Chapter 5 — Want the house to be named after your father? So You Pay The Money

Laughter was clear, like wind chimes gently vibrating in the afternoon breeze. Over the past three years, because of him, I have hidden my sharp edges, lowered my voice, minimized my interests, and forced myself to change a lot. From now on... The parts that I personally deleted, I will pick them back up little by little. In the Japanese restaurant, the salmon is sliced thickly, glistening with fat, melting as soon as it enters your mouth. I picked it up continuously, the three plates of sushi were quickly empty, and I laughed until I ate them myself.

“Eat slowly, no one will compete with you.”

To Tinh tilted her head to look at me, her eyes curled, her voice teasing.

"So delicious."

I picked up another piece of tuna

"I should have rewarded myself a long time ago. Before, life felt like I was training to save money."

“You used to think of Trieu Hao as a ‘living Buddha’.”

To Tinh poured some more apricot wine

"If he says it's expensive, you fold the menu. If he says it's too far, you don't go. The whole person seems glued under his shadow."

I raised my cup and drank it dry. The wine slid down the throat, burning for a while.

“From now on… it won't be like that anymore.”

“By the way.”

She tapped lightly on the table

“Are you still planning to buy a house next?”

"Of course."

I replied decisively

“Saving for so many years… isn't it to have a place that truly belongs to you?”

She relaxes

“I'll go look with you and choose each apartment one by one.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the phone vibrated again. I pressed listen. On the other end of the line was Trieu Truong Lam's voice, less harsh than before

“An Ninh, it's uncle.”

“Uncle, there really is nothing left to talk about between us.”

I gently rotated my finger on the rim of the glass.

“An Ninh, you have always been an understanding person, I speak frankly.”

He stopped for a moment

"About the house, I really haven't thought it through. Let's sit down and discuss another plan."

“What's the plan?”

My voice is neither fast nor slow.

"The house book lists your name and Tieu Hao's, we won't interfere anymore."

He spoke quickly as if afraid I would hang up

"I paid the deposit, and Tieu Hao took care of the loan. Is that reasonable?"

I smiled softly.

“Do you really think… that's fair?”

"Why not? Each person has a part, clearly."

He replied firmly.

“I spent 2,320,000 yuan at once.”

I speak slowly

"He paid 3,480,000 yuan in thirty-year installments. It looked like he put in more than a hundred thousand... but that money was in the house, increasing in value."

I stopped for a beat.

“And my 2,320,000 yuan… is every penny squeezed out of life.”

The other end of the line was silent. Like being stopped and unable to speak anymore.

"Not to mention, his monthly salary is 8,000 yuan, and he has to pay more than 10,000 in loan payments every month."

I continued

"Where do you get it? Based on salary, or based on my own money that I gave him?"

“So what do you want in the end?”

Trieu Truong Lam's voice became visibly tense.

"I think it's clear, me and Trieu Hao are not compatible."

I speak slowly

“Please help him find someone more suitable.”

“Chu An Ninh, you don't drink the wine that was offered to you but you want to drink the wine as punishment?”

He suddenly raised his voice

"Tieu Hao's conditions are so good, do you still want to find someone better than him?"

“Whether you find someone better or not is your choice.”

I'm still calm

“On the contrary, you should think more about him—he's thirty-something years old, his parents still have to take care of the marriage.”

Before he could finish speaking, I hung up the phone. After listening to To Tinh from beginning to end, she laughed until her shoulders shook, almost spilled a cup of wine

"Chu An Ninh, today your mouth is truly 'top-notch'."

"Before, I held on too long and my throat became rusty."

I smiled and picked up a piece of salmon dipped in wasabi

“Now that I can say it… it feels good.”

After eating, To Tinh drove me home. The street lights on both sides lit up one after another, orange-yellow light dyeing the entire road surface into a warm color.

“Sleep well tonight.”

She drove and talked

“We'll go see the house tomorrow morning.”

I nodded, looking at the shadows of the trees passing by outside the glass window, my heart gradually calmed down. When I got home, I filled a tub with hot water, threw in a few dried rose petals, and soaked for nearly twenty minutes. In the mist of steam, I leaned against the edge of the tub and scrolled through my phone. On his circle of friends, Trieu Hao posted a status line— A cup of iced coffee, along with the sentence:

“There are people who give sincerely for many years, and in the end they can't even get a cup of warm water in return.”

Below are full of comments asking questions. I glanced over, my finger slid lightly—erasing his name from my contacts. If you decide to leave... don't leave any way back. The next morning, the alarm hadn't even gone off yet, the phone had already vibrated. Her voice was a bit worried

“An Ninh, you and Tieu Hao… what happened?”

“It's true, mom.”

I sat up and pulled the blanket up a bit.

“A few days ago we ate together, why do we say division is division?”

Her voice was full of surprise. I tell everything, no more, no less. The other end of the line was silent for a long time. I heard a very soft sigh.

“An Ninh, you are not wrong.”

She finally spoke

"If you marry into a family like that, you will only lose yourself."

“Mom, don't you blame me?”

The bridge of my nose is a little stingy.

“Blame what?”

"You are my daughter, I only love you, it's not the turn of outsiders to say this or that."

“Last time his mother came to the house, he kept staring at my old car.”

“Eyes lit up.”

“I thought I was thinking too much at that time.”

I smiled wryly.

"Remember well, marriage cannot be forced."

Her voice was soft but very determined

“You have to find someone who is willing to protect you.”

“Trieu Hao is not a bad person, just too soft.”

She stopped

"I can't handle the trouble, I can't protect my child."

“I understand, mom.”

I closed my eyes.

“Just keep working, don't rush.”

“I'm just over thirty, life is still long.”

Hanging up, sunlight penetrated through the curtains, falling onto the floor in a streak of light. My heart felt warm, like hugging a small fireplace. At least there's still someone standing behind me. At exactly ten o'clock, To Tinh stopped the car downstairs and honked twice.

“Where are you going today?”

She rolled down the window, tied her hair in a ponytail, and smiled neatly.

“To the east of the city, the newly opened ‘Ngo Dong Ly’ area.”

“I heard the apartment is quite good.”

She stepped on the accelerator and the car sped into the morning light. The selling hall is spacious and bright, with a light wood smell in the air. The person who welcomed us was a boy named Tran, with a white shirt with rolled up sleeves and a very clean smile.

“Can you two see the wedding house?”

He gave the water, his voice professional.

“I bought it alone.”

I took it and took a sip

“Not planning on getting married.”

“So how much area do you want?”

He quickly opened the drawing.

“About eighty or ninety square meters, two rooms per guest is enough.”

I answered emphatically. He showed us some model homes. Finally, I stopped in front of a house more than ninety meters away, facing south.