Chapter 20 — The Secret Pension

The processing clerk used proxy paperwork on their behalf.

After that, multiple large wire transfers were carried out from the exact same fixed device and at the very same teller window.

The primary recipients were Han Duc Hai, Ma Xao Van, and Han Viet.

Han Viet’s face drained of color in an instant.

I do not know about this.

I only received the money given to me by my parents.

I looked straight at him.

Did you truly have no idea where that money came from?

Then why did you demand to have the card closed and the remaining balance transferred just last night?

Han Viet opened his mouth, but no words came out. Ma Xao Van suddenly collapsed. She slammed her hands against the table and burst into loud, broken sobs.

Han Duc Hai, you swore to me that nothing would ever go wrong.

You said the eldest brother was a coward who would never dare to investigate for as long as he lived.

You told me that all we needed to do was press the sister-in-law’s fingerprint, and it would simply be treated as managing the household affairs on her behalf.

Say something now! Speak up!

Han Duc Hai raised a hand to stop her, but the police immediately pinned his arms down.

Let her finish.

Ma Xao Van’s entire body went limp, her strength completely draining away.

The money was all withdrawn according to his arrangements.

The passbook and the cards were always kept locked inside the safe at our house.

Han Viet used the money from that card to buy his car, renovate the house, and fund his wedding banquet.

Pressing my sister-in-law’s fingerprint was also something he ordered me to do.

He told me the sister-in-law had just undergone surgery and her mind was still hazy, so if I pressed her thumb down while she slept, no one would ever know.

Han Viet let out a sudden, frantic scream: Mother! Ma Xao Van only cried louder and more desperately.

I refuse to go to prison.

I was only ever following the orders of my husband and son.

Han Duc Hai’s complexion turned an ugly, bruised shade of green, his glare so venomous it looked as though he wanted to devour them alive. My father watched the chaotic scene unfold in silence, saying nothing for a long, heavy moment. There was no sense of triumph in his eyes, only a profound, crushing exhaustion. Having been trampled beneath the boots of his own younger brother for twelve long years, even a truth this resounding could never make up for the agonizing years of suffering he and his family had endured.

La Minh neatly gathered and sealed all the documents together. Disciplinary inspection officers from the factory compound rushed over as well, escorting Lu Jian Guo into an adjacent room for questioning. Eventually, Lu Jian Guo’s defenses completely crumbled under the pressure. He confessed that back then, Hach Quang Chi had been terrified that the accident would jeopardize his impending promotion, so he ordered the factory office to quietly bury the paperwork regarding the halting of Han Duc Xuong’s machinery. Later on, Han Duc Hai approached him, promising that if the allowance card was transferred to an account under his control, he would ensure Han Duc Xuong remained permanently silenced. Phuong Ve Dong was the one who manipulated the system on the back end, while Lu Jian Guo provided the official approval signatures from the factory office. The falsified confirmation statements were documents they had fabricated much later.

Listening to those words, my limbs grew ice-cold. It was not merely one malicious person; it was an entire cabal of individuals who treated the lives and livelihoods of my parents as if they were nothing more than worthless scraps of paper to be shuffled and discarded at will.

Hach Quang Chi still attempted to leave, but the officers stationed at the door blocked his path. He shot a cold, disdainful glare at my father.

Han Duc Xuong, what possible benefit do you think you gain by dragging me down into this mud with you?

My father slowly raised his head, his gaze steady and clear.

I am not dragging you down.

I am simply pulling myself out of the mire.

Hach Quang Chi’s expression finally twisted into one of utter, unmitigated defeat. Just when everyone assumed the ordeal had finally reached its conclusion, the hospital suddenly called. The doctor gravely informed us that my mother’s surgical incision had begun bleeding again, requiring an immediate deposit for additional medical expenses and the signing of consent forms for a secondary procedure. But when the bank teller swiped the newly retrieved card, the system flashed a harsh warning that the account had been temporarily frozen.

I clutched my phone, a deafening roar echoing inside my head.

Why on earth is the account restricted?

The bank manager’s expression shifted drastically. He immediately dialed his office to run a diagnostic check. A few moments later, he turned to look at my father.

Someone has filed an emergency stop-payment request under the pretext of a family property dispute.

The person who filed the petition is Han Viet.

Though he was still under police surveillance, Han Viet’s face instantly turned as pale as a ghost.

I was only afraid the money would be transferred away without my knowledge.

I lunged forward, nearly tearing him out of his chair.

My mother is lying in there waiting for medical treatment!

Are you really using her life-saving money to block us?

Han Viet’s lips trembled uncontrollably.

That money... there was a share of it that belonged to my family too.

My father stared at him, his gaze turning utterly and irreversibly cold.

Starting from this moment, you no longer have a single shred of connection to our family.

La Minh immediately contacted the bank’s high-level oversight channel, and the bank manager rushed back to the main branch to handle the emergency override. Yet, even with the most expedited procedures, bureaucratic processes demanded time. The hospital could not wait. I pulled out my phone, frantically preparing to borrow money from anyone who would answer. Duong Vy gently placed her hand over mine, stopping me.

Do not borrow anymore.

I have already contacted the hospital’s priority administrative channel.

Chief La has also issued an official explanatory statement regarding the situation.

We will proceed with the treatment first, and handle the paperwork and fees afterward.

A sharp, burning sensation stung the bridge of my nose. Along this grueling journey, the person who felt most like true family turned out to be someone with whom I shared no blood at all.

When we rushed back to the hospital, my mother had already been wheeled into the treatment room. When the doctor finally emerged, he sighed, telling us the bleeding had been successfully controlled, but her frail body could not endure any further torment or trauma. My father sat heavily on a bench outside the door, clutching the newly unfrozen card tightly in his palm. He suddenly spoke in a low, broken voice: Thanh Thanh, the person your father has failed the most in this lifetime is your mother, and you.

I crouched down in front of him, resting my hands on his knees.

Father, you must never say such a thing.

The one who should be hanging their head in shame is never you.

That very evening, the freeze order on the account was completely lifted. The two hundred and sixty-seven thousand yuan remaining on the card was safely transferred to a newly secured account my father had just opened. The entire medical bill was paid in full in a single transaction. Finally, my mother would be able to receive her medications and rest in peace.