Chapter 34 — Shrimp Street Without Name

Four days later, as promised, Mrs. Sau proactively called Hai Yen home one evening. Her voice on the phone sounded like she had carefully prepared herself for the upcoming conversation. When Hai Yen arrived, she had already prepared a small tray of tea on the table, her formal gesture was different from usual, as if she wanted this conversation to take place in a certain serious atmosphere.

“Sit down here,” Mrs. Sau said, pouring tea for both of them. Her hands shook a little when holding the teapot, but her voice was much steadier than the day before. "I've been thinking carefully for the past few days. I think it's time for you to know completely and not hide anything anymore."

Hai Yen sat down, waiting silently, feeling the seriousness in her mother's every gesture.

“I told you about money,” Mrs. Sau began, her voice slow. "But there's one detail I've never told anyone, not even you. The person who gave me the money back then, I said I didn't know his real name, which is true. But I saw his face, just once, very clearly, under the streetlight right in front of my house gate."

Hai Yen's heart beats faster. “Mom, can you describe it?”

“That person was tall, elegantly dressed, probably in his thirties or forties at that time,” Mrs. Sau said, closing her eyes as if trying to portray an image from an ancient memory. "What I remember most is the way he spoke, very gentle, polite, not at all threatening, but scared her more than direct threats. He said, I remember verbatim: 'I just want to help your family get through this difficult time. Think of it as a heart.'"

“Will you see that person again later?” Hai Yen asked, her voice tense.

Mrs. Sau nodded, her eyes opened, looking straight at her daughter. "Yes. Not long ago, I saw his picture in the newspaper, in an article about typical businesses in the province. I was startled to immediately realize that, even though more than twenty years have passed, that face hasn't changed much."

“Who is it, Mom?” Hai Yen asked, although in her heart she already had a strong premonition about the answer.

“Mr. Dang Quoc Bao,” Ms. Sau said, her voice shaking as she uttered that name. "It's him, Yen. The current leader of Ocean is the person who personally gave money to mother twenty-some years ago... no, ten years ago, right at my gate."

Hai Yen sat silently, the cup of tea in her hand had gone cold without her realizing it. This is no longer speculation, no longer indirect pieces through other people's accounts - this is a direct witness, her mother herself, who can confirm that Mr. Bao personally participated in the arrangements after her father's arrest, not just standing behind and passively benefiting as he always tried to create an image.

“Are you willing to officially testify about this?” Hai Yen asked, her voice choked with emotion.

Mrs. Sau was silent for a long time, her hand clasped tightly around the teacup. "I'm scared, Yen. I'm very scared. But I've also been scared and silent for ten years, and look, that silence hasn't brought real peace to anyone." She looked up at her daughter, her eyes now filled with a determination that Hai Yen had never seen in her mother before. "I'm ready. If my testimony can help exonerate your father, help stop what they are planning to do to this land, I'm ready to face anything."

Hai Yen hugged her mother, tears in her eyes she couldn't hold back anymore. In those arms, she felt a profound change in the relationship between mother and daughter - from a mother who always sought to protect her child with silence, she is now ready to step into the light with her daughter, accepting all risks to reach the truth together.

“Thank you, mom,” Hai Yen whispered. “I know this isn't easy for you mom.”

"Nothing is easy, my child," Mrs. Sau replied, gently stroking her daughter's hair like when she was a child. “But I'd rather be difficult once and for all, than continue to live half-heartedly in fear for the rest of my life.”

That evening, Hai Yen called to tell lawyer Hoang the news, her voice full of excitement even though the emotion from the conversation with her mother was still intact. Lawyer Hoang, after listening, could not hide the seriousness in his voice.

“This is an extremely important piece of evidence,” she said. "The direct testimony of a witness who identifies Mr. Bao, linking him directly to the act of obstruction of justice in the old case, will completely change the nature of the entire case. I will arrange for your mother to officially testify as soon as possible, before anyone can intervene."

The call ended, leaving Hai Yen with a feeling of both relief and extreme worry. She knew that with this testimony, Mr. Bao could no longer hide behind the cover of an innocent businessman who just happened to benefit from the situation. But she also understood that once he realized her mother was ready to testify against him, the level of danger surrounding her entire family would increase manyfold, far beyond anything they had faced up to this point.

She immediately called Kien and told him everything her mother had just revealed. He was silent for a long time on the other end of the line, then when he spoke, his voice was filled with surprise and excitement.

“Miss Yen, this could be the decisive piece,” he said. "Up to now, all the evidence we have has been indirect - books, identification codes, statements through intermediaries. But the aunt's testimony is direct, a personal identification. If this is confirmed in court, Mr. Bao will have a hard time denying it."

“I think so too,” Hai Yen replied, her voice still shaking with emotion. "But I'm worried about my mother. She has lived peacefully, albeit in torment, for the past ten years. Now, she will have to face directly the most powerful man in this area."

“We will protect you,” Kien said, his voice firm. "I will ask the lieutenant to consider putting you under protection like we did with Mr. Son's family. Don't worry, we won't let you face anything alone."

The next morning, just as lawyer Hoang promised, an official testimony session was hastily arranged at the district police headquarters, with lawyer Hoang present to ensure that all of Ms. Sau's rights were fully protected. Ms. Sau, although her hands and feet were still shaking from nervousness, presented the entire incident coherently and in detail, exactly as she had told Hai Yen the night before, without any additions or omissions.

After the testimony, the investigator in charge of the case, a stern middle-aged woman, informed Hai Yen that this testimony would be included in the official records, and would likely lead to the summoning of Mr. Bao for clarification in the near future, a step that had previously been taken. This seems unimaginable.

Leaving the police headquarters, Hai Yen took her mother's arm and they both walked out into the harsh afternoon sunlight, filled with a feeling of both relief and anticipation of what was about to happen next. For the first time in ten years, Ms. Sau walked with a straight back, no longer bending over to avoid people's eyes like she had been accustomed to doing for a long decade.

"You know," she said as mother and son sat in the car, her voice strangely relieved, "all this time I've been waiting for a feeling of fear to strike, like every time I've thought about this for the past ten years. But strangely, I don't feel scared anymore. I just feel relieved."

“Because mom no longer has to carry it alone,” Hai Yen replied, holding her mother's hand tightly in the car. “From now on, we face everything together, mom.”

Mrs. Sau smiled and leaned her head on her daughter's shoulder for a moment, a rare intimate gesture between two people who were not used to expressing their feelings through actions. The car rolled on the way home, carrying two women who had just crossed an important threshold together, knowing clearly that there were still many challenges ahead.

Upon arriving home, Mrs. Sau insisted on cooking a more sumptuous meal than usual to celebrate, although Hai Yen warned that there was nothing certain to celebrate yet. “Let it go, child,” she said, her hands quickly starting the stove. “I want to celebrate because for the first time in ten years, I dare to tell the truth, not because of the final result.” That evening's meal, although simple, was one of the warmest meals that Hai Yen could remember since she returned to Nam Can, a rare moment of peace that both mother and daughter cherished amid the turbulent days that lay ahead.