Chapter 6 — I Was Evicted From Home In The Middle Of The Night, I Rebuilt A Home For My Children

That afternoon, Han Thanh learned that his assets were frozen. Because when he goes to the ATM to withdraw money. Bank card has been swallowed. He called me. Six times in a row. I don't listen. Then he called To Mang. To Mang also did not listen. Finally he called Vuong Tu Lan. And Vuong Tu Lan called me again.

“To Van, are you crazy?”

“Have you frozen all your accounts?”

“Do you know that Han Thanh's company still needs capital?”

“Assets frozen by the court.”

"Not me."

“Stop pretending!”

“Who doesn't know your sister is a lawyer!”

“If I knew.”

I calmly replied.

“Then you should hire a lawyer first.”

“Maybe soon the court will ask you to cooperate in investigating the assets.”

The other end of the line immediately went silent. Three seconds later. Her voice trembled.

“What... what are you going to do?”

“Just do what needs to be done.”

“Wasn't it you who taught me?”

“She told me to clean everything up and go away.”

“I'm cleaning up now.”

I hung up. The phone vibrated again. This time it's Han Thanh. I answered the phone.

“What do you want in the end?”

“Asset division.”

“Child custody and alimony.”

“The 194,000 yuan you transferred to Trieu Tieu Man during the marriage must be returned.”

“Restoring home ownership.”

“I still want to ask you something.”

“Forging my signature to transfer the house's name.”

“Do you want me to report it to the police or go to the station and present myself?”

On the other end of the line, the sound of objects being hit on the ground was heard.

“It turns out I did it on purpose.”

“Those recordings…”

“You secretly recorded me?”

“When you secretly transferred assets.”

“Have you ever thought about asking my opinion?”

“To Van, you are forcing me.”

“Han Thanh.”

“From start to finish.”

“The person who doesn't need me first is you.”

“Don't change white for black.”

He was silent again. This time it lasted a long time. A long time later. He quietly asked:

“What about Niem Niem?”

“Let the court decide.”

“I am her father.”

"Okay."

“So have you ever visited your child?”

"Do you know that the night she had a fever of 39.3 degrees, I had to hold her in line at the emergency department for two hours?"

“Do you know that she has been sleeping in a cramped room in a working-class area for half a month now?”

“Did you know her box of crayons only has twelve colors left?”

Han Thanh hung up the phone. The next afternoon. Trieu Tieu Man posted a post on her friends circle. The photo is of the living room in my house. The curtains have been replaced. Sofa upholstery changes to cream color. On the tea table there was also a bouquet of fresh flowers. The status line reads:

"Finally moved into our new home. The sunshine is so beautiful. The baby's room is being prepared. A new beginning, a new happiness."

Behind are three heart symbols. That screenshot was sent to me by a parent in Niem Niem's class.

“To Van, have you seen it?”

“This woman posted it.”

“Did she move into your house?”

I finished watching. Turn off the screen. Then open it again. Take a photo and save it. Sent to To Mang. To Mang only replied with two words: Immediately after that, she sent another message:

"Trieu Tieu Man is living in a house that is in dispute and has been blocked."

"During the time the court makes a decision to preserve assets, the acts of using the disputed assets can become additional evidence."

I save the photos in a separate folder. In the letter That entry had over seventy photos. That night. The parent group of Niem Niem's class suddenly became chaotic. Someone sent a photo to the group. Vuong Tu Lan is holding a pregnancy ultrasound sheet. Standing in front of the kindergarten gate. Laughing and chatting with another parent.

“Our Han family is about to have a grandson!”

“Four months pregnant!”

“In the future, Niem Niem will have a younger brother!”

Right in front of my daughter's school. She held an ultrasound photo of another woman's baby. Show off like a trophy. There were parents in the group who sent their congratulations. Someone also secretly sent me a private message.

“To Van, what's going on?”

"To Van, you and Han Thanh haven't divorced yet? Why did your mother-in-law..."

I don't answer to anyone. Silently switch the group to muted notification mode. That night, I lay on the small bed in the motel room. Niem Niem was fast asleep. She turned over, put one leg on my stomach, her little face pressed against the pillow, sleeping very soundly. I opened my eyes and looked into the darkness. There is a water stain on the ceiling. Can't see clearly during the day. At night, street lights shine through the windows. That water stain looked like a distorted scar. The phone lights up. Another parent in Niem Niem's class sent a private message.

"To Van, if it's not convenient, you don't need to answer."

“But actually, I've known for a long time that there's something wrong with Han Thanh.”

“Last year at the parent-teacher conference.”

“I saw him coming out of the parking lot with a girl in a pink dress.”

“At that time, I thought I was his colleague.”

Last year's parent meeting. That day Han Thanh said he was busy. Tell me to go on my own. Turns out he still came. Just don't come with me. But go with Trieu Tieu Man. I replied:

“I know.”

Then turn off the phone.