Chapter 22 — The Heiress's Selection of a Husband

A week after the tumultuous death anniversary, the atmosphere in the Chu family mansion gradually returned to daily life, although everything had completely changed compared to before. Anh Thu no longer had to wear the guise of a rustic maid, but she still chose to stay in the mansion for a while longer, wanting to have the opportunity to officially say goodbye to the people who had accompanied her throughout her arduous journey.

She decided, after careful discussion with Vinh Khang, that instead of leaving immediately to return to her life as an heiress of Tan Phuc Company, she wanted to spend a few more days to completely close the journey that had begun from this very place, meeting and saying sincere thanks to each person who had accidentally or intentionally contributed to helping her find the truth. She also needed time to get used to her true self, after many months of living completely in a different identity, to the point where she sometimes wondered which was the real Anh Thu: the lady who grew up in luxury, or the honest maid who had learned to appreciate the simplest things in life.

That morning, she went to the kitchen, where Mrs. Xuan was busy directing work as usual. "Mrs. Xuan, I have something to tell you." Anh Thu spoke, her voice full of respect.

Mrs. Xuan turned back, her eyes were now completely different from the stern and probing look on the first day of their meeting. "You don't need to explain any more, Miss Anh Thu. I've heard everything. I'm just sorry that all this time, I've treated you like a normal maid, while you had to endure so much suffering."

"You have treated me very fairly and kindly." Anh Thu said, holding the old housekeeper's calloused hands, clearly feeling every callous that had followed her throughout the years of diligently taking care of a large mansion. "If it weren't for you giving me the chance to try that day, I probably would never have found out the truth about my parents. I will always be grateful to you for that."

Ms. Mai, who had been standing nearby listening, couldn't hold back her tears and ran to hug Anh Thu. "So all this time, you've had to live in fear of your identity being discovered, while still having to pretend to be happy with me every day. Why don't you tell me, I can help you."

"I don't want to involve you, this is too dangerous to share with anyone unnecessarily." Anh Thu replied, patting her little friend's head with sincere affection. "But I've always considered you my little sister, it's never been a lie."

"So now you're really the heiress, do you still remember us?" Ms. Mai both cried and laughed, her choked voice mixed with humor to dispel the overly emotional atmosphere.

"How could I forget the people who shared a cramped room with me, got up early to cook breakfast, and overcame so many difficulties together over the past few months." Anh Thu replied, squeezing her friend's hand. "I promise, no matter what happens in the future, my door is always open for you and Mrs. Xuan at any time."

Mrs. Xuan quickly wiped away the rare tears rolling down her wrinkled cheeks. Her voice returned to its familiar sternness even though the tone was much gentler. "Okay, stop crying, there's still so much work to do. Miss Anh Thu is now an honored guest of this house, let me make the best tea for you."

After saying goodbye to her close friends in the kitchen, Anh Thu went to Lam Ngoc Dung's private room, where she was sitting quietly by the window overlooking the garden. "Uncle Dung, can I come in and talk to you for a moment?"

Lam Ngoc Dung turned back, her eyes were gentle as always. "Come in, son, I'm waiting for you." Lam Ngoc Dung poured another cup of hot tea and pushed it towards Anh Thu with a kind gesture like she often did during the past months.

Anh Thu sat down next to her, her voice choked. "I want to thank you, because the first day I came to apply for a job, it was you who gave me the opportunity when Mrs. Xuan was hesitant. If it weren't for you, I probably would never have had the chance to step foot in this house to find out the truth."

"I never regretted that decision, even though I knew all the complicated things that would happen later." Lam Ngoc Dung said, holding Anh Thu's hand. "From the first look, I felt that you were a gentle, honest child. I never looked at the wrong person."

"I'm sorry for having to lie to you all this time." Anh Thu said, tears rolling down her cheeks, her voice choked with emotion at the tolerance without any blame of the woman who once opened her arms to receive her when she had nowhere else to cling.

"You don't need to apologize for trying to find justice for your parents." Lam Ngoc Dung replied, her voice was warm. "I just hope that from now on, you will always consider this family as an indispensable part of your life, the same way you have always valued us all the time, even under a different identity."

She told Anh Thu about old memories with Vu Thi Hien, her biological mother, the afternoons the two young women used to sit and embroider together in the garden of the mansion, sharing simple dreams of a happy home with her husband and children. "Your mother is the gentlest and most intelligent woman I have ever known. Looking at you, I seem to see the image of her younger self, with the same determined eyes as your father."

Those old stories made Anh Thu feel like she was reliving a part of her childhood that she had never had the chance to experience, hearing about her parents through the words of someone who was close to them, instead of just through yellowed pages in an old notebook.

That afternoon, Chu Vinh Toan called Anh Thu to his private study, where he often sat pensively next to a small wooden box whenever he remembered his old friend. He took out his half of the jade pendant, placed it next to Anh Thu's half, and merged the two pieces into a complete circle for the first time after twenty-five years of separation.

"I want you to keep both halves." He spoke, his voice was deep but full of emotion. "This is a token of the friendship between me and your father. It should now belong to you, who used your courage to mend what had been divided for a quarter of a century."

Anh Thu held the completed jade pendant, feeling like she was holding in her hands a long story about friendship, betrayal, suffering and finally the truth was revealed. "I will keep it carefully, sir. This is not only a souvenir of my father, but also a testament to the beautiful friendship between our two families."

She looked at the lotus-shaped jade pendant that was now complete, the two halves fitting together without any gaps, as if they had never been separated for the past twenty-five years. She suddenly realized that, like this jade, the story of her family and the Chu family had also found a way to heal completely, not thanks to any miracle, but thanks to the courage to dare to face the truth, no matter how cruel that truth was.

"From today, I want the entire Chu family to officially recognize you as a close relative, not because you are Dac Nghia's daughter, but because of who you are, the integrity and courage you have shown all the time." Chu Vinh Toan said, placing his hand on her shoulder like a father protecting his child.

He also told her more stories that he had kept hidden in his heart for a long time, about the enthusiastic youthful days when he and Ton Dac Nghia together built the first foundations for Chu Nguyen Group, about the nights the two of them stayed up discussing business plans by the flickering light of oil lamps, about the promise to always be brothers, no matter what happened. "I have broken my promise to him for the past twenty-five years. But from today, I will use the rest of my life to make it up to you, treating you as my own daughter."

When Anh Thu heard those sincere confessions, her heart felt an indescribable warmth, as if after many years of wandering, she had finally found a place to call her second home, where her father had placed all his trust and friendship, and now, she herself was welcomed with all that sincerity.