Chapter 6 — It's Never Too Late to Start

At that moment, the factory's team leader Manh rode his bicycle and slammed on the brakes right in front of the house. His forehead was wet with sweat, but he didn't have time to wipe it off and quickly asked:
“Ngoc Phan, was your phone cut off because you didn't recharge?”
“Luckily I know which village you live in. I had to ask all the way to find out!”
My mother was angry:
"Today is the first day of the month, I forgot! Is there something wrong at the factory?"
Team leader Manh smiled happily:
“Just now Director Cao called!”
“He just signed a huge order!”
“Tell me to call you back immediately, I will call you back at 6pm to report the customer's request!”
“We have to start production now!”
Mom was so happy that she jumped up and down. She banged her head on the wooden bar, in pain, baring her teeth and rolling her eyes, but still smiling from ear to ear:
"Really? How big is the order? Is it enough to pay the factory rent?"
Team leader Manh was also excited:
“I heard it's 100,000 krone, but I don't know which country the krone is.”
My mother's eyes were red, she rubbed her sore head, and walked quickly out the door:
“Go, go back to the workshop first!”
She turned her head to look at my uncle:
“Honey, this house…”
My uncle laughed until his face wrinkled:
“Don't worry, just worry about the big things first!”
“I will definitely fix it for you!”
Grandma was so angry that her face turned blue and then turned red, her mouth sour:
“One hundred thousand… is not much!”
My mother stopped and smiled at her:
“Grandma, you really haven't seen the outside world.”
"Krone is Swiss currency, 100,000 krone converted into money would cost 80-90 thousand yuan."
Team leader Manh added fuel to the fire:
“But this is just a deposit!”
The grandmother rolled her eyes, her neck veins bluntly argued:
“But it's the factory's money, no matter how much it is, it's not yours!”
"The important thing is that Baby Boi probably passed Nhat Trung?"
“No matter how much money you spend, it will eventually go down the drain!”
Team leader Manh patted his thigh and said "pop", suddenly remembering:
"That reminds me! This morning Be Boi's homeroom teacher also called the workshop!"
25
I suddenly held my breath, my heart beating rapidly. He happily announced:
"Baby Boi ranked 130th in the whole district, he will definitely get into Nhat Trung!"
My mother couldn't hold back her tears. She choked up:
“Good, so good…”
“Double joy in the forest gate, double joy in the forest gate!”
She grabbed my hand tightly, turned away, her shoulders shaking slightly. I was startled to realize - without realizing it, I was as tall as my mother. In my memory, she was always half a head taller than me. Always the one who extended his arms, shielding me from the wind and rain. I took a step forward, standing in front of her. Mom. I know you don't want grandma to see your tears and weakness. I have grown up. You are not just my mother's pride. Children can also be a protective wall for mothers. The mother and daughter hurriedly got in the car to return to the district. I sat on the back of the bike and turned around to look. Grandma was still standing there, her face angry, jealous, and unwilling. Her shadow became smaller and smaller, until finally it was just a blurry dot in my eyes. I don't understand:
“Mom, why doesn't grandma want to see us live well?”
My mother sighed softly, her voice calm:
“There are people like that in this world.”
“They like to see others suffer, even though they themselves do not benefit.”
"Seeing others live better than themselves, they will feel restless and uncomfortable."
“They have no goals, no direction, so they just stare at other people's lives all day.”
“So you have to study hard.”
“If you have knowledge, you will avoid it
to become such a person.”
On the way home, my mother asked Cao Triet Vien again. Hearing that he also passed Nhat Trung, she breathed a sigh of relief:
"So, I think I have a satisfactory answer with Director Cao."
Deposits are quickly transferred. Mom called back some workers who had quit before. The bamboo factory started operating again. A week later, when Mr. Cao returned, the first shipment was ready. Although the production and delivery process encountered many problems afterward, all problems were resolved satisfactorily. Because Mr. Cao changed his plan to go to Switzerland, the English my mother learned before was completely useless. She started learning German again, muttering to herself sentences that even I couldn't understand. One year later, the number of orders increased continuously. In those years, exporting was very profitable. Mr. Cao rented a piece of land long-term and built a new factory himself. The number of workers is even double that of the previous golden age and is still increasing. Mother's salary also increased significantly. Because the factory expanded, my mother also recruited a few more people from the countryside, choosing trustworthy people to work. The villagers loved her even more. But grandmother was so angry that she went crazy. She couldn't influence her mother, so she played tricks on the old house. She yelled loudly, demanding her house back. She made excuses:
“This is the ancestral home, it cannot be left to outsiders!”
Although she cannot forcibly confiscate the house, she has other methods of harassment. She went to the bathroom right in the middle of the yard, used a stick to puncture the roof, and did all sorts of things to cause trouble for us and my mother. How did this story reach Director Cao's ears? Over the years, my mother has devoted all her heart and soul to the workshop, and he has seen it clearly. To express his appreciation, he decided to give his mother an apartment in the Textile Company's housing area. At that time, new house prices were just over 500 yuan/m². According to tradition, when moving house, you must invite someone to "warm up the house", praying for blessings to fill the house in the future. Mrs. Trieu, my uncle and aunt, and many people in the village all came to congratulate me. Mom didn't invite grandma. But she still came on her own. This apartment was only built four years ago, the previous owner very well maintained it, it looks almost brand new. It seems like you just need to bring your suitcase in and move in. Mrs. Trieu whispered:
“The toilet in the house, just flush and it will be clean immediately.”
