Chapter 1 — Lam Ha Mat

I spent twenty-eight thousand yuan to book a family trip for four people. Originally it was me, my parents and my fiance, Chu Hanh Da. But her sister just lost her love and cried, saying that she was very upset. Mom looked at me with an awkward look: "There are only four spots, or should you two draw lots again?" Before drawing lots, I saw with my own eyes Chu Hanh Da stuffing a folded piece of paper into her sister's hand. I'm not exposing it. As usual, he pulled out a red envelope. There were two words written on it. 【Stay.】 The younger sister hugged Chu Hanh Da with tears in her eyes. "Brother-in-law, with you comforting me, I will definitely step out of my old love." Mom announced: "The lottery results are out, Ha Mat stays home to look after the store." I picked up the remaining envelopes on the table and opened them one by one. There was not a single travel letter inside. It's all about staying. I raised my head. "You guys have been doing this fraudulent drawing of lots for ten years." "You guys still give me the lottery to stay every year, aren't you tired of acting?" 1In the living room, no one spoke. Lam Thanh's younger sister is still leaning on Chu Hanh Da's arms. Mom was the first to react. "Lam Ha Mat, what are you doing?" I opened all the lots in front of them. It's all about staying. Dad stood up and stood in front of his sister. "Once you've drawn, why do you still open the remaining cards?" "If you've bet, you have to accept defeat. If you lose, accept it, don't make everyone feel awkward because you didn't win." "No matter what you draw, you can only lose, is that still called accepting defeat?" Dad avoided my eyes, raised his hand to collect the pieces of paper. "It's because your luck is not good, you can't blame others." Mom also said. According to: "Perhaps my mother made a mistake when preparing." "Thanh Thanh just lost her love, has been crying for several days, it's been very difficult for her to go out to relieve herself. I'm the older sister, can't I give in to my younger sister just once?" I almost burst out laughing. "Give in just once?" "When I was eighteen years old, I graduated from high school, my parents said the store couldn't be without people so they made us draw lots. She went to the beach, I stayed to look after the store." "When I received my college admission notice, my parents said they would Take us to see the snowy mountains. I won the card to stay, and he left." "The first time I went abroad, then went to the South to celebrate Tet, was there ever a time when I didn't give in?" My sister stood up straight from Chu Hanh Da's lap. His eyes were still red, and he said in a low voice: "Sister, I didn't know that the pieces of paper on the table were all left behind." "Brother-in-law was just afraid that I wouldn't draw, so he gave me one in advance." "If you want to blame me, blame me, don't involve your parents." Chu Hanh Da frowned. "I gave her the piece of paper." "Recently her condition has been very bad, I'm afraid she'll get agitated again." "So you know this lottery draw is fake." He said. Pause for a moment. "I just want her to go out and entertain herself." "You will have many more opportunities in the future. After we get married, the two of us can go to many places separately." Mom immediately continued: "Did you hear that? Hanh Da has agreed to make it up to you." "Thanh Thanh only fell in love this time, and you and Hanh Da will live together for the rest of your life. Must we have to calculate at this time?" Each person said a sentence, surrounding me in the middle. The sister is sad so their cheating also becomes taking care of her. As for me, I exposed the fraud, but on the contrary, I became someone who did not know human love. I took out my phone and opened the trip booking. This trip was booked by me. Airfare, hotel, transfers and some activities, totaling twenty-eight thousand six hundred yuan. The list will be locked until twelve o'clock tonight. Now complete the application, it only costs a few hundred yuan in procedure fees. Seeing me open the order, my mother quickly asked: "What are you doing?" I clicked refund, the confirmation page immediately appeared. "If the list is for travel

without you, why do you still have to pay?" Dad slammed the table. "Are you crazy?" "We've discussed everything, are you canceling?" "Your sister has a hard time going out, do you have to force her to go back to her room to cry?" The sister covered her face and cried. Chu Hanh Da turned around to comfort her. "It's okay, I'll put it back." Mom hugged her sister and glared at me. "Thanh Thanh is like this, are you satisfied?" They quickly said. vay quanh em gai. Con toi, giong nhu suot bao nam qua, bi vut sang mot ben, khong ai de y. Thong bao hoan tien thanh cong hien len. Toi cat dien thoai.“Moi nguoi muon di thi co the tu dat lai.”2Bay gio sang hom sau, bo gui mot bang phan cong truc vao nhom gia dinh. Tren do kin dac cong viec cua toi trong bay ngay tiep theo. Sau gio ruoi sang mo cua. Tam gio nhan sua. Buoi trua kiem ke tu lanh. Buoi chieu lien he nha cung cap nhap them hang. Muoi mot closing time at night, comparing the books. In the last column, it was written: Give medicine to the dog in the house, twice a day, as if last night never happened. Then mom sent a recording. "Ha Mat, everyone was angry last night so they spoke a bit harshly." "Your father asked someone to rebook the tickets. Even though the price is a lot more expensive, Thanh Thanh rarely wants to go out, we can't disappoint her." "Look at the duty board, it's still the same as usual." "The store is full of regular customers, so if you stay, your parents will feel secure." I stared at the sentence "still as usual." For ten years, before every trip, they sent me a sign like that. I booked tickets, checked the weather, and made an itinerary for them. Before leaving, I even helped them pack their luggage. After they left, I opened the store, fed the dog, and took phone calls from relatives for them. When they returned, I had to go to the station to pick them up. Mom would give me a refrigerator magnet or a crushed cake box. "I bought it for you on purpose." "If your parents are gone, it's like you're gone." Before, I really believed that they just couldn't leave the store, and also thought that it would definitely be my turn next time. At nine o'clock in the morning, I went to the store. Dad was squatting outside the door arranging the boxes of soft drinks. When he saw me coming in, he stood up straight. "This is the right thing to do." "A few arguments between the two of us is enough, don't keep it to yourself." I didn't answer. I put the store key, the warehouse key, and the cashier's spare key on the counter. documents. Dad's hand that was reaching towards the set of keys stopped. "What are you taking these things for?" "Hand over." "Hand over what?" "During the time everyone is traveling, everyone will arrange who will look after the store." Dad's face darkened. "Lin Ha Mat, you can't ask for money." "You didn't let us go on the trip, you didn't take care of the store, what do you want to do?" "You didn't give it to everyone." "I just won't continue to pay for everyone, nor will I continue to stay for everyone." "In the future, won't the money the store earns also be left to you and me?" Dad tried to suppress his anger. "If you help your family take care of the store for a few days, what's wrong with you?" "The store's money is in my parents' account." "The goods are imported by my parents, the books are also managed by my parents." "Every time I stay, I don't get a salary, nor any profit." "Why when someone needs to be on duty, it becomes the whole family's store?" Dad reached out and pushed the key towards me. "Don't calculate these things with me." "You've lived in this house since you were little. Isn't it the right thing to do to help your parents a little?" Mom came out from inside, just in time

hear the last sentence. She took the key and stuffed it straight into my pocket. "Okay, your father speaks frankly, don't argue with him." "Only going on a seven-day trip. Wait for mom to come back, I'll buy you a gift." I held her hand and put the key back on the counter. "I don't need a gift." "I don't look after the store either." The smile on her face disappeared. "Are you sure you have to ruin your family because of a few pieces of paper?" "Thanh Thanh's health is not good, she doesn't know how to take inventory. Dad My back hurts and I can't move things all day. Mom has to go with Thanh Thanh. If you don't stay, who will? "Can you hire someone?" "How much does it cost to hire someone for a day?" Dad raised his voice. “Let an outsider hold the key to the store, what if you lose things?” “You can also close it.” Dad pointed at me. “Do you know how much it costs to close a day?” “I know.” I have calculated for them countless times. Just because they knew, they never thought of letting me go with them. It's impossible to miss a day's profit. Hiring someone to look after the store is also not possible. Letting my sister stay is even worse. In the end, it was most suitable for me to stay. I wrote down the phone numbers of two nearby temporary worker companies on paper. "Hire people, close down or have someone stay there yourself." "It's all your choice." "Don't send me a call sheet in the future." I turned and walked out. Dad was behind me and scolded me for being unfilial. Mom chased me to the door. "Lam Ha Mat, if you leave today, don't expect your parents to continue preparing for your wedding!" I stopped walking. Chu Hanh Da helped his sister cheat. My parents also decided to let me stay a long time ago. They still think they can use the wedding to control me. I didn't turn around. "Then there's no need to prepare anymore." 3At noon, Chu Hanh Da invited me to meet. The location is the coffee shop we used to go to before. He arrived earlier than me, placing a cup of warm water in front of me that I was used to drinking. After I sat down, he pushed the glass of water towards me. "Are you still angry?" In the past, whenever he asked that, I was always in a hurry to explain, afraid that he would think I was unreasonable, and also afraid that family matters would affect our relationship. "When did you know that the lottery was fake?" Chu Hanh Da was silent for a few seconds. "Two years ago." I didn't say anything. He corrected himself again. "It could have been a little earlier." "When was the first time you went on a trip with them?" "Three years ago." "Know it then?" He frowned. "Your parents just said that the occasional draw would prioritize Thanh Thanh." "She's been sensitive since childhood, if she loses she'll cry for a long time. My personality is stable, it won't affect my life because of a trip." "Besides, they've always said I don't like going out." "Child." I don't like to go out, so why do I have to find the route every time?" "The hotel was chosen by me, the train tickets were bought by me, even what clothes they should wear on each day were reminded by me when I look at the weather." "If you don't want to go, why have pictures of the sea stuck in your bedroom for ten years?" Chu Hanh Da did not answer. He bowed his head and turned the glass of water. "It was before." "Thanh Thanh just fell in love this time." "The other person is engaged. These past few days she hasn't been able to eat or sleep at night." "She's always considered me her brother. I agreed to go with her, I can't suddenly go back on my word." My eyes fell on his hand. Yesterday it was this hand that stuffed the travel lottery ticket into my sister's sleeve. "Now I know that there is no travel lottery ticket on the table." "I also know that in the past ten years, I have never had a chance to win." "Are you still going on this trip?"