Chapter 4 — The Secret Pension

Attached beneath the statement was a copy of an identification card. It belonged to my father, yet the designated contact number belonged to Han Duc Hai, and the registered home address had similarly been altered to his. The world spun into darkness before my eyes. Twelve years. For twelve years, my father had survived on a meager allowance of just 951 yuan a month. My mother had to break her prescription pills in half just to make them last longer, while I worked overtime until midnight in a distant city and sent every extra coin back home, only for him to stubbornly return it to me. Yet, a steady stream of 14,850 yuan had been quietly siphoned off into an entirely different bank account. The woman behind the counter continued scrolling down.

There is also a signed proxy authorization form here.

Upon reviewing the document, the expression of the official in charge grew increasingly grim.

This proxy form only bears the signature of the person who collected the funds on behalf of another; it completely lacks the mandatory biometric facial verification of the rightful beneficiary.

Phuong Ve Dong hastily interjected, claiming that procedures back then were not as stringent as they are today. I raised my gaze to meet his.

Does a lax procedure give anyone the right to distribute my father’s livelihood to strangers?

Lowering his voice, Phuong Ve Dong cautioned me not to speak in such absolute terms.

The account is still registered in your father's name.

I seized upon his words instantly.

If the account is in my father's name, then where is the actual card?

Silence blanketed the room; no one dared to answer. I folded the transaction details and slipped them firmly into my pocket.

I am going to the bank right this instant.

The official called out, Family member, please leave your contact number first. Our department still needs to conduct an internal investigation.

I jotted down my phone number on a slip of paper. Suddenly, Phuong Ve Dong spoke up once more.

It would be wise of you to consult your father first. There are certain internal family arrangements that outsiders have no business meddling in.

I halted in my tracks.

Outsiders?

I pivoted to face him directly. Director Phuong, are you attempting to wash your hands clean of this entire mess now?

His face darkened instantly. Ignoring him completely, I turned and strode out the door. The moment I stepped outside, my phone rang. It was Duong Vy, her voice trembling with panic.

Han Thanh, hurry back immediately. Your father has gone missing. Han Duc Hai just dragged him away from the hospital.

05

As I burst out of the social security office lobby, my legs felt like lead. Duong Vy explained over the phone that my father had initially been sitting outside the operating room waiting for my mother. Suddenly, Han Duc Hai appeared accompanied by Ma Xao Van and Han Viet, claiming that I had caused a massive scene at the social security bureau and demanding that my father go down there to set things straight. When Duong Vy tried to block their path, Han Viet shoved her violently against the wall. By the time the nurse finally emerged to summon family members for signature consents, my father had already vanished. Standing by the roadside, I hailed a taxi, my palms slick with cold sweat. The driver asked where I was heading. Gritting my teeth, I replied, To the real estate service center first. Duong Vy gasped on the other end of the line.

How did you know?

If they aren't dragging my father to the bank, they are undoubtedly trying to rob us of our home, I said. The moment the taxi came to a halt, I spotted Han Duc Hai’s vehicle parked right outside the entrance hall. I rushed inside, catching sight of my father sitting alone in the waiting area from afar. He kept his head bowed, clutching a pen tightly in his trembling hand. Han Duc Hai stood over him, glaring as if inspecting a criminal. Ma Xao Van had spread a thick stack of legal documents across the table, while Han Viet sat with one leg crossed over the other, chewing gum casually. Sprinting forward, I ripped the pen straight from my father's grip.

Dad, what on earth are you signing?

Lifting his head, my father saw me, and his eye rims instantly flushed red.

Thanh Thanh, why are you here?

Han Duc Hai’s face turned livid.

You actually dare to show your face here?

I flipped open the documents on the table. They were property transfer agreements, designating Han Viet as the sole recipient. Anger surged through me so violently my hands shook.

My mother is still lying on the operating table! Have you people lured my father here just to trick him into signing away our house?

Ma Xao Van shrieked, What do you mean by tricked? Your family doesn't have the money for medical treatments; we provide the funds, and you hand over the property. That is entirely fair!

I slammed the printed transaction records from the social security bureau down onto the table.

Fair? My father’s subsidies accumulated over twelve years were funneled straight into a bank account right outside your doorstep! You pocketed his money, and now you come here to force him out of the only home he has left?

Han Viet reached out to grab the printed statement, but I snatched it back just in time.

Don't you dare touch it.

At the sight of those pages, Han Duc Hai’s expression shifted rapidly. Where did you get those?

I printed them at the social security hall, I retorted. Now, does your uncle care to explain whether that bank card is currently hidden in your house?

Gritting his teeth, Han Duc Hai snarled, The account is registered in your father's name. The money belongs to him. We were simply holding onto it for safekeeping on his behalf.

Safekeeping to the extent that when my mother needed eighty thousand for her surgery, you couldn't pull out a single dime? Ma Xao Van immediately chimed in, We have our own struggles too! Han Viet needs to get married, buy a home, and make a living. Besides, sooner or later, your parents will depend on Han Viet to handle their funerals. What is wrong with using a bit of money now to invest in the younger generation?

I nearly laughed aloud with sheer fury. You use my father’s money to cultivate your son, and then force my father to gift his house to your son as well? Your calculations are truly shameless.

Abruptly, Han Duc Hai dropped his voice to a low, threatening murmur. Han Thanh, do not push me. Back then, the only reason your father managed to retire smoothly was because of my help. The fact that he has been receiving over nine hundred yuan all these years is entirely because I left him a way out.

I turned my gaze toward my father. Dad, what on earth is he holding over you?

My father's lips turned pale as paper. Han Duc Hai cut in before he could speak. What use is it asking him? He knows the truth in his heart.

Slowly, my father's hands clenched into tight fists by his sides.