Chapter 6 — My Wife Is Not An Outsider

“There's something wrong.” I said: "Mom, call Dad and An An out too."

“What requires such a formal meeting?” She smiled, but there was wariness in her eyes.

“I'll talk after I finish eating.”

At nine thirty, the whole family sat outside in the living room. My father sat on a single sofa, holding a cup of tea. Luc An An was pulled out of the room, her face frowned from sleep, her hair messy, huddled in the corner of the sofa clutching her phone. Wen Duong sat next to me, I felt her fingers tightening on the seam of her pants and then loosening.

“Say it.” My mother leaned back, crossed her legs: "What's going on?"

I pulled out a sheet of A4 paper from my pocket, opened it, and placed it on the tea table. That is the summary table of my family's income and expenditure for the past half year that I made. Each income and expenditure is clear, clearly printed, and some important numbers are highlighted in red.

“What is this?” My mother glanced over.

“The books have been in the house for half a year.” I said: "Every month I give you five thousand for living expenses, half a year is thirty thousand. Mom, where have these thirty thousand been spent?"

She uncrossed her legs.

"Where do you spend it? Buying vegetables, meat, electricity, gas, daily necessities, anything that doesn't require money?"

“I figured it out.” I pointed to the number on the paper: "This half year's supermarket expenses and shopping expenses, plus electricity and water for apartment management fees, total less than twelve thousand. So where is the remaining eighteen thousand?"

The corner of my mother's mouth twitched.

"What's the difference in pocket money? Who can remember each item?"

“No need to remember.” I swiped open my phone and opened the bank app's transfer history: "Mom has transferred six times to An An in the past half year, totaling nine thousand six. The notes are all about buying clothes and cosmetics."

Luc An An raised his head.

"Also, ribs, fish, shrimp, all kinds of ingredients in the house..." I stopped, looked straight at my mother: "It wasn't what you bought."

My mother's face changed. It wasn't that the color changed gradually, but in an instant, the blood drained from her cheeks, her lips pressed tightly into a straight line.

"Every month Wen Duong spends two or three thousand out of his own pocket, goes to the market to buy fish, meat, and shrimp, and stuffs the refrigerator with him." My voice wasn't loud, but the living room was very quiet, every word was clear: "Mom, you take the ingredients she bought to cook, then finish eating, leaving some residue for her."

“I don't have…”

“Yes.”

I opened the video on my phone. In the picture, three people are sitting around the dining table. The dining table is filled with hot food. I turned the phone towards my mother. Her eyes fell on the screen, the expression on her face was like someone who had just been slapped without having time to react - completely blank. The video changes to the evening, Wen Duong stands in front of the kitchen counter, eating leftover rice with Lao Qianma chili sauce. No one spoke in the living room. My father put down the tea cup, the bottom of the cup hit the glass table with a "click" sound. Luc An An's phone screen was dark, it didn't bother to turn back on.

“So,” I pulled out my phone: “From today onwards, there are a few things that need to change.”

"First, when eating later, wait until everyone is present before eating. At the latest, Wen Duong will be home at 7:30, wait half an hour and no one will starve to death."

“But your father's stomach…”

“Dad, is there any problem with your stomach?” I turned to look at dad.

My father picked up the cup of tea, took a sip, and put it down.

“…Last year I had a normal health check-up often."

My mother's face turned red.

“Second,” I continued: “I still give my living expenses every month, but starting from this month, I will list my expenses. What to buy, how much to spend, compare at the end of the month.”

“What do you mean?” My mother's voice shrilled: "I've managed this house for two years, now you want to check my books?"

“Not a test. It's transparency."

"Third," I looked at Luc An An: "An An, I borrowed twelve thousand from my sister-in-law, I have to pay it back before the end of this month."