Chapter 24 — Thirty Million And One Man's Worth

“Old Chu Noodles” also changed.

Chu Minh Vien opened a second store in the food court in the basement of the shopping center, with an area of 80 square meters, 12 seats, and monthly revenue of about 150,000 yuan. The two stores combined, the net profit per year is nearly 1,000,000 yuan, and he used that money to do two very simple things but they always made me remember. The first thing was to buy his mother a gold bracelet, priced at 2,800 yuan, not expensive, but she wore it and never took it off again. The second thing is to buy me a new wedding ring, no installments, one-time payment, price 18,000 yuan. When he put the ring on my finger, he only said a very light sentence, but it made people's hearts vibrate very deeply.

“The last one was too small, this one is a little bigger.”

“How do you know my hands are getting bigger?”

“I'm getting fat.”

“… try saying it again.”

“I live better now.”

This sentence… sounds good. I looked at the ring in my hand, it was 18,000 yuan, while the number in my account was now 52,000,000 yuan. But this ring is the most precious gift I have ever received in my life. Because it is not bought with money, but is exchanged with every bowl of noodles, every day waking up at 6 am, every night ending at 10 pm, with sweat, with perseverance, with the sincerity of a man. I used to think, if I hadn't won the lottery that day, what would our life have been like, perhaps we would still have a two-room house with 4,500 yuan monthly installments, still him as the coordinator, me as the operator. Perhaps still consumed by Chu Minh Le and Thai Quoc Cuong, still reminded by her mother-in-law, life isn't necessarily bad, but it's not pleasant either. But I won, 38,400,000 yuan. And the strange thing is, that money hasn't changed my man at all, because he was already good enough before. What it changes is that it makes me see more clearly — who is trustworthy, who is worth giving, who is worth waiting for. Five years later, on a weekend afternoon, at the second store of "Old Chu Noodles", Chu Minh Vien was standing in the kitchen, seriously cooking a pot of broth as if it were his whole world. The mother-in-law sat in the corner, wearing a golden bracelet, slowly picking vegetables, her movements much gentler than the day before. Our three-year-old daughter sat next to us, mouth full of crumbs, still holding half a croissant in her hand, smiling until her eyes widened. Chu Minh Le pushed the door open and walked in, his voice carrying the familiar rhythm of work.

“Sister-in-law, the ingredients for the product have just arrived, please sign for me.”

I took it, signed it, she bent down to look at the child, her voice was still a bit harsh but not as cold as before.

“Stealing croissants again?”

“Don't call, I don't like this game.”

She turned away, walked two steps and then turned back, taking out a rabbit-shaped hairpin from her pocket.

“Last time I said I liked it, bought it for you.”

She took it, smiled brightly, her voice was so sweet and soft.

“Thank you!”

Chu Minh Le snorted and turned away, but her steps were no longer heavy. I looked at her back, remembering the woman three years ago who stood in front of my house demanding 500,000 yuan, and the one who was buying a 9.9 yuan hairpin for my daughter today. People really can change, not because of money, but because they finally find their place in life. Chu Minh Vien poked his head out from the kitchen, his voice ringing with vitality.

"Hieu Hieu! The noodles are done! How many bowls have you eaten?"

"Two bowl, one for mom, one for me."

“What about the baby?”

“It's eating croissants.”

“Eating croissants again? That's the money I earn! You can't just eat mine, you have to eat my noodles!”

“Are you going to compare with a three-year-old?”

"I'm fighting for face."

Mother-in-law laughed. The baby laughed. I also laughed. The afternoon sunlight fell through the door frame, shining on the sign "Old Chu Noodles", shining on the glass door of "Khau Nho" next to it, then stopping on the ring on my hand - It flashed slightly, very lightly, but enough for people to know, this light... is real.