Chapter 2 — Winter 1980

All of her brazen, arrogant, and unreasonable games, in the face of this iron and steel evidence, became a joke. She lost. Losing is bad. She slowly let go of the hand that was pulling her sister. Then, let go of the hand that was pulling me. The whole body felt as if its bones had been stripped, and it fell limply. She, Lam Tinh Uyen, is finally free. She looked at her mother, with pity in her eyes, some with reluctance, but more of a kind of liberation. She walked step by step towards her biological father. He reached out and gently placed his hand on her shoulder, as if comforting a frightened little bird. Father and son, separated by thirty years, finally stand together. In the yard, Dad bowed his head and sighed continuously. Mom sat on the ground, her eyes dull, like she was stupid. And I stood there, my hands and feet cold. All of this has nothing to do with me. She found her biological father, she was about to live her good days. I'm still Tran Niem, no one needs me. He got her ready to leave. Walking to the yard door, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at me. That look was still as complicated as before. He hesitated for a moment, then said to me: "Little girl, on the back of your neck... is there a red mole?" I was stunned. Unconsciously, he reached out and touched the back of his neck. There is indeed a very small red mole there, it has been there since childhood. Mom said it was a symbol of happiness. I nodded. His body shook violently, and an unbelievable light suddenly flared in his eyes. He mumbled silently: "How is it possible... how is it possible..." When Mom heard this, it was like seeing a ghost, she jumped up from the ground, frantically rushing towards me. "Don't say anything! You can't say anything!" Her hand covered my mouth. In her eyes was an even deeper fear than before.04Mother's hand was like iron pliers, covering my mouth. Her nails dug into my skin, it was very painful. I could smell a familiar scent on her hands, the smell of mud mixed with soapberry. But right now, the smell was filled with panic. "Shut up! Don't talk to him!" She screamed at me, saliva splashing all over my face. He combined three steps into two and rushed forward, pushing his mother away. "You're crazy! Do you want to cover it up?" Mother was pushed staggering, hitting the dirt wall. She didn't care about the pain. She struggled and wanted to rush forward, but her father held her tightly. "Let me go! Let me go!" She struggled frantically in her father's arms, like a caged animal. I took in large gulps of air, my throat sore. The mole on the back of the neck is now like a burning fire. He squatted down, supported my shoulder, his hands shaking slightly. "Son, don't be afraid." His voice also carried a tremor. "Tell you, besides this mole, on your body... are there any other signs on your body?" I looked at him. His eyes were filled with impatience and a hope that I couldn't understand. I shook my head. I do not know. I have never looked closely at my body. In this house, being well fed and warmly clothed is the greatest luxury hope, who cares if there are any signs on the body or not. "Let me speak for myself!" He suddenly turned his head and screamed at his mother. “Who is it!” Mother stopped struggling. She was held tightly by her father, her hair was messy, her eyes looked at him with resentment. "Who is she? She's my daughter! I gave birth to her!" "You're lying!" His upbringing at this moment completely disappeared. "The day my eldest sister gave birth, I was also present! She gave birth to a stillborn child! There is basically no second child!" Mother said: "Are you lying to me? Do you think I've lived these thirty years in vain?" He was so angry that his chest was heaving violently. "After I gave birth to that stillborn child, my body was broken! The doctor said I could never give birth again in my life! Where could I have another child?" Father's face became whiter and whiter, and his hand holding mother gradually loosened. He looked at his mother bewilderedly and ignored again

looked at me. It was like meeting the two of us for the first time. I feel like the whole world is spinning. Am I not born from my mother? So who am I? Where do I come from? Her sister, Lam Tinh Uyen, was also shocked to see this scene. She held onto the yard door, her body shaking and about to fall