Chapter 3 — Mother-in-law sold dowry for 320,000 yuan, I reported it to the police and their whole house collapsed

About an hour later, Luc Triet called again.

“Wife… I just had an argument with my mother.”

His voice revealed fatigue and helplessness.

"She admitted it, it was all a lie. She was afraid that I would really sue her, so she said that, wanting my mother to come forward and advise me."

"Really?"

"It's true. I spoke harshly to her. You see, this is actually just a misunderstanding. It's true that I lost money, but the matter of my mother selling your things... I didn't know at all before. She only loved her child, and was suddenly confused. I respect you, and I see that she's older, can we let it go this time?"

He returned to his original tone.

"Let's withdraw the application. I'll take care of the money myself. Right now I'll make up for more than 200,000 yuan, and I'll write a debt note for about 100,000 yuan, and I'll definitely pay it off within a year. Do you think that's okay?"

His voice was almost pleading.

“Luc Triet, do you really think the problem is still just money?”

"I understand, I know you're upset. But what's going on between husband and wife that they can't get over? Making such a big deal of going to the police station that people outside will laugh at you?"

"Outsiders? In your eyes, who is the outsider?"

"I... I don't mean that. I mean don't bring things out at home..."

"Theft is a criminal case, it's not like I said withdraw it and it's over. And I also didn't withdraw it."

I interrupted.

“Lin Xiaoxue!”

He finally couldn't hold it in anymore, his voice immediately stiffened.

"Do you have to be so unfaithful? Do you want my mother to go to jail? She's almost seventy, if she gets convicted, what face will my family have? How can I keep my head up when I work in the future?"

“When she sold my dowry, why didn't she think about my face?”

“I… I'm really unreasonable!”

There was a dry hang-up sound on the other end of the line. I put down the phone. It's so cold inside that there's no heat left. At this point, what he cares about is still his family's reputation and his own future. My humiliation, the things I lost, and my wounded heart... In front of that so-called "face", it's not worth a penny. I opened my laptop and logged back into the forums. The more they expected me to give in, the more I couldn't back down. Not only do I have to find my belongings, but I also have to investigate clearly where that 320,000 yuan went. Is it really as he said, using it all to cover the loss of more than 200,000 yuan? So the remaining amount of more than 100,000 yuan... falls into whose pocket? All afternoon, I flipped through almost all the local forums and second-hand trading platforms in Hangzhou. No results. The other party was very careful and never rushed to sell. Just when I was about to give up, a post suddenly caught my eye. That's the residential activities section, someone is complaining about the management board.

"What's wrong with our area these days? There are moving trucks coming in every day, it's so noisy! Last night, the 18th floor, unit 2, building C was moving things until midnight, pounding, can we still let people sleep?"

Building C, unit 2, 18th floor. This is my house floor. My heart sank. I immediately went to the poster's personal page and sent a private message.

“Hello, may I ask what day the move on the 18th floor was?”

The other party responded very quickly.

“The day before yesterday, Tuesday, changed from afternoon.”

Tuesday afternoon. That day I was on a business trip to Shanghai and would only return at night.

“This is very important to me. You still remember the name moving company or license plate number? Or is there a hallway camera in front of your house?

“I don't pay attention to the company name, and I don't even remember the license plate. But my house has a smart doorbell installed with video recording, so I can review it."

My heart jumped into my throat. Palms are sweaty. About five minutes later, the other party sent a video. The image is a bit blurry, blocked by the hallway, and the camera angle is also off. But I still recognized it immediately. Several workers wearing blue uniforms were struggling to carry from my house a curved-top sulfur wood project. And the person standing at the door, pointing his finger like a supervisor... was my mother-in-law, Luu Que Lan. She stood there with her hands on her hips, toothpick in her mouth, shouting at the commander and laughing happily. Not the slightest bit guilty. There is only satisfaction and pleasure. At the end of the video, a middle-aged man wearing a dark suit, looking like a manager, walked over and gave her a thick envelope. She took it, weighing it lightly in her hand. Immediately, laugh until the corners of your eyes wrinkle. I stared at the screen, my eyes fixed on the backs of the porters' shirts, as if wanting to penetrate every fiber of the fabric. Behind them, three white words stand out—Co Nha Trai. I immediately picked up my phone, opened the browser, and quickly typed those three words. The first result that appears is the official website of an antique chain store, which also clearly states "headquarters in Hangzhou". The introduction is written very clearly: specializing in trading antique wooden furniture of the Ming Qing Dynasty, antiques, and high-end display items. Not a scrap shop. Not even a normal moving company. It's a place that specializes in buying and reselling high-priced antiques. I clicked on the home page, scrolled down to the "new items on shelves" section. Then saw. My stuff. My curved top sulfur wooden case. My pair of white jade vases. I meticulously collected ceramic tea sets. Even the embroidery "Hundred birds and phoenixes" left by my grandmother... All are located in the most prominent position. Labeled "shop town". Under soft lights, with ridiculously exaggerated introductions. The price listed behind each dish... is so high that it makes people's scalp numb. Just that wooden case alone—it cost up to 500,000 yuan. In the video, Co Nha Trai's people took all my things away, only giving my mother-in-law a mere 320,000 yuan in cash. I quickly took a photo of each page and saved them all. Then he collected all the videos sent by neighbors, packaged them, and sent them straight to police Chu Nhat Minh.

“I found out where my things are.”

I finished typing that sentence, checked it once, and then pressed send. Having finished everything, I plopped down on the chair. Tilt your head back, your chest rises and falls for a long time before you can breathe out. Liu Guilan's excuses, in the face of this evidence, are as thin as paper. One poke and it will tear. What happens next is no longer up to her to decide. It's about seeing how she will explain herself to the police. Early the next morning, news came from the police. Faster than I thought. Chu Nhat Minh led people straight to Co Nha Trai. Right on the spot, I saw all my things displayed in a glass cabinet. Exhibits, evidence, everything. Even if you want to deny it, you can't deny it. The store owner was taken to the station to coordinate the investigation. My belongings were inventoried, photographed, and temporarily sealed as evidence. Liu Guilan was summoned again. This time, she had no way to say "misunderstanding" or "selling scrap". Close At four o'clock in the afternoon, my phone suddenly rang. It's Luc Triet. I looked at his name, my finger paused for two seconds before answering the phone.