Chapter 1 — Mother's Chess Game

Return home from college summer break. My dad's phone is in the living room to charge. I had free time and nothing to do, so I wanted to see if the old man was hiding a slush fund. Suddenly, WeChat popped up a storm warning message. Is a group of residents. 【“Bavi” is about to land in Jiang Zhehu, I hope householders close their windows and clean up flower pots on their balconies.】 I was stunned for a moment. My family's ancestors have never left the Northeast for three generations. I conveniently clicked on the group message, it was a group of residents of an apartment complex.
I pulled up the chat history and one day the house management tagged my father in the group. 【Mr. Ha, your Tieu Bao is crying downstairs, saying he can't find his aunt anymore.】 【Your nanny is so irresponsible, a three-year-old child can't look like that.】 This year my father is fifty-five years old, my mother is fifty-two years old. I am an only daughter, twenty-four years old this year. At this moment, my father came out of the kitchen carrying fruit. I held up my phone and asked him: "Dad, let's go travel to Suzhou! Feel it."
Jiangnan dust and rain?” …… My father placed a plate of pre-cut watermelon on the tea table, conveniently took the phone out of my hand, his tone was very casual. “Why are you going to Suzhou?” “Don't you watch the news? The storm is about to hit, should we go there to see the sea?" I stared into his eyes. "The storm is only a few days away." He sat down on the sofa, crossed his legs. "That's not good." "There's nothing interesting about the Jiangnan river to see, it's all artificial landscapes, the entrance ticket is too expensive to go." I still refused to give up. "But I see above.
The internet says it's fun to play there." He frowned, his tone impatient. "Can you believe what you say on the internet?" "My mother's back hurts these past few days and she can't bear to go far." The kitchen door was pushed open, and my mother walked out with two bowls of green bean sweet soup. She placed the green bean sweet soup in front of me. "What are you two talking about?" My father immediately made a sad face. "Noan Noan keeps asking to go to To Chau to play." "I said your back is not good, don't sit down." The plane took a long time, so I refused her." My mother sat down, brought up the green bean tea and took a sip. "This child
You really do whatever you think." "Mom's back is really not good. If you really want to go, let your father take you." My father quickly waved his hand. "I don't have time." "Recently the company took on a big project, and I wish I could break myself into eight parts to use it. I still have to go on a business trip to Shanghai this weekend." On a business trip to Shanghai. From Shanghai to Suzhou, it only takes half an hour by high-speed train. I lowered my eyes, picked up a piece of watermelon and took a bite. "That's it." "I don't want to go that far either." My dad
Pick up the phone and quickly slide your finger across the screen a few times. My mother suddenly spoke up. "Oh right, Kien Quan, next month is your mother's eightieth birthday. We have to go back to our hometown, right?" My father's movements stiffened. "Going home, we definitely have to go home." "But maybe you have to come two days late. The project in Shanghai is following too closely, so I can't go." My mother nodded. "Then you and Noan Noan will go home first. Prepare your congratulatory money, don't let the eldest brother laugh at you." My father replied lightly. then stood up. “I know,
I went into the office to process some emails." I watched the office door close, turned my head to look at my mother. She carried the fruit plate into the kitchen. I returned to the room, turned on the computer. Although my father entrusted a large amount of money in the house to my mother to manage, under his name there were two construction material companies. I opened Qichacha, entered my father's company name. Half a year ago, my father's company had full rights to register a shell trading company in Suzhou. Legal representative The name is Lam Thanh Hoan. I copied this name,
Open Douyin. Search: Lam Thanh Hoan, To Chau. Redirect page. At the top is a blogger with more than a hundred thousand followers. The profile photo is a young woman. Account introduction: 【Gen 95, the leisurely flower of wealth in Jiangnan. Grateful for your favoritism.】 I clicked on her personal page. The first pinned video is a vlog decorating a large apartment. Description: 【For me, he bought a whole castle in Jiangnan.】 At the end of the video, the lens passes through the ground-level window in the living room, on the shadow
reflection of the glass layer. I saw my father's face clearly. I stared at the reflection on the screen, nausea churning in my stomach. The video was posted three months ago. At that time, my father told my mother that he had to go to Hainan to survey an environmental protection construction materials project. I clicked to watch other videos of Lam Thanh Hoan, scrolling down each video one by one. Every video is challenging my cognitive limits. 【Uncle said, the first wife is only worthy of smelling the smell of oil smoke in the kitchen
I only deserve to smell the Chanel he gave me.】 The attached photo is a whole row of Chanel bags. 【Today Tieu Bao has a fever, he flew over at night to be with my mother and me. He said, this is a real family of three.】 The attached photo is my father holding the child receiving IV fluids in the hospital, wearing the Rolex my mother bought for him last year on his wrist. 【Uncle said, wait until the name of the store in my house is finished, he will completely cut off the other side.】 The attached photo is a corner of the real estate certificate that has been partially obscured. Hands and feet
I'm cold. Shop. My family has a three hundred square meter street store in the city center, which was my mother's dowry. He actually wanted to transfer the store's name to this woman? Outside, my mother's voice rang out. "Noan Noan, let's go out to dinner." Walking to the dining room, my father was already sitting in the chair. Today he seemed to be in a very good mood, even opening a bottle of Maotai. He gave me a small cup of wine. "Come on, Noan Noan, have a drink with dad." I pulled out a chair and sat down, my voice light. "I don't know."
