Chapter 9 — Thirty Years Later, We Brought Mom Home

Those words... Pierced very deeply. Tri Dao's face immediately changed. Tri Chau clenched his fist. It's just me... Still standing still. Thirty years ago... I was afraid of this statement. But now... I'm not afraid anymore. I bent down. Place the transfer consent form in front of Hua Hoanh Vien.

"If you want to continue to avoid..."

"Then just hide."

I pointed to the notes my mother left behind.

"Every single thing my mother left behind..."

"I will take it back myself."

Hua Hoanh Vien trembled for a long time. Finally... He slowly raised his right hand. Click on the hospital transfer consent form. Tri Chau took the ink cartridge. Help him roll his fingers. Leaving a dark red fingerprint on the paper. Tham Ngoc Nhu stared at that fingerprint. His eyes looked like they wanted to burn the whole piece of paper. That night. Hua Hoanh Vien was transferred to another rehabilitation hospital. Tham Ngoc Nhu... Unstoppable. She stood in front of the hospital gate. Quietly watching the ambulance leave. On the face... There are no more tears. Only hatred remains. On the ambulance. Hua Hoanh Vien fell asleep. I sat across from him. At that moment... The phone screen lit up. It's a text message from an unknown number. Ms. Hua, the bank safe that her mother opened in the past had an unusual request to open it three years ago. The applicant left a contact phone number in the name of Tham Gia Thu. I gave the phone to Tri Dao. She called immediately. The call was quickly connected. On the other end of the line was an employee of the bank's records department. Tri Dao turned on the speakerphone.

"Please..."

"What is the current condition of the safe?"

Staff responded:

"The system shows that the safe is still intact."

"Three years ago, someone submitted a death certificate and documents proving family relationships to request to open a safe."

"But because the authorized person information does not match..."

"So the request was denied."

Tri Dao continued asking:

"A copy of that file..."

"Is it still there?"

"But the authorized person must come directly to do the procedure to be able to look up."

I looked out the window. The ambulance rushed on the overpass. The lights of the city recede slowly. Thirty years... That safe... Still intact. The thing that Tham Ngoc Nhu couldn't get for thirty years... That was what she feared the most. Early the next morning, the three of us went to the bank. Tri Dao brought all necessary documents with him. The branch director personally came to welcome us. Very polite attitude. But all procedures are carried out extremely strictly. I signed more than ten sets of documents one by one. Roll fingerprints as many times as required. As the door to the safe slowly opened... A heavy metallic sound echoed throughout the room. The bank employee gently placed a gray box on the table.

"Please open the safe yourself."

The key... Hidden in the series of numbers on the safe deposit slip that my mother left behind. Password... It's my birthday. I slowly turned the lock. Inside... There is no gold or silver. There are no treasures. Documents only. An official will. An original trust fund contract. A contract to buy and sell Van Giang Cong Quan apartment. A thin envelope. Only four words were written on the outside. Tri Chanh opened it himself. I don't open it right away. Tri Dao picked up the file and looked at it first. She turned over very quickly. The more you watch... The more silent you become. Finally... Tri Dao placed the copy down on the table.

"This case..."

"We won."

I look at you.

"What do you mean?"

Tri Dao pointed to the signature and notary seal.

"This will is legal and in full force."

"The trust fund contract specifies three beneficiaries."

"The contract to buy Van Giang Cong Quan apartment is also clearly stated."

"The one who pays is mom."

"The person designated to transfer the name after turning eighteen..."

"Hua Hoanh Vien has absolutely no right to make decisions."

Tri Chau asked softly:

"What about the ancestral house?"

Tri Dao turned to another page.

"The ancestral house is not entirely the property of the Hua family."

"The Eastern courtyard and the street are ancestral property."

"But the western house and the two rows of shops behind..."

"All bought by my mother before getting married."

"Originally it was under the name of my grandfather's company."

"Then pass it on to mom."

"When Hua Hoanh Vien made a gift contract for the past year..."

"He included this part of his assets."

"It is an act of disposing of property that does not belong to the owner."

I quietly looked at the papers on the table. For thirty years... We three sisters have always thought... We have nothing left. Mother had already prepared a retreat for us. Someone deliberately stood in the middle of the road. Block that path. I opened the envelope. The paper has turned yellow over the years. But each stroke is still as clear as yesterday. Dear Tri Chanh. If you read this letter... Maybe I won't have the chance to watch you grow up anymore. I am the eldest sister. But that doesn't mean... I was born to shoulder everything. You have the right to cry. Have the right to ask for help. Have the right to refuse all injustice. Mom left money for three sisters... Not for you to fight over.