Chapter 6 — My Parents Lived in AA for 45 Years

She doesn't want innocent people to pay the price. Right at that moment. Attorney Chu's phone rings. He looked at the screen.

“It's the court side.”

He stepped aside to answer the phone. About a few minutes later. He turned back. A look of joy was evident on his face.

“The court has agreed to accept all additional evidence.”

“At the same time…”

“Allow us to submit a request to verify the origin of assets.”

I clenched my fist. Everything has already begun. At the same time. On the other side of town. Dad is sitting with Luu Vien in a high-class restaurant. He raised his glass of wine.

“This time, there is finally no one left to look after us.”

Liu Yuan smiled sweetly.

“Mr. Tran.”

“Or should I just choose a registration date?”

Dad laughed loudly.

“Waiting to sell the old house.”

“I bought a villa.”

“Then hold the wedding.”

Luu Vien immediately took his hand.

“I know you are the most trustworthy person.”

Right at that moment. Dad's phone vibrated. Head of the company's finance department. He frowned.

“Why are you calling at this hour?”

Just picked up the phone. On the other end of the line came a worried voice.

“Chairman Tran.”

“Something happened.”

“This afternoon the tax authorities came to the company.”

Dad frowned.

“Just a routine check.”

“What are you panicking about?”

“Not a routine check.”

“They asked to review all financial records from the date of establishment of the company.”

The smile on Dad's face immediately disappeared.

“What did you say?”

“All… all?”

“They also asked for initial capital contribution documents.”

Dad stiffened. Then he smirked.

"No problem."

“The old file is long gone.”

“Even if I checked, I couldn't find anything.”

He hung up. Luu Vien asked curiously:

“What's the matter?”

Dad took a sip of wine.

“No worries.”

“Just checking documents.”

“Small matter.”

But he himself didn't realize it. While holding a glass of wine. My hands were shaking slightly. I was helping my mother clear the table when her phone rang. Mom looked at the caller's name. It's lawyer Chu. She turned on the speakerphone.

“I just received a message.”

"Mr. Tran's side has hired a lawyer."

“One of the best in the city.”

I was immediately tense.

“Or I too…”

Mom shook her head slightly.

"No need."

“The best.”

“The truth is not certain to prevail.”

Lawyer Chu laughed.

"I think so, too."

“But there is one thing.”

“I think I should warn you.”

“An hour ago.”

"Mr. Tran's lawyer has reviewed the copy of the commitment letter."

I was startled. The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds. Lawyer Chu slowly said each word.

“He only said one sentence.”

“‘If the original still exists…'”

“‘My client will probably lose.'”

The whole room fell into silence. Mom closed the lid of the iron box. His eyes were still as calm as the surface of a lake. She looked out the window at the night.

“He's starting to get scared.”

Still somewhere else. My father was still raising his glass and smiling and talking with Luu Vien. He was completely unaware. First card. Mother quietly placed it on the chessboard. That night, I almost didn't sleep. In my mind, there was only one sentence from lawyer Chu.

“If the original remained, my client would probably lose.”

I have always thought that my mother is a gentle person who has only known patience all her life. Only today did I realize it. It's not that mom doesn't know how to fight. But she never wanted to fight. The next morning. I took a leave of absence from work and took my mother to lawyer Chu's office. On the conference room table, dozens of files were neatly arranged. Lawyer Chu stood in front of the big screen, which was crowded with people timelines.

"Since receiving Ms. Tran's documents, I have spent nearly half a year comparing them."

“I used to think this was just a property dispute after divorce.”

“But the more we investigate…”

“The more we discovered, things are not that simple.”

He turned on the screen. A cash flow diagram appears. Red and blue arrows intertwine like a spider web.

“From the first year of establishing the company.”

“Until ten years ago.”

“All household expenses.”

“All corporate investments.”

“Almost everyone has a scribe.”

He turned his head to look at his mother.

“It's you.”

I looked at my mother in surprise.

“Do you really write it all down?”

Mother nodded slightly.

“My grandmother taught me when I was little.”

“Money can be lost.”

“But the books must be clear.”

“From the day we got married, my mother kept that habit.”

Lawyer Chu picked up an old notebook.

“The scariest thing is not that she took notes.”

“She recorded for forty-five years.”

He opened a page.

“1988.”

“Money to buy the company's first lathe.”

“Twelve thousand yuan.”

“Transfer date.”

“Account number.”

"Receiver."

“All match the bank data we just looked up.”

He opened another book.