Chapter 7 — Mother's Last Painting

"Old woman, don't be on the wrong side. In the future, who will have a say in this house is still uncertain." Ms. Truong spat. "I've lived to this age, and it's the first time I've seen someone rob someone else's house and be so arrogant." Lam Uyen's face darkened. I thought that by going to the police station, this matter could at least be resolved. Unexpectedly, the first thing Lam Uyen said after sitting down was: "I want Hua Thanh Thanh to apologize to me, and make sure not to continue to provoke me." I asked: "What did I provoke you?" She touched her belly. "You told me to move away, causing me to almost have a miscarriage." The police turned over the report. "Didn't the hospital check that there were no problems?" Lam's mother immediately said: "Just because there are no problems now doesn't mean there won't be any in the future. Pregnancy is frightening; who will be responsible if something goes wrong?" Lam Hao crossed his legs. "Tell her to pay some compensation, this matter is over." I looked at him. "Just now you led someone to break into my house, pushed my uncle, and stole my things. What's up with that?" Lam Hao smirked. "Where is the evidence?" I opened the video. In the video, the scene of him pushing the second uncle was clearly filmed. Lam Hao's face changed. Lam's mother immediately said: "He's still young and doesn't understand things, why are you comparing him?" I said: "If he's young and doesn't understand, I can ask the police to teach him." Lam Hao stood up. "You threatened me?" The police pounded the table. "Sit down!" Lam Hao was not willing to sit back. Lam Uyen cried and looked at Tham Minh Trach. "Minh Trach, if something happens to your younger brother because of you, how should you tell your mother?" Tham Minh Trach looked at me. "Thanh Thanh, give me some consideration." I asked: "So where is your dignity?" He frowned. "Do I have to make a big deal out of it?" I said: "You guys brought people to my house." Tham Minh Trach lowered his voice. "Don't forget that my parents are still living in your yard. If it's really stressful, it would be awkward for them to be stuck in the middle." The second uncle immediately raised his head. "Don't use your parents to pressure your niece." Second aunt pulled second uncle again. "What Minh Trach said is not without reason." I looked at my second aunt. She didn't dare look at me. Finally, Lam Hao wrote a commitment letter, requiring Lam's mother to compensate me for the clay pot. Three hundred yuan. The things my mother left behind were only worth three hundred yuan in their mouths. Leaving the police station, Lam Uyen gave me a piece of paper. "These are the family rules I wrote. If you want to continue living, you must follow them." I refused to take it. She stuffed it straight into my lap. "First, don't use the stove after seven o'clock in the morning, oil smoke is not good for pregnant women. Second, don't bathe after ten o'clock at night, the sound of water affects my sleep. Third, hand over the key to the backyard, I want to convert it into a baby room. Fourth, pay ten thousand yuan in living expenses each month, within three days it must be transferred to Minh Trach." I tore the paper. Lam Uyen's face changed. "Hua Thanh Thanh!" I said, "You can keep writing, I can keep tearing." Lam's mother rushed forward but was stopped by the security guard in front of the police station. "Don't cause trouble here." Lam Hao gritted his teeth. "You just wait." I looked at him. "I wait." That evening, my second uncle knocked on my door. In his hand he held a bank card. "Thanh Thanh, there's some money in here, take it first. I'll advise you on Uyen Uyen's side." I refused to take it. "Second uncle, can you advise?" He placed the card on the table. "Minh Trach was manipulated by the Lam family and became confused." I asked: "What about second aunt?" The second uncle could not answer. I pushed the card back. "Please keep it. I don't lack this money." The second uncle smiled bitterly. "I only just became a full-time employee. How much could my salary be?" I did not explain. The old phone on the table lit up, it was a text message sent by Aunt Chu. There's only one sentence. Tomorrow someone will come to see the paintings in the backyard, don't let outsiders get close. The second uncle saw the words on the screen and his face changed. "Thanh Thanh, do people really want to see the things in the backyard?" I asked: "Haven't you always known?" The second uncle's hand, which had been stroking his beard, froze. "I know your mother left behind some paintings, but I don't know if they're worth the money or not." I said: "I don't know whether they're valuable, but they have nothing to do with them." The second uncle nodded. "I understand." Outside the door came Lam Uyen's voice. "Dad, what are you doing in Hua Thanh Thanh's room?" The second uncle opened the door and went out. Lam Uyen was holding a glass of milk and standing in the hallway. "I'm pregnant, I want to ask dad to help me warm a cup of milk. Dad, why are you rushing to give her money?" The second uncle lost face. "This is Thanh Thanh's business." Lam Uyen looked at me. "What? The paintings in the backyard?" Her eyes changed. "Hua Thanh Thanh, are you hiding valuable items in the backyard?" I closed the door. Outside the door, Lam Uyen's voice still rang out. "Dad, how much are you hiding from me?" The next morning, Aunt Chu arrived. She wore a blue fabric shirt that had faded due to many washes, her hair was tied in a neat bun, and she was carrying a wooden box in her hand. When I opened the door, Lam Uyen was sitting in the sun in the front yard. Lam's mother was also there, biting melon seeds in her hand.