Chapter 3 — Nanny Counts Moles

“Three years ago, obstetrics department of Nhan An Hospital, at 2:40 a.m. on the 17th of March, what did you sign, have you forgotten?” My heart pounded. Three years ago. The day Tieu Man was born. That night I had heavy bleeding, was pushed into the operating room, and when I woke up it was the next afternoon. Tham Nghien held my hand and said the child was very healthy, the mother was round and the child was square. I always think that was our most difficult but also luckiest day. But as soon as Phung Ngoc Cam finished speaking, Tham Nghien's face turned pale. I looked at him. "What did she mean?" Tham Nghien avoided my eyes. "She said nonsense." Phung Ngoc Cam laughed coldly. "I said nonsense?" "Then why did you ask someone to check the moles on the top of the child's head and behind the ears?" "Why did you show me that photo?" "Why did you say that if it was a match, then tell me not to speak for now?" My whole body went cold. Tieu Man grabbed the corner of my shirt, his fingertips turned white with force. I lowered my head to look at her. The little girl asked in a low voice: "Mom, did I do something wrong?" That sentence was like a knife stabbing into my heart. I squatted down and hugged her. "You're not wrong." "It's never your fault." Tham Nghien took a step forward. "First, don't scare her." I raised my head to look at him. "Who is the person who really scared her?" He stopped. Phung Ngoc Cam suddenly bent down and raised his hand to touch Tieu Man's head. I immediately pushed her hand away. "Don't touch her." Her eyes immediately darkened. "I've taken care of her for so long, what if I touch her?" "The moles on her head are proof that she's coming home." "You guys hid her for three years, do you still want to hide her now?" Hearing the words "home," my stomach rolled. "Her home is here." Phung Ngoc Cam looked at me like I was joking. "Are you sure?" I didn't continue. Continue wasting words with her, directly call the police. Tham Nghien's face changed. "Manh Thanh, calm down a bit." I raised my hand and pointed at Phung Ngoc Cam. "She hid my daughter's hair, continuously pulled her scalp, and said she was not part of our family." "You told me to calm down?" Hearing me call the police, Phung Ngoc Cam finally panicked for a moment. She turned around to go out the door. I was faster than her, rushed to lock the main door, pulled out the key and held it in my hand. Phung Ngoc Cam rushed in to rob him. Tham Nghien raised his hand to stop her. After being stopped, she suddenly picked up the glass ornament on the mysterious cabinet and threw it to the ground. Tieu Man was so scared that he burst into tears. Debris scattered, I carried Tieu Man back behind the sofa. The neighbor outside the door heard the noise and went to knock on the door. I shouted loudly: "Help me call the management, tell them to come up here to stop people." Phung Ngoc Cam glared at me. "You will regret it." I looked at her coldly. "I only regret letting you enter this door." The police arrived very quickly. Before being taken away, Phung Ngoc Cam suddenly turned his head to look at Tieu Man. Those eyes were not nostalgic. It's confirmation. It was like she had finally completed some sort of reconciliation. She said to Tham Nghien: "You can't stop her anymore." "They already know she's here." Tham Nghien's hand suddenly tightened. I hugged Tieu Man and stood at the door, feeling for the first time that the man I had been married to for five years was like a completely different person. When I went to the police station to take a statement, Tieu Man was still curled up in my arms. She didn't let Tham Nghien touch her. Tham Nghien reached out his hand several times but the girl avoided it. The police asked Phung Ngoc Cam what the hair number was. She just said it was a baby's hair falling out, she conveniently cleaned it up. The police asked again about the words on the piece of paper. She was silent. I turned over all the photos and cameras in the house to the police. Phung Ngoc Cam raised his head and looked at me.

The corner of his mouth moved slightly. "Do you think I was the only one who came?" My heart sank. At this moment, my phone vibrated. It's a text message from an unknown number. The content is only one photo. In the photo, Tieu Man at two months old is lying on the hospital's newborn bed. The hair on the top of her head was outlined, and a note was stuck next to it. The label read: Waiting for confirmation, three spots on the top of the head, three spots behind the ears.05I stared at the photo, my fingers could barely hold the phone. The background in the photo is the hospital's newborn monitoring room. The small white bed, the blue blanket, the four words Nhan An Hospital are printed on the headboard of the bed. As for the child on the bed, the facial features are still unclear, but three moles behind the ear are clearly visible. I absolutely cannot get it wrong. That's Tieu Man. I gave the photo to the police in charge of the case. The police immediately asked where the phone number came from. I shook my head. "Unusual number." Tham Nghien stood next to him, his face extremely unsightly. The policeman looked at him. "Mr. Tham, just now you said you didn't know Phung Ngoc Cam." "But when she mentioned the obstetrics department three years ago, why didn't you object?" Tham Nghiem was silent for a long time. I looked at him. "Say it." He raised his hand to rub his face, his voice hoarse. "I've met her before." My chest felt like it was being pressed against something heavy.