Chapter 3 — Live towards the light

That's right, I sell jewelry to pay for my children to go to school. This reason is straightforward and honest, no one can refute it. If she continues to make a big deal out of it, she will only make herself become a harsh, heartless grandmother. Co Thanh also reacted and immediately spoke up to defend me: "Mom, you can't blame Tieu Nghien for this matter."

"If Mom doesn't give Lac Lac money, she has no other choice."

"Furthermore, that bracelet is her pre-marital property, she has the right to handle it."

An "incrimination" that was originally aimed at me was gently neutralized by me. Luu Ngoc Mai swallowed her anger, but had no place to vent. She could only glare at me harshly, then glanced at Vuong Le who was feeling guilty.

"Enough! Stop talking!"

She waved her hand in frustration.

“It's only 300 yuan, I'll give it to you tomorrow!”

“In the future, the children's education will all be paid from the general fund!”

Having finished speaking, she turned back to her room and slammed the door. Vuong Le also turned pale and pulled Co Vi away. The living room only left me and Co Thanh. He let out a long sigh, his expression as if he had just escaped, his voice still scared: "Wife, you scared him to death, he thought you were really going to argue with your mother." I looked at him, without any warmth left in my heart.

"Co Thanh, this is not a matter of arguing or not."

“It's Lac Lac.”

“That's our son.”

Co Thanh was silent. I didn't say anything more, turned around and went back to the room. I know that this matter seems to have passed on the surface, but the thorn in Luu Ngoc Mai's heart has sunk very deep. She was only more cautious towards me. This war is far from over. She will definitely use more discreet methods to monitor my every move. 05 Cooking frogs in warm water The days that followed were certainly not unexpected. Luu Ngoc Mai started a full surveillance mode on me. Every day when I come home from work, she keeps asking about things in the company.

"Is there overtime today? Is there overtime pay?"

"How is your company doing these days? Are there many bonuses?"

I just answered lightly with the words "okay" and "normal" to get it over with. She even learned how to check my phone. Take advantage of the time I shower or go to the bathroom, sneak into my room. Luckily, I had prepared in advance, my phone had a complicated password, and I erased my conversation history with boss Ly every time. She searched several times but found nothing, and gradually gave up the idea. But in other aspects, she is stingy to the extreme. The standard of meals in the house is decreasing day by day. Previously there were three dishes in one soup, now it's directly become two dishes in one soup. Salty dishes are even more rare and pitiful, sometimes there is only one plate that is all given to Co Tieu Bao. Co Lac Lac was still growing up, he didn't have enough to eat, and every night when he did his homework he would complain that he was hungry. I feel so sorry for my son that I can't stand it. I can only take him out to eat every day after work. Hamburgers, fried chicken, pizza. What in Luu Ngoc Mai's eyes was "junk food", became my son's daily expectations. Looking at the satisfied smile on the boy's little face, my heart was both bitter and indignant. It's not like Co Thanh didn't know. He just chose to pretend he didn't see. In my mind For him, missing a piece of meat or being hungry for a meal is no big deal. As long as his mother is happy, as long as there are no quarrels in the house, everyone can be patient. He even turned to advise me: "His mother is old, she has saved all her life, give her a little."

“Lac Lac is a bit skinny, but it's good for a guy to be a little skinny.”

