Chapter 19 — The Door Lock Changes, Marriage Also Locks

I stood at the door, watching the photographer constantly adjust the shooting angle. Suddenly I remembered the day before when I stood here carefully measuring each size. Chu Canh Hanh stood behind me and said softly:

"If it had been a little earlier... I wouldn't have let them change it like that."

I don't turn around.

"If it were earlier..."

"Then you wouldn't even think of asking me."

That evening, I signed the property settlement addendum to the divorce agreement. Chu Canh Hanh sat opposite, quietly looking at my name. Only then did he truly understand. I didn't force him to explain. I was really ready to leave. Three months after the house went on the market... Finally found a buyer. It was a young couple who had just gotten married. The day they came to see the house, the wife stood next to the window in the office and asked the broker:

"Can this place have another table?"

The husband immediately smiled and replied:

"Set it however you want."

Standing at the end of the hallway, hearing those words, my fingers clenched slightly. Not out of jealousy. Just suddenly realized... It turns out that such a normal sentence is enough to make people feel reassured. After the transaction was completed, Chu Canh Hanh and I followed the previously agreed plan. Bank loan. Prepayment. Repair costs. Remaining orders. All are clearly settled. The two lamps still in their original boxes, the storage box on the desk and the document box... I took it all away. The audio-visual equipment cabinet remains. It was fixed to the wall. If you remove it, it will only leave more ugly holes. When the workers moved my boxes out, Chu Canh Hanh asked softly:

"You really don't take anything else?"

"I only take what belongs to me."

He didn't ask further. Trinh Vu also no longer appears in any stages. Minutes of handover to the management board. Door lock management rights. Contact person on the repair team. After-sales care phone number. All that remains is the new owner and buyer. The day Trinh Vu's name was removed from the list... No one specifically informed me. It's just that one time I went to the management board to get documents. Tieu Do accidentally turned over the old repair registration form. Trinh Vu's name on it has been crossed out. Next to it write four words:

"Termination of authority."

I just took a look. Then put the documents in your bag. Don't feel happy. No regrets either. Because what she lost... Never originally belonged to her. On the day the divorce procedure was completed, Chu Canh Hanh waited for me outside the window of the Department of Civil Affairs. In his hand was a blue clipboard. Inside were all the papers we had signed over and over again over the past time. House settlement table. Records of ownership changes. Divorce agreement. Original drawing of the desk that I brought from my new home. I don't know when he put it in there. He handed me the clipboard.

"I left this in the office."

I take it. The corners of the drawing are slightly curled. There are still words written by me on it:

"After each business trip, you can sit and rest for a while."

Chu Canh Hanh looked at that line for a long time. Finally said softly:

"Before, I always thought..."

"If you don't say it, it means you don't pay attention."

I put the drawing back inside folder.

"Later..."

"Don't conclude anything for others."

He nodded slightly. Not talking about going back. Didn't say he would wait for me. We walked together to the side of the road. He walked towards the parking lot. I walked down to the subway station. The sunlight that day was very bright. People pass by on a crowded street. No one looked back. The new apartment I rented is located on a quiet small street, not far from the company. There is only one bedroom and one living room. The window faces south. The day I moved in, the first thing I did... was install a desk next to the window. The table top is not wide. But enough to place a computer, a desk lamp and a cup. I put the blue notebook in the drawer. When I turned to the first page, I saw the moving list that I had written before. Bedding set. Small cart in the kitchen. Desk pad for the working corner next to the window. I hold the pen. Write one more line at the end:

"Lock the door... confirm it yourself."

In the afternoon, the smart lock installer arrived. After installation, he stood in front of the door and instructed me to enter my fingerprints.

"How many people do you want to register?"

I stood by the door. Look at the smart lock that has just been installed. Outside the window, the wind blew softly. The curtain moved slightly. I remember the door of my old rented house... The place that always recognized my fingerprints. Remember the cold announcement at the door of the wedding house. Remember the person standing inside... Tell me not to misunderstand. A few seconds later, I said softly:

"For now... only one person can register."

I put my finger on the sensor. The lock immediately emits an electronic voice:

"Successful registration."