Chapter 1 — Staying at Thanh Ba Host

My cousin came to my house to stay away from the heat and stayed for half a month straight. The air conditioner was on from morning to night, the watermelon was cut up for her to eat, I served her like my own sister. Until that day, my daughter watched cartoons in the living room, the sound was a bit loud. The cousin frowned and walked out of the guest room, her face full of hate: "Can't you take care of your daughter? It's so noisy that it gives me a headache. A child this big is still noisy at home every day. It's better to send her to boarding school, I won't have to worry about it." My daughter is only six years old. Before I could open my mouth, the controller in my hand was squeezed until it turned white. My mother-in-law walked out of the kitchen, her apron not yet removed, went straight to the switch on the living room wall, made a "click" sound, and turned off the air conditioner. The room was silent in an instant, the rising heat could be seen with the naked eye. My cousin was stunned: "Auntie, why did you turn off the air conditioner? It's thirty-eight degrees..." My mother-in-law laughed, very kindly: "Are you worried about the noise? That's good, this air conditioner is also loud, turn it off at the same time, to avoid making noise for me. If it's hot, your biological house also has air conditioning, so you can come home anytime." My cousin's face immediately turned pale.01The day Phuong Dung came to my house, the outside temperature was thirty-eight degrees. She was dragging two suitcases and standing outside the door. There weren't many drops of sweat on her forehead. The first thing she did was take off her sunglasses. "Duong Nhan, your house's tattered air conditioner is broken again." "My mom said my house is big, so she told me to come stay for a few days." I paused for a moment. She pushed her suitcase into the door. My daughter, Tieu Man, was sitting outside the living room putting together Legos. When she heard a noise, she raised her head and called out. "Hello, aunt." Phuong Dung glanced at her and smiled very faintly. "Even though she's this big, she's still crawling on the ground." The lego block in Tieu Man's hand stopped. I quickly picked her up. "Call her auntie." Phuong Dung changed her slippers and looked around the living room. "Your air conditioner is really good." After saying that, she went straight to the sofa and sat down. That evening, I cleaned the guest room for her. Bed sheets are newly replaced. The blanket is a blanket that has just been dried in the sun. My mother-in-law, Mrs. Co Tue Cam, also brought green bean soup from the kitchen. "It's hot, please drink some." Phuong Dung took it without saying a word of thanks. She took a sip and frowned. "There's too little sugar." Co Tue Cam's hand paused, but she still smiled and said, "Then let me give you a little more." I pulled my mother-in-law's hand back. "Mom, leave me." The first day Phuong Dung came to stay, she said she would stay for three days at most. On the second day, she said the repairman couldn't schedule it yet. On the third day, she said her mother's house was too noisy and the old people often complained. On Thursday, she said it was rare for her to come over once, so she considered staying with me. On Saturday, she placed her skincare products on the bathroom sink. The children's toothbrush cup I bought for Tieu Man was pushed into the corner by her. Her hair dryer, her curling iron, her perfume, crowded in front of the mirrored cabinet. When Tieu Man washed his hands, he almost knocked over a bottle of essence. Phuong Dung immediately walked out of the room. "Hey, be careful." "This is very expensive, my mother's money to go shopping for a month may not be enough to buy it." Tieu Man withdrew his hand. My heart sank. I picked up the toothbrush and put it in a position where she could reach it. "She washes her hands at home, there's no need to be so nervous." Phuong Dung glanced at me and smiled. "Aren't you afraid she won't be able to pay for it?" "Children are still young and don't understand." I didn't answer. At that time, I still thought that if relatives are related to each other, they should let it go if they can let it go. After all, when I was little, she used to take me to the grocery store. Although in the end the money

