Chapter 12 — Three hours before the wedding, I locked the house as a dowry

Just pull things into:

“Old people remember wrongly.”

“The girl turned away and refused to accept.”

Then there will always be relatives to defend you. She didn't expect my mother to sit there. Calmly recount every story you remember. After finishing the sentence:

“I never snitched.”

Mother's shoulders began to shake violently. I don't take her word for it. Just quietly push the glass of water forward. Mom is no longer the person I protect behind. Mother is also a witness. When the conciliation officer stamps the file. Red ink stamp printed on copies of documents. I looked at that real seal. Suddenly felt extremely ironic. A fake fingerprint... Almost took away our innocence. While a real seal... Can only prove that this matter needs to be investigated. When the conciliator copied the Joint Capital Contribution Explanation, the photocopier suddenly had a paper jam. Ton Thu Binh immediately smiled wryly:

“Even the machine doesn't want to print this.”

No one answered her. When the paper is printed again. I saw red fingerprints on the photocopy. It had turned into a pale blur of gray-red. It no longer looks as scary as the original. I suddenly realized. Lots of lies. When they are still in the kin group, they seem extremely scary. But once pulled into the official verification process... They are often not as powerful as one might think. Dong Khac Kiem lost contact for half a day. When I called his family, the person who answered the phone was his wife. Her voice was very small:

“Miss Khau, Mr. Dong will no longer testify.”

"Mr. Chuc has agreed to pay half of the outstanding wages in advance."

"And promised to continue giving him work next month."

“Our son's rehabilitation money cannot be interrupted.”

I do not advise. Don't blame either. Because I understand. Witnesses in real life still have to eat. Must feed the family. Have to worry about whether there will still be work to do tomorrow. I'm just saying:

“Please help me convey the message to Uncle Dong.”

“The project notebook must be kept carefully.”

“Even if I don't testify…”

“Don't sign any fake statements either.”

After listening to the whole story, Tham Le only said one sentence:

“Then find people who don't live off Chuc Dong Nghieu.”

I silently listened to his analysis.

“Housing inspection specialist.”

“Building management.”

“Tieu Lan Chu.”

“Repair company administrative staff.”

“Material supplier.”

“Especially the material supplier.”

I immediately remembered the box containing the noise-proof lock. Based on the product code printed on the packaging, I found an online store. After verifying the order information, the customer service staff looked up the notes section for me. Content appears:

"External bedroom door, apartment 402, building 6, Nam Que Ly area."

"Moving temporarily after getting married."

"Temporarily no invoices issued."

I immediately took a screenshot and saved it. Come evening. Dong Khac Kiem finally sent a message. He sent me a photo. That was the Situation Explanation that Chuc Dong Nghieu asked him to sign. Written content:

"The information about Phan Khai Nam moving in was recorded incorrectly by the workers."

Below is the signature box. Still available. Immediately after that, he sent another message:

"I'm not testifying."

"But I didn't sign this paper either."

I looked at the screen for a long time. Like so it has been very difficult. Three o'clock in the afternoon. Phan Nghien Chu asked me to meet him at Vien Kieu coffee shop. I brought a tape recorder. Manh Mien sat at the next table. Before arriving, Tham Le only sent me three keywords: Document page missing. Fake origin. And a reminder:

"Don't let him drag you into a love story."

Phan Nghien Chu sat next to the glass door. The Americano glass in front of me was almost untouched. When he saw the tape recorder I placed on the table, he smiled bitterly.

“We were never like this before.”

I repositioned the recorder.

“Let's get started.”

The glass doors of Vien Kieu restaurant are very bright. So bright I could see my own reflection. Before sitting down, I put my phone and recorder on the table. Phan Nghien Chu looked at those items. His eyes flashed a look of hurt. Perhaps he felt that things had come to this today because I was too cautious. But I know very well. It is not precaution that destroys trust. It's the trust that has been taken away and used as a tool by others. At the next table. Manh Mien pretended to look intently at the menu. The cap was pulled low to nearly cover his face. But I know she's always listening. The world did not suddenly become safer. It's just that I finally don't have to face the other person alone anymore. When the coffee is brought out. Phan Nghien Chu suddenly spoke up:

“I never drank this bitter coffee before.”

I looked at the cup of coffee in front of me.

“Because before, someone put the sweetness in front.”

“Still hiding the bitterness behind.”

Phan Nghien Chu was silent. Say nothing more. No one drank that cup of coffee. It was like our wedding never happened in its entirety. Placed on the table. Then slowly cooled.