Chapter 1 — Mom Divided 8,200,000 Yuan To My Sister, Gave Me 50 Yuan, Unexpectedly Even The Judge Was Mine

"Sign, Tham Niem."

My mother pushed a piece of paper in front of me. It is clearly written on it: Plan for dividing compensation money for clearance of the old restaurant. As soon as I saw the number on the paper, the glass of water in my hand almost fell to the ground. The total compensation amount is 8,200,000 yuan. I was given 50 yuan. My sister, Tham Nguyet, received 8,199,950 yuan.

"Mom, dividing like that... based on what?"

I asked, my voice not loud. On the stove, the clay pot was still boiling, the sound seemed to be trying to swallow my anger. Tham Nguyet sitting behind the counter looked up at me, then bent down to look at her newly done nails.

"I'm a girl, and when I get married, I'll become someone else's family. Why do I need so much money?"

"In the future, I still have to buy premises and open a chain of stores."

"This money is for you to keep so it doesn't go to waste."

My stepfather, Zhou Jianmin, tapped his cigarette, causing the cigarette butt to fall into the blue-flower porcelain bowl that my grandfather left behind.

"Nien Niem, your sister is right."

"Since I was little, I only knew how to help in the kitchen and never saw the outside world."

"The money I give you is just a waste."

I looked at the small restaurant that had existed for thirty years. Suddenly I felt even the heat from the fire was cold. This restaurant is the property left by my grandfather. Then the ownership certificate was transferred to my mother's name. How you want to divide it, I really have no right to interfere. 8,200,000 yuan for 50 yuan. This is no longer bias. Instead, he stomped me to the ground, then deliberately sprinkled a handful of salt on the wound.

"Do you sign or not?"

My mother slammed the pen on the table.

"If you don't sign, you won't even get 50 yuan."

"Today, people from the clearance committee will come to receive the documents."

"Don't delay your sister's earning money."

I took the pen. The tip of the pen stopped on the paper. The old stories of the past twenty-two years... Each story, one by one... One after another appeared before my eyes. From childhood to adulthood, in my mother's eyes there was only Tham Nguyet. When I was six years old, my two sisters both had a fever. Mom carried her to the hospital that night. And I was left at home, feverish to the point of coma. The old lady selling tofu in the alley discovered it and took me for an intravenous drip. When I was twelve years old, the restaurant was doing well. Mother bought Tham Nguyet a piano worth more than 20,000 yuan. And I want to buy a set of reference books for 120 yuan.

"What's the point of a girl studying so much? Won't she also get married in the future?"

The year I took the university entrance exam. I passed the exam at a key university in the province. Tham Nguyet failed the exam. Mom didn't let me go to school. She forced me to stay at the restaurant to work.

"Your sister is in a bad mood, don't stimulate her."

After that, my grandfather sold his most precious watch, collecting enough tuition and living expenses for me. If there is no grandfather. Maybe I've been locked in this kitchen my whole life. Later, I studied and worked at the same time. On his day off, he returned to the shop to help. The salary earned is almost all given to the family. As for Tham Nguyet, she studied baking and then studied management. School fees, living expenses, car expenses... All are paid by my mother. I used to think. Anyway, we are all one family. I just need to try a little more, give in a little more. Perhaps there will be a day when I will be treated fairly. But today. The paper in front of me completely woke me up. In my heart Surname. I'm not even worth 50 yuan. When I was a child, every time the restaurant had braised pork with Chinese meat, Tham Nguyet was always the one to choose the meat first. As for me, I can only add sauce to rice to eat temporarily. Every time Tham Nguyet criticized the sauce for being too fatty, her mother immediately fried an egg for her. When she was in school, Tham Nguyet wanted to learn dancing. Tuition for one year is 30,000 yuan. Even though my mother had to save money, she still paid enough for her. And I want to go to the city to participate in a cooking competition. Only missing 500 yuan for registration. Chu Kien Dan laughed again:

"Do you still need to learn to cook? Don't embarrass yourself anymore."

Five grandfathers were seriously ill. I was in the hospital taking care of him for three months. Tham Nguyet only visited once. She took a photo and posted it on social networks to show off to her friends that she was very filial. Even the shop her grandfather left behind belongs to her. I put down the pen and wrote the words Tham Niem. Tham Nguyet immediately jumped up from the chair.

"Mom! That's more than eight million yuan!"

"I'm going to have my own store!"

She immediately took out her phone to call her friends.

"Hello, Tinh Tinh? I have great news for you."

"My old shop was demolished."

"I was given more than 8,000,000 yuan."

"That's right, it's just me."

"Tham Niem?"

"She only got 50 yuan."

"Who says it's not good?"

"What if grandpa teaches him how to cook?"

"In the end, aren't we still just serving people?"

There was high-pitched laughter on the other end of the line.

"Nguyet Nguyet, your mother really loves you."

"Tham Niem must be angry to death, right?"

"What can you do now?"

Tham Nguyet deliberately put the phone in front of me, as if afraid I wouldn't hear clearly.

"Does he dare not sign?"

"Eat at my house, stay at my house."

"Isn't it my mother who raised it all these years?"

Trieu Que Phan opened the drawer. She took out a crumpled 50 yuan bill and threw it on the edge of the table.

"Take it."

"There's no need to go to the shop tomorrow."

"The clearance team is about to start construction."

"You should also go out and find something to do."

I looked at that bill. Don't reach out to receive. Zhou Kien Dan stubbed his cigarette butt into the blue flower ceramic bowl. A black burn mark immediately appeared on the bottom of the bowl.

"Don't make that face."

"Later, my sister will open a big restaurant."

"Who knows, maybe I can even give you a hand to wash the dishes."

Tham Nguyet burst out laughing and continued:

"Wash the dishes, you can't do it either."

"His arms and legs are very slow."

"Or let him stand outside the door to welcome guests."

"Anyway, it looks okay."

The soup in the clay pot boiled out. I turned to turn off the stove. It was the stewed duck and radish soup that my grandfather liked the most when he was alive. This morning, mom said someone from the clearance committee would come. Tell me to make a decent table of food. Let people see that the Tham family is presentable. I did. They eat dishes that my grandfather taught me to cook. Divide up the shop that my grandfather left behind. Then threw me 50 yuan as alms. Right at that moment. The wind chime in front of the door jingled softly. Ms. Truong from the clearance committee carried her document bag and walked in. As soon as she saw the money distribution on the table, she immediately stopped.

"Is Tham Niem here too?"

Trieu Que Phan immediately changed his face and smiled warmly.

"She just signed it."

"Sister Truong, look at it, our whole family agrees."

Ms. Truong did not accept it. Her eyes stopped on my name. Look at me for two seconds. Then looked again at the series of numbers on the paper. Tham Nguyet immediately pulled the paper towards herself.

"Please don't interfere in our family matters."

"It's voluntary."

Ms. Truong put her file bag down on the table, her voice calmer.

"Volunteer is fine."

"It's just that this store was voted as the unique store of the old town that year."

"Before clearance, records must be kept."

"The head chef must sign an additional confirmation."

Upon hearing that, Tham Nguyet immediately grabbed the pen.

"I'm the future boss."

Ms. Truong raised her hand to stop him.

"Not the mistress."

"It's the chef."

"The records must clearly state the person directly cooking."

The shop was immediately quiet. Trieu Que Phan reacted very quickly.

"Of course it's Nguyet Nguyet."

"Our restaurant's famous dishes were all researched by him."

Tham Nguyet immediately straightened her back.