The candy was paid for by my mother. For half a month, Phuong Dung hardly left the door. At nine o'clock in the morning, she turned on the air conditioner in the living room. At lunch, she turned on the air conditioner in the common room. At night, when she goes to bed, she turns the living room air conditioner down to twenty degrees. She is afraid of the heat. She is also afraid of trouble. Watermelon must be cut into pieces and put into a glass bowl. Ice water must be pre-poured, there must be no water stains in the cup. The food was delivered, she called me to pick it up. The parcel arrived, she called me to pick it up. One time I was bathing Tieu Man. She stood outside the living room and called three times. "Duong Nhan, your parcel has arrived." I didn't speak. She pushed open the bathroom door. "Tieu Man took that long to shower?" "Children, don't be too indulgent, just rinsing with water is enough." There were still soap bubbles on Tieu Man's body, she was scared and clung tightly to my arm. I turned around and closed the door. "Next time you go to the bathroom, remember to knock first." There was silence outside for two seconds. Then there was Phuong Dung's laugh. "Okay, okay, now we're talking in private." "I'm not an outsider." That night, Co Tue Cam chopped food in the kitchen, the knife lowered very lightly. I know she is holding back. She is not a person without a hot temper. She was just out of respect for my maternal relatives, not wanting to embarrass me. While eating, Phuong Dung picked up the last two ribs on the plate. Tieu Man took a look and said nothing. Co Tue Cam picked up a piece of chicken wing from her bowl and gave it to Tieu Man. Phuong Dung leaned back in the chair. "Children only eat a little meat." "Children these days all go through puberty early, it's because the food at home is so good." Tieu Man bowed his head to eat. I put down my chopsticks. "She's only six years old." Phuong Dung laughed. "Six years old is not so young anymore." "My colleague's six-year-old child has already learned piano and English. My children watch cartoons every day, no wonder it's so noisy." In the living room, there was only the sound of the air conditioner. Co Tue Cam slowly raised her head. She glanced at Phuong Dung, then looked back at me. Those eyes were very steady. It's like telling me, don't rush. Before I could say anything, Phuong Dung added another sentence. "But it's also true, aunts tend to be soft-hearted as mothers." "If you cry once, there will be no more rules." Tieu Man's chopsticks stopped at the edge of the bowl. The baby doesn't cry. She just said very softly: "Mom, I'm full." I watched her fall off the chair, hug her stuffed rabbit and return to her room. After the door closed, Phuong Dung was still plucking the ginger stalk in the plate of food. "This child's temper is not small." Co Tue Cam suddenly put down her chopsticks. The voice was very light. "His temper is not small, because he knows this is his home." Phuong Dung's hand stopped. I also looked at my mother-in-law. Co Tue Cam picked up the empty bowl, turned around and walked into the kitchen. Before entering, she left a sentence. "There are adults who have stayed at someone else's house for half a month and still have not learned this principle." Phuong Dung's face immediately turned cold. She glared at the kitchen door, the corners of her mouth drooping down. I originally thought she would faint. But that night, I passed by the living room and heard her talking on the phone. "Her mother-in-law is very terrible." "But she's old, she only scares people." "I don't believe she really dares to chase me away."02 Early the next morning, Phuong Dung didn't get up to eat breakfast. Co Tue Cam fried eggs for Tieu Man. Tieu Man sat at the dining table, holding a cup of cow's milk, drinking small sips. I was just about to go to work when the guest room door opened. Phuong Dung walked out wearing a nightgown, her hair messy, her face full of impatience written on her face. "Is your house also that noisy in the morning?" I glanced at the clock. Half past eight. Tieu Man has to go to summer drawing class, and I also have to go out. Co Tue Cam gave Tieu her school bag

Man. "We woke up normally." Phuong Dung leaned against the door frame. "I didn't sleep until two o'clock last night." "Can't you all speak a little quietly?" I tried to hold back. "Last night I was in the room calling until after one o'clock." Phuong Dung was stunned for a moment. Then he laughed again. "Is your voice too loud?" "Besides, what's wrong with adults chatting." Tieu Man finished carrying his schoolbag, walked around her and headed towards the door. Phuong Dung looked at Tieu Man's back. "Why don't you let her go to boarding school during the summer vacation?" "You go in and out every day, the house is like a kindergarten." Tieu Man's steps stopped a bit. I bowed my head and grabbed her hand. "Let's go, mommy will take you." Downstairs, Tieu Man didn't say a word the whole way. About to reach the door of the training center, she suddenly asked me. "Mom, am I noisy?" I squatted down, looking into her eyes. "No." "At my house, I can talk, I can watch cartoons, I can laugh." She blinked. "But cousin doesn't like me." My heart sank. "Whether she likes it or not, it doesn't matter." "Mom likes you, grandma likes you, that's enough." Tieu Man nodded and walked into class. I stood at the door, making a phone call to my mother. The phone connected, before I could open my mouth, my mother spoke first. "Are you familiar with Phuong Dung from where you live?" "She's keeping her guts out of her skin, don't take it to heart." I looked at the street below the house, which was shining white from the sun. "Mom, she criticized Tieu Man for being noisy." "And said we should take her to boarding school." The other end of the line was silent for a moment. "She doesn't have children yet, so she doesn't understand." "Give in a bit." I laughed. "She doesn't have children yet, so yes." The right to control your child?" My mother's voice was low. "We are all relatives." "It's not easy for him to stay at home, every day my aunt reminds me of his divorce." "Your home's conditions are good, let him stay for a few days, consider helping."Help. I have heard these two words too many times. When I was little, Phuong Dung took my new school bag and my mother asked me to help. After the university exam, Phuong Dung borrowed my computer, my mother said to help. After getting married, she borrowed my gold bracelet to save face. She didn't return it for half a year, so my mother also said to help. I thought that after I grew up and had my own family, I could close the door. It turned out that the door was closed, and there were people who could still borrow two relatives to get in. When I got home, Phuong Dung was sitting on the sofa eating watermelon. The living room air conditioner is turned on at twenty degrees. On the tea table were melon peels, paper towels, and even bags of snacks she had torn apart. Co Tue Cam is cleaning the house. Wiping to the edge of the sofa, Phuong Dung lifted her foot. "Miss, please wipe it clean." "The floor is sticky." Co Tue Cam said nothing. I put down my bag. "Phuong Dung, take out your trash yourself." Phuong Dung raised her head to look at me. "What's wrong?" "Going to work makes you angry, coming here to take it out on me?" I walked over and placed the plastic bag with trash right next to her hand. "This is my house, not a hotel." Phuong Dung's face changed. She put down the piece of watermelon in her hand. "Duong Nhan, what you said is harsh." "You didn't have to go to my house empty-handed." She pointed towards the shoe cabinet. There was a box of cakes she brought when she arrived. Has been peeled off. She herself had eaten half of it. "Besides, what if I stay for a few days?" "Your mother doesn't even have an opinion." I looked straight at her. "I have an opinion." Phuong Dung was stunned. Co Tue Cam also stopped cleaning the house. Phuong Dung glared at me, as if she had just heard something ridiculous. "Do you have any comments?"