Chapter 13 — Staying at Thanh Ba Host

Her hair was wet with sweat, and she was still clutching an old cloth bag in her hand. I looked at her, momentarily speechless. From the moment Phuong Dung mentioned the loan note, the person I felt most sorry for was not my aunt. It's not Phuong Dung either. It's my mother. For many years, she has always told me to be patient. I thought she was just out of respect for her relatives. Now I know that she has also been weighed down by that debt for a long time. When Phuong Dung saw my mother, it was as if she had grabbed the last life-saving stake. "Auntie, you came at the right time." "About the old loan, tell me yourself." "Did you take thirty thousand from my house?" My mother walked in the door. This time, she did not advise me first. Nor did I speak in favor of Phuong Dung. She placed the old cloth bag on the dining table and took out a stack of papers from inside. The top sheet is a bank transfer receipt. The amount is thirty thousand. The date is the second year after I got married. The person receiving the money is my aunt. There is also a handwritten receipt on the back. The handwriting was a bit old. “Received the debt repayment amount of thirty thousand yuan.” “All debt paid.” The person who signed was my aunt. Seeing that receipt, my aunt's face turned red. She lowered her head, not daring to look at my mother. My mother pushed the paper in front of Phuong Dung. "The money has been paid a long time ago." "I didn't say it, because I didn't want Duong Nhan to think that after getting married, he still owed money to someone else." "Not for you to use this matter to oppress him." Phuong Dung was stunned. She clearly didn't expect my mother to bring evidence. There was also a bit of embarrassment on his face. "Do you still keep this thing?" My mother looked at him. "I didn't keep it, is it a matter of fairness today?" Uncle opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word. My mother looked at my aunt again. "Sister, you helped me in the past, I always remember." "So over the years, Dung Dung took Duong Nhan's things, I forced Duong Nhan to give in." "Rong Dung spoke harsh things at my house, I also gave in." "After he got divorced, there was no place for him to relax, so I told Duong Nhan to take him in." Her voice choked up little by little. "But I didn't expect that he would bully Tieu Man." "Even more unexpected, the old gold bracelet." It's a problem." My aunt cried and shook her head. "I don't know." "I really don't know about the bracelet." Phuong Dung immediately raised her head. "Mom, do you even want to get rid of your relationship with me now?" My aunt was asked to the point of being speechless. The police took pictures of the papers one by one for records. Then I asked my mother about the condition of the old gold bracelet. My mother told me that that year when Phuong Dung returned the bracelet, she gave it back to me. At that time, she saw that the lock was loose and asked a question. Phuong Dung said she accidentally damaged it when wearing it. My mother was afraid that I would feel uncomfortable, so she secretly bought me a necklace to make up for it. Now I remember, that year my mother actually gave me a thin necklace. She said she walked around the shopping center and thought it was beautiful so she bought it. Turns out it's not convenient to buy. It's that she is hiding her ugliness for others. The corners of my eyes were hot, but I didn't cry. Phuong Dung suddenly smiled faintly. "You guys are noble now." "If my mother hadn't lent me money in the past, would you be where you are today?" My mother frowned at her for the first time. "Dung Dung." "What I paid was money, not giving you the right to bully my daughter for the rest of my life." Phuong Dung's lips trembled. She looked at her uncle, as if she wanted him to continue to defend her. But my uncle avoided her eyes. This time, she really panicked. The police asked her where the original bracelet went after pawning it in the past. Phuong Dung bit down and didn't let go, couldn't remember what she said. 13The living room was so quiet that only voices could be heard.

notification from Phuong Dung's phone. The text message lit up on the screen, like a needle pricking everyone's eyes. "The things are still with me." "If you don't want them to know, then do as I say." The police looked at Phuong Dung. "Who is Mr. Tan?" Phuong Dung instinctively tried to turn off the phone screen. "My friend." "He texted random things." Lam Tranh coldly asked. "What things are still with him?" Phuong Dung said nothing. Her face was as white as if she had just pulled it out of the water. This time, my uncle didn't roar in defense of her anymore. He stared at the phone in Phuong Dung's hand, his voice deep. "Dung Dung, how many things are you hiding?" Phuong Dung bit her lip. "I don't." "He's just an old acquaintance." "He wants to blackmail me." The police said: "If it's blackmail, you should explain the situation more clearly." Phuong Dung still shook her head. My aunt suddenly cried and grabbed Phuong Dung's arm. "Dung Dung, don't be stubborn anymore." "The matter of the bracelet has already been brought to the attention of the police, how else are you going to arrange it?" Phuong Dung pulled her hand away strongly. "Do you know how to tell me now?" "In the past, when you were half-dead, did any of you pay any attention to you?" My aunt was knocked back and staggered a step back. My mother supported my aunt.