Chapter 5 — Mom Chooses Brother, I Choose Freedom

The next day, I just needed my mother and brother to sign and stamp the confirmation at the notary office and it was done. As soon as she saw me, her first reaction was to rush forward and try to fight. "You son of a bitch! You're the one who hurt your brother and got him imprisoned! In the future, if he can't get married because of that, I'll tear you apart!" Aunt Tu immediately stood in front of me: "Third sister, Tu Hue is also your daughter, how could you do it to this extent?" My mother suddenly looked like she had realized something: "Oh... now I understand. Why is this brat suddenly so loud and stubborn? It turns out you instigated it, Mr. Tu?" "Old Tu, you're really worthless. You're unfilial, and now you're inciting my daughter to not raise me!" "You're really cruel! I've known since I was little that among the four sisters, you're the worst! That's right, Mr. Tu is Mr. Tu!" Aunt Tu stood still, bewildered and speechless. I know, even though they normally don't like each other, who wouldn't be hurt when hearing their own sister say things like that? I pulled Aunt Tu behind me: "Mom, you can't talk about Aunt Tu like that. You were the one who kicked me out of the house in the middle of the night. If it weren't for Aunt Tu, I wouldn't even have a place to sleep!" "I don't even care if anything happens to you on the street. Are you my biological child?" My mother sneered: "Heh, that's what you brought on yourself. If you had obediently signed the papers from the beginning, would I have sent you away?" "Before your brother gets married, you find someone to marry and that's it. That's the only way you won't be kicked out of the house! To put it bluntly, it's all your fault!" I looked at my mother who was struggling and screaming, and realized - it turned out that all this time I had never really understood what she was like. My brother - Truong Tu Thanh - also stood to the side, his mouth as if sprinkled with poison, full of terrifying words: 【If you get beaten later when you get married, I won't care, no one will defend you!】 【Even if you are beaten to death, I won't even pay attention!】 【Don't you watch the news? A girl who doesn't have her mother's family to support her will have a hard time getting married!】 I burst out laughing, I really couldn't hold it in anymore. Funny to the point of bitterness. Truong Tu Thanh, your mind is probably still stuck in the late Qing Dynasty, fascinated by the theory that "man is heaven" and doesn't know how to turn back. I interrupted him: "Let's go, take advantage before I change my mind, go sign." As soon as I heard the words "change my mind", my mother and my brother seemed to have wings under their feet and immediately pulled me straight to the notary office. 10 My mother put the prepared file in front of me and asked me to sign it. Seeing my hesitation, the notary asked a question according to regulations: "Do you confirm that you voluntarily give up your inheritance rights, without any threats or coercion?" My mother quickly answered for me: "No, no, there's no such thing!" I took out the contract prepared by the lawyer from my pocket and gave it to the employee. "We have a separate agreement. Regarding my mother's retirement, my brother - Truong Tu Thanh - will take full responsibility. I agreed to give up the property based on that condition." The young employee took it, looked it over, then turned to my mother and my brother: "If the parties have agreed, then please sign this agreement first." When my mother saw that I was really doing it, she started to feel unhappy and wanted to change the bet: "Oh, it's all family members, do we need to be so clear about black and white?" I smiled: "That's right, with all the family members, why divide the house? Wait until mom's legs are straight, then the house will be divided in half, one for each child and that's it." Upon hearing that, my mother quickly grabbed the agreement and signed it as quickly as lightning. My brother glanced at me: "Don't dream about the house. My Truong family will absolutely not let it fall into the hands of outsiders!" Then he also signed the old age care agreement, conveniently thrusting the property renunciation agreement at me: "It's your turn, sign quickly!" I looked at the words "Voluntarily giving up the right to inherit property", then signed my name under the "commitment" section. This signature officially cuts all ties between me and my mother. My mother smiled happily and pulled my brother's hand, looking at the red stamp printed on the paper, her eyes shining with obvious joy. Aunt Tu patted my shoulder and comforted me: "It's okay, Tu Hue. Just stay at my house in peace for a while." "My cousin goes away to school. Even if she comes back for the summer, the two girls will sleep in the same room and have friends, and they can talk about small and big things." I nodded: "Auntie, I guess I'll have to bother you some more." After my mother and my brother received the certificate, they went together to complete the procedures to transfer the property's title. I'm also busy supervising construction and renovating my new house. Every day, watching it gradually improve, the void in my heart is filled little by little. At the same time my brother showed off his two new red books to his friends, my apartment was just completed. Just need to get rid of the smell, remove all the formaldehyde, and at the end of the year I can move in. While waiting for the house to "steam", I took Aunt Tu to travel, shop, and eat everywhere. My aunt never asked me where I got the money, she just gently told me: "Remember to save a little, keep your way out." I smiled and asked: "Aren't you curious where my money comes from?" Aunt Tu also laughed: "As long as it's legitimate money, you won't say anything, I won't ask." 11 I thought I would never have anything to do with my mother again in this life, but she used my eldest aunt's phone to call me. As soon as I picked up the phone, I heard her crying: "Tu Hue, my brother and I sold both houses! Mom now has no place to live anymore!" “That son of a bitch, he gambles day and night, he's in so much debt, he can't even sell his house enough to pay!” "Tu Hue, you can't just leave me and your brother alone! After all, blood and flesh are still tied together!" My mother was crying and talking to herself. I didn't want to hear any more: "We have an agreement between us. Mom's care for her old age is your brother's responsibility, and has nothing to do with you." My mother began to panic: "Your brother is about to be beaten to death. I haven't had anything to eat in these days! Are you going to open your eyes and watch us starve to death?!" I predicted this outcome. With my brother's gambling personality, as long as he has money in hand, he can rush to death like a moth to a flame. "Mom, I'm not doing any better. I'm not even done taking care of myself, let alone taking care of you?" "Not to mention, the notarized documents are still there! There is a red seal from a proper notary office! Full legal effect!" My mother interrupted me, screaming: "You brat! Don't pretend to be poor! I know you bought a house in the Lam Giang Nha Uyen area! Where did the money come from?" "Quickly sell your house! Use the money to pay your brother's debt! Otherwise I will come to your house and cause trouble." show your face every day!” I was wondering how my mother knew about me buying a house, when Aunt Tu told me - in the team of construction workers that time, there was one person who was my mother's old classmate. I don't know her, but she met me. It was she who informed my mother that I had bought a house and the interior cost was several tens of thousands. It even reveals the floor number and apartment number. The apartment I lived in was a new area, at that time most of the houses were in the renovation stage, the access control system was not yet officially operational. Thinking that my mother and brother could come to my door at any time... I was really scared, not knowing what to do. First, I called the construction company to complain - because the staff arbitrarily disclosed customer information. If I can't have peace, then no one else can have peace either! Auntie Tu told me not to panic, told me to quickly go see the security team, and told them to keep an eye around my door. If you discover that my mother or my brother is behaving aggressively, you must immediately report to the police.