Chapter 17 — The Scales Are Finally Balanced

And also the bronze scale that he used in the past when trading silk. On the opening day, Tan Duc Hau arrived with a cane. He stood in front of the scale for a long time.

“Tieu Dao.” He turned his head to look at me. “Your grandfather… is a very good person.”

“Good people… shouldn't be treated ungratefully.”

“The things Dad did before…” He smiled bitterly. “Maybe it's too late.”

“But I will return everything that should be returned.”

That day he sat in the gallery all afternoon. Drink three pots of tea. Flip through each of my grandfather's old notebooks. Before leaving, he said one sentence:

“If Dad hadn't had that little bit of dignity back then…”

“If Dad would pay sooner and continue to visit my grandfather's house…”

“Maybe my life with Tan Hao won't have to go through seven years like that.”

I didn't reply. There are things... Time really cannot be turned back anymore. But time can still give people a chance. One year later. My company received its first big project: Overall interior design for a hotel chain. Contract value eight million. After work, Tan Hao came to the company to help me carry samples all evening.

“Did you design it all yourself?” He bent down to look at the drawings.

“It's beautiful.”

“Much more beautiful than your construction drawings.”

"Of course."

He laughed. Noan Noan is five years old and is in the senior kindergarten class. Every day after school, I go to my studio to do homework. Once done, run around the naughty gallery. One time, she pointed to her grandfather's copper scale and asked me:

“Mom, what is this?”

“It's the scale my great-grandfather used to use.”

“Used for what?”

“To weigh things.” I squatted down to explain to her. “To make sure both sides are equal.”

“What if they are not equal?”

“If it's too different…” I smiled lightly. “The scales will tip over.”

Noan Noan tilted her head and thought for a long time then asked:

“So being human is also like that, Mom?”

“If people treat me well… then I have to treat them well too?”

I looked at the girl in front of me.

“If someone is always good to you, you should also be good to them.”

“If people were nice to you for a long time…” I said softly. “But you keep being indifferent…”

“Then the scales will fall!” Noan Noan immediately responded.

"Correct." I patted her head. “The scales will tip over.”

The things that were once so heavy in my heart — self-pity, anger, disappointment... have now been put to one side of the scale. The other side is other things. My mother comes to the company every weekend to help me organize old files. Every month, Tan Hao takes Noan Noan back to his old villa to visit Tan Duc Hau. My cousin sometimes flew to Huzhou to have tea with me, and the two of us sat and chatted all afternoon. Every month, Uncle Phuong sends me a photo of his old house, along with a sentence:

“The house is still fine, rest assured.”

I only take out part of the money in the trust fund to operate the company. Most remain in the account.

“That is the support your grandfather left for you.”

Two years later. The company's second year revenue reached thirty million. Net profit more than four million. Tan Hao also quit his job at the Tan family's company and started his own business as a construction supervisor. The scale is not large. But it's his own career. The day he talked about quitting his job with Tan Duc Hau, he banged the table in anger. But this time... Tan Hao did not back down. Afterwards, Tan Duc Hau even called me to complain bother:

"Tieu Dao, take care of your husband. You have such a stable job but you won't do it..."

“Dad.” I laughed. “It's his business to decide for himself.”

Tan Duc Hau on the other end of the line sighed.

“Okay… it depends.”

After hanging up the phone, Tan Hao stood right next to me.

“Won't you help me say a few words?”

“I'm not a child anymore.”

He shrank his neck, then burst out laughing. Spring of third year. I took my mother back to Huzhou. Uncle Phuong stood waiting outside the gate of the old house, holding a newly brewed pot of Long Tinh in his hand. Mother stood in the middle of the yard, looking up at the cinnamon tree that had grown to the second floor. Didn't say anything for a long time.

“This tree was planted by my grandfather.” She said softly. “The year Mom left… it was only as high as Mom's shoulders.”

My mother and I went around the old house. When she reached the hall, she stopped under the sign "Co Thi To Trach". Mom gently stroked the edge of the old sign.

"My grandfather's whole life... his biggest regret was not being able to see you born."

She stopped for a moment, her eyes softened.

“But he must have seen it.”

I said nothing. The wind blew through the skylight. The leaves of the cinnamon tree in the yard turn in the sunlight, shining like moving pieces of time. Someday five years from now. The company's annual revenue has exceeded one hundred million. In the province's interior design industry, we are at the top. I sat in the yard of my old house in Huzhou. Noan Noan sat next to her doing homework — she was ten years old, in fourth grade, and her handwriting was even more beautiful than mine. Tan Hao is in the kitchen cooking rice. Three years of cooking lessons mean his braised ribs are now better than mine. Mother sat in the hall drinking tea with Uncle Phuong, chatting about grandfather's past stories. The phone suddenly rang. It was Tan Duc Hau calling.

“Tieu Dao.”

“Today is the anniversary of my grandfather's death.” His voice has aged a lot. “Dad wants to come and light a stick of incense for him… is it convenient?”

I looked at my grandfather's photo in the main hall.

“Convenient.” I replied softly. “Dad come.”

That afternoon, Tan Duc Hau in a wheelchair - last year he had had a stroke - was pushed by Tan Hao into the main hall of the old house. He sat in front of his grandfather's portrait for a long time. Then slowly took out an old envelope from his pocket and placed it on the altar.

“What is this?” I asked.

“Receipt of final payment.” He was hoarse. "Twenty-six million. Not even a penny is missing."

I opened the envelope. Inside is the bank transfer confirmation. Tan Duc Hau looked at his grandfather's photo and his lips trembled several times. A long time later, he spoke:

“Brother Co…”

“Sorry.”

“Forty years of debt… today I finally paid it off.”

“The thirty-five thousand you lent me that year… have supported three generations of the Qin family.”

“This kindness…” His voice choked. “I will remember until I die.”

Noan Noan stood next to me and gently pulled my sleeve.

“Grandpa is crying.”

I lowered my head to look at her.

“Why is grandpa crying?”

“Because he finally did something…” I gently patted my daughter's head. “Should have been done a long time ago.”

Noan Noan thought for a moment, then ran in front of Tan Duc Hau and held out her small handkerchief.

“Grandpa, don't cry.” The girl said seriously. “Great-grandfather wouldn't blame you.”

Tan Duc Hau received the handkerchief. He looked at Noan Noan's face - the older she got, the more she looked like me.

“Little girl really like his mother.” He turned to talk to Tan Hao.

“Yes.” Tan Hao stood next to me, his hand on my shoulder.

“Just like his great-grandfather.” Tan Duc Hau continued. “The eyes are straight, the heart is also straight.”

In the evening, the whole family sat down to eat in the yard. Braised ribs cooked by Tan Hao. Mixed cucumber made by mother. Noan Noan actively prepares rice. Tan Duc Hau ate two bowls at a time and said:

“Much better than the nanny's cooking.”

Uncle Phuong poked his head from the next yard and asked:

"I still have a jar of my great-grandfather's wine, do you want to drink it?"

That night, the lights in the old house came on very late. The shadow of the cinnamon tree is printed on the white wall, like a watercolor painting spreading in the wind. I sat on the steps. Tan Hao sat next to him.

“That day you sat by the river all afternoon…” He asked softly. “Did you ever think of the worst outcome?”

“What outcome?”

"Divorce." I looked up at the shadows of the trees swaying on the porch. “Take Noan Noan back to your mother's house, then start again from the beginning.”

“What about now?”

I rested my head on his shoulder.

“Now…” I laughed very softly.

“The scale is balanced.”