Chapter 5 — Ignore the Ungrateful

Having said this, she waved her hand again: "Hell, I'm not sure. My grandparents don't usually let me go home, I don't remember what he's wearing today..." Hearing that, my father was so angry that fire burst into his head. Not being able to find his beloved nephew was already bothering him enough, and now he had to hear bad news like this - and in his eyes, his nephew was smart and smart, how could he do such a stupid thing as stuffing a firecracker into a manhole cover?

"If you keep cursing my nephew, I won't leave it alone! My nephew will be blessed with great fortune, he will be the reincarnation of the Van Khuc star, and in the future he will be able to enter Tsinghua Bei Dai! The kind of fool who explodes himself, how can he be my nephew!"

Just as my father was about to "retaliate" with Aunt Ly, he suddenly heard my mother's shrill scream from the crowd. Then her stuttering voice rang out, choking as if she were trembling:

"Dude... you... look, this shirt... this shirt, does it... belong to... my nephew..."

04

My father froze on the spot, my mother's whole body turned to stone, her body fell limp, she had to be helped up by a few neighbors so she wouldn't fall face down on the ground. Everyone around also fell silent, hastily stepping aside to make room for a small path leading to where the child lay - a path as if to bring family members to claim the body. My father took stiff steps forward. The child lying on the ground was completely deformed, his face was no longer recognizable, his body still emitted the faint smell of cooked meat. Only that familiar jacket and pants... exactly the same outfit that Trieu Thien Long wore this morning when leaving the house.

"No way... no way..." My father shook his head, muttering continuously, trying to deny reality.

And my mother screamed, her trembling voice tearing through her chest: "Long Long... oh my god, my Long Long... my grandchild... it's really him... it's really him!"

"Oh my god, are you blind... why did you let my nephew burn to death like that... why didn't anyone come to save him..."

She slapped her hands on her thighs, sat down on the ground, and cried in agony. My father tried to hug his nephew's body, but as soon as his hand touched that scorched hand, the flesh immediately peeled off and fell, making him startled and his whole body trembling. I sat in the backyard of the cafe, sipping a sip of hot coffee, the corners of my lips curling into a calm smile. Compared to being dedicated to saving people and then being resentful, blamed, and even losing your life because of someone who doesn't deserve it - it's better not to have a hand in Trieu Thien Long's fate in the first place. At least… I don't owe anything anymore. I opened my phone and skillfully dialed my sister-in-law's number: "Hello, sister-in-law? I'm almost home. By the way, I brought you a La Mer skin care set. Haven't you mentioned wanting it for a long time? Come home quickly, I'm afraid that if your mother sees it, she will get greedy and take your prize." On the other end of the line, my sister-in-law was indeed excited and immediately pulled my brother and urged her to come home. The shopping center is less than a ten-minute drive from home. I glanced at Trieu Thien Long's body, which was still smoking - thinking, maybe there was still time for them to return to see my son completely cold. The pipeline repair team finally arrived, immediately chasing away the crowd gathered around the hole. No one wanted to help carry the boy's body home - because every time he touched it, the skin would fall off, and no one could really help him. There are people kindly used a red cloth to cover its body. My parents seemed to have lost their souls, all three souls and seven souls were gone, sitting dumbfounded next to their grandson's body. At that moment, the sister-in-law's voice rang out outside the alley, clear and full of sour elegance: "Get out of the way, get out of the way, what are you all standing here for? Don't block people's way home!"

"My God, why did the pipe explode? In this cold weather, without heat, people would freeze to death. Huh? Is it because of someone playing with firecrackers? Oh my God, it's cruel! Whose family has such an ill-mannered son, do they want to die? Why? Really die? Deserve it! It's karma and retribution! If something unlucky happens on Tet day, husband, quickly break off the peach branch hanging on the door, don't let the unlucky energy touch your child."

I sat from afar, looking at my sister-in-law's face full of smug citizenry and talkative mouth, suddenly seeing the image of the cruel woman who locked me in the house and poured a pot of boiling oil on her the day before piled up in my mind - the hatred in my heart was like layers of waves, rising endlessly.