Chapter 10 — Thirty Million And One Man's Worth

“You even know how to invest.”

"If you don't invest, you can't invest. Money left alone will lose value."

He turned around and stood in front of me.

“Why did you say it today?”

"Because today my sister came to stop me. She looked up the information at the lottery counter that day, and even came to demand 500,000 from me."

His smile disappeared.

“She knows?”

"She's not sure yet. But she's investigating. If she's sure, she won't just ask for 500,000. She'll ask for more."

He stood still for a long time.

“So what are you going to do?”

“I want to ask your opinion.”

“Your opinion?”

"Legally, this money is the common property of husband and wife. You have the right to know, and you also have the right to participate in deciding how to use it."

He looked at me.

“Legally, is it common property?”

“So do you want it to be shared with me?”

“I am your husband.”

"My monthly salary is 12,000. I have thirty million."

He spoke, his voice very calm, as if repeating to himself an undeniable distance. I looked at him, not avoiding him. He was silent. Then he said one sentence—

"That money, I manage it myself."

I stopped.

"Thirty million, I'll manage it myself. I'm smarter than you, know how to invest better than you, and see people better than you. If I let you manage it, in less than three months, my sister will probably rip it all out."

After he finished speaking, he pulled me to sit next to him.

"Just be your chief coordinator. 12,000 is enough to live on."

His voice was light, but firm.

“Minh Vien—”

I was about to say something.

“But I have one condition.”

He interrupted.

“What conditions?”

I looked at him.

“That minced meat noodle shop, you have to open it for me.”

He said, his eyes were not joking. I stared at him.

"Are you serious? I'll take care of thirty million, all you need is a noodle shop?"

“Your father's skills cannot be lost.”

He replied very simply. My tears fell. First time in two months. Not out of self-pity. Not because of fatigue. This man—worth it.

"Okay. I'll open a noodle shop for you."

I nodded.

"Really?"

He asked again.

“Have you ever lied to me before?”

I asked back. He thought for a moment.

"Yes. You said you were fired."

"One more time. You said you were looking for a job."

“One more time—”

“Okay.”

I laughed. He also laughed. This time I really laughed, without any tiredness. I wiped my tears and gave him the phone.

“Look, these are all yours from now on.”

He pushed back.

"I don't understand even if you look at it. I'll take care of it."

“Aren't you afraid I'll take the money and run away?”

I asked, half joking and half serious. He looked at me.

"If I wanted to run, I would have run away a long time ago. I have thirty million and still stay in this house with 4,500 installments, eating minced meat noodles with you... I'm not going anywhere."

I rested my head on his shoulder.

“Minh Vien.”

“Thank you for saying 'I raised you'.”

I said softly.

“I'm telling the truth.”

That night, he slept very deeply. And I tossed and turned for a while. Not because of worry. But because I was thinking— Chu Minh Le, how to handle it. The next morning, Chu Minh Vien asked for half a day off. The two of us sat in the living room, gathering everything together.

“How much does your sister know now?”

"I know there's a winner at a booth near my house, I suspect it's me, but there's no proof yet."

“What about Thai Quoc Cuong?”

“He went to the lottery center to ask, but was refused.”

“So what will your sister do next?”

I think a bit.

"Continue to investigate. If you don't find out, you'll make a scene. She said she would come to your company to cause trouble."

His expression darkened.

“Her dare?"

“What doesn't she dare to do? She even plans to sell her mother's house."

I looked at him. He stood up.

“I'll go find you.”

“If you leave, it's like admitting it.”

I speak frankly. He stopped.

“So what?”

“There's no need to do anything. She has no proof. As long as the lottery center doesn't reveal the information, she's just guessing."

I analyze.

“But if she causes trouble…”

“Then I'll report it to the police. With her current condition, the more chaos she causes, the worse it will be for her."

He thought for a moment.

“What about your mother?”

“Not yet. She favors your sister, saying it is no different than giving information to the other person."

I shook my head. He sat down.

“Understanding.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“My sister and Thai Quoc Cuong… I know you have suffered a lot.”

He said softly.

“I know it's okay.”

I don't look at you.

“It won't be like that anymore.”

“I said this before.”