Chapter 4 — Wedding Day Without Bride

When walking past Khuong Van, the tip of her shoe deliberately hooked into the hem of her dress. Khuong Van's body staggered, her hand bumped into a glass cup on the edge of the cabinet. The cup fell and broke. Pho Thinh Lan's first reaction was to protect Hua Tri Ha:

“Are you hit by debris?”

Hua Tri Ha nestled in his arms, her voice trembling:

“Scared me to death.”

Pho's mother angrily scolded: "Khuong Van, can't you even pour a glass of water?" The fragment cut into Khuong Van's ankle, blood oozed out and soaked the white sock red. She lowered her head to look, then raised her face again:

“It's because I can't stand steady.”

At this moment, Deputy Thinh Lan saw the blood. He wanted to step forward, Hua Tri Ha immediately hugged his stomach and took a breath of cold air:

“Thin Lan, my stomach hurts a bit.”

Pho Thinh Lan's footsteps immediately turned towards her:

“I'll take you to the hospital.”

Pho's mother was also frantic:

“Go quickly, don't worry about these trivial things.”

The door slammed shut again. Khuong Van stood alone next to a pile of broken glass, every time she moved her leg it hurt. She bent down to pick up the largest fragment. Under the light, she saw her own clear eyes reflected in it. No fog, no gray. And there is no Pho Thinh Lan either. * When the wedding invitation was sent to Khuong's old house, Khuong Van was sitting in the yard repairing an old picture frame. The neighbor, Aunt Trieu, poked her head in:

“Van Van, are you really planning to marry Pho Thinh Lan?”

Khuong Van pressed the nail into the wooden groove:

"The wedding invitations have already been distributed, auntie."

Aunt Trieu pouted:

"This morning I saw him taking a pregnant woman to the hospital. That woman was closely holding his arm, who wouldn't have seen the relationship between those two?"

Khuong Van did not respond. Aunt Trieu lowered her voice again:

"Also, some of your mother's students came again, making noise outside the door, wanting to find you. They said you stole your mother's painting."

Khuong Van raised her head. The courtyard door was pushed open and three people walked in, led by her mother's former student - Do Minh Vien. When he saw Khuong Van, there was not the least bit of politeness on his face:

“Khuong Van, where is ‘Xuan Son Vu Hau’?”

Khuong Van put down the picture frame:

“That's the painting my mother left me.”

Do Minh Vien smirked:

"Your mother promised to donate that painting to our Institute of Fine Arts. You are a person who can't see anything, so there's no point in keeping it."

Another female student, Tham Man, spoke up: "Mr. Deputy has agreed to lend the painting for exhibition on the wedding day. Don't ruin his arrangements." Khuong Van looked at her:

“Pho Thinh Lan agrees?”

Tham Man was a bit stunned, then remembered that Khuong Van was blind and straightened her back and replied:

"Of course. Mr. Pho said, your things will also be the things of the Pho family in the future."

Aunt Trieu angrily slammed her hand on the door frame:

"What are you talking about? You haven't even married yet, and you're already planning to rob things?"

Do Minh Vien lost patience:

"Outsiders stop sticking their noses in. Khuong Van, your eyes are damaged, the paintings in your hands are only moldy. We put them on exhibition to save your mother's face."

Khuong Van asked: "What if I don't give it?" Tham Man burst out laughing:

"It's useless if you don't give it to me. Mr. Deputy holds the key, he said the painting is in his gallery safe Already."

The hammer in Khuong Van's hand gently placed it on the table. She once gave the key to Pho Thinh Lan. At that time, he said, afraid that her eyes were not good, he would take care of important items for her. Do Minh Vien walked straight into the house:

“Just search first, don't let her hide it.”

Aunt Trieu stopped him:

“You dare to barge into a private house?”

Do Minh Vien pushed Aunt Trieu. Khuong Van stood up to support Aunt Trieu, her voice finally became sharp:

“Get out.”

Do Minh Vien seemed to hear a joke: