Chapter 1 — One Key, Turns the Whole Family Over

The day my father-in-law brought my mother-in-law over, I felt something was wrong. He said she had severe dementia, could not take care of herself, and needed someone on duty 24 hours. But the way she looked at me was terrifyingly alert, not like a crazy person at all. Just one look sent chills down my spine. Late at night, I changed her wet clothes. She suddenly grabbed my hand and secretly stuffed a key into my pocket. Her voice was very soft, almost a whisper.

“Don't speak up, go under the bed and take a look, hurry up.”

The next day, my father-in-law brought living expenses. He smiled and said as if nothing happened: "Now I don't even recognize her. Just consider taking care of a child. Every month I give you an extra 3,000 yuan." Waiting for him to leave, I took the other key and opened the iron box under the bed. Inside is a will, along with a bank card. The will clearly states: all assets left to the daughter-in-law and son will not be a penny. Before I could recover, my mother-in-law spoke up. Her voice was so cold that it made my spine shiver.

“He wants to force me to really go crazy, to change the will.”

At that moment, the sound of my father-in-law and my husband talking was heard outside the door. Light, but enough to make one's heart plummet to the bottom. Father-in-law Chu Duc Minh brought mother-in-law Trieu Tu Lan to my house that day, I felt something was wrong. He had a sad expression on his face, the corners of his eyes still trying to squeeze out a few tears.

"To Van, your mother is now very severely mentally ill and can no longer take care of her life."

"There has to be someone watching twenty-four hours. Hiring a nanny in my house doesn't give me peace of mind. I just have to work hard for my children."

I looked at my mother-in-law sitting on the sofa, her eyes were empty and lifeless. Finally nodded. But as soon as Chu Duc Minh turned to go into the kitchen to pour water, his mother-in-law glanced at me very quickly. Those eyes were clearly alert, sharp, and also contained impatience. So fast that it seemed like an illusion. But I know I'm not mistaken. Chu Duc Minh stood there, giving instructions about all sorts of things.

“Don't eat hard foods, it's easy to choke.”

“If you have urinary or fecal incontinence, you must always be prepared to change clothes.”

"There will be trouble at night, remember to lock the door carefully, don't let her run out."

My husband Chu Hao stood next to me, bowed his head, and remained silent without saying a word. Like a child who did something wrong, not daring to look up. The feeling of insecurity in my heart became more and more obvious. What a neat and tidy woman her mother-in-law used to be. After seeing my father-in-law off, I helped my mother-in-law into the bathroom. She was very docile, like a puppet without a soul. But her body was tense. Not relaxing, but trying to suppress. I wiped her body, but she kept her head bowed. Her hair falls down to cover her face, not revealing any expression. At night, I let her sleep in the main bed, while I temporarily spread out a small bed next to it. Late at night, I was awakened by a series of rustling sounds. The mother-in-law had wet her pants and was struggling awkwardly on the bed. I immediately jumped up, took clean clothes and walked over.

“Mom, don't move, I'll change it for you.”

Just as I bent down to change her pants, that skinny hand suddenly squeezed my wrist. The force is incredibly strong. I was startled, facing her eyes. In the darkness, those eyes shining like a wolf's eyes. There is absolutely no such thing as insanity.

“Don't speak up.” she whispered under her breath, so fast that I almost couldn't hear her.

She stuffed something cold and hard into my nightgown pocket, then immediately let go. It all happened in just three seconds. When I regained consciousness, she had returned to the appearance of an insane old person, her eyes were empty, the corners of her mouth were still dripping with drool. I reached out and touched my pocket. Inside is a small key, covered with rusty copper. My heart beat non-stop. A dangerous feeling spread from deep within my chest. The next morning, Chu Duc Minh's father-in-law arrived very early. He was carrying a bag of fruit, with a stiff, social smile on his face.

"To Van, it's been hard for you. Mom, you didn't make trouble last night, did you?"

I shook my head and replied lightly that she slept very peacefully. The mother-in-law sat on the sofa, holding an apple in her hand but just stared, not eating. His eyes were as dull as a breathing corpse. Chu Duc Minh sighed, pulled out a wad of money from his wallet and gave it to me.

“This is 5,000 yuan, 3,000 yuan is this month's living expenses, 2,000 yuan is hard work money for you.”

He smiled, his tone light as if he were talking every day.

"Now, even I don't recognize you. Just treat it like you're taking care of a child. From now on, I'll give you an extra 2,000 yuan every month."

I nodded politely and accepted the money. But my heart felt as heavy as a stone. This money looks like something very dirty. Holding it in your hand feels hot. Waiting for him to leave, I immediately locked the door. In the room, the mother-in-law still maintained the same position as before, not moving. I walked in front of her and slowly sat down. Call softly. She was completely unresponsive. I took a deep breath and took the key out of my pocket. Remembering what my father-in-law once said, the thing my mother-in-law treasured most was the old-style carved wooden bed in the master bedroom. I entered the room, closed the door, and knelt on the ground. Under the bed there is a thin layer of dust. I turned on my phone's light, right in the middle of the bottom of the bed there was a small, very discreet latch. If you don't pay close attention, it's almost impossible to detect. I inserted the key and gently turned it. A very soft "click" sounded. A wooden panel popped open, revealing a thin iron box hidden in the body of the bed. My heart felt like it was about to jump out of my throat. I pulled the box out and opened the lid. There was no gold, silver or jewels inside. Just a few very simple things. A kraft paper bag, a bank card and a small notebook. My hands shook as I opened the file bag. Just the first line made my whole body cold. The two words "Will" appear clearly, the handwriting is sturdy. It's the mother-in-law's handwriting. I quickly read the content below. Everything is so simple that it's scary. All assets are in her name, including a house in the city center, 300,000 yuan in deposits, and all investments in this bank card. After she passes away, she will leave everything to her daughter-in-law To Van. Chu Hao's son did not receive a single penny. The signing date was half a year ago. A completely legal will. Before I could digest this shock, a cold, calm voice rang out from behind me.

"He wants to force me to really go crazy, so he can use the name of guardian to request to cancel this will."

I turned around. My mother-in-law stood right behind me, looking at me No more dullness. Only sanity and ice-cold hatred remained. A completely different person. At that moment, the sound of a key being inserted into the lock was heard outside. Accompanied by the voices of her father-in-law and Chu Hao.

“Do it quickly, see if the old lady is hiding anything.”

That voice was so cold that it made people's hair stand on end.