Chapter 8 — National Lazy Mother

No one in the yard dared to speak up. Trieu Mai still wants to protect Hua Van Van:

"But you still believe the words of an assistant? Surely she received the money!"

I hugged Mien Mien and looked at Trieu Mai.

“You scolded me so smoothly just now, now it's your turn to scold her.”

Trieu Mai's face looked like she had just been slapped. Hua Van Van cried and shook her head:

“Auntie, believe me, I really didn't know Tieu Lam would do that.”

Trieu Mai's lips moved a few times. The old lady of the Luc family has not yet acknowledged that Hua Van Van entered the house, of course she did not dare to say for sure. In the end she could only squeeze out one sentence:

“Investigate clearly and then calculate.”

Live comments completely exploded. The next day, Hua Van Van did not leave the program. The performance team issued an announcement, saying this was Tieu Lam's personal behavior, Hua Van Van did not know about it, and the livestream continued. When I saw the notification, I was tying Mien Mien's hair. Mien Mien asked:

“Mom, will bad aunt apologize?”

I said:

“Will.”

“When?”

“When she realizes crying doesn't work.”

The morning task is for parents and children to go shopping. Each family receives the same amount of money and goes to the market to buy ingredients for lunch. Hua Van Van's eyes are still a bit swollen but the makeup is clear. As soon as she appeared, she bowed in front of the camera.

"About Tieu Lam's matter, I am very sorry. As the person who hired her as an assistant, I did not manage the person next to me well. I am willing to apologize to Mien Mien and take the responsibility that I should bear."

Her fans in the comments section were immediately heartbroken.

"Van Van is also a victim."

“Assistant does bad things, how can we hold the artist responsible?”

"Tham Tri Ha, stop biting and not letting go."

Hua Van Van walked in front of Mien Mien and squatted down.

“Mien Mien, I'm sorry.”

Mien Mien looked at me. I said:

“I decide for myself.”

Mien Mien asked Hua Van Van:

“Why don't you look at me and talk?”

Hua Van Van was stunned. Mien Mien pointed to the camera next to her:

"I'm always looking at that place."

Co Thoi Nghien laughed again. Chu Thanh Hoa coughed and turned away. Hua Van Van's face was sometimes white and sometimes red. She had to look back at Mien Mien.

“Sorry.”

Mien Mien said:

“I don't forgive you.”

Tears welled up in Hua Van Van's eyes again. Mien Mien continued:

“Mom said apologizing is your problem, whether you forgive or not is my problem.”

I'm extremely happy. The results of raising my paradoxical children are very clear. The shopping mission begins. The performance team gave each family fifty yuan. Hua Van Van took Luc Tieu Da to buy beef, green vegetables, and noodles, which quickly ran out. Chu Thanh Hoa carefully calculated and bought fish heads and tofu. Co Thoi Nghien took Dau Bao to buy chicken thighs. Dau Bao insisted on the candied fruit, so in the end the chicken thighs were changed to chicken wings. I took Mien Mien around the market, bought half a bag of rice, a bunch of green vegetables, a few pieces of dried tofu, and then spent ten yuan to buy chicken bones that others didn't need. The director asked:

“Tri Ha, what are you going to do?”

I said:

“Let me eat my fill.”

In the comments, there were people making fun of me.

“How much meat does a chicken bone contain?”

"Is Tham Tri Ha so poor that she's scared?"

"If she's stingy with me, don't be stingy with me."

The chicken seller heard this and said directly to the camera:

"This girl knows how to buy. Chicken bones simmered in soup are very fragrant, she cooks noodles for children much better than plain water.”

I laugh:

“Auntie, can you give me two onions?”

The salesgirl grabbed a handful of onions and stuffed them in for me:

“Take it. Your daughter is a good girl, she looks adorable."

Mien Mien said sweetly:

“Thank you.”

The saleswoman was so happy that she gave me two more eggs. Hua Van Van looked at the egg in my hand and suddenly smiled:

“Tri Ha knows how to communicate with sellers very well. It seems that life experience is richer than ours.”

Translating this means I am poor and market-minded. I hadn't said anything yet, but the fish seller continued.

“How do you know how to live? If you don't know how to live, you will lose face. Fifty yuan to buy a small piece of beef, can the children eat enough?”

Hua Van Van's smile stiffened. Luc Tieu Da looked at the beef in her hand:

“Mom, I want to eat egg noodles.”

Hua Van Van lowered her voice:

"Tieu Da, I'll make beef noodles for you, it's more nutritious."

Luc Tieu Da did not dare to speak anymore. Mien Mien pulled me and whispered:

“Mom, it seems Tieu Da doesn't like beef.”

I asked:

“You want to share the eggs with him?”

Mien Mien shook her head:

“The eggs were given to me by my grandmother.”

I nodded:

“There are principles.”

When I cooked rice at noon, I used chicken bones to simmer the soup. Soon the soup turned milky white. Co Thoi Nghien carried the bowl and walked over:

“Miss Tham, can I change a bowl of soup? I use chicken wings instead.”

Dau Bao hugs his leg:

“You, you changed all the chicken wings, so what do I eat?”

Co Thoi Nghien bowed his head:

“Eat noodles.”

Dau Bao is desperate:

“Being with you really makes me suffer.”

Mien Mien hugged the small bowl and smiled non-stop. Hua Van Van's beef noodles look very delicate but Luc Tieu Da eats them very slowly. She looked at my pot of chicken noodle soup and finally spoke:

“Tri Ha, Tieu Da wants to taste your noodles, is that okay? I use beef instead.”

I looked at Luc Tieu Da. The boy tensed and held his chopsticks. Mien Mien hugged her small bowl close to her chest. I said:

“Okay.”

Hua Van Van immediately laughed:

“Thank you.”

I add:

“Let Tieu Da come and change it himself.”

Luc Tieu Da carried the beef and whispered:

“Aunt Tham, I want to change noodles.”

I gave the boy a bowl.

“Hold it to yourself.”

The boy nodded:

“Thank you.”

Hua Van Van stood in place, her smile a bit forced. Someone in the comments section found out.

“It seems that Tham Tri Ha always lets children express themselves.”

“Hua Van Van tells me everything. At first it felt gentle, now it's a bit stuffy.”

“Don't bleach, Tham Tri Ha just likes to show off.”

In the afternoon, the performance team announced a game to test the chemistry between parents and children. Parents turn their backs to their children to answer the questions; duplicate answers will receive points. The director asked Hua Van Van:

“What does Tieu Da like to eat the most?”

Hua Van Van replied:

“Beef noodles.”

Luc Tieu Da replied:

“Egg noodles.”

Hua Van Van's smile stiffened on her face. The director asked again:

“What is Tieu Da most afraid of?”

Hua Van Van replied:

“Fear of the dark.”

Luc Tieu Da replied:

“I'm afraid my mother will cry.”

The scene was silent. Hua Van Van's tears were about to fall again. Luc Tieu Da immediately panicked:

“Mom, I didn't say you weren't good.”

Co Thoi Nghien whispered to me:

“Sooner or later this child will be suffocated to the point of illness.”