Chapter 11 — Private House in a Joint Family

The relatives looked at each other, no one dared to speak anymore. In this "trial", the defendant has turned into the plaintiff. As for the "judges" sitting on high, now they are just confused jurors.
“I have said everything that needs to be said.”
I turned around, preparing to leave.
“This house, I will never come back again.”
“The home loan, I pay it myself.”
“I will send my parents' retirement money every month, but that's it.”
“Ly Loi, take care of yourself.”
I walked to the door and pulled it open.
"Wait."
My uncle called after me. I turned my head to look at him. He stood up, walked to me, and sighed.
“Tieu Vu, your family has wronged you.”
I said nothing.
"But after all, they are mother and son, Ly Loi is my younger brother, the blood relationship cannot be broken."
“I know.”
“Give them some time, give yourself some time.”
I nodded, said no more, turned around and left. When I went downstairs, I heard my mother's heart-breaking cry coming from above. I didn't turn back. It was dark, the street lights were on. I drove, driving aimlessly down the street. The city at night is very bustling, but I feel like a wandering ghost. There's no more home. From today onwards, I really don't have a home anymore. I parked my car on the riverbank, got out, and leaned against the railing. The river wind blew, very cold. I lit a cigarette. In the mist, I seemed to see myself as a child. The boy always follows his parents, yearning for a little attention and recognition. The boy secretly changed the bed sheet in the middle of the night for his younger brother who wet the bed, and he was kicked. The boy saved every penny, gave all his savings to his family, but in return he did not get a single good word. Tears, I don't know when, quietly flowed down. It's not that I don't have pain. It's just that I pushed all that pain deep into my heart. Now, I can finally let go. I sat down on the ground, like a child, crying.
09
I cried for a long time by the riverbank, until my tears dried up and my emotions gradually subsided. The phone rang, it was a high school classmate.
“Hello, where are you?”
"Riverside."
“Alone?”
"YES."
“Send me the address, I'll come find you.”
Ten minutes later, he drove over, also carrying two bottles of beer and a package of peanuts. The two of us sat on the riverside steps, drinking beer and enjoying the breeze.
“Have you told your family everything directly?”
"YES."
“How does it feel?”
"Don't know." I took a sip of beer. “It feels lighter, but it also feels like a piece of my heart has been ripped out.”
“It's normal.” He patted my shoulder. “After all, family, no matter how bad, is still where you grew up.”
We were silent for a while, then he asked me:
“What are you going to do next?”
“I don't know, let's just live like this first.”
"Your mother's side... are you really planning on not coming back in the future?"
"What are you going back for? To see them continue to favor Ly Loi, or to hear them blame me for being unfilial?"
I laughed to myself.
“Some things, once said, can't be taken back.”
We drank a bottle of beer and he drove me home. Coming to my house, he said:
"Ly Vu, don't think too much, you didn't do anything wrong. You're just taking back what belongs to you."
“I know.”
“Get a good night's sleep, tomorrow is a new day.”
I got out of the car, watched him drive away, then turned around enter the building. When I got home, I took a hot shower and then lay down on the bed. A dreamless night. The next morning when I woke up, I felt much lighter. It was as if the heavy boulder in front of my chest had finally been lifted. I go to work, work, get off work, go to the gym, go home. Life gradually returns to peace. A week later, I received a phone call from the real estate registration center, notifying me to come pick up the new house book. The moment I held that red book in my hand, my heart was extremely stable. This is mine, no one can take it away. A few days later, I received a call from an unknown number.
“Hello, is this Mr. Ly Vu?”
"I'm here."
"I'm Tieu Tuyet, Ly Loi's girlfriend, we've talked on the phone before."
I was stunned for a moment.
“Is there something wrong?”
“Um… I want to see you for a bit, okay?”
I was a bit surprised, but still agreed. We arranged to meet at a coffee shop near my company. Tieu Tuyet looks gentler than I thought, wearing a white dress, looking very neat and clear. Seeing me, she seemed a bit nervous.
“Mr. Ly Vu, hello.”
“Hello.”
We order coffee. She stirred her spoon in her cup, seemingly arranging her words.
“I… Ly Loi and I broke up.”
"OH." I'm not too surprised.
"What happened that day in your house, Ly Loi later told me everything." She raised her head to look at me. “Including the fact that he owes money.”
I didn't say anything, waiting for her to continue.
"Actually, I already felt that something was wrong with him. He was spending money wildly, but he didn't say where the money came from. When I asked, he said he had a way and told me not to worry about it."
"My parents have always disagreed with us being together, saying he has an unstable job and is not trustworthy as a person. But I always think he is just immature and will get better in the future."
She smiled bitterly.
"Now I know I was wrong. It's not that he hasn't grown up yet, but he just doesn't want to grow up at all."
"He always thought that even if the sky fell, he would still have his older brother to support him and his parents to pamper him. He never thought about relying on himself."
I listened quietly, feeling a little emotional. This girl, understands more than I thought.
“So what did you come to me today to say?”
She took out an envelope from her pocket and pushed it towards me.