Chapter 4 — Private House in a Joint Family

“Every month you earn ten thousand, and after paying off the loan, you still have more than five thousand, is that enough for you to spend?”
"Enough."
She stood up.
“Ly Vu, do you think that now that you have a home, you can no longer care about your family?”
“I never said I didn't care.”
“So why don't you let my younger brother come stay?”
"Because he wants to borrow my house to scam his girlfriend's family, I don't want to help him scam people."
"Fool what? It's his brother's house, so what if he uses it temporarily?"
“Mom, do you think that's right?”
"What's wrong? Brothers, don't we have to help each other in the future?"
I looked at her.
“So what did it do to help you?”
“What did you say?”
“You said, what did it help you with?”
My mother's face changed.
“He's only twenty-three years old, not married yet, what do you want him to help you with?”
“You are twenty-three years old, how much money have you ever given your family?”
“Not the same.”
“Where is it different?”
"I'm the eldest brother, I'm supposed to help the family."
I laughed, really laughed.
“Mom, I remember the first year after graduating from college, every month I gave the family two thousand, do you still remember?”
She said nothing.
"The second year it increased to three thousand, kept giving until I went out to rent a house."
“That's what you should do.”
“What should we do?”
"My parents raised me like this, wouldn't it be right for me to give them some living expenses?"
"What about Ly Loi? He graduated two years ago, have he ever given money to his family?"
My mother's voice rose.
"His salary is just over three thousand, he also has to rent a house to eat, where will he get the money to take care of his family?"
“Back then my salary was just over three thousand.”
“Not the same.”
“Unlike where?”
"At that time, I was young and had to spend little money. Now that I'm in love, I had to spend a lot of money."
I looked at her, at the woman who gave birth and raised me, suddenly feeling very strange.
“Mom, do you know why I can save more than three hundred thousand in five years?”
“I heard what you said, I'm frugal.”
"Yes, I'm frugal. At noon I eat a ten-dong boxed lunch, in the evening I go home and cook for myself, I don't go out on weekends, I wear old clothes, my shoes are torn so I mend them and move on."
My voice was very calm.
“Do you know why I have to be so frugal?”
She looked at me, said nothing.
“Because I want a house of my own.”
I pointed to this house.
“A home where you don't need to look at anyone's face, a place where you can come home if you want, a place where you want to go, a place that belongs only to you.”
“That's also my parents' house.”
"Not."
I speak very clearly.
"This is my house, not my parents', nor Ly Loi's."
Tears fell from my mother's eyes.
“Do you hate your parents that much?”
“I don't hate it, but I don't owe it either.”
"You don't owe anything? Your parents raised you so much, you say you don't owe anything?"
I took a deep breath.
“How much money did you give your family?”
“That's what you should give.”
"So what about Ly Loi? Has he given it yet?"
“It's still small.”
"He's twenty-three years old. I'm twenty-three years old, I gave sixty thousand to my family."
My mother wiped her tears.
“Why did you become like this?”
"You haven't changed. You're still the same, it's just that Mom and Dad have never seen you clearly."
She sat back down on the sofa, sobbing. I stood to one side, not moving. She cried for a long time, then raised her head to look at me.
“Are you really not willing to help your brother?”
“No help.”
“He will hate you.”
“That's its story.”
She stood Get up, go out the door.
“Ly Vu, you will regret it.”
"Are not."
She's gone. The door closed, the hallway light turned off. I stood in the dark for a long time, not moving. Then I went to the balcony and stood for a while, making myself a cup of tea. The phone rang, it was my dad.
“My mother came home and cried a lot.”
"Yes."
“Can't you give up a step?”
"Cannot."
"Why?"
“Because you have given in for more than twenty years, that's enough.”
My father was silent for a long time.
“Do you have any opinions about the family?”
"Do not have."
“So why did you do that?”
I looked out the window at the night scene.
“Dad, do you remember when I was in high school, I wanted to buy a pair of basketball shoes?”
He said nothing.
“The shoes were three hundred yuan, dad said they were too expensive, so he made me wear the fifty yuan pair he bought.”
I raised my tea cup and took a sip.
“After that, Ly Loi went to middle school, dad bought him a pair of AJs for six hundred yuan.”
“Not the same.”
“Unlike where?”
"At that time, I knew how to save money. He was still young, his friends all wore branded clothes, and we couldn't let him be looked down upon."
"So what about you? Do you deserve to be looked down upon?"
“I am your brother, I must yield to you.”
I laugh.
“Dad, I don't want to talk anymore, that's all.”
“I…”
I hung up and turned off the phone. After drinking tea, I took a shower and then lay down on the bed.