“In winter, I don't need to run outside to endure the cold anymore, it's so nice!”
Grandma rolled her eyes:
“Doesn't going to the bathroom in the house stink?”
Ms. Trieu continued to praise:
“Gas stove, no ash, clean, includes a hood, looks shiny.”
Grandma pouted:
“Gas is so expensive, forest firewood in the mountains is free.”
“This sofa is real leather, right? Both shiny and smooth!”
Grandma snorted coldly:
"If you sit down and sink forever, you won't be able to get up. It's not as good as Thanh Son's wooden chair!"
Today is a happy day, you shouldn't pay attention. But she is really outrageous. My mother curled her lips and smiled coldly:
“Grandma, no matter how bad this house is, the red book is in my name.”
"And Thanh Son's house, does the red book have its name on it?"
"His wife's name, which he later left to his son, has nothing to do with Thanh Son."
"All day long, I brag about how good my son is. If he's so good, why doesn't he buy a house himself like me?"
Grandma was heartbroken by what she said, her face turned red, she jumped up and cursed:
“What can you say to earn?”
“I saw you hanging out with the director, sleeping with him, they gave you a house!”
“This is in exchange for the body, nh
We don't care about the Vuong family!"
26
I was so angry that I wanted to rush up and slap her. At that moment, there was a loud "BAM" from the door. Everyone turned their heads simultaneously. Director Cao stood in front of the door, next to Cao Triet Vien. It was Cao Triet Vien who just kicked in the door. He was so angry that his face turned dark:
“You shameless old thing, what are you talking about?”
Mr. Cao frowned:
“Zhe Yuan, don't be rude.”
Today, Mom also invited some colleagues in the factory to attend. They took turns greeting:
“Hello Director Cao!”
Grandma rolled her eyes and quickly connected the story, realizing the father-son relationship between Cao Triet Vien and director Cao. She added fuel to the fire, her tone full of malice:
“Master Cao, this woman doesn't have good intentions!”
“Today he cheated your father of a house, tomorrow he will cheat the whole factory!”
“This property that should be yours will eventually fall into his hands!”
“She just wants to be your stepmother!”
Cao Triet Vien turned to look at my mother and asked:
“Miss Kim, is she telling the truth?”
My mother quickly denied:
“Don't listen to her nonsense! This is… is Be Boi's grandmother, she just…”
But Cao Triet Vien's eyes lit up:
“Miss Kim, do you really want to be my stepmother?”
“When are you and my father planning to get married?”
“Can we move in with you and Baby Boi?”
He turned to look at Mr. Cao again, his voice reproachful:
“Dad, why did you love Ms. Kim and not tell me?”
Director Cao was so confused that his voice stuttered:
“No… that's not the case!”
“Miss Kim doesn't like dad!”
Everyone was dumbfounded. Grandma was even more shocked, as if she had just been struck by lightning:
“No stepmother is kind!”
“Aren't you afraid it has bad intentions?”
Cao Triet Vien looked at her coldly:
“The person with bad intentions is you!”
"Miss Kim moved the house, this is a fun story."
“And yet you come here and say cruel things.”
“With a grandmother like you, no wonder Miss Kim is divorced! Divorce is right!”
“I like Miss Kim and Baby Boi!”
“I love watching my dad spend money on them!”
“Are you angry yet?”
Grandma was so angry that blue veins appeared on her forehead. She was so angry that she couldn't breathe. Cao Triet Vien took another step forward and coldly chased him away:
“You are not welcome here, go back to Ms. Kim's ex-husband's house!”
He forced his grandmother to leave the door step by step, then with a "BAM" sound, he closed the door! The house became bustling again. Cao Triet Vien sat down next to me and smiled happily:
“What? It's inconvenient for you two to chase her away, wouldn't it be great if I let you go?"
“Can I be your brother from now on?”
I tilted my head to look at him:
“Do you like my mother that much?”
He was silent for a moment, then replied in a low voice:
“At first, I didn't like either of you. I still see two rustic people."
“But Ms. Kim cooks late-night food for me every day.”
“Last time I got sick, you two took me to the hospital in the middle of the night.”
“She even came into the internet cafe to arrest me and scold me.”
“She resembles my mother more than my biological mother.”
That night, the moon was full and bright. My mother and I finished cleaning up and lay on the bed in the main bedroom. I said:
“Mom, I also think Uncle Cao is very good.”
“If you like him, then just stay together, don't worry about me.”
Mom turned to look at me and asked:
“Do you really think so?”
"Mom is not yet 40, she can completely remarry."
Silver moonlight shines on mother's face. The wind blows through the door
nest, rustling the camphor trees in the yard. She said softly:
“Okay, then I'll tell you something too.”
“You have to study hard, but don't be afraid if you don't get into a good university.”
“Since I will earn more and more money, college is no longer your only path.”