Chapter 2 — One Key, Turns the Whole Family Over

The blood in my body made a "buzzing" sound and rushed to my head. Done, blocked right in the room. My mother-in-law reacted even faster than me, she rushed forward like an arrow, grabbed the will and bank card from my hand and stuffed it straight into my heart. Immediately after that, she grabbed a glass of water on the nightstand, splashed it on her face and hair, the water soaked her.

“Hurry, stuff the box!” She lowered her voice to command, breathlessly urgent.

My mind went blank, but my body followed automatically. I quickly pushed the iron box into the slot, covering the wooden board as if it had never been opened. Almost at the same time, the bedroom door was pushed open with a "bang". Chu Duc Minh and Chu Hao stood at the door, looking at the scene before them and paused. I knelt beside the bed, my face trembling in panic. And the mother-in-law sat on the ground, her body soaked, her messy hair sticking to her face, still holding the empty cup in her hand. She made meaningless gibberish sounds, her eyes were scattered, and the corners of her mouth were still glistening with drool. She smiled stupidly, clapping her hands on the floor like a child who just got a new toy. The acting is so perfect that there are no flaws.

“What's going on!” Chu Duc Minh shouted loudly, his eyes sharp as knives pointed straight at my face.

“I… I don't know.” I stammered, trying to sound really scared, "I was just about to help my mother up when she spilled the water and sat down on the ground herself."

Chu Hao walked quickly, his face full of discomfort.

“Didn't I tell you, you can do anything now!”

His mouth scolded me, but his eyes roamed around the room as if looking for something. Chu Duc Minh walked in, his leather shoes stepping on the floor made a heavy sound. He did not look at his mother-in-law on the ground but went straight to the bed, bent down and looked under the bed. My heart immediately choked in my throat. He looked for a long time. In the dim darkness under the bed, it would have been difficult to detect any traces. I tried to keep my voice calm and asked: "What are you looking for, Dad?" Chu Duc Minh stood up straight, brushed the dust off his pants, and a look of fake concern appeared on his face.

"Nothing, I'm afraid your mother hid scissors or sharp objects and hurt herself."

He went to his mother-in-law, sat down, his voice was so gentle it was nauseating.

“Mom, the ground is cold, stand up.”

The mother-in-law seemed not to hear, continuing to pat the floor and laugh stupidly. Chu Hao also walked over, each side with me helping her up. Her body was limp, all her weight was on us. Coming to the living room, Chu Duc Minh sat down on the sofa, lit a cigarette, his face gloomy.

"To Van, you probably can't manage on your own. Tomorrow I will go to the maid company to hire more people, twenty-four hours with you to look after grandma."

My heart sank a beat. One more person means one more pair of monitoring eyes. Chu Hao pulled me aside and lowered his voice.

"Dad is just for your own good. I'm afraid you'll have a hard time, so don't think too much."

He paused for a moment then continued.

"Ah, dad said mom used to have a habit of hiding miscellaneous savings books. When you're cleaning, remember to pay attention. If you find it, give it to dad immediately. It's all our money, so let him keep it."

The next day, Chu Duc Minh actually brought a maid home. Her name is sister Luu, over forty years old, a bit chubby, and looks gentle and sturdy. But her eyes were not gentle. Those are cunning, sharp eyes, looking at people as if evaluating them.

“Sister Liu is very experienced, used to take care of many elderly people who were unable to take care of themselves.” Chu Duc Minh smiled and introduced.

"To Van, in the future you will cooperate well with sister Luu. The two of you will definitely have less hardship than alone."

I forced a smile in response.

“Yes, Dad.”

Sister Luu didn't say much, just put down her luggage and started working. She wiped her mother-in-law's face, fed her rice, and acted so proficiently that she couldn't catch a mistake. But I know very well, she is not here to help. She came to supervise. Since entering the door, her eyes never left me and my mother-in-law. Even when standing in the kitchen washing dishes, I still felt eyes watching me from behind. There seems to be an invisible wall between me and my mother-in-law. We no longer have any chance to exchange. In the evening, sister Luu proactively offered to sleep with her mother-in-law in the main room, so I could go to the side room to rest.

"You've been tired for several days. I'll look after you tonight. If anything happens, I'll call you."

The reason is completely reasonable and cannot be denied. I looked at my mother-in-law. Her eyes were still blank, as if she didn't understand what we were saying. I had no other choice, I could only nod in agreement. Lying on the extra room bed, I opened my eyes and looked at the ceiling, unable to sleep. The key, the will, and the small notebook were like three blocks of red-hot iron hidden under the pillow, making my heart feel hot and uneasy. I have to find a way to move these things out. This house is no longer safe. But how could I leave under Sister Liu's supervision without being discovered? I couldn't sleep all night, and the next morning I woke up with dark circles under my eyes. Sister Liu has finished preparing breakfast. Everything is neat and tidy, as if she had been here a long time ago. Thin millet porridge, soft steamed eggs, all liquid foods that are easy to swallow. Mother-in-law sat in front of the dining table, sister Liu fed her spoon by spoon. Chu Hao also came. He looked quite happy today, and even brought me a "hot" cake that he just opened downstairs.

“Wife, it's been hard.” He intimately patted my head, his voice full of fake concern, "Look, with Sister Luu, isn't it much easier?"

I looked at that fake smile, my stomach immediately rolled uncomfortably.

“Yes, Sister Luu is very professional.” I replied blandly.

“Dad just loves you too.” Chu Hao sat down, took the dumpling, his voice was so natural and scary, "Mom's situation is like this, we'll need a lot of money in the future. Dad's idea is to sell the old house in mom's name first, and convert it into cash to conveniently treat hospitalization."

My heart sank a beat. Here they are, finally showing their true faces. The mother-in-law's house is located right in the center, the location is very beautiful, the market price is at least 3,000,000 yuan.

“But now mom is like this, how can I sell it?” I pretended not to understand.

“Let's go through the legal procedures.” Chu Hao said it matter-of-factly, "As long as the hospital confirms insanity, Dad as the guardian has the right to handle the property, it's only for your good."

Sister Liu sat next to her and bowed her head while eating, looking like she didn't hear anything. But her earlobe moved ever so slightly. I looked at my mother-in-law being fed, her hand under the table shaking slightly. She's scared, and so am I. I can't keep waiting anymore. After eating, I used the excuse that I had a period and a stomach ache and wanted to go to the pharmacy to buy medicine.

“Buy medicine?” Chu Hao immediately became alert, "Isn't there some painkiller in the house? I'll get it for you." me.”

“The medicine I took was not effective.” I held my stomach, pretending to be in pain, "I have to go buy the kind I'm used to."

“Then I'll come with you.”

"No need!" I immediately refused, "Just downstairs, just a few steps to get there, you stay home with sister Liu and look after mom, I'll be home in a bit."

I didn't wait for him to say more, took my phone and wallet and walked out. Chu Hao's eyes were fixed on my back like pins. I quickly walked to the gate of the area, confirmed that no one was following me, and then got into a taxi. I didn't go to the pharmacy, I went straight to the bank. I inserted the card into the ATM and entered the password written on a piece of paper in the notebook. It's the mother-in-law's birthday. Balance lookup. The number that appeared made me take a cold breath. Not 300,000 yuan. It's 3,700,000 yuan. The mother-in-law's book not only records savings. It's a notebook.