Chapter 6 — Mom Chooses Brother, I Choose Freedom

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But after my brother was taken to the police station, my mother and he also seemed "smarter". They no longer rioted directly in front of my house, but instead came to the apartment gate to hang banners. My name, phone number, apartment number, floor — everything was displayed. In just a moment, the whole area knew that there was an "unfilial son" living in a big, spacious house, while his old mother was abandoned outside the gate. In the apartment chat group, the neighbors also started talking about me, because since I finished renovating the house, I often go to open the door for ventilation, and many people have seen me in the hallway. 【She looks like a nice girl, why is she so unfilial?】 【That's right, her mother sits in front of the gate of the area every day, crying, to the point of fear of lowering the house price of the whole area!】 Someone even sent a direct message in the group: 【Everyone takes care of family matters, we don't want to interfere. But if because of you the house price drops, don't blame us for coming to you to settle the bill!】 I didn't respond, pretending I didn't read the group. I thought she would cry for a few days and then give up. As long as I don't show up, time will slip away. Who would have thought that not only did she not give up, but today she also took several reporters with her. I turned on the livestream and immediately saw the scene taking place in front of my house, the comment section jumping continuously was filled with curses at me. My personal information has been stripped clean, not a single thing was left out. Aunt Tu told me to stay at her house and not go out. Wait for things to calm down and then move on. But I started to feel scared. What if they come to your house and affect your family? Especially my cousin who is in college, we absolutely cannot let her get involved in this matter. So I made up my mind, packed my things, and went straight to the gate of Lam Giang Nha Uyen area. As soon as she saw me appear, my mother immediately jumped up from the ground, pointed at me and shouted loudly: "That's him! He's my ungrateful child!" Then she began to beat her hands on her thighs, crying bitterly, acting as if she were in pain to the point of death. As soon as the reporters saw a hot scene, they immediately signaled to the camera. The lenses panned straight at my face, leaving no corner untouched. "May I ask Ms. Truong Tu Hue, why do you live in such a large and beautiful house but leave your lonely, uncaring old mother?" “Do you know that this behavior violates traditional Chinese filial piety?” Several reporters gathered around to ask questions, I basically couldn't get a word in. Until the surrounding became quiet again, everyone waited for me to speak up. I waved at the camera: "Come here, film clearly!" I took out the notarized retirement agreement and held it up in front of the camera: "Everyone, see why I don't want to raise my mother." {Read full on Van Ha Tuong page} "My family has two houses, my mother asked me to give up my inheritance rights, leaving everything to my brother." "This retirement agreement is the only condition for me to agree to give up my property. Is that too much?" "But now, both houses have been sold by my brother - a gambling addict - to pay off the debt, that's not enough!" "So my mother targeted my house again, forcing me to sell the newly renovated apartment to pay off my brother's debt!" My mother pushed her way into the crowd, pointed at me and shouted loudly: "You lie! I didn't do it." that!" Surrounding viewers began to whisper: “It can't be that evil, right? Is there any mother like that in this world? I took out my phone and opened the recording: "You brat, sell your house quickly!" Take the money to pay your brother's debt!” “Does someone like you deserve to live in a nice house?” “If you don't listen, I will come to your house and scream every day!” My mother's voice echoed under the camera, the livestream audience soared, and comments exploded. 【Oh my god, is this your biological mother? He gave his son two houses, he burned them all, and now he's forcing his daughter to sell the house and incur debt?!】 【Unbelievable! It's the 21st century, but there's still a mother who sucks her daughter's blood?】 【Fortunately, my mother treats me and my brother fairly. The assets are divided equally, and the burden of old age is shared.】 【This mother is really good: the assets are given to her son, but the old age is forced on her daughter. How did I calculate such a good article?】 I looked straight at the female reporter who had questioned me earlier: "May I ask which agency are you a reporter for?" Not knowing the truth yet, you jumped to conclusions and asked leading questions to force me to admit what you call 'sin', just to increase views for your show?" “So I have the right to complain to you, right?” The reporter quickly signaled the cameraman to lower the camera, turned to my mother and complained: "Grandma, you are really good at making up stories!" The remaining reporters, seeing that the wind was changing, also began to change their attitudes, shifting the livestream content to the topic of gender injustice and preference for men over women. My mother saw the unfavorable situation and secretly tried to retreat, but was discovered and stopped by the surrounding people. It's unclear who called the police, but in the end my mother was taken to the police station and received a thorough "moral education". 13 My brother also watched the livestream, then sent a message cursing me: "You bastard, I will not forgive you!" I really don't understand why he said that. What do I owe him? I just don't agree to sell the house to pay off his debt. I immediately went to the police station to report. After reading the message, the police advised: "You should pay attention to safety during this time, try not to go anywhere alone." I remember that year, I worked all summer vacation, struggling to collect enough money for tuition. Before I could warm up, my brother secretly took it away to gamble, leaving me without a penny. Auntie Tu was also worried about me, these days she kept following me closely, afraid that my brother would come and cause trouble. But unexpectedly, the creditors came to my brother first. They "took good care" of my brother, beating him to the point that his legs were paralyzed and he could never stand up. My mother cried so much that she fainted several times because of that. Listening to Aunt Tu tell these stories, I didn't show up even once. After that, the local government assisted my mother and my brother in finding housing. They moved to live on social assistance and got by. What the old fortune teller said was not wrong - my brother really "ate the state's rice". At the end of the year, I moved into a new apartment. Standing on the balcony, looking at the peaceful river stretching before my eyes, thinking back on everything over the past half year, my heart was filled with so many emotions. I lowered my head to look at the splendid scenery outside, the lights from thousands of houses flickering through the windows. The corners of the lips curl slightly. Truong Tu Hue, you have a home! Twenty-five long years, you finally have a place called "a place to go." "No one can kick you out of the house in the middle of the night anymore. 【END】