Chapter 21 — Mother's Boundaries

When you back down, others feel you are easy to bully. When you stand firm, others will begin to speak moderately to you. Halfway through a hundred-day meal, Ma Phuong Lan made a video call. Luc Minh Vien looked at me. I nodded. He answered the phone. In the video, Ma Phuong Lan sits at home, next to Luc Kien Quoc. She saw the food on the table, her eyes flashed. "Today is a hundred days." Luc Minh Vien said: "Yes." Ma Phuong Lan pursed her lips. "Why didn't you call us?" The atmosphere was a bit quiet. I put down my chopsticks. Luc Minh Vien held the phone, his voice was calm. "Mom, I've said it before." "I have to make an appointment in advance." "There are few people in the family today, Thanh Hoa has not long since recovered, no big parties will be held." Ma Phuong Lan's eyes turned red again. "Mom, you're not an outsider." I've heard this sentence too many times. If I heard it before, I would be angry. Now that I hear it, I just calm down. Luc Minh Vien said: "Whether you're an outsider or not, it doesn't look at how you address them." "But look at how you do things." Ma Phuong Lan was stunned. Luc Kien Quoc's face darkened. "Minh Vien, are you talking to your mother with this attitude?" Luc Minh Vien did not avoid it. "Dad, we can live in harmony." "But it can't be like before." "Mom and Dad respect Thanh Hoa, and also respect this small family of yours." "Then let's go back and forth." "If you still want to use your elder status to oppress someone, then we'll talk less." The beginning of the video was quiet for a long time. Ma Phuong Lan's lips moved. Finally, she suddenly said: "Thanh Hoa." I raised my eyes. "Yes." She looked at me, her expression extremely awkward. "In the past... there were some things I said that were hard to hear." "Your mother has had a hard time taking care of her." I didn't immediately respond. Everyone at the dinner table looked at me. I know your words still don't count as a full apology. She does not admit to favoring men over women. Don't admit bias. Do not admit to going to the riot unit. Did not admit stealing documents. But for Ma Phuong Lan, being able to say the words "her mother has worked hard" was like peeling a layer of dignity off her body. I calmly said: "I will pass the word on to my mother." "As for how we will live together in the future, we have to see how you do." Ma Phuong Lan's eyes darkened a bit. She didn't cry anymore. Just nodded. After the video ended, she said in a low voice: "That's true." "There are some people who, if they don't knock once, will never feel pain." My mother looked at me and said nothing. In her eyes there was joy, but also pain. After the meal, everyone left one by one. It was quiet in the house. Luc Minh Vien cleaned up the dishes and chopsticks, I hugged An An and stood on the balcony. The night wind is very light. An An lay on my shoulder, her small hand holding my collar. Luc Minh Vien finished washing the dishes and walked behind me. He said in a low voice: "Thanh Hoa." I don't turn around. He continued: "I know it's too late to say anything now." "But I still want to say, sorry." "It's not for you to forgive me." "It's because I really know I was wrong." I looked at the light outside the window. "I was wrong not because I didn't help you fight." "But when you needed me the most, I left you alone to face it." His voice was tense. "I know." "There won't be any more later." I turned around and looked at him. "Luc Minh Vien, you won't." Listen later." "I'm just looking at the present." He nodded. "Okay." An An was awake now. The little girl opened her eyes sleepily, her mouth pursed, she felt like she was about to cry. Luc Minh Vien immediately reached out. "Let me." I didn't stop. He carried An An over, her posture was very stable. He gently patted his child's back, coaxing him in a low voice. "An An isn't crying." "Daddy's here." An An hummed twice, but it really quieted down. I stood aside, watching this scene. There is no relief in my heart of a perfect ending. There is also no softness of being completely let down. Just feel, life has finally returned to a place I can control. I didn't immediately get a divorce. Also

Don't forgive immediately. I give this marriage some time to observe. Not to give Luc Minh Vien a chance. It's about giving myself time. If you can always be a satisfactory husband and father, I will keep going. If you return like before, I have enough evidence, confidence and ability to take An An away. Later, someone asked me, is it too cruel to only invite my mother's family on the first day of the month? I smiled. So what? I'm just giving back the weight that others gave me. My mother-in-law said her health was not good, so I didn't let her work hard. My sister-in-law said her mother was having a hard time, so I left them to grieve for each other. My husband told me to sympathize, so I let him learn on his own what responsibility is. Before, I always thought that family members had to rely on patience to save face. Only later did I understand that real dignity is not earned by patience. But after the boundary is firmly established, others no longer dare to arbitrarily step on you. When An An was one year old, she knew how to hold on to the sofa and slowly stand up. That day, she took a staggering step towards me. I squatted down on the ground, stretching out my arms. Luc Minh Vien stood next to him, so nervous that he didn't dare make a sound.