Chapter 9 — Thirty Million And One Man's Worth

She turned around, took a taxi and left. I stopped at the gate of the area. The wind blew, cold to the bone. I took out my phone and called the lawyer.

“Is the agreement ready yet?”

“Done, when will you come over to sign?”

"This afternoon."

I hung up, then called one more time.

"To Dinh, today you can check the books for me. I have something to do this afternoon."

"Okay. What's going on?"

“The job of preserving lives.”

Law office. I signed a marital property division agreement. The content is very simple. Premarital property and property acquired unexpectedly during marriage, including but not limited to lottery winnings, belong to each person. Legally, this agreement needs to be signed by both parties to be fully effective. But I didn't let Chu Minh Vien sign it. I signed my part first, asked the lawyer to keep the records.

“If the other party does not sign, is this document valid?”

The lawyer looked at me.

"If one party signs, it does not have complete legal effect. But if there is a property dispute in the future, it can serve as evidence of your will. It is best to let your husband sign."

“I know. But not now.”

“So what is the purpose of you signing in advance?”

“To prevent Thai Quoc Cuong.”

The lawyer nodded.

"If he uses his identity as a relative to claim benefits from your bonus, there is absolutely no legal basis. The bonus is your unexpected property, even your husband has no right to handle it on his own, let alone his brother-in-law."

“What if he comes to cause trouble?”

"If you cause a disturbance, report it to the police. If you fabricate something that harms your reputation, you can file a lawsuit."

I asked one more question.

"If one day I tell my husband about winning a prize, will this amount of money legally be marital property?"

The lawyer thought for a moment.

"Strictly speaking, lottery tickets purchased during marriage and prize money belong to common property. But if two people sign an agreement to divide assets, it will be according to the agreement."

“So in the end, this document still needs him to sign.”

I stood up. Leaving the lawyer's office, I stood on the side of the road for a while. Thirty million. Legally, half of this money belongs to Chu Minh Vien. He never asked me for a penny. He wasn't even sure if I really won the prize or not. But he chose to believe me. How should I respond to that trust? The phone rang. It's Chu Minh Vien.

“Hieu Hieu, what to eat tonight?”

“Are you cooking?”

“Yes, I got off work early today.”

“Then let's make your favorite minced meat noodles.”

He hung up. I stood on the side of the road, making a decision. I will tell you tonight. When I got home, he was in the kitchen. The smell of minced meat noodles spread throughout the house. Minced meat, diced potatoes, dried tofu, chopped wood ear mushrooms, beaten eggs. His father's recipe. Two bowls of noodles were brought to the table.

“Taste it.”

I picked up a chopsticks.

"Of course. It's my father's workmanship."

We finished eating the noodles. He went to wash the dishes. I sit on the sofa. After washing, he wiped his hands and sat down next to me.

"What's wrong? You're a bit strange today."

“Minh Vien.”

“I have something to tell you.”

He turned to look at me.

“You say it.”

“Don't be nervous.”

“If you say that, it makes me even more nervous.”

I opened my phone and went to a page. Banking application. Balance displayed— 30,724,891.36 yuan. He looked at the screen. He didn't say anything.

“Minh Vien?”

He looked at that number.

“I won the lottery. 38,400,000 yuan. After tax, there is 30,720,000 yuan left. Plus the investment profits of the past two months, now this number."

His mouth opened, but no sound came out.

“The day I was fired, I bought a lottery ticket in advance. Then hit.”

“I didn't tell you, because…”

“Because I'm afraid your sister will know.”

I was stunned. He spoke for me. His voice was very light, but each word was steady.

“I'm afraid your sister will come and ask for money if she finds out. I'm afraid your mother will be biased when she finds out. I'm afraid that Thai Quoc Cuong will cling to me if he finds out. So I hid it.”

I nodded.

“Are you angry?”

He bowed his head and looked at that number for a long time. Not a bitter smile. Not smiling because of joy. It was a helpless smile, but also like I finally understood everything.

“You risk your life to work one month to earn 12,000. I have thirty million in my card.”

“I argued with my sister over 12,000 deposit. I have thirty million in my card.”

“My mother told us to save money. I have thirty million in my card.”

He stood up and walked around the living room twice. Then stop.

“So that bakery…”

“It's mine. Cooperate with To Dinh.”

“That school district apartment…”

“It's also mine. Pay straight.”

“Financial investment…”

“Ten million in safe investments, eight million in private funds, two million in cash.”

He laughed again.