I don't even have the strength to argue with him. A person pretending to be asleep, no matter how you call, cannot wake him up. Not only food and drinks, but also household utensils have been completely downgraded. The shampoo was changed to a cheap one of unknown brand, and after using it, my hair was as dry as straw. Toilet paper has also been changed to recycled paper that is so rough that it can scratch the skin. Even if the light bulb in my room was broken, she refused to replace it for a long time, saying she had to wait until the supermarket had a discount before buying it. I can only go buy the light bulb myself and replace it. As a result, she even insinuated that I spent money carelessly and did not know how to save money. The relationship between me and her has reached the point where even looking at each other makes us feel disgusted. In this house, I feel like I'm about to suffocate. Time goes by in suppression and patience. In the blink of an eye, more than three months have passed. Every month, only 2,100 yuan is transferred to my salary card. Luu Ngoc Mai was very happy at first. She assumed that most of my salary was on that card. Every day she uses the electronic bank to check her balance, and watching the number increase little by little is her greatest joy. But gradually, she realized something was wrong. Household expenses are much larger than she imagined. Electricity and water bills, management fees, social expenses, miscellaneous things. Not to mention, she often makes up for her youngest son's family. Today Vuong Le said she wanted to buy new clothes, tomorrow she said she wanted to sign up for a gifted class for Co Tieu Bao. Every few days, Co Vi asked for money to go drinking with friends. Her position as "chief financial officer" became increasingly overwhelming. The negative numbers in the book are increasing day by day. But on her salary card, she placed all her hopes on it. Every month, the amount of money coming in was not enough for her to compensate her youngest son's family. She began to become nervous and irritable. Often gets angry over small things. The air in the house became stuffy, like the sea before a storm. Finally, the fire was lit. That day, Co Vi went out to drink with friends, got into a conflict, and beat him until his head bled. The other party reported to the police and demanded compensation of 30,000 yuan in hospital fees, otherwise they would sue in court. Co Vi and Vuong Le were so scared that they cried and ran to Luu Ngoc Mai for help. After hearing this, Luu Ngoc Mai immediately became angry. But scolding is scolding, boys still have to protect. She gritted her teeth and patted her chest assuring: "Don't be afraid! Mom is here!"

“It's only 30,000 yuan, my family can afford it!”

"Your sister-in-law has a high salary, her card has been accumulating for several months, it's definitely enough!"

She spoke to Co Vi in a confident voice. Then he turned his head and looked at me with eyes that were so natural that it was funny. As if I was born to bear the consequences of her youngest son's mistake. I didn't say anything, just quietly watched her act. I know, the show is good, it's finally time to open. Luu Ngoc Mai took out a bank card She treated me like a treasure, didn't even bother to say a word to me, and immediately went straight to the bank closest to her house. She thought she was about to withdraw a large sum of money to save her useless youngest son. But little did she know, what was waiting for her was the broken sound of the dream she had woven herself over the past few months. 06 Insufficient balance Luu Ngoc Mai took Vuong Le along to the bank. She wanted to take this opportunity, in front of her youngest daughter-in-law, to show off her authority and strength as a "family head". In her mind, she had already made a calculation. Pulled out 30,000 yuan and threw it straight down in front of the other person, letting them know that the Co family was not easy to mess with. She planned to use the remaining money to buy Co Tieu Bao a gold bracelet. Her calculations are very smooth. Khuong Nghien's salary, even if it's 20,000 yuan every month, is still 80,000 yuan every four months. Minus household expenses and pocket money, there must be at least 50,000 to 60,000 yuan left on the card. 30,000 yuan, not worth anything. She boldly walked to the ATM and inserted the card. Vuong Le stood behind, his eyes filled with anticipation and admiration.

“Mom really has a way.”

"If it weren't for mom to take care of the money, we really wouldn't know what to do this time."

Hearing the flattering words, Luu Ngoc Mai became even more pleased.

"Don't worry, with mom here, the sky will fall and it won't be your turn to worry."

She skillfully entered the password, which was my son's birthday. The screen switches to the selection interface. Look up, withdraw money, transfer money. She clicked on withdraw money. Without hesitation, she entered the amount straight into the box: 30,000. Even close your eyes, imagine the machine spitting out wads of bright red money. But what she was waiting for was not the sound of money falling. It's a line of cold red letters.

“Sorry, your account balance is insufficient.”

Luu Ngoc Mai stood still. She thought she was mistaken. Rubbing your eyes, look again. Still “insufficient balance”.