Chapter 12 — Two Houses and One Border

“You dare to make a video call, I dare to let your parents kneel in front of the camera.” 13 I looked at Duong Khai's private message and completely calmed down. He thought that by pushing my parents in front of the camera, I would be confused. But he forgot, the person who was truly afraid of being seen was never me. I took a screenshot of the private message and sent it to lawyer Tham and director Chu. Then I answered Duong Khai. “You dare to let them kneel, I dare to let everyone know who forced them to kneel.” He didn't answer anymore. At nine thirty in the morning, lawyer Tham called. He said the village committee agreed to the afternoon video call. The village head will be present. The town police station will also arrange for someone to attend the hearing. My side will be accompanied by him and Manh Dao. I asked: "What if they cry and riot on the spot?" Lawyer Tham said: "Crying is not evidence." “You just need to remember one thing, every request related to money requires them to provide evidence.” I hung up the phone and transferred money to my family over the past few years. My father was hospitalized for thirty-two thousand. Duong Khai married fifteen thousand. My mother said the roof was repaired for an old house, and I once transferred eight thousand. The money given to my parents for Tet, the little things, added up to more than one hundred thousand. I've never counted before. Because just calculating, it's like putting love on the scale. But now the person holding the scales first is not me. At twelve noon, Ha Ngoc Mai sent me a voice message. She cried very hard. “Tieu Hoa, please bow your head a little.” "Your eldest uncle told you, as long as you don't do anything big today, he will tell Tan Phuong not to continue spreading it out." After listening, I saved the voice message. Then answer her. “Mom, until now you are still spreading the word to help him.” It took a long time for her to answer. “What else can mom do?” I stared at those five words, there was no longer pain in my heart, only emptiness. I type. “Mom can tell the truth.” She didn't answer anymore. At 2:40 p.m., Manh Dao and I went to lawyer Tham's office. He finished setting up the equipment. On the table are placed paper documents, neatly arranged in chronological order. When I sat down, my palms were still cold. Manh Dao gave me a glass of warm water. “Don't be afraid.” I said: "I'm not afraid." “I'm afraid I'll be soft-hearted.” Manh Dao looked at me, his voice very soft. “You can be soft-hearted, but don't give them your da.a.o.” Three o'clock exactly, the video is connected. The village committee office was packed with people. Director Chu sat in the middle, next to the town police station staff. Duong The Xuong sat in the front, his face unsightly. Duong Khai stood behind him, arms crossed, as if waiting to see me lose face. My father Duong Kien Quoc sat in the corner, his head always bowed. Ha Ngoc Mai sat next to him, her eyes red and swollen. The moment she saw me, her lips moved. But she didn't call me. She looked at Duong The Xuong first. This action made the last bit of anticipation in me sink. Director Chu cleared his throat. "Today is just to explain things clearly, don't argue, don't scold people." “Whoever makes the request, gives evidence.” Duong The Xuong immediately opened his mouth. “I said it first.” “Duong Hoa won a big prize, hid it from his parents, bought a house himself.” "My parents raised him for more than twenty years of education. Now he has money and doesn't have to worry about his parents." "It's impossible to say what kind of story is placed in any village." As soon as he finished speaking, his aunt-in-law wiped away her tears next to him. “Our Tang family has never had such ungratefulness.” I don't interrupt. Waiting for them to finish scolding me, I opened my mouth. “I confirm three things first.” “First, the lottery ticket was bought by me.” “Second, the bonus is my personal property after receiving the bonus legally and paying taxes legally.” “Third, I don't owe the Tang family eight hundred thousand.” Duong Khai smiled coldly. “Are you saying you don't have it?” I looked at him. “So you give me evidence.” The other side of the screen was silent for a moment. Duong The Xuong held up that debt paper. “This is the proof.” Lawyer Tham calmly asked. “Where is the borrower's signature?” Duong The Xuong's face stiffened. “He refused to sign today.” Director Chu frowned. “Without a signature, how can it be considered a debt note?” In the village committee office, there were people talking in low voices.

Duong Khai panicked. “It should have been signed!” "It cost his parents so much money to raise him. Whether he accepts it or not, he still owes it!" I open the first document. “This is my student loan application from college.” “This is my four-year college income cash flow.” “This is a record of transferring money to my family after I graduate.” "May I ask, what year did you start giving money and how much did you give me?" Duong The Xuong slammed the table hard. “Are you calculating with your elders?” I looked at him on the screen. “It was you who used fake books to force me first.” He still wanted to scold him, but Director Chu was already embarrassed. “Let her finish.” I continued to place my father's hospital bill in front of the camera. “This is when my father was in the hospital, I swiped thirty-two thousand.” "At that time, the eldest doctor in the hospital room said that sooner or later a girl will be an outsider, so don't rely on her for everything."