Chapter 5 — Long-term Contract Marriage

"The couple just now is really interesting. One person always shows that he is warm and resentful, the other always shows that he is deeply in love. But in the end, no one forced them to do what they did." I said nothing. He tilted his head to look at me: "Still upset?" "Are not." “Don't hold back.” He turned around and continued walking. "If you're uncomfortable, just say so. I'll take you out for a drink." Director Wei arrived at two thirty in the afternoon. After looking at my mother's examination report and doing a few more assessments, he finally said the liver source could be arranged, and the success rate of the surgery was over eighty percent. I asked when was the fastest? He said next week. “In terms of cost, people don't need to worry.” Co Dien Chau stood next to him and said a word. Director Wei nodded and arranged the team to carry out pre-operative preparation work. The hospital room became quiet again. I sat by the bed, looking at my mother's oxygen tube in ecstasy. Co Dien Chau did not leave. He clasped his hands behind his back and stood by the window for a moment, then suddenly said: "Your other sister is your father's illegitimate child, right?" I raised my head to look at him: "How do you know?" "You said a few quick words on the phone last night, I'll let the investigators know." He turned around. "The story about hugging the wrong person that year was something my father made up to bring her into the house. My mother was deceived for more than ten years, treating her as her own daughter and loving her, but as a result, she stole her daughter's fiance." "YES." “What are you going to do?” “Not finished thinking yet.” I said: "Wait for my mother to finish surgery first. Over the years she has always been kept in the dark, and still feels like she owes Khuong Van Nhu." “Wait until the surgery is over before exposing it.” Co Dien Chau walked over, took a candy from his bag and put it on the bedside table. "Let's get through this surgery first. After that, you decide." I looked at the candy wrapped in yellow foil. It's the mint candy he always has the habit of carrying with him. “Co Dien Chau.” "YES?" “Are you still coming tomorrow?” "Yes. In the contract, it is written that it is valid for a long time." He opened the hospital room door and turned to look at me. “When you signed, didn't you read carefully?” I pulled the corner of my lips, pretending to smile. After he left, I peeled the candy and put it in my mouth. The strong mint taste made my eyes sting. The phone rang once. Luc Nghien Tu sent a text message: 【The question you asked at the dinner table today, I haven't had time to answer yet. What happened five years ago was not what I thought. Give me ten minutes, meet me alone once, okay?】 I didn't answer, I put the phone face down on the table. In the following days, director Wei's team worked very effectively. Each item of my mother's pre-operative examination was performed one by one, all indicators were consistent with the surgical conditions. Every day I am in the hospital room taking care of myself. Every afternoon Co Dien Chau comes, stays for half an hour and then leaves. Sometimes he brought a cup of coffee, sometimes a bouquet of flowers, and sometimes he talked to director Wei a few words about his illness. Khuong Van Nhu came twice and was stopped by me outside the hospital room. She stood in the hallway crying, saying she wanted to see her mother. I told you to be quiet before the surgery, don't come and cause more trouble. She cried and left. Luc Nghien Tu did not come anymore. But I heard the nurse say he came downstairs every day, sat for a long time in the first floor lobby before leaving. One time, I went down to get food delivered and saw him sitting on the bench in the hall, looking down at his phone. The screen is on, showing the chat with me frame. I don't go forward, go around another road. On the day of surgery, Co Dien Chau arrived early in the morning. He wore a dark blue shirt, the sleeves rolled up twice, leaning against the wall of the hallway outside the operating room, holding a cup of hot soy milk in his hand and giving it to me. “Drink, it might take a long time.” I took it and took a sip. The temperature is just warm. “Tense?” he asked. “A bit stressful.” “Director Wei has performed more than a thousand of these surgeries, and the success rate is very high.” He stopped for a moment. “My mother will be okay.” I tightened my grip on the paper cup and nodded. The surgery lasted more than seven hours. During that time, the Khuong family

There were a lot of people coming. My grandfather, father and Khuong Van Nhu all came. Luc Nghien Tu also came, standing at the other end of the hallway, not coming closer. Co Dien Chau did not leave throughout the process, sitting next to me looking at her phone, answering messages, occasionally raising her head to look at the operating room lights. Midway, Khuong Van Nhu picked up a cup of hot water and was about to come over and say something to me, but was stopped by Co Dien Chau's eyes. She bit her lip and backed away. After four o'clock in the afternoon, the operating room lights turned off. Director Wei came out and said the surgery was successful, and the next thing he needed to do was wait for recovery after the surgery. My mother was pushed into the special care room for observation, and temporarily unable to visit. Co Dien Chau patted my shoulder: "Go back and rest first. Come again tomorrow." I nodded. When I turned around, I saw Luc Nghien Tu still standing at the other end of the hallway, more than ten meters away from me.