Chapter 4 — The House She Left Behind

Officer Khuong looked at the third piece of paper in my hand. “What is that?” I slowly pushed the paper into the middle of the tea table. The red seal is in the lower right corner. Title revealed. Receipt of cancellation of registration of real estate ownership. La Khai's pupils shrank. Ha Ngoc Mai's face also turned pale. I looked at them. “Now, who can tell me?” "In the end, which house was Tuong Thua Trach's mortgaged?" 04 No one next to the tea table spoke up. Police officer Khuong held up the receipt first. He looked at it very carefully, even turning it over to compare the number of received documents. La Khai's face became increasingly gloomy. Trinh Khai Minh stood at the door, his palms continuously wiping the seam of his pants. Ha Ngoc Mai stared at the paper, as if seeing a knife suddenly pressed against her neck. I speak very slowly. “Two years ago, this residential area was included in the process of renovating the old area.” “The house my grandmother left behind is within the boundaries of the first round of clearance.” "I went to the ward office to confirm ownership and also signed the intention to revoke." “Old home ownership has entered the de-registration procedure, all transactions and mortgages are frozen.” La Khai raised his head. “But the house is still there.” I looked at the row of houses outside the window. “The project to renovate the old area has not been implemented immediately.” “People can still stay temporarily, but ownership status does not mean they can still trade.” "If you really did the official mortgage registration, the first door of the Real Estate Center would have rejected the application." Police Officer Khuong asked. “Do you register mortgages?” La Khai did not answer immediately. Trinh Khai Minh panicked first. “Typical private loans will sign contracts in advance.” “After that, registration will be added.” La Khai immediately looked at him. “You didn't say that before.” Trinh Khai Minh's lips were dry. “I said the records are complete, we can continue to promote.” I laughed coldly. “So you guys took a frozen old house certificate, a fake power of attorney, a fake phone number, a cut video, and then dared to disburse 5.5 million yuan.” La Khai's temples twitched. He's not a fool. It's just that he was too impatient to put the loss into a visible house. Now that this building has suddenly turned into a bone that cannot be bitten, he is more upset than anyone. Ha Ngoc Mai suddenly spoke up. “Duong Duong, if the house cannot be mortgaged, then you have no loss.” I looked at her. “Eldest aunt, do you think that only when the house is cleaned out can it be called a loss?” “My house certificate was stolen.” “My name was faked.” “My door is blocked.” “My mother was tricked into filming a video by my whole family.” “None of these things count?” Ha Ngoc Mai opened her mouth. The tears in her eyes were real. But it's also true that she wants to protect Tuong Thua Ze. My mother sat on the sofa, her fingers shaking. “Eldest sister, where did Thua Trach go?” Ha Ngoc Mai turned away. “I don't know.” My mother's voice was hoarse. “You still lied to me until now?” Ha Ngoc Mai finally raised her head. “I didn't lie to you.” “He just said to stay away for a few days.” “It said that when the money comes back, the house certificate will be returned.” La Khai asked coldly. “Where does the money go?” Ha Ngoc Mai did not speak. Police Khuong closed the file. "Everyone follow us to the station to take statements." “Contracts, videos, chat history and transfer documents must all be verified.” La Khai nodded. He no longer mentioned the house foreclosure. The tattooed guy looked unconvinced. “Brother Khai, should we just go like that?” La Khai suppressed his anger. “No, you want to pry open the door in front of the police?” The tattooed guy kept his mouth shut. When we went downstairs, the neighbors still poked their heads in the hallway. My mother always walks behind me. She seemed to have aged several years, and at the turn of the stairs she almost missed a step. I gave her a hand. She grabbed my hand and spoke in a low voice. “Duong Duong, I'm sorry.” I didn't withdraw my hand. But don't say it's okay. There are things that cannot be ignored with just an apology. Downstairs, Ha Ngoc Mai suddenly stopped me. She handed over the cloth bag. “There are two hundred thousand yuan in here.” “It's money I've been saving for the past few years.” “You take it first.” “Can we postpone reporting to the police?

" I looked at the old cloth bag. Inside was bulging, revealing a few wads of cash in the corner. It wasn't that she didn't have feelings. It's just that all her feelings were towards her son. I said. "If someone blocked the door to your house today, would you accept two hundred thousand and then shut up?" Ha Ngoc Mai's hand stiffened in mid-air. The police car door opened. Police officer Khuong urged us to get in the car. As soon as I sat down, my phone vibrated. This is the message Phuong Nghien sent. There's only one sentence. Don't let Ha Ngoc Mai carry that bag alone, there's more than just money inside. 05 I stared at the phone screen, my back felt cold. Ha Ngoc Mai held a cloth bag and sat in another car. She tightened her grip on the mouth of the bag, as if inside contained her final retreat. I didn't say it right away. In the car there were police, my mother, and La Khai who remained silent from beginning to end. I turned off the phone screen and put it back in my pocket.