Chapter 9 — Ten Pounds of Shrimp, Breaking a Marriage Life

“Impossible… impossible…”

"Mom told me... Da Da is not like me... she's a bastard... she's a bastard..."

His lost appearance in my eyes... just made me laugh. After the idea arose, the mother-in-law poured poison into the ears of the father and son every day. Sometimes I say that Da Da doesn't look like Tong Anh Due, but looks like a certain man in my company. Sometimes they say they saw me going to a hotel with strange men, acting shady. It is said that Da Da is weak, selfish, and has nothing like the Song family. She gradually built up the image of me being promiscuous, so that the other two men believed that... the baby was most likely not their descendant. Just like that, unconsciously... Da Da was considered by his biological father and grandfather as an "illegitimate child". They let Tinh Tinh bully him, steal his things, hit him, kick him... even torture him. Having come to this point... what right do you have to say you regret it? After that incident, Tong Anh Due came to see me countless times, just wanting to meet Da Da once. I asked him if he wanted to meet his father. Da Da always shook her head. For the boy... his "father" image has collapsed since the day he was bullied, while his father stood by and watched without doing anything. I respect my child's decision. Don't let Tong Anh Due see him, after all, he never gave him a penny of money to support him. Father-in-law also came. Many times I knelt outside the gate of the house, crying and begging to see my grandchild. I still let the security stop me. The damage he caused... Da Da doesn't need that atonement. Later, I heard from neighbors... something happened to the Tong family. Because his family was broken and he couldn't see his grandchildren, his father-in-law was so miserable that he often vented his anger on his mother-in-law. One day, when he was not at home, his mother-in-law blatantly called her "younger brother" - that is, Vuong Quyen's father - to come. Unexpectedly, he suddenly returned. And saw with his own eyes his wife... staying with his "younger brother". He got mad and got into a fight. But the person holding the vase hit him on the head and was seriously injured, paralyzing his whole body. And the other "younger brother"... also went to prison for intentionally causing injury. Only then did Tong Anh Due know. The person he called "uncle" for so many years... was actually his mother's lover. In the past, her mother-in-law saw that her father-in-law had a stable job so she left her lover to marry him. But after getting married, he was often away from home. She couldn't stand the loneliness, reconnected with her ex... and gave birth to Vuong Quyen. To legitimize everything... she lied that her younger brother came from another place, and Vuong Quyen turned from a daughter into a niece. Over the years, she has always felt sorry for Vuong Quyen, so she secretly helped in all sorts of ways. Perhaps, when his father-in-law was seriously injured, he could still be saved. But the money... is gone. Her father-in-law trusted her to keep all his salary. She secretly used it to buy a house for Vuong Quyen. Even the savings that Tong Anh Due gave her... were spent by her on the other father and son. What about Vuong Quyen? Not the kind either. Two months ago, she met a divorced man. Secretly sold the house, took the money and ran away with his lover. Even girls... don't need it. At this point... the mother-in-law wanted to sell the house to save her husband... and had nothing left to sell. We could only stare at him lying paralyzed in one place. It is said that my father-in-law was paralyzed in bed, cursing his mother-in-law every day for being unlucky. At first she took good care of me. But day after day we have to face it Faced with the waste, the smell, the helplessness... she began to see that life had no hope left. She wanted to run to seek refuge with Vuong Quyen, but her contact had been blocked for a long time. Wanting to run away to another place... was dragged back by Tong Anh Due.

"This house is like this because of you! Where are you going to escape to?"

"I tell you, you run once, I hit once. I have nothing to lose now. If I beat you to death and then go to jail... it's easier than living like this!"

His crazy face made his mother-in-law scared out of her wits, not daring to mention leaving again.