Chapter 1 — Reciting Remembrance Find Mother

Five years after divorcing Giang, I saw a little girl in the small tea shop I ran on the corner of the street. The girl looked about six or seven years old, white and pretty like a doll, her eyes and eyebrows were strangely familiar, just staring at me blankly. The moment our eyes met, painful memories that seemed to have been buried immediately surfaced. Instinctively, I wanted to keep her here.
"Little friend, do you want to taste this tea? It's called Bat Tri Xuan, it's very delicious."
The girl obediently accepted the tea, drank it and listened to me tell all kinds of stories from heaven and earth. I said, I used to have the largest tea shop in the country, but unfortunately it was robbed by someone else. I said, I also had a daughter, probably about the same age as her. The little girl curiously asked me if I hated the bad guys who stole my things? I lowered my eyes and looked at her for a long time, then smiled brightly.
“Where there is love, there is hate.”
“It's been five years, you've already given it all up.”
…… It suddenly rained heavily outside. The girl looked out, stopped drinking tea, frowned and muttered.
"It's over! Niem Niem was so captivated by the beautiful girl that she forgot about her father's engagement party!"
“The driver is not here either…”
The girl stared at the door and suddenly said "Eh".
“This outfit…… Is dad coming to arrest you!?”
I followed her eyes and saw a corner of a black vest glimpse in front of the door, but that person did not enter. Perhaps it was just a passerby taking shelter from the recent rain. I didn't pay attention, closed my eyes and comforted Niem Niem.
“It's okay Niem Niem, I'll take you home later.”
The girl tilted her head, her sparkling eyes showing a friendly look.
“Thank you～”
"That's right, dad only likes white wine and hates tea the most. He definitely won't come to the tea shop to find you!"
"Dad hates tea, that's fine. If you don't let me like it, that's really arbitrary!"
Niem Niem constantly complained about her father's cruelty, but her descriptions reminded me of a familiar person. He's the same, hates the scent of tea, also... hates me. The endless stream of thoughts was brought back by Niem Niem's curious question.
"So where is your daughter? Is she in school?"
The girl obediently sat back on the chair, her legs swinging. My hand that was turning away from arranging the tea utensils stopped, the water flowed through the ceramic cup.
“She is no more.”
“I was very young then.”
Niem Niem was silent for a moment then said softly: "I'm sorry."
"No problem."
I put down the teapot and looked at the gray sky outside the window. My daughter's death is a thorn deep in my heart, just mentioning it makes my heart ache. But for some reason, I always wanted to confide in Niem Niem. I smiled at her: "Do you want to hear my story?" My name is Co Dao, once the heir to the largest tea company in Hu city. My childhood friend is the only son of Giang Thi Group, a white wine company listed on the stock exchange. Our two families are long-time friends, and our parents have a very good relationship. But you and I are not pleasing to anyone else. I'm allergic to white wine, and he hates the scent of tea the most. Every time we meet, we have to criticize each other and argue loudly. Until the age of eighteen, the two families went on a trip together calendar, the car suddenly jumped off the railing. Clearly Mr. Giang had a chance to save his uncle and aunt, but he rushed towards me. In the end, his parents died on the spot. My parents were both grateful and apologetic. When he took over the company, they almost used up all their money to help him stabilize the group's stock price. Like a typical plot in a movie, we fell in love after spending days together. That's when I realized that the person who is best at teasing others can also become gentle and thoughtful because of love. He remembers all my hobbies clearly. Every morning, he would line up for an hour just to buy the small steamed buns that I loved to eat. When I acted impulsively, he would hold back the feeling of nausea to drink a cup of strong tea. On the wedding day, his hand that put the ring on me trembled slightly. If only I could see into his heart, I wouldn't think he was just too emotional. Niem Niem frowned and couldn't help but ask.
“Uncle Giang is so good, why did he let others take away your tea company?”
That's right, even a six year old child understands this principle. But I couldn't see clearly. After getting married, he treated me even better, putting me first in almost everything. But every time I made tea, he always looked at my face sideways, confused. His eyes were complicated, torn, and even guilty. At that time, I thought he had not yet escaped the pain of losing a loved one. Until a year later, on the same road where the accident happened that year, my parents' car lost brakes, fell down a cliff, and both of them died one after another. During the funeral, I curled up in Mr. Giang's arms, almost crying until I fainted. But he suddenly pushed me away, stood in the middle of the temple and took out the share transfer form.
“Co Thi was bought by me…… This is what you and your parents owe me.”
“I won't divorce you, but that's all between us.”
I frowned as I watched his cold back leave without looking back. On the same day, I lost the three people I loved the most. That day, I became the biggest joke in Hu city. Niem Niem suddenly slammed the table and stood up, her small face full of anger.
"How could he rob you like that! What a bad guy!"
I smiled and patted her head.
“Is there anything completely black or white in the adult world?”
