Chapter 16 — The Fateful Trial

Ha Tuan ran to the elevator door, his face even whiter: "Ha Binh, are you sure?" Ha Binh looked at him, his eyes both cold and disappointed: "Are you asking me now if I'm sure? When everyone forced me to wear my younger brother's name to do the procedure, did they ever ask me if I was sure?" Ha Tuan was speechless. I don't argue with him anymore. I turned to look at the police officer who still hadn't left: "I request to immediately go to the ancestral house to collect evidence." The policeman glanced at Judge Chiang. The judge said in a low voice:

"Relevant clues can be handed over to the police. If the person concerned is afraid that the evidence will be dispersed, he can explain the situation now."

I looked at Lam Mai. Just now she was sitting on the chair pretending to be weak, but when she heard the words "ancestral house", her hand reached into her pocket to take out her phone. The police officer was one step faster than her: "Mrs. Lam, please do not contact unrelated people." Lam Mai immediately jumped up: "Is it illegal for me to go home and take personal belongings?" The police officer calmly said: "If those items are related to identity theft, then it is no longer a normal household chore." Tong Uyen stood to the side, her face was bloodless. She suddenly spoke up:

"I've also seen that box. Inside there are not only Ms. Duong's documents. There is also a resettlement identification form. It lists the family members as four people."

I raised my eyes to look at her: "Who are the four people?" Tong Uyen said softly: "Lam Mai, Ha Tuan, Duong Hoa, Ha An An. That kid named Ha An An, fill in is sixteen years old." My chest felt like it was pressed against a block of ice. My son doesn't have a household registration yet. Yet his name was taken by another child in exchange for a home. Ha Tuan suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice: "Duong Hoa, I'll go with you." I looked at him: "No need. You are not my support now, you are the one who needs to be investigated." As he said this, the light in his eyes went out. But I'm not soft-hearted. Because the baby was sleeping in my arms, he didn't know anything. He didn't know that just three months after he was born, his name was erased from the population list by his relatives. Half an hour later, we arrived at the Ha family's ancestral home. The ancestral house is located on an old street in the west of the city, the lime wall is peeling, and a notice of compensation and clearance is posted outside the gate. On the way, Lam Mai kept screaming, complaining about high blood pressure, and complaining about people bullying the elderly. But when the police pushed the door open and stepped inside, she suddenly fell silent. That silence made my heart clench. The yard is filled with dry leaves. The wooden stairs to the second floor creaked. Ha Binh led us to the innermost room. It pointed to an old wardrobe: “Right on top of the wardrobe.” The police put on gloves and removed the pile of blankets from the top of the closet. When the iron box was revealed, Lam Mai's face finally couldn't keep calm anymore: "Those are my family's personal belongings!" No one cares about her. The lock was rusted, but the lid of the box was not tightly closed. When I opened it, the smell of old, rotten papers rushed straight into my nose. At the top are a few yellowed photos. Photo of Ha Tuan holding the baby, Tong Uyen standing next to him. Below is a stack of file bags. The first bag says "Ha Binh". The second bag says “Resettlement”. The third bag blatantly has the words "An An" written on it. When I reached out, my fingertips were cold like loss of feeling. The police opened the file bag and a few copies fell out. My ID card. My marriage certificate. My hospital fee receipt. And a copy of An An's birth certificate. At the bottom, is a commitment. On the commitment is written: *"I, Duong Hoa, voluntarily confirm that my minor child named Ha An An is sixteen years old, and waive all rights to request resettlement arrangements for the newborn."* The place to sign is my name. There are also fingerprints.