Chapter 5 — My Neighbor Sold My Car For 2,500 Yuan, I Sue Them To The End

That night when I got home, I met old Han downstairs. He walked back smiling.

"Tieu Lam, I heard about that, the car was found, right? So should we just call it a day? I'll tell Ms. Chu, tell her to apologize to you, are you okay?"

“Yeah yeah, have a good attitude, apologize properly in front of her.”

“The 260,000 car had its parts removed, sorry and that's it?”

Old Han's smile stiffened.

“So… what are you planning?”

"How she compensates is her business. But this cannot end with an apology."

I don't say more, go upstairs. As soon as I got into the elevator, the phone rang. Picking up the phone, there was a woman's voice on the line, quite harsh.

"Is that Lam Van? I'm Luu Mai, Chu Cuong's wife. Can you stop making such a big deal out of it? My mother-in-law is over sixty years old, do you have to force her to the end?"

"She sold my 260,000 car for 2,500, even removing the components. Do you see who is forcing who?"

The other side was silent for two seconds.

“Is that car… really worth that much?”

“The agent has confirmed with the police.”

Silence again. Then hung up. I reached the seventh floor. Standing in front of the door, I heard arguing from 702. Chu Que Phuong's voice, Luu Mai's voice, Chu Cuong's voice mixed together. Suddenly I heard Luu Mai shout:

“Do you know how big a problem Mom ended up causing!”

I don't listen anymore. Open the door, step in. The next morning, at the police station. When I arrived, Chu Que Phuong was sitting there. Today she doesn't wear makeup, her face is gray. Next to them are Chu Cuong and Luu Mai. Lawyer Hoang did not appear. I sat opposite. Tran Khai opened a file.

"Through verification and appraisal, Ms. Lam's car had an initial purchase price of 260,000. Currently, the market price of a used car of the same model is about 180,000 to 220,000. During the transfer process, some components were removed and damaged, the initial estimated repair cost is about 15,000."

He stopped and looked at Chu Que Phuong.

"Ms. Chu arbitrarily sold another person's car worth more than 200,000 for 2,500, then sold it to an unknown person, without any procedures. Although the car was recovered, there was damage. The nature of the incident is quite serious."

Chu Que Phuong sat there, rubbing the corners of his shirt with both hands. Chu Cuong chimed in:

“Comrade Tran, my mother didn't know that car was so expensive, she really didn't mean it.”

“Knowing it or not, it doesn't change the fact that she freely disposed of other people's property.”

Luu Mai pushed Chu Cuong and turned to Chu Que Phuong:

“Mom, say something.”

Chu Que Phuong raised her head to look at me, her lips trembling several times.

"I... I really don't know if it's worth that much. I just find that car too noisy..."

“So how do you think we should solve it?” Tran Khai asked.

Chu Que Phuong bowed his head again. Chu Cuong gritted his teeth.

"Compensation. We pay compensation. We pay for car repairs. 15,000, we pay."

“It's not just about repair money.” Tran Khai said. “The decrease in value during the period of illegal handling, and the emotional loss of the car owner, all need to be negotiated.”

Chu Cuong's face was sometimes red and sometimes white.

“So how much does she want?”

Everyone looked towards me. I don't look at them. I looked at the appraisal on the table. There is a line in there: List of damaged components. There is one item. The exhaust pipe was customized by my father himself. Can't get it back anymore.

“I don't need 15,000 to fix it.”

Chu Que Phuong raised his head. Chu Cuong was also stunned.

"On one's own keep it. Save it to take your grandchild to the doctor."

I stood up.

“But this… isn't over yet.”

Chu Que Phuong looked at me, his face pale.

“What… what do you mean?”

I picked up the files on the table and walked to the door. Then come back.

“That car was left to me by my father. He saved for four years to buy it. Before leaving, he said… he would be with me instead.”

Chu Que Phuong opened his mouth, unable to speak.

“She used 2,500 yuan to sell it, and kept 800 to tell me to take her to the doctor. She even asked me... why I couldn't say thank you."

I looked straight into her eyes.

“Mrs. Zhou, from today onwards… every step on this path, you walk on your own.”

I turned around and left. Luu Mai's voice rang out behind him:

“What does she want anyway?”