Chapter 4 — One Key, Turns the Whole Family Over

Did she discover something last night? At breakfast, Sister Liu suddenly spoke up.

“To Van, did you sleep well last night? I thought I heard a noise in your room.”

My heart immediately jumped into my throat.

“Really?” I pretended to be confused, "I was sleeping very soundly. I didn't hear anything. You must have heard wrong."

Sister Liu stared at me for a few seconds then didn't ask any more questions. But I know, she was starting to have doubts. I have to be more careful. I need a very private opportunity, without being eavesdropped or followed. That opportunity came faster than I thought. That afternoon, the drainage pipe in the house was clogged. The kitchen sink was filled with dirty water and the smell was so unpleasant that it made me sick. Sister Luu struggled for a long time and still couldn't handle it, so in the end she had to call management. The management said the repairmen were all working outside and had to wait at least two hours.

“I can't stand this, the whole house smells like this.” Sister Liu frowned, her face full of disgust.

I suddenly had an idea.

“Sister Liu, let's do this.” I said, "I've seen online before that there's a specialized drain cleaning powder that's very effective. Let me go to the supermarket nearby to see if it's sold. Just open all the windows to let it air out first."

This is a very reasonable reason. Sister Liu hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded in agreement.

“So you go quickly and come back quickly.”

I picked up the phone, turned around and ran straight out. This time I didn't take a taxi. I ran out of the building, went around a few streets, walked around a few times to make sure no one was watching, then ducked into a noisy public phone booth. I dialed the number written on the piece of paper. The phone rang for a long time before someone picked up.

“Hello, who is it?” On the other end of the line, an old but alert male voice rang out.

“Hello, are you Mr. Ly?” My voice trembled slightly.

“You called wrongly.” The other person finished speaking and was about to hang up.

"Wait!" I quickly called out, "It's my mother-in-law, Trieu Tu Lan, telling me to find you, she's in danger!"

The other end of the line immediately went silent. The silence lasted so long, so heavy that I almost stopped breathing. That silence lasted for half a minute. Every second that passes feels like a century. Just when I thought he was going to hang up, that old voice rang out again, with a slight tremble that was hard to hide.

“You said… What happened to Tu Lan?”

"She is being controlled, her husband and son want to rob her, and are also trying to pretend that she is insane."

I spoke very quickly, briefly recounting the whole situation, "She gave me your number and told me to find you for help."

“Chu Duc Minh… this bastard!” Lao Ly's voice immediately filled with anger, "I knew right away he wasn't a good person!"

“Uncle Ly, can you help us?” I couldn't help but ask.

“How can I help?” He sighed, his voice lowered, "I've been retired for a few years, I'm old, I can't do much work."

“No, I can help you.” I quickly said, "My mother-in-law gave me a notebook, which recorded many of Chu Duc Minh's black books over the years, but I don't understand those things. I need a trustworthy person to look at it for me, and the person my mother-in-law trusts the most is you."

The other end of the line was silent for a moment.

"…Okay." He finally made up his mind, “You send me the address, me come to find you, no... can't come to your house, it's too dangerous."

“I know a place.” I immediately continued, "There is a small park behind the house, in half an hour we will meet at the rest hut in the park."

“Okay, I'll wear an old blue coat, you'll recognize it when you see it.”

Hanging up the phone, I immediately went to the supermarket to buy a bottle of drain cleaning solution and then hurried to the park. When I arrived, there was already an old man sitting there in the rest hut. He wore a worn blue coat, his hair was mostly white, his back was slightly hunched but his posture was still very straight. I walked over and cautiously called out: "Uncle Ly?" The old man turned his head. On that wrinkled face, his eyes were still bright and spirited.

“Are you To Van?”

I nodded. We don't need to be more polite. I immediately opened the photo of the notebook saved on my phone and showed it to him. Old Ly put on his glasses and flipped through each photo slowly and carefully. The more he looked at it, the more serious it became.

“What a cruel thing…” he muttered, his voice hoarse, “That year I advised Tu Lan to keep a little bit of caution, Chu Duc Minh is the type of person with too much ambition, but his heart is blacker than ink.”

“Uncle Ly, what do these records… actually say?”

I looked at him, my heart beating so fast that my palms were cold.

“It's not just about saying something.” Old Ly raised his head, his eyes became sharper, "Some of the money in here is related to a company called Hong Phat Construction Materials. The owner of that company is Chu Duc Minh's compatriot. In the past, he was just a street guy. They don't do anything decent at all, but are laundering money!"

My head buzzed loudly. The severity of everything was beyond my imagination. What I hold in my hands is not just a family secret anymore, but a deep hole that could bury them all.

“And this.” Old Ly pointed to a page, "This transfer of 500,000 yuan, the recipient's name is Cao Tue. I have the impression that he is Chu Duc Minh's former secretary. Those two people have an impure relationship."

Adultery in marriage, dispersal of assets, and even involvement in economic crimes. Chu Duc Minh is truly enough for all five poisons, lacking nothing.

“Girl, this notebook is a bomb.” Old Ly returned the phone, his expression extremely serious, "It's too dangerous for you to keep it. If Chu Duc Minh knew it was in your hands, he would dare to do anything."

“I know it's dangerous, but I can't stand by and watch my mother-in-law get harmed.” I said firmly, "Uncle Ly, you've been driving for so many years and you must know quite a few people. Can you help me find a trustworthy lawyer?"

“Lawyer…” Old Ly pondered, “I know a person named Truong, who specializes in handling economic disputes like this, a very decent person, I just don't know if he will accept this case.”

“If you can help me contact him, I will go talk to him myself.”

"Okay." Old Ly nodded, "I'll contact you right away when I get back. Wait for news. Remember, don't trust anyone else besides me."

I nodded vigorously. We separated, I took the bottle of drain cleaning solution and returned home. As soon as I entered the door, I saw Sister Liu with a cold face cleaning the floor. The bad smell in the kitchen is gone, the pipes have clearly been treated.

“You're back, why were you gone for so long?” she asked coldly.

“The supermarket is crowded, the queue is long.” I give drain cleaning bottle for her, "Here, you can use it next time."

She took it, said nothing, turned and walked into the kitchen. But I clearly felt her suspicions increased another level. At night, Chu Hao appeared again. He was drunk and smelled of alcohol. As soon as he entered the door, he shouted directly at me.

“To Van, my father has finished speaking, you are going to find Old Ly, right?”

My heart suddenly tightened.