Chapter 6 — The Poor and Honored Soldier

Her aunt Trieu Cam Thu was the first to regain her composure and took a deep breath: "Chan Quoc... the object your daughter is looking for... what exactly is its background?" Trieu Chan Quoc chuckled, just as he was about to speak, he was stopped by a look in my eyes. I looked at my mother. Mom sat there, her lips still trembling slightly, but her eyes were red. Not fear. It's pride. It's heartbreaking. It's the type of heartbreak that "turns out my son has suffered more in the past eight years than I thought".
“Xuyen Tu……” Her voice was hoarse, “I……”
I stood up, went to sit next to her, and held her hand. Her hands were cold.
"Mom, I'm okay. I'll slowly tell you the things that should be said later."
Mom squeezed my arm, nodded, tears fell, hitting the tablecloth. Trieu Cam Thu looked at this scene and breathed a sigh of relief. Then she stood up, walked in front of my mother, squatted down, took a package of tissues from her bag and handed it over.
"Don't be sad. He's a hero, you should be happy."
Mom received the tissue, looked at Trieu Cam Thu, and was stunned for a few seconds. Then she nodded vigorously: "Okay... good child." Trieu Cam Thu smiled, stood up and returned to his seat. As she passed me, she lowered her voice and said:
“Don't wear this cotton shirt next time.”
I lowered my head to look at my faded blue army cotton shirt.
"What's up?"
"It's nothing," she sat down, raising her cup of tea, "it's just too easy to spot. The tiger mouth scar can be covered, but wearing this shirt out is like announcing yourself."
I looked at her. Her actions of drinking tea were very leisurely, as if she had recognized me for a long time and only came today to do a confirmation procedure. This girl. It's a bit interesting. 【Chapter 4】 The fifth day of Tet. My seven-day vacation is officially over. But before leaving, something happened. On the evening of the fourth day of Tet, my mother received a phone call. The person calling is Vuong Giai's mother. That's right, it's the future mother-in-law. When I answered the phone, my mother didn't even know who it was. As soon as she heard the voice, her face changed.
“What are you calling for?”
I sat on the sofa in the living room wiping the knife I had folded with me——purely out of habit——my ears pricked up to listen. The voice on the other end of the line was extremely obsequious, completely different from the cocky and cocky tone last time at Vong Giang Lau.
"Sister... Ms. Ly, I am Vuong Giai's mother. Last time... I was wrong last time, I shouldn't have said that, I..."
My mother laughed coldly: "Now do you know you were wrong? What did you say to my son that day? 'I can't even buy a toilet'?"
“I was wrong, I was wrong, I was blind——”
“Stop playing this game.” The mother's voice was as hard as iron, "Whether or not my son has eyes for your daughter is one thing, you humiliate them right in front of them is another. I heard this phone call, I said what needed to be said—no more from now on."
“Clack.”
She hung up. After hanging up the phone, my mother still hadn't calmed down, muttering: "What do you know, how arrogant you were at that time, and now you're crying? What are you doing so early?" The corner of my mouth curled up, not speaking. Mom turned her head and glared at me: "What are you laughing at? Me too, being so angry without saying a word. If it wasn't for Commander Trieu coming, I don't know how long they would trample you!"
“Mom, I don't care.”
“I didn't pay attention but mom did!” Mother sat closer, "Girl of the Trieu family, That name is Cam Thu——how do you feel?”
I continued to wipe my skin: "In what aspect?"
“Any aspect is fine! She's beautiful, smart, and doesn't criticize her family's conditions——most importantly, her father is my teammate and knows each other's backgrounds well. Such a good girl! You have to hold on tight.”
“We just had one meal together.”
“One meal is enough! I looked at her eyes looking at you——" Mom suddenly stopped, leaned closer, lowered her voice, "Xuyen Tu, tell me the truth, what rank are you in the army?"
I looked at her: "Mom, confidentiality rules."
“I am your mother!”
“Confidentiality regulations do not consider relationships.”
Mom angrily slapped the back of my head.
“Okay, let's not say anything. But you have to agree with me on one thing.”
“What?”
“Trieu Cam Thu's phone number, have you made friends yet?”
"…… Already."
“Then let's talk more! You're twenty-seven years old, and if you don't fall in love, I won't be able to carry you anymore!"
I did not respond. But to be honest, Trieu Cam Thu is really——not like other people. During the meal on the third day of Tet, from beginning to end she did not ask me "how much my income is per year" or "whether I have a house or not". What she asked was: “During the 2019 campaign, there was a tactical button I always didn't understand——in a situation where information was completely cut off, how did you make the decision to divide your troops?” At that time I was stunned. Then I discovered that the girl sitting across from me could actually talk to me. It's not because her father is Trieu Chan Quoc. Not because she's beautiful. But because——she understood. She understands that world. She won't think I wear faded cotton shirts because I'm poor. She knew it was out of habit. It's because I wore standardized things at the border for too long, and when I returned to normal life, I didn't know what clothes to buy.