Chapter 1 — New Marriage Annulment Date

At the housewarming party for my new house, I arrived ten minutes late. When I pushed the door open, the junior sponsored by Tran Muc was taking on the appearance of a female hostess to welcome relatives. My parents sat in the chair, their faces pale. Tran Muc stepped forward, his tone as natural as if he was returning to his home. "Why are you just coming now? Nhiem Nhiem has been receiving guests for me for half a day." The whole room full of relatives immediately fell silent. Ly Nhiem Nhiem hid behind him, accidentally revealing the jade bracelet on her wrist, softly saying: "Sister Nghenh, I have never seen a house as beautiful as this, I just want to help a little." Tran Muc protected her, turned his head to look at me: "She has never seen the world, she just wants to try the feeling of being a homeowner first. Don't be so petty." I looked at the bracelet that my grandmother left for me, suddenly burst out laughing. Maybe he forgot. This large apartment in the heart of the city is in my name alone.1I did not answer Tran Muc's words. I took a step forward and stopped in front of Ly Nhiem Nhiem. I opened my hand. "Take it down." Ly Nhiem Nhiem cowered and asked for help, looking towards Tran Muc. Seeing that I still didn't move, she slowly took off the jade bracelet on her wrist. The white skin was rubbed until it was slightly red. She suddenly took a deep breath, tears welling up in her eyes. "Mrs. Nghenh, my skeleton is a bit big, it seems like the bracelet is stuck." Her voice was choked, very soft: "The more I pull, the more it hurts." Tran Muc immediately frowned, took a step forward, blocking Ly Nhiem Nhiem from behind. "Khuong Nghenh, do you have to make such an unsightly noise in front of your relatives today?" His voice was clearly annoyed as if it was obvious. "Isn't it just an old thing? Her hands are all red, can't you see?" "Just let her wear it first. Tomorrow I'll go to the mall to buy you an expensive one." more.”I looked at him. The house costs thirty thousand per square meter, he did not spend a penny. Now, even the relics my grandmother left me, he wants to use to please others. "Buy a more expensive one." My voice was very calm: "Do you still have money in your card?" Tran Muc's face stiffened. From behind came the sound of a chair being pushed out very softly. My mother stood up, holding a tube of rose essential oil hand cream in her hand that she had just taken out of her bag, and leisurely walked over. With a polite smile on her face, she did not look at Tran Muc but directly pulled Ly Nhiem Nhiem's hand up. "Good child, don't try to pull. Injuring your wrist is not good." Ly Nhiem Nhiem was stunned: "Auntie..." My mother squeezed out some essential oil and carefully applied it to the back of Ly Nhiem Nhiem's hand and knuckles. Extremely gentle movements. Then, her thumb gently pressed Ly Nhiem Nhiem's palm, taking the opportunity to pull her hand inside. There is no pain caused by pulling. The jade bracelet followed the layer of essential oil and slid down my mother's palm very smoothly. It never got stuck. It's just a layer of greed that no one can expose. The living room became silent. The relatives who were biting melon seeds all kept their mouths shut. Ly Nhiem Nhiem raised her hand that still smelled of essential oil. Tears threatened to fall but could not fall, her whole body stiffened in place. She couldn't even find a reason to cry in pain. My mother took out the silk scarf and wiped off the oil on the jade bracelet little by little. "The old thing has received its owner. This is something that grandmother Nghenh Nghenh passed down to her." My mother's voice was gentle: "Trying to wear something that does not belong to you, jade suffers and others also suffer." She raised her head to look at Tran Muc, smiling slightly. "Tran Muc, in the future if Nhiem Nhiem likes jewelry, take her to the counter to choose one of the right size." "Souvenirs."

