Chapter 1 — Three Keys, One Broken Marriage

My Father-in-law Forced Me To Give Me The Key To The House, I Turned The House Into A "Family Hotel", The Whole Family Panic

“These three keys, take them.”

At the dining table, my father-in-law, Trieu Quoc Cuong, pushed three shiny bronze keys in front of me. Arbitrary movements like handing over a plate of roasted peanuts. I was picking up food, my chopsticks stopped in mid-air. I looked at the three keys on the table, then looked up at him.

“Dad, what key is this?”

“The key to your new house.”

He took a small sip of wine, his tone as if he was clearly talking.

"Dad told your mom to go play three more sets and prepare them for Dao Dao's family to use."

I was stunned for a few seconds, my mind suddenly unable to react. Instinctively, I turned to look at my husband Trieu Vu. He still bowed his head to eat, as if he didn't hear anything, his chopsticks continuously moving back and forth in the bowl. I put down my chopsticks and tried to keep my voice calm.

“Our house key… why did you give it to Dao Dao and them…”

“We are all one family, there are so many differences.”

My father-in-law interrupted me, his voice showing discomfort.

"Dao Dao and her husband are currently renting a house in Tay Thanh, conditions are very poor. The child is still young, usually if he wants to come here to take a bath, cook something, it will be more convenient to have the key."

"Besides, if Mom and Dad have something urgent in the future, they're nearby so it's convenient to come over and help take care of it."

My mother-in-law, Luu Que Lan, immediately chimed in:

"That's right, Thanh Thanh, don't think too much. Dao Dao is your brother-in-law, Luong Hao is your brother-in-law, they're all family members, it's more convenient to have a key to get in and out."

The three words "family" kept repeating in my head. Trieu Vu and I registered our marriage just over three months ago. This house was bought by the two of us in Hangzhou before we got married. For the down payment, I put in six parts, Trieu Vu put in four parts. The remaining loan is borne by both of them. The house book has both my name and his name written on it. This should have been my home. It's a small home for me and Trieu Vu. I took a deep breath, trying to force a smile.

"It's not that I won't let them come. It's just... this is my and Trieu Vu's private house. If Dao Dao wants to come over, call first and we'll come down and open the door. There's really no need to..."

“How annoying is it to call!”

My father-in-law slammed the wine cup on the table. The impact sounded with a heavy "clack" sound.

"Your younger brother still has to take care of the baby, so many things are piling up, where do you have time to call all the time?"

The more Trieu Quoc Cuong spoke, the more eloquent he became.

"What if you two are at work and the phone is on silent and you don't answer?"

“That's right.”

My mother-in-law, Luu Que Lan, immediately responded.

"Besides, there are times when my grandparents miss their grandchild and want to tell Dao Dao to take her to your house to play. Do we still have to wait for the two of us to come home from work and open the door? That would be so uninteresting."

I just felt like my chest was tight, like there was a breath trapped inside that couldn't escape. I looked at Trieu Vu again. This time he slowly raised his head, but as soon as he met my eyes he immediately avoided it, his eyes wavering restlessly.

“Trieu Vu.”

I lowered my voice and called his name.

“You say it.”

Trieu Vu opened his mouth, but at first only a few vague hums came out from his throat.

“Well… what Dad said doesn't make sense.”

Finally he came up voice, the voice is neither high nor low.

"If Dao Dao has a key, going back and forth will be more convenient. After all... everyone is family."

My heart sank little by little.

"You see, Tieu Vu still has no opinion."

Trieu Quoc Cuong smiled again and conveniently pushed the three keys towards me one more time.

"Just take it first. When you get home, give it to Dao Dao and the others."

I stared at those three keys. Under the warm yellow light in the dining room, the metal edge reflected cold light. I still didn't reach out to receive it. I heard myself speak, so calmly that I even found it strange.

“I can't accept these keys.”

The atmosphere at the dining table immediately froze. Even the sound of bowls and chopsticks colliding disappeared. The smile on Trieu Quoc Cuong's face stiffened, then gradually cooled down. Liu Guilan also put down his chopsticks, his face immediately ugly. Trieu Vu suddenly raised his head and looked at me, his eyes full of resentment and confusion.

“Tham Thanh, what do you mean?”

“What I mean is…”

I said each word slowly.

"This is your and my house. The door key to the house should not be kept by a third person other than the two of us."

“No matter how close a relative is, it can't be done.”

“This girl!”

Trieu Quoc Cuong slammed the table and stood up.

"Tham Thanh, I'll tell you today, this house was bought by my son! My son's house is also my house! Of course I give the key to my daughter!"

I also stood up. I'm half a head shorter than him, but still stand straight.

"For the deposit for this house, I put in 600,000 yuan, Trieu Vu put in 400,000 yuan. The loan is paid by both of us. Both of our names are written on the house book."

“This house does not belong to Trieu Vu alone.”

“This is my house and his.”

Trieu Quoc Cuong's face turned red, the blue vein on his forehead twitched faintly. He raised his hand and pointed straight at me, his fingertips shaking with anger.

"Very well, very well! Now you'll start calculating with me, right?"

"I tell you, if it weren't for me, Trieu Quoc Cuong, then what would Trieu Vu be? If you didn't marry my son, where would you get to live in such a good house like this?"

"Now that you're married, you're hard-pressed, don't even your elders care anymore?"

Liu Que Lan quickly stood up to reconcile.

"Okay, everyone has one less sentence. Quoc Cuong, please sit down first. Don't get angry because you have high blood pressure."

After speaking, she turned to me again, her voice softening a bit.

"Thanh Thanh, don't argue with your father anymore. He's just hot-mouthed, but he doesn't really have any bad intentions. We're all one family, it's not worth stressing so much over the keys."

I said nothing. Just quietly looked at Trieu Vu. He bowed his head, his fingers scratching the edge of the tablecloth over and over again, without opening his mouth from beginning to end.

“Trieu Vu.”

I called him.

“You say it.”

Trieu Vu raised his head, with an awkward expression on his face that was so familiar that it made me feel bored. Every time there is a conflict in the house, he is like that. Don't dare express your attitude clearly. Don't want to take sides. Just wanted to get it over with and get it over with.

“Thanh Thanh…”

His voice was very low.

“Or… should I just take the key first?”

“Anyway, Dao Dao doesn't come to my house often…”

“I don't come to my house often, So why do we have to enter three sets of keys?

I didn't wait for him to finish speaking before directly interrupting him.