I stood in the kitchen. Still holding a cup of hot milk in his hand. Winter sunlight shines through the window. Fall to the floor. Warm and peaceful. I suddenly remembered that night at two o'clock in the morning. When kicked out of home. A bag of old clothes. A bank card has 3,000 yuan remaining. And my four year old daughter was sleeping soundly in my arms. I used to think my life had reached a dead end. But it turns out. That road is not the end. Which is the starting point. Starting from a cramped motel room. A job that pays 2,800 yuan. A box of twelve color crayons. Then step by step. I have my home back. Got my job back. Have life again. And most importantly. I have myself again. In the room. The sound of Niem Niem resounds:

“Should the sun be colored yellow or orange?”

I laughed.

“If I were your sun.”

“Any color is fine.”

Because it's been a long time. The life of my mother and daughter. There really was light. That spring, I registered for the CPA exam. Going to work during the day. Studying at night. After Niem Niem fell asleep, I sat in the living room and studied until twelve o'clock at night. But not the stuck tired kind. It's the type of fatigue that comes from moving forward. Two completely different feelings. Exam results are available in September. I passed two subjects. On the phone, To Mang burst out laughing.

“Not bad.”

“Next year, take another subject.”

“Get the certificate.”

“At that time you can change jobs.”

“Just looking at the salary at the current company, I feel sorry for you.”

“No rush.”

“Just take it slow.”

Hang up the phone. I looked into the next room. Niem Niem is doing math. She is already in the senior class. Start exposed to simple calculations.

“What is three plus five?”

“Think about it.”

“Eight equal!”

“Very good.”

“So what about six plus seven?”

“Try counting.”

Niem Niem started to crack her fingers. Count to ten. Fingers are gone. The little girl raised her head bewilderedly.

“I'm out of fingers.”

I tried not to laugh.

“Then use your toes.”

Niem Niem immediately seriously raised one foot. Start counting each finger. A moment later. The little girl happily shouted: I finally couldn't hold it in anymore. Laugh out loud. During that year. There are a lot of little things that happen. Vuong Tu Lan once followed Han Thanh to visit Niem Niem twice. First time. She almost didn't dare to talk. Just sit in the living room. Holding the cup of tea I poured. My hands trembled a bit. Niem Niem took out his painting to show her. She actually drew a sun for her paternal. When Vuong Tu Lan received the painting. Her lips pursed tightly. After a while, he said:

“Thank you Niem Niem.”

“Grandma will take good care of it.”

Niem Niem immediately advised:

“Grandma, you have to put it on the wall.”

“Paste it in the middle.”

“Grandma will stick it in the middle.”

Only then will Niem Niem be satisfied. Before leaving. Vuong Tu Lan stopped at the door.

“If you're missing anything before Tet, tell me.”

“I bought it for Niem Niem.”

“No need.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I'm not being polite to you…”

“I know.”

“But there's really no need.”

Vuong Tu Lan was silent for a few seconds. Then nodded. She did not mention the apology again. There are things that don't need to be said more. What did she do? What did I do? All is clear. No need to repeat for confirmation. It's over. Just leave it there. No need to forgive. No need for resentment. As long as it doesn't stop me from moving forward, that's enough. The company organizes periodic health checks. When receiving results. All indicators are normal. Hold the report in your hand. I stopped by to buy two pounds of cherries before going home. Niem Niem likes to eat the most. The child sat on the living room floor. Just ate cherries. Just saw the picture. The seeds are neatly released into the small plate next to it.