Chapter 5 — Tieu Man Returns

I lay next to him and heard every word clearly. The notice shows that the police have reviewed Tong Xuan Mai's entire ten-year work record. A few years ago, Tong Hao's business failed and he owed more than two million in debt. Initially, he only took advantage of family information that his mother held to sell insurance and earn high commissions. After the first time they got money by forging documents on their behalf, mother and daughter began to deliberately choose families who were panicking, weak, and unable to carefully check the documents. Their greed is also increasing. Tong Hao took advantage of his mother's identification documents, medical records and family information to fill out insurance and authorization documents in advance. Waiting until the employer loses judgment, he will use the excuse of "urgent processing" to lure them to sign. In his previous life, Dad gradually handed over the whole family into their hands like that. This time, Dad handed over all the documents he had signed to the police. Among them, two blank sheets of paper with signatures were scanned. On Tong Hao's computer, there is also a copy of the asset management agreement made under his father's name. Mom asked dad: "Why did you sign the blank paper?" Dad bowed his head. "That day An An had just returned from the emergency room, she was crying and said she couldn't control her emotions." "Tong Hao told me to sign first, he would help me handle both the insurance and treatment procedures." "I just thought I had to quickly resolve everything, I didn't even look at the content on the paper." Mom was silent for a long time. "I don't blame you for not reading the papers." "I blame you for not reading the papers." I'd rather trust them than trust you." Dad's eyes turned red. Dad doesn't make excuses. Grandma also apologized to mom. Finally, her older sister stepped forward and hugged her mother's leg. "From now on, I will trust my mother, and also trust my younger brother." For the first time, the whole family put the pain and resentment that had been divided by Tong Xuan Mai on the same table. Two months later, when the case was about to enter the prosecution process, an account related to the mother and infant care association suddenly posted a secretly filmed video. In the image, the mother lost control of her emotions and threw the thermos on the ground. The headline read: “Pregnant woman abused nanny then falsely accused her in return, five-year-old child suspected of being instigated by biological mother to give false testimony.”8 Mom placed the phone next to my crib. The video is only seventeen seconds long. It couldn't film the scene where Tong Xuan Mai intentionally starved me. It was also not possible to film the scene where she repeatedly said her mother was not worthy of taking care of her child. In the camera, there was only the scene of my mother throwing the vase, me screaming and Tong Xuan Mai red-eyed and backing out the door. That same day, the maternal and newborn care association made an announcement. They said the case was still under investigation, calling on the public not to engage in cyber violence against "any side". But immediately after the announcement, nine photos of Tong Xuan Mai were attached to take care of babies and help the elderly. The comments once again leaned in her favor. Dad's three stores received bad reviews. Two customers who have cooperated for many years temporarily stopped paying. Mother received a call from a stranger, the other person scolded her for using her child as a tool. The cruelest comment said: "That child always cries at important times, isn't it because the parents pinched him on purpose?" After reading it, my mother immediately checked to see if there were red marks on my body. Mom knew clearly that it wasn't, but her hands still couldn't stop shaking. "Shouldn't I go to the award ceremony?" "Is it true that the more I explain, the more I'll harm everyone?" Mom was like that in her previous life. Every time Tong Xuan Mai hurt her mother, the first person she suspected was herself. I reached out to my mother. At that time, I was just three months old and could raise my head for a short time and actively touch nearby objects.

My fingertips touched my mother's chin. Mom bowed her head and looked at me. I don't cry. I bared my toothless mouth and tried to smile at my mother. Mother was stunned, tears immediately fell. "You believe me, right?" I laughed again. Mom wiped her tears and picked up the phone. Mom did not argue about the secretly recorded video. Mom rearranged the entire care diary she had kept since I was born. Every day I missed a meal of milk, every day Tong Xuan Mai brought me some medicine, every day my grandmother's medicine was swapped, all were compared to a specific time. Dad publicly disclosed the door entry history and the results of his sister's emergency examination. They do not release evidence that has not been made public by the police, nor do they cut and paste videos that incite emotions. They only asked three questions. "Why does the child cry abnormally every time after Tong Xuan Mai prepares food?" "Why did the missing cup appear in her son's car?" "Why did the association claim there were no complaints, while the two families still kept the stamped receipts?" An hour after the article was posted, almost no one believed it. Three hours later, the previous owner, surnamed Tran, shared the article again. For the first time, she publicly announced the process of her father's death. Next is the second family. Third family.