In the days after the funeral, I hardly slept. I desperately wanted to prove it was all fake. I took care of my parents' funeral and used all the remaining money to hire a private detective. The truth is cold to the bone. You're right, indeed my family owes you. In the accident that year, my father originally intended to injure Mr. Giang, forcing him to rest for a while to take advantage of the opportunity to dominate the market. But unexpectedly…… The human heart is so complicated. Dad could spend all his assets to help Giang. It is also possible that because of a little market share, two lives can be lost. Mr. Giang persevered and humbled himself for many years, and finally found a chance to take revenge. And I left Giang's house on a rainy night. When Niem Niem heard this, her eyes couldn't help but turn red.
“But he obviously treated you so well before……”
“This guy is just as obnoxious as my dad. He doesn't like tea, either don't know how to appreciate your wife."
The girl suddenly bowed her head sadly: "Since I remember everything, I've never met my mother. I only have a nanny to take care of me."
“Dad is getting engaged to the nanny today.”
“But she always told me that my mother was a bad person, and I didn't like her.”
Hearing the words nanny, my heart suddenly tightened. Just as I was about to ask a few more questions, there was suddenly a loud noise outside the door. Niem Niem and I were both startled and turned our heads to look outside. The man in the suit was still there, frantically picking up the teapot he broke. I was about to help, but the girl held me tight. The girl looked suspiciously at the figure outside, then turned her head to look at me and suddenly smiled mischievously.
“Don't pay attention to the outside anymore～ Just let that idiot pick it up himself!”
“So then you left him?”
I fell into memories again.
“You've thought about that.”
“But at that moment…… There was a baby in her belly.”
The next time I saw Mr. Giang again was at the hospital a month later. I fainted from overwork. In my coma, I smelled the familiar smell of alcohol. The moment I opened my eyes, I saw Mr. Giang sitting in front of me, coldly facing away but his eyes were red and his voice was hoarse.
“Even though I don't know, you're an idiot!”
I immediately slapped him, but when I saw his face being beaten, I instinctively reached out my hand. While my mind was in chaos, I took advantage of the time he went to find the doctor. I ran back to the motel room without looking back. Unexpectedly, the next day, he was standing in front of the door, with a suitcase at his feet.
“Go away.”
I said coldly and took the key to open the door. But he cut in and followed me. After that, no matter how much I scolded him, hit him or destroyed things, he just remained silent and did not speak. I've thrown his things out countless times, but every time I come home from work, I still see his figure clumsily learning to cook nutritious meals, standing watch over the pot. When I wake up in the middle of the night, I always see him curled up on the sofa, unable to even straighten his legs. Until two months later, he almost died suddenly from exhaustion. I compromise. I moved back to Giang's villa, intending to leave after giving birth. He specially hired a nanny to take care of me, but he still did everything himself. Those days were peaceful and warm, I was immersed in them, unable to escape. Until one day, I saw Mr. Giang, because he wanted to make breakfast for me, he had to carry dark circles under his eyes, waking up at dawn. I grabbed the jade pendant my mother left behind, stood up and followed him into the kitchen, wanting to cook with him like before. But the scene that caught my eye was the back of Mr. Giang and the nanny passionately kissing each other. That evening, I was urgently taken to the hospital. When my daughter was born prematurely, I was so weak that I no longer had the strength to hold her. Mr. Giang's eyes were red and he wanted to touch his child's little hand. I turned my face away, my eyes empty, and spoke softly.
“Giang Dien Xuyen, let's let each other go.”
The tea cup in Niem Niem's hand suddenly fell to the ground, the crisp sound of breaking interrupted my memories.
“Giang Dien Xuyen? Is that guy's name Giang Dien Xuyen?"
The girl's face suddenly changed, she immediately stood up and looked at me, her eyes filled with tears. I was startled and hesitantly nodded.
“It turns out that way……” Niem Niem said something softly, looking at me with complicated eyes, both excited and heartbroken. She suddenly rushed into my arms, chokingly questioning.
"Since then, you and he broke up? You never saw him and your daughter again?"
I quickly hugged her, feeling her body constantly trembling, her tears wetting my shirt.
"Nien Niem, what's wrong with you? Is there something unwell?"
She raised her head and cried until her eyes and nose turned red.
"I beg you! Tell me! Why do you say your daughter is no more?"
I looked at her face, my heart suddenly trembled but I didn't dare to believe my guess. I squeezed the hand holding Niem Niem and continued to tell. Actually, everything has been showing signs for a long time. Initially, because he was afraid that I would be allergic to the smell of alcohol, Giang Dien Xuyen hired nanny Tieu Lam. She looked to be in her early twenties, delicate and simple in appearance, but very experienced in taking care of pregnant women. Furthermore, she loves to enjoy wine. Giang Dien Xuyen, who is not close to women, can let down his defenses in front of Tieu Lam. When cooking nutritious meals, he cooperates extremely well with Tieu Lam. When researching a new wine, he will let Tieu Lam be the first to taste it. His eyes looking at Tieu Lam became more and more gentle, not that I didn't know. But I'm afraid.