drink. Dad, can you postpone that business trip to Shanghai?" My father's hand pouring wine stopped, he looked at me. "What's wrong?" "My classmate interned in Shanghai, said the storm there was very serious." "It's too dangerous for you to go now." My father smiled, placing the cup of wine in front of him. "Worry." "The customer over there is urgent, the contract is several million yuan, can you not go?" "But the storm..." "Okay." My father interrupted me, his voice a little impatient. "If adults do business, you should take care of it less. I know in my heart
"He turned his head to look at my mother, indifferently opening his mouth. "Thuc Phan, where did you put the real estate certificate of the store in the city center?" My heart suddenly sank. Here it is. My mother was spooning soup for me, her head not even raising her head. "In the safe, why are you suddenly asking about this?" "Ah, recently the company wanted to borrow money to expand the production line." "The bank needs collateral. Are you thinking about mortgaging the store and turning it around for a few months?" My mother put down the soup ladle,
looked at him. "Mortgage of the store? Isn't there still more than five million yuan of liquid money in the company account?" My father's expression changed slightly, his eyes avoided. "That money cannot be touched, it is the last payment to the supplier." My mother frowned. "Kien Quan, that store is the root of my family." "The mortgage risk is too big. What if the company's capital chain is broken, and the store is confiscated by the bank?" My father hit it hard. glass of wine on the table. "What do you mean by that?" "I've been working on construction for so many years, has that ever happened?
Have you made a mistake yet?" "I'm out there risking my life and death for this house. I'm fine, I can't even bear to take out a real estate certificate?" My mother's voice was still calm. "It's not that I can't bear it, I just don't feel it's necessary to take such risks." My father snorted coldly. "I don't understand what you're telling me. Tomorrow I'll get the papers out for you, I'll go do the procedures." I looked at him, wishing I couldn't throw the bowl of hot soup right in his face. I coldly opened my mouth. "Dad, the store is in my mother's name. That's it
I need you to go to the bank to sign your name." Obviously my father had forgotten this detail, a little embarrassed and angry. "If you sign, sign!" "Tomorrow your mother will go to the bank with dad!" My mother opened her mouth indifferently. "Tomorrow you are not free." My father was completely angry. "What do you have that you are not free?!" "You are idle at home every day, besides cooking and buying food, what else do you have?!" My mother looked at him, her voice still calm. static. "My high blood pressure has come back, I've made an appointment to see a specialist tomorrow." My father stared at my mother, confused.
His chest heaved violently. "Okay, then I'll go see a doctor first. Wait until I get back from my business trip to Shanghai, then we'll go back to work." He stood up, slammed the door straight into the office. I turned my head to look at my mother, lowering my voice. "Mom, you can't sign." My mother raised her head and smiled at me. "Idiot, I'm not stupid. Hurry up and eat, the food is cold." Early the next morning, my father pulled his suitcase out of the house. I stood on the balcony watching his car drive out of the compound. Then, I took out my phone and bought a high-speed train ticket. The high-speed train stopped
at Suzhou station. It was pouring rain outside, so I took a taxi and went straight to Giang Nam Nha Uyen. This is a famous rich area in Suzhou, cars and outsiders basically cannot enter. I held an umbrella and stood opposite the apartment complex. Three o'clock in the afternoon. A black Mercedes-Benz G slowly drove out from the apartment complex. The license plate is very familiar, it's my father's car. He said he had lent this car to a friend to drive out of the province. The car stopped in front of the apartment complex's convenience store. The passenger seat door is pushed
When I got out, my father held a black umbrella and walked down. He wore a comfortable linen suit and looked ten years younger than at home. He quickly entered the convenience store and went straight to the shelves. I stood behind the shelf next to the cashier, holding my breath very tightly. "Boss, take two boxes of imported children's fever-reducing patches, plus another box of cherries." My father's voice came. He paid, picked up his things, turned around and walked out. I poked my head out from the shelf. The rear seat window of the Mercedes was lowered halfway. Lam Thanh Hoan sat next to him
inside, holding that three-year-old boy in his arms. Lam Thanh Hoan's pampering voice came through the rain. "Husband, hurry up, Tieu Bao keeps crying for you to hold." "Come here, come here." My father came slowly. He opened the car door and sat in the back seat. He very naturally hugged Lam Thanh Hoan in his arms and kissed the boy on the face. My father's voice was so gentle that it seemed like it could water. "Daddy, my dear, are you still upset?" He had never used such a tone with me. In my memories from childhood to adulthood,
he was forever strict, impatient. The boy said in an immature voice. "Dad, I want to eat big cherries." "Okay, okay, dad, wash them for me." The car window slowly raised, the Mercedes sped away in the rain. I stood in place, my nails digging deep into my palms. This is his business trip, a big project of several million yuan. I took out my phone and looked at the video I just recorded. In the picture, the family of three is happy and harmonious. I clicked save, then turned around and took a taxi straight to Hongqiao airport. When I got home,
it was the next morning. I pushed the door in and discovered the living room was full of people. My grandmother, my eldest uncle, my uncle-in-law, were all there. My mother sat on the sofa, her face pale.