Chapter 8 — No Longer Waiting For Someone To Remember Me

He seemed to be stabbed by that sentence, the hand blocking the door slowly lowered. I opened the door and went out. The consultation counter next to the lobby of the Civil Affairs Department is not large. Outside the glass door, there are several couples sitting. Some people were silent, some argued in low voices, some held their children, their eyes were red. I sat on the waiting chair, holding the lottery ticket in my hand. When it was my turn, the staff asked: "Do we both come together or are you coming alone for consultation?" I said: “Alone.” She gave me an application. "First find out the situation. If you want to do the procedure later, both parties need to be present." I received the application. When the tip of the pen landed on the name box, I stopped. It's not that I can't bear it. It's just that I feel like a marriage eventually shrinks into a few lines, turning out to be so thin. After completing the consultation, I did not immediately return to the company. I sat on the bench outside the lobby, writing down everything the staff said in my phone notes. Common property. Loan rate. Joint account history. Proof of personal income. When necessary, keep family expense documents. Every thing is cold. But sometimes cold things can protect people better than hot rice and hot soup. In the afternoon, Tran Hao called me seven times. I didn't listen to any calls. Until he sent a text message: "I'll talk later tonight." I replied: “Bring all account statements.” He didn't answer anymore. In the following days, the house became extremely quiet. Liu Guifen no longer stopped in front of the door crying, nor did he send voice messages in the group of relatives. But the woman who cooks rice still only cooks two portions. Every day I leave work on time, and when it's time to go out to eat. Sometimes I eat noodles, sometimes I eat stew, sometimes I eat dinner at the company cafeteria. I don't explain, nor argue. I took a photo of each invoice and saved it in an album. Saturday night, Tran Hao stood downstairs waiting for me. As soon as I walked out of the small shop, he stood under the streetlight, his face very unsightly. “Do you have to let the neighbors know that our family is in discord?” In my hand I carried a box of yogurt I bought to take home. “Do I have to get permission from my neighbors to eat outside?” He tried to suppress his anger. “Mom's blood pressure has been high these past few days.” I said: "Then take her to see a doctor." “Don't turn cooking and lack of rice into a disease.” He looked at me for a long time. “You weren't like this before.” I nodded. “Before, I thought you would stand by my side.” His eyes moved. I walked around him toward the door of the building. He suddenly said behind his back: "I've already made up all the money." I stopped. “Send me the statement.” He said: “Go home and see.” I turned around. “Send it to me.” He took out his phone and scrolled with his fingers for a long time. A few seconds later, I received a screenshot. Part of the money has been offset into the joint account. But there are still some amounts that have not been refunded. I raised my head to look at him. “2,500 short.” His expression darkened. “That's money from my sick mother to buy medicine.” I asked: “Which hospital?” He didn't say. I continued to ask: "Where is the effective invoice?" His face became even more unsightly. Someone walked down the hallway, and he immediately lowered his voice. “Can you not talk about these things outside?” I said: “Okay.” “Then go home and get the bill.” That night, he couldn't get it out. On the eighth day, before leaving work, I received a text message from an unknown number. The content is very short
n: “This morning your mother-in-law came to your company.” I frowned and asked Tieu Duong if she sent it or not. Tieu Duong quickly replied: "It's not me, but I saw her." “She asked the receptionist how much your salary was, and also asked if you ate with your male colleagues every day.” I looked at the screen, my fingers slowly clenching. At half past six, I left the company on time. This time I didn't go out to eat. I went straight back to the apartment complex. As the elevator went up, I heard my heartbeat very steady. As soon as the door opened, there was the sound of sizzling oil in the kitchen. The scent overflowed from the crack in the door. Sweet and sour ribs, stir-fried shrimp with garlic, beef stew with tomatoes and a pot of soup. On the dining table, three sets of bowls and chopsticks are neatly displayed. Liu Que Phan poked his head out of the kitchen, a forced smile on his face. “Are you back?” “Mom stir-fried two more dishes today.” Tran Hao stood by the dining table, as if he was finally waiting for me to come down to the water. “Wash your hands and eat.” I looked at the full table of hot food and smiled. “Don't eat.” Both people's faces darkened at the same time. Luu Que Phan's smile could no longer be maintained. “What happened to you?” I put down my bag and took out my phone. On the screen is a photo of the surveillance camera Tieu Duong just sent. Liu Que Phan stood in front of my company's reception desk, talking, pointing upstairs. I raised my head to look at her. “Let's talk first.” "What did you want to ask me when I came to the company today?" 10 Liu Guifen's face immediately changed. In her hand, she still held the cooking shovel, oil dripping down the edge of the shovel. The range hood in the kitchen makes a buzzing sound. The plate of sweet and sour ribs on the table was still steaming hot. If you don't look at the stiff corners of her mouth, this table of food really looks like a belated reconciliation.