Chapter 4 — There Are Wounds That Only Truth Can Heal

He was silent for a few seconds. Then breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good."

"That's good."

Pausing for two seconds, he asked again:

"So... what about that boy?"

"What is what?"

"No matter what, people came to me."

"It must be really difficult."

"Even though the DNA results were negative, the story in the household registration book is still there."

"There has to be an explanation anyway."

"I'm investigating."

"Do you need my help?"

"If you need to ask someone, you can ask someone you know."

"No need."

I replied very decisively. Ha Kien Minh looked at me. Gently nodded. Say nothing more. Come to dinner. His phone vibrated once. He turned the screen face down on the table. Don't answer the phone. Wait for the phone to stop vibrating. He just stood up.

"I'm going to the bathroom for a bit."

Came back five minutes later. My daughter, Niem Niem, used her spoon to poke rice and raised her head to ask:

"How are you today, Dad?"

"No problem."

"Hurry up and eat."

The girl obediently bowed her head and continued eating. Nine o'clock in the evening. Lam Tinh sent a message.

"It's okay to ask."

"Doan Kim Ba actually did civil registration at the Western police station in 2007."

"In 2012, I changed jobs."

"Retirement in 2019."

"My regular customers also said that back then he worked very flexibly."

"Acquaintances just need to bring a few gifts and many inherently invalid procedures can be skipped."

I immediately asked:

"Where is he now?"

Lam Tinh replied:

"Still living in the old neighborhood."

"My guest has his phone number."

I texted back:

"I need to see him once."

"But not now."

"Just save the information first."

Lam Tinh asked:

"What are you waiting for?"

I replied:

"Wait for all the pieces to be complete."

"Then it will be processed once."

Lam Tinh was silent for a long time. In the end, I only sent back two words.

"Understood."

That was the day that made me feel the heaviest since everything started. Tran Dich went to the pharmacy to get the assessment results. Stand right in front of the door. He held that piece of paper for a long time. Don't cry. Didn't say anything either. Just quietly folded up the results. Put it in an envelope. Then he raised his head and looked at me.

"I understand."

His voice was strangely calm.

"That's the result."

I said slowly.

"But this isn't over yet."

"The problem of my household registration still remains."

"I will continue to investigate."

He shook his head.

"You don't need to worry about me anymore."

"Your grandmother must have been mistaken."

"I have no obligation to help you."

"It's not a mistake."

I looked straight at him.

"Someone used my name."

"Forged my signature on your civil registration documents."

"I must find that person."

He was stunned.

"Fake... fake?"

His hands clasped the envelope tighter. It takes a few seconds to become famous.

"On my mother's side..."

He lowered his voice.

"At that time, my mother really needed help."

"That person only has good intentions."

"It's just..."

"Used incorrectly."

"I know."

I replied softly.

"What I want to investigate..."

"Not to hold your mother responsible."

He looked at me. The corners of the eyes are red. But still trying to endure. He bowed his head and took a deep breath.

"Thank you."

"Even in the end..."

"What is the truth?"

He turned around and left. I stood in front of the store. Quietly looking at that skinny figure. The old backpack is still worn on my back. He gradually joined the crowd under the afternoon sunlight. Until you can no longer see it. I just returned to the office. Sit down. Then once Then spread all the documents on the table out in front of you. On the table in front of me are stacks of documents neatly arranged. DNA testing results. Handwriting comparison copy copied from the archive. Information about Doan Kim Ba that Lam Tinh has just investigated. And there's one more detail. It's about my mother-in-law seeing the printed civil status information. That day she came to the house to play. As soon as she sat down in the living room, she conveniently picked up the piece of paper I had left on the tea table, glanced at it, and asked:

"Is this printed paper from the police station?"

At that time I didn't think much. But now I remember... That piece of paper had only been on the table for less than five minutes. Just in time, the mother-in-law walked in and sat right in that position. Just a quick glance... She immediately asked where it was printed from. Someone who knows absolutely nothing about this... The first reaction would not be to ask where the paper was printed. That afternoon, Lam Tinh closed the shop early to come look for me. She brought two cups of milk tea. The two of them sat in the office behind the pharmacy, on two folding chairs. I told her all my reasoning. Lam Tinh chewed on a straw and listened silently. After sipping nearly half of the straw, she spoke up:

"Does your mother-in-law know Doan Kim Ba?"

"I don't know."

"But Kien Minh is the construction side."

"The industry goes back and forth with all sorts of agencies."

"If you know someone in the civil registration department, it's not strange."

Lam Tinh nodded.

"So this is highly likely."

"Someone knows your personal information."

"Find Doan Kim Ba."

"Ask him to enter the household registration of an orphan into your name."

She stopped.

"But what's the point?"

"So that the boy has support?"

"Let me use this to threaten you later?"

"I don't know yet."

I calmly replied.

"But in the letter that grandmother Tran Dich left behind, it said..."

"There was a kind person who helped me make a household registration."

"If it's really just kindness..."

"There's no reason to use my correct name."

"It's okay to borrow the name of anyone willing to help."

"The fact that they insisted on choosing me..."

"Just proves one thing."

"It was from the beginning..."

"There was a purpose."

"What purpose?"

"Wait until you meet Doan Kim Ba."

"Ask the person who asked him to do the procedure."

"Everything will be clear."