Chapter 12 — Private House in a Joint Family

“What is this?”
"This is the money Ly Loi owes me, a total of thirty thousand. He said he had no money to pay, so he told me to come find you."
I looked at that envelope and found it extremely absurd.
“He told you to come find me?”
"Yes." A guilty look appeared on Tieu Tuyet's face. “He said I'm his brother, I have to help him pay the money he owes.”
I was so angry that I burst out laughing.
“On what basis does he think that?”
"I don't know either." Tieu Tuyet shook her head. "Mr. Ly Vu, I'm sorry. I know this request is too much, but I have no choice. I have saved this money for many years, intending to use it to get married. Now..."
Her eye rims turned red. I looked at her with a hundred emotions in my heart. She is also a victim. Being deceived by Ly Loi, he was also cheated of money. I was silent for a long time, then pushed the envelope back.
“I shouldn't pay this money.”
Tieu Tuyet's eyes darkened.
“I know, it's okay, I just came to try.”
“But,” I changed my tone, “I can help you in my own way.”
She looked at me puzzled. I took out my phone and called my dad. This is the first time we have talked since that day of confrontation. The bell rang for a long time before someone picked up.
“Hello.” My father's voice was very tired.
“Dad, it's me.”
"What is up?"
"Ly Loi owes his girlfriend thirty thousand, now people are coming to me to ask for money."
The other end of the line was silent.
“Dad, are you in charge of this matter?”
A long time later, my father said:
“Tell him to take the person home, we'll talk.”
"Okay."
I hung up the phone and told Tieu Tuyet:
“Now come to my house, my parents are waiting at home.”
“Are…will they pay me?”
"I don't know. But you must go. You can't let him think that if he causes a problem, someone else can take responsibility for it."
Tieu Tuyet nodded, as if she understood or not.
“Mr. Ly Vu, thank you.”
"No need to thank me. You go get your money back, that's natural."
She left. I sat alone in a coffee shop, drinking a cold cup of coffee. Very calm inside. Ly Loi's life, from today onwards, must be his own responsibility. As for my life, I can finally start over again. In the evening, I received a text message from my father. Only three words.
“Paid.”
I don't answer. I know, those thirty thousand were my mother's money from her old age pension. She still hurts for her youngest son. Also good. Just let them continue to tie each other up like that. As for me, I have completely escaped this spiral.
10
After Tieu Tuyet's matter was resolved, my life completely returned to peace. No calls, no messages, no uninvited guests. I put all my energy into work. A previous project was delayed due to family matters, I spent a whole week working overtime and completed it perfectly. The department head in the meeting personally praised me and also rewarded me with a large amount of project money. I used that money to buy myself a new computer and went to the mall to buy some more clothes. The person in the mirror looks much more radiant. On weekends, I no longer stay at home, but meet friends to go hiking, fishing, and playing sports. When the sweat flows down, I feel like all the negative emotions in my body are released clean. I started to enjoy life alone. In the evening, come home, cook a hearty dinner for yourself, pour a glass of red wine, and sit on the balcony to admire the night view of the city. I've never had that feeling before - strangely relaxing and free. I thought days like this would last forever. But a month later, my father called me again. The moment I picked up the phone, my heart felt extremely calm, without any ripples.
“Hello, dad.”
"YES." His voice sounded very tired, as if he hadn't slept well for several days.
He did not blame me like before, nor did he make any requests, just remained silent. I didn't say anything and waited patiently. About a minute later, he spoke up:
“Your mother… has not been in good health lately.”
“Have you been to the hospital yet?”
"Okay, it's an old illness, high blood pressure. The doctor told me not to get angry, to rest."
"Yes."
He was silent again. With those roundabout words, I know he probably has other things.
“In the house… it's been a bit chaotic lately.” He finally got into focus.
"What's up?"
“Isn't it still because of that damn Ly Loi?” His voice was full of anger and helplessness.
“Thirty thousand times ago, your mother used her old age money to pay for him.”
I said nothing.
"From then on, it was like my mother became a different person. Every day she stayed at home sighing and complaining, or scolding dad, or scolding Ly Loi."
"She said my father was useless and taught me nothing. Said Ly Loi was a debt collector and used up all the money she had saved for her retirement."
"Ly Loi's previous sales job was also laid off. Now he stays at home every day to play games, eat and sleep, then eat and sleep, like a piece of trash."
"When dad said it, my mother defended him, saying he still criticized the house for not being chaotic enough. When he didn't say anything anymore, my mother scolded him again, telling him to leave it alone and let his son be spoiled."
I listened quietly, as if I was listening to a story that had nothing to do with me.
“These days, Dad, really don't mean anything.” He sighed deeply.
I can imagine the scene in that house. A mother full of resentment, a son who has fallen from grace and cannot recover, and a father stuck in the middle, completely helpless. It is a spiral that will drag everyone down. I'm very lucky that I jumped out early.
“Dad, you should tell these things to Ly Loi, or you two should talk to each other.” I speak very softly.
"How can I tell it? I can't speak clearly! Now it's really mud, I can't help it!"
“Then I have no choice.”
The other end of the line was silent again. Maybe he was waiting for me to say something, like "I'll go check it out", or "let me think about it". But I didn't say anything.
“Do you… really not care about your family anymore?” Finally, he couldn't help but ask.
“You have cared for more than twenty years, that's enough.” I said.
“Now I just want to live my own life well.”
“My life… living alone, what's interesting?”
“I find it very interesting.”
I hung up. Outside the window, the moon is bright and the stars are sparse. I made myself a cup of tea and stepped out onto the balcony. The wind blows on my face, very pleasant. I don't feel any pity, nor any guilt. The path is theirs to choose, people are theirs to pamper. Everything that is happening now is the result they deserve. As for me, in the end I don't have to pay the price for their mistakes again.