Chapter 3 — One Dollar a Day, I Uncover a Conspiracy

He stopped. Lam Thien quickly said:

"Auntie, you can't say that about this. We are a health manager, not an angel."

“So what do you guarantee?”

Lam Thien's smile began to falter.

“Service guaranteed.”

“What service?”

“Monitor daily, call back periodically, warn when there are abnormalities.”

“Who's watching?”

Lam Thien pointed to the white device on the table.

“This device.”

“How much does the equipment cost?”

“The market price is more than 10,000 yuan.”

I looked down. I've seen that thing online. Measure blood pressure, heart rate, blood oxygen — three in one. 289 yuan, free shipping. I'm not exposing it.

"Can it be a little cheaper? I'm old, my pension isn't high."

Lam Thien and Vuong Quoc Cuong looked at each other. He laughed.

“How much pension do you receive?”

I looked at him. The question sounds very natural. Like caring. But I've worked in finance for thirty years... I'm so used to this type of question. They don't care how much money you have. They are calculating how much they can squeeze out of you. I intentionally said:

“Not much, 4,800 yuan a month.”

Lam Thien's eyes flashed.

“That's fine.”

Vuong Quoc Cuong nodded.

"So this is it, sister. 29,800 is a bit of a pressure, we can support you in installments for old age care."

I pretended not to understand.

“Yes, each month only deducts more than 2,000 yuan, it does not affect daily life.”

I slowly asked:

“Deducted directly from the pension account?”

"That's right."

Lam Thien immediately added:

“It's very convenient, you only need to sign once, you don't have to worry about anything in the future.”

I looked at the two of them. Someone who plays a soft role. One person plays the role of forcing. Their words flow like an assembly line. Once you listen, you'll know how well they've memorized them. I lowered my head to look at the contract in front of me. On the outside it said "service agreement", but on the inside there were some suspiciously small letters hidden.

"Party B voluntarily authorizes Party A and the cooperative financial institution to make continuous deductions. If terminated midway, must pay equipment fees, management fees, expert scheduling fees and violation fines. Penalty: 30% of total service fee."

I looked up and asked, my voice very calm, as if I was just asking about a trivial matter.

“If I sign and regret it tomorrow, can I cancel it?”

Lam Thien's smile paused for a moment, and Vuong Quoc Cuong answered for her in a familiar, calm voice.

“Sister, my side is a personalized service. Once activated, the system takes up resources, and cancellation is usually discouraged.”

I didn't give up and continued asking, each word as clear as tapping on a table.

“Not recommended… or not cancelled?”

He was silent, no longer answering. I put down the contract, as lightly as placing a chess piece with a clear view of the move behind it.

“I have to go back and think more.”

Lam Thien immediately became impatient, her voice raised a bit as if she was afraid of losing customers right before her eyes.

“Miss, today is the last day of the offer.”

Vuong Quoc Cuong also chimed in, his voice low, trying to create a sense of urgency.

"Your condition really cannot be delayed. Your blood pressure is this high. If something happens one night and no one is around, you won't have time to regret it."

I stood up, pulled my bag back, my voice was as slow as the wind passing by.

"I'm inherently cowardly. Hearing what you guys say is so scary, I have to go back and ask my children for clarification."

As soon as he heard the words "ask me", his face changed The two of them immediately changed, as if hitting a weak point. Lam Thien spoke quickly, her voice softened but underneath was a very familiar guidance.

“Miss, actually many young people don't understand, they just think that old people spend a lot of money, but you have to decide for your own health.”

Vuong Quoc Cuong continued, his words were gentle and venomous, sending chills down his spine.

"Nowadays, young people are under great pressure. They may not be willing to spend money on the elderly. It's reasonable for you to use your pension money yourself."

I looked at the two of them, only seeing each step clearly in my heart. First, the threat of illness. Then separate the children. Finally, let the elderly take the money themselves. I nodded, as if convinced, my voice so light that they thought they were about to win.

“What you guys say makes sense.”

Lam Thien immediately brought the pen over, her eyes lit up as if she had just seen money.

"Then you fill out this application in advance. You don't need to pay it all today. You just need to pay 1,000 yuan to reserve your place."

I took the pen and wrote down my name. But not my real name. I write: Ly Tu Anh. That's the name I used when working as an internal auditor back in the unit, a name real enough for people to believe, but it has nothing to do with me now. Vuong Quoc Cuong glanced over and didn't discover anything. Lam Thien pushed the QR code towards me, her voice becoming more and more friendly.

“You scan this and transfer 1,000 yuan as a deposit.”

I picked up my phone and scanned slowly, as if my eyes were no longer clear. The recipient's name appears, not An Tam Gia Vien. Which is another name. Khang Tho Nguyen – Health Technology Company. My finger paused for a moment, as if it was just because I couldn't see clearly. One more name. I pretended to squint my eyes and asked again, my voice very natural.

“Why isn't this An Tam Gia Vien?”

Lam Thien immediately explained, so smoothly that it seemed like she had said this sentence hundreds of times.

“This is our cooperative company.”

“Cooperative company?”

“Yes, An Tam Gia Vien is in charge of services, and Khang Tho Nguyen is in charge of health products, both in the same system.”

I nodded, as if I understood, then put my phone back.

“Let me go home and ask my daughter to help me move it, I'm not familiar with these things.”

Lam Thien's face immediately darkened, unable to hide her discomfort.

“Did you just scan it?”

“I don't know how to enter the password.”

I smiled, my voice so calm that I couldn't retort.

“I'm old, I can't bear it.”

Lam Thien was about to hold me back, but Vuong Quoc Cuong looked at her and signaled to stop.

“Let me go back and think more.”

He turned to me, his smile still gentle, but his eyes began to calculate.

“Promotion is only until 8pm tonight, it's over after that.”

I also laughed, as light as nothing.

“I know.”

Stepping out of the nursing center, my back was wet with a layer of cold sweat. Not out of fear. It's because of anger. As soon as I got downstairs, my phone vibrated and an unfamiliar number appeared on the screen. I picked up the phone, and on the other end was a man's voice, so polite that it was easy to believe.

“Excuse me, are you Ms. Ly Tu Anh?”