Chapter 17 — The Night Before Exam Day

“The other half was on the child that year.” “But he searched for a long time, only finding the bundle of red cloth Uncle Manh had hidden.” “He said, in the cloth there was a thread.”Thread. I remembered the red thread in the blackboard groove. Remember the mark on the back of the exam paper. Remember the worn stitching on the edge of the red fabric cover. It's not the key sewn into the diaper. It's the thread itself. Mom sewed the thread into a certain pattern that corresponded to the code on the copper card. Just remove it, and you can find the actual sealing location in the old warehouse. Suddenly there was a muffled noise downstairs. Immediately followed by the sound of breaking glass. An urgent voice came over the intercom. "The target has entered the quarantined exam room." "She locked the door." "There's still an employee inside." The test center's face immediately changed. The quarantine exam room is prepared for me this afternoon. Inside, there is a sealed box containing the exam questions. If she was targeting the exam room, it wasn't just because of the red cloth. She wants the afternoon exam to be completely suspended. I turned around and went straight downstairs. Ms. Tan chased after her. "Manh Chi." I didn't stop. "Miss, I'm not going in." "I just need to tell them something." When we got to the first floor, the door to the isolation exam room was surrounded. The door is locked from the inside. The curtains were drawn tight. Inside came Ms. Hong's laughter. "Don't let anyone come in here." "If anyone comes in, I'll burn the exam bag." The exam head said in a serious voice. "It's a national exam, do you know the consequences?" Ms. Hong laughed louder. "Consequences?" "Did those women have consequences eighteen years ago?" "Did Lam Tri Ha have consequences?" I stood behind the crowd, my whole body chilled. She knows my mother. She did not simply work for Tham Truong Bach. The police are preparing to break down the door. But the crack in the underground door suddenly oozed the smell of gasoline. Ms. Tan pulled me back. Ms. Hong inside spoke slowly. "Manh Chi, I know you're outside." "If you want to take the exam in the afternoon, bring your bronze card in here." "Also, tear up the exam notice yourself." "Tear it, I'll give you the red cloth." I looked at the bag of documents in my hand. The transparent plastic layer was squeezed until it wrinkled. Everyone's eyes were on me. Tham Chu suddenly chuckled behind him. That laugh was both bitter and hoarse. "You see." "In the end, you still have to choose." I didn't turn around. Inside the door, there was the faint sound of a lighter being opened. Ms. Hong said softly. "I count to three." "One." The hallway was quiet, only the smell of gasoline rushed straight into my nose. "Two." I raised my hand and slowly lifted the file bag. Ms. Tan grabbed my wrist tightly. I looked at that door. “I tore it.” The laughter inside the door stopped. Everyone's face changed. As for me, I bowed my head, what I pulled out from the file bag was not the exam notice. It was half a sheet of exam notice stained with Tham Chu's blood.20The sound of the paper being torn by me was very soft. But in the quiet hallway, it was like a string suddenly snapped. Tham Chu was the first to react. "That's mine." I finally turned my head to look at him. "You also know what it feels like to have someone tear up your exam notice." His face turned pale little by little. Ms. Hong in the room was silent for two seconds, suddenly angry. "Manh Chi, are you kidding me?" I clutched the scraps of paper in my hand. "What you need is the thread in the red cloth." "The exam notice is of no use to you." Inside the door came the sound of tables and chairs being kicked over. "Stop talking nonsense." "Give me the bronze card." I looked at the test site chief and the police. "The old warehouse has been sealed, she's not running. "She's stalling for time." "Tham Truong Bach isn't here." Ms. Hong swore inside. The next second, from the slot

The curtain opened and a spark of fire flashed. The police immediately raised the fire extinguisher. I suddenly raised my voice. "Miss Hong, you are also on that list, right?" The movements inside stopped. I continued. "You don't work for Tham Truong Bach." "You're afraid that when the bronze card opens, all the people whose identities have been switched will be investigated." There was silence inside the door for a long time. Tham Chu looked at me dumbfounded. I glued my eyes to the dark crack in the door. "Eighteen years ago, you were probably the one who was rescued." "But then you helped them lock up many other people." "So you're even more afraid of that list appearing than Tham Truong Bach." From inside the door came the sound of heavy panting. This time, she didn't laugh anymore. "What do you understand?" Ms. Hong's voice was like being rubbed by sandpaper. "A person without status, living is worse than dying." "Someone gives me a name, gives me a piece of food, then I have to listen." "Lam Tri Ha insisted on investigating." "If she continues to investigate, everyone will die." My chest felt like it was being weighed down by a boulder. "So you stood there watching my mother die." "It's not me." She screamed loudly. "It's Tham Truong Bach." "It's Duong Tue." "It's Manh Thanh Hai who took the baby and didn't come back."