If something is left behind by an adult, don't just try to take it out." "If it gets bumped or chipped, I don't know how to talk to the old lady in the house." There was not a single profane word, nor a single heavy sentence. Tran Muc's throat moved, his hands clenched tightly. His argument "to be generous" stood in front of my mother's polite and polite words, and he couldn't find even an excuse to get angry. He opened his mouth but Without making a sound, my father silently raised his cup of tea and took a sip. He raised his wrist and looked at the clock. He calmly stood up and straightened his suit. Everyone's eyes turned to my father. Next to him, Tran Muc cleared his throat and adjusted his tie Half a month ago, he finished writing his speech. Every day he stood in front of the mirror, just waiting to use his identity as the male owner to announce the addition of his name to the real estate certificate and engagement. His eyes glanced at Tran Muc and then fell on the parchment bag in his hand. Instead, he folded the paper bag in half and calmly stuffed it back into the pocket of his vest. spend precious time here." My father's voice through the loudspeaker spread throughout the hall. "Today is the day to congratulate my daughter, Khuong Nghenh, on moving into a new house." The smile on Tran Muc's face became even brighter. "This house in the center of the city was bought by Nghenh Nghenh himself using his own money." My father raised his glass of wine, his voice calm: "As a father, I am happy to see her living independently." "Congratulations my daughter is still single." "The hall was silent for a second. The two words "single" were clearly emphasized. The relatives looked at each other. The corner of Tran Muc's mouth remained smiling but his eyes widened. The half step he had just taken stiffened in place. He turned his head to look at me. There was surprise in his eyes, and a little bit of panic that was barely noticeable. I leaned against the back of the chair, using my fingertips to gently stroke the rim of the teacup. I didn't look at him. The atmosphere at the main table became strange. Tran Muc couldn't get off the stage, standing there in a dilemma. But Ly Nhiem Nhiem was the one who didn't know how to look at her face. Maybe she felt this was a good opportunity to show off, so she carried half a glass of red wine and walked slowly to the main table. "Uncle." Her voice was sweet. "Normally Mr. Tran Muc is very busy with work. In the future, I will often come here to help Ms. Nghenh clean up. Don't worry." She raised the glass of wine, showing the appearance of a half-woman. My father didn't even lift his eyelids. He turned around and clinked his glass with his second uncle on the other side. "This tea is not bad, I brought two boxes when I came home." My father's voice was still normal. Ly Nhiem Nhiem's hand holding the glass of wine stopped in mid-air. No one paid attention to her. The eyes of the surrounding relatives fell on her as if they were looking at a joke. Her face was blank. Angry, tears began to well up in her eyes. To hide her embarrassment, she quickly looked for something to do. Seeing that the cup of tea in front of my mother was empty, she frantically reached for the tea pot on the table. "Auntie, let me pour you some more tea..." Her movements were too hasty. When she turned around, her elbow hit the bag my mother placed on the chair. There was a "click" sound. The bag fell to the carpet. The bag's zipper opened, the contents scattered all over the ground

bearing the Porsche emblem. And a photocopied A4 sized sheet of paper. The paper was half opened, revealing the words "Tran Muc" written in bold letters. They slid without missing an inch, stopping right in front of Tran Muc's leather shoe. Ly Nhiem Nhiem let out an "ah" sound. She quickly squatted down to pick up the items that fell on the ground. While frantic, her fingertips touched the black car key with the Porsche logo, and her movements clearly stopped. Then she saw the A4 paper. There was still the tea that had just been spilled on the tray, the edge of the paper was stained with water and was slowly spreading. "Auntie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Ly Nhiem Nhiem bit her lip and picked up the paper. After clearly seeing the words on it, she raised her voice just enough to be heard, with surprise at the right time. "Mr. Tran Muc, is this... an application to add a co-owner of the real estate?" She handed the paper to Tran Muc. Tran Muc's eyes fell on the paper, then glanced at the Porsche key on the ground. His tense shoulders eased at a speed visible to the naked eye. The shame and panic caused by my father's words "single, self-possessed" immediately disappeared. He was in no hurry to accept the paper. Instead, he adjusted his cuffs and turned his head to look at me. The corner of his mouth curled up into a gentle smile, his eyes carried a reluctant and indulgent look. "Ngh Nghenh, aunt and uncle have already prepared the car keys, why are you still angry with me?" His voice was very light, like he was coaxing a child who caused trouble for no reason. I didn't say anything, my eyes fell on the tablecloth in front of him. "Still upset about Nhiem Nhiem wearing the bracelet just now?" Tran Muc sighed, reached out to pour a cup of warm water and gently pushed it to my hand. "Nhiem Nhiem just graduated, a little girl who has never seen good things so she was just curious to try it." "As an older sister, don't always compare with her, okay?" I looked at the cup of warm water but didn't touch it. I reached out and took the agreement form from Ly Nhiem Nhiem's hand. The tea stain on the edge of the paper has spread to the words "Tran Muc". It turned an ugly yellow color. I used two fingers to pinch the edge of the paper. Fold it in half, then double it again. “Shush…” The sound of paper being torn rang out especially clearly next to the quiet main desk. The smile on Tran Muc's face stiffened slightly. Ly Nhiem Nhiem also stood still in place. I threw the scraps of paper into the bone dish next to the table, pulled out a wet towel and slowly wiped my fingers. "It's wet, it's dirty." My voice was very calm: "No need anymore." Tran Muc looked at the pile of scraps of paper on the plate and was stunned for a few seconds. Then he burst out laughing. He shook his head, looking at me like he was looking at a naughty child. "Why is your temper getting hotter and hotter?" His voice was still gentle, he didn't even have the heart to say a harsh word. "It's just a photocopy. If you tear it up, you can go to the store and print another copy tomorrow." I covered the pile of scraps with the wet towel I just wiped my hands on. I didn't reply. My mother bent down and picked up the Porsche key from the table. She used a silk scarf to carefully wipe off the dust on it and then put it back in her bag. The sound of the zipper being pulled was clear and decisive. "That's right." My mother's voice was gentle: "The things that are dirty, we have never touched the things that are dirty." Tran Muc looked at my mother's bag, smiled indulgently, then stood up. "Okay, today you're the oldest, I'll listen to you." He adjusted the buttons of his vest. "It's stuffy inside, let's go out to the balcony and get some fresh air?" He turned around and walked towards the balcony. I leaned against the back of the chair, looking at his back. After that, I stood up and followed.4