Chapter 2 — I Went Through The Forgotten Years

By the end, the person in charge's eyes were clearly more serious. Three days later, I received a trial offer. The salary is not too high, but enough for me to stand up again. The day I signed the contract, my heart was very at peace, as if I had finally removed the rock that had been pressing on my chest for many years. Last night, I talked about this. Sure enough, the dining table became a battlefield. Ly Tu Mai was the first to explode:

"After you go to work, who takes care of your family? Tu Ngon, who picks you up? Who cooks? Who monitors your father-in-law's medicine?"

Chu Thua Vien's face also darkened:

“Why did you find a job without talking to me first?”

“I'm looking for a job, do I need your approval?”

He choked, then lowered his voice:

"Lam Van, don't be angry. Now you can go out and find a good job? Is the salary enough to compensate for the work? When the house is messy, won't I still clean it up?"

“Then try cleaning it up once.” I put down my chopsticks, my voice calm. “All these years I cleaned up, now it's everyone's turn.”

Chu Kien Quoc slammed his chopsticks on the table:

“Women have to take care of their families and think about what to do every day when they go out!”

I raised my head to look at them, suddenly no longer angry. Just found it funny. What they were afraid of was never that I wouldn't live well, but that once I had my own world, there would be no one else to unconditionally support them.

“I've decided, I'll go to work next week.” I stood up. "In the future, if I can make breakfast, I'll do it. If not, everyone will take care of it. I'll arrange the pick-up and drop-off, but not everything will be done by me alone."

Ly Tu Mai was so angry that she patted her chest:

“It's a betrayal, it's a betrayal!”

Chu Thua Vien looked at me coldly:

“Don't regret it.”

I returned to my room, closed the door, my hands were still shaking. Of course I'm afraid. Afraid of not being able to keep up with work, afraid of affecting my children, and afraid of stepping out and falling very painfully. But I'm even more afraid to stay, until one day I'll even forget who I am. The first week of work, the Chu family was indeed in chaos. Chu Thua Vien was almost late when he took his child to school for the first time; Ly Tu Mai cooked the soup according to my instructions but doubled the salt; Zhou Kien Quoc forgot to take his blood pressure medicine and felt dizzy at night; Even the clothes in the washing machine smelled sour because no one dried them in time. That evening, Chu Thua Vien called, sounding frustrated:

"Lam Van, can't you go home earlier? What has become of the house?"

I sat in front of my desk, surrounded by the sound of keyboard typing and colleagues chatting. I turned the pen around, for the first time not immediately apologizing.

“What turned out?”

"Still asking? You haven't finished your homework yet, and I'm not eating well either."

My voice is very light:

"In the past, people ate well and lived well because of what I did. It's not because those things will automatically be fine."

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds. His voice became even more annoyed:

“Are you good at work now?”

“If you don't have to work, you'll be good.” I said, “but I finally remembered, I can't just revolve around people.”

I hung up the phone, my heart was beating very fast, but I had no regrets. And this, is just the beginning. The new job is even busier than I thought. The company is in the adjustment phase, the online segment is chaotic, the team is young, works quickly but lacks overall integrity. As soon as I joined, I had to take over a project that had been stuck for a long time. During the day, meetings are held to process data and revise plans; At night, I still tutor my children in studying, often busy until late at night. But I gradually came back to life. Colleagues listened to my opinions, and leaders praised me for stabilizing the project's progress. Salary is not the highest, But every month I receive money, I haven't had that feeling of stability for a long time. I started buying work clothes again, taking care of my skin regularly, reading industry reports on the train, instead of calculating which vegetable market is two dong cheaper today. Chu Thua Vien quickly realized that I had changed. I no longer revolve around him, don't ask him what he wants to eat, and don't always pay attention to his feelings. I have my own schedule, a work group, and reminders. Coming home late just texted one sentence: "Overtime tonight, no need to wait." He didn't speak, but became increasingly upset. He is used to being taken care of, used to coming home to hot meals, clothes being washed and ironed, having his children chaperoned, and his parents having someone to take care of him. Now that he lost half of it, he realized that his so-called "earning money to support the family" was actually standing on the foundation I had prepared. But he refused to admit it. So he started using other methods to pressure me. For example, intentionally saying it in front of your child:

"Mom is now busy with work, no longer takes care of the family like before."

Or when I work overtime on the weekend, he sighs in front of his parents:

"If a woman's career is too heavy, her family will sooner or later fall apart."

Or the day I received my salary, he pretended to accidentally ask:

"Is this all for a month? What can we do?"

When I first heard those words, I still felt heavy in my chest. But gradually, I am no longer in a hurry to explain, no longer try to prove. I just quietly set aside money, clearly recorded every expense, and fully arranged Chu Tu Ngon's education, medical, and insurance records. I gradually formed a vague but increasingly clear premonition— This marriage, perhaps, could not last any longer. And sure enough, the moment that truly tore it all apart, came very quickly.