Chapter 1 — Queen of Salted Fish

When I pulled my suitcase and stood in front of the villa gate, my three stepchildren blocked the door, their eyes as sharp as knives. The eldest son, Tham Hoai Tu, eighteen years old, put his hands in his pockets, the corner of his lips curled up in a cold smile. The second person, Giang Tam Nguyet, sixteen years old, leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed, her eyes full of provocation. The youngest, To Kien Thu, was only twelve years old, trying to keep his face serious, but in his eyes he couldn't hide a trace of curiosity. "Dad's gone on a business trip, it's up to us what we say at home." Tham Hoai Tu spoke, his voice cold. “The room at the end of the hallway on the west side of the second floor is yours. Don't go out if you have free time.” I nodded, without missing a word, pulling my suitcase around them. The friction wheel on the shiny marble floor made a soft sound. Behind him was a dead silence. I know what they are thinking. A young stepmother, married to a rich man who is absent all year round, could possibly be for what? Nothing but money, control of this house, and benefits in their future rice bowl. They are waiting for me to perform an archery play. Unfortunately, I got the wrong script. My name is Lam Van Chieu, my biggest ideal in life - is to be a dried salted fish, it would be even better to be able to turn over and lie in the sun. I pushed the door open and entered the living room at the end of the second floor west hallway. It's temporary, with a bed, a window, and a private bathroom. That's enough for me to "lie flat". Pulling my suitcase to a corner, I plopped down on the soft bed. Comfortable. And those furry porcupine kids downstairs? What the hell does it have to do with me? I came here to be a salt fish stepmother, not to play savior. In the days that followed, I used practical actions to explain what is called "letting go, ignoring life". Morning? Don't let me wake up early to make a lovely breakfast for them. I slept straight until the sun rose three meters high, wearing my wrinkled pajamas, dragging my slippers and going straight to the kitchen to find something to eat. The refrigerator was stuffed with imported foods, but I was only interested in frozen dumplings and instant noodles. Soon, the kitchen was turned into a mess by me: pots and pans were piled up in the sink, soaked to the point where they could "last with heaven and earth". The first time Tham Hoai Tu saw that majestic scene, his face turned green. “Can't you clean up a bit?” I held my chopsticks in my mouth, raised my head from the hot bowl of noodles, and pretended to be innocent: "Eh? Just leave it there, maybe I'll be inspired to wash it tomorrow." He choked on his words, glared at me sharply, then turned and left. Giang Tam Nguyet tried a more "bold" way to attract my attention. He turned on earth-shattering rock music, the volume was so loud that the whole villa seemed to shake. As for me, I calmly put on noise-cancelling headphones, curled up on the sofa, scrolling through short videos and laughing like an idiot. Finally, he got discouraged, turned off the speaker, and muttered: "Bored to death." To Kien Thu's tricks are much more... "cuter". The kid brought a Persian cat mixed with Ragamuffin of some kind, which I heard had a very noble bloodline, and "accidentally" released it into my room. The elegant cat jumped onto the bed, leaving clear apricot paw prints on my silk pillowcase. I woke up, looked at the claw marks, glanced at the door again - where the boy was sticking his head out stuck my neck out, waiting to see if I screamed loudly and then jumped up. I reached out and stroked the cat, and it comfortably let out a "purr" sound full of enjoyment. "It's cute," I turned to say to To Kien Thu, "it's just that it sheds a lot of fur, next time let it come to my bed to play." To Kien Thu: “……” — quietly carried the cat away. From then on, the three brothers increasingly "played big". The luxury sofa set that they went to the store to choose together, praised as "the pinnacle of ergonomics", ended up being constantly occupied by me. It was piled high with potato chip scraps and my movie-watching iPad. Tham Hoai Tu finally couldn't stand it anymore: "Can you please maintain some image? This is the living room!" I turned over, buried my face in the pillow, my voice muffled: "Isn't the sofa for lying on? The guys who bought it are very eye-catching, the quality is good, it's very comfortable to lie on." Giang Tam Nguyet deliberately took her expensive limited-edition sneakers and threw them horizontally right in front of the mysterious entrance, blocking my forced path. Without lifting my eyelids, I directly stepped on the shoes passing by, leaving clear shoe prints. He jumped up in pain: "That's my AJ!!" I turned my head and sincerely suggested: "Next time, put it in the shoe cabinet? It's such a waste to get dirty." To Kien Thu tried using his pocket money to lure me. He held a thick stack of money and shook it in front of me: "Hey, help me write my math homework, I'll give you everything here." I glanced over, lazily uninterested: "If I don't write, it's too troublesome. Try your best." He widened his eyes in disbelief: "Didn't you marry my father because you were greedy for money?" I yawned: "Yes, but that's my dad's money. As for my pocket money, just save it to buy candy." The three boys were completely stunned. It felt like punching cotton wool —— the force was released but it didn't hit anywhere. So they gathered and held a "secret meeting". “This woman won't come in even with salt!” – Giang Tam Nguyet angrily rubbed her hair. “She's holding back to make a big move?” – Tham Hoai Tu frowned tightly. To Kien Thu bit her finger and hesitated: "She... she seems to really just want to lie down and relax..." But the peaceful days (at least for me) were quickly broken by a family party. My "namely" husband - Tham Duc Phong - finally finished his long "business" trip and returned. Also returning was his biological sister - also my husband's sister - Tham Minh Chau. A lady with the four words "look down on you" written clearly on her face. The party was held in a private room of a top-notch restaurant in the city center. The crystal lights are so dazzling that it's blinding. Tham Minh Chau was dressed in designer clothes and glittering pearls, from head to toe radiating a superior aura, his eyes scrutinizing. She pretended not to see my existence, as if I were just air, but only turned to blame her brother: "Brother, I'm telling the truth, your eyes for seeing people... tsk tsk, if you find a child like that, will you be able to take care of Hoai Tu and the children? Don't let the children be taught badly." The three stepchildren sat opposite each other, each with different facial expressions. Tham Duc Phong just smiled faintly, didn't respond, just gave me a chopstick of food. Tham Minh Chau gained more momentum, the tip of the spear finally pointed straight at me. Her smile was so fake that it seemed like the powder on her face was about to fall off: "Tieu Lam, I heard you live in The house... is quite idle, right? Young people must have some ambition to progress. We, daughter-in-laws of the Tham family, cannot only play and enjoy ourselves. Or should I introduce you to my friend's company and work from the ground up? Learning a little more is like sharing Duc Phong's burden." Sarcastic words are like sticking your finger in my nose and scolding me for being a rice worm and a useless parasite. If it were someone else, I'm afraid my face would have turned red, or I'd tried to make excuses, or I'd be feeling sorry for myself. I am different. I put down my chopsticks, used a napkin to slowly dab my lips, an elegant movement (just pretending). Then, under everyone's gaze, I raised my head, turned towards Tham Minh Chau, and gave an extremely sincere, extremely... "salted fish" smile: "Thank you for your good intentions." “However, there is no need.” “I feel like this now… is too good.” “Help your husband?” – I tilted my head, my expression both innocent and full of spirit: “My husband is so talented, why do I need help? I lie down straight and enjoy the fruits of his labor, without causing any more trouble, that's the biggest help." “Phew—” Giang Tam Nguyet almost spit out a mouthful of juice, quickly covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking. To Kien Thu opened his eyes, looking at me like he was looking at an alien creature. The corner of Tham Hoai Tu's lips twitched, silently bowing his head to cut the steak, but the tips of his ears seemed to be slightly red. {Read full on page Van ha loves love} Tham Duc Phong held the glass of wine and stopped in mid-air, complex eyes fell on my face - there was surprise, there was scrutiny, and even... there seemed to be a very faint glimmer of a smile. And Tham Minh Chau's face is as bright as a painting whose entire color palette has been spilled. The bomb she had carefully prepared was gently bounced back by my "lying upright is reasonable" sentence, leaving her speechless for half a day. “You… you…!” – She trembled and pointed at me, her carefully cared for fingers also constantly trembling – “What is this called! No future!” I nodded, deeply agreeing: “Yes, you're right. I really don't have any great future. But that person, the most precious thing is knowing himself and knowing himself." I picked up my chopsticks again, accurately picked up the largest piece of lobster, my voice was leisurely and satisfied: "This is my ambition - eat well, sleep well, don't worry. It's so great.” Halfway through the meal, the atmosphere became strange. Tham Minh Chau was so angry that he lost his taste. Tham Duc Phong looked thoughtful. The three stepchildren engrossed themselves in eating, occasionally glancing at each other, their eyes as if saying: "Does she really dare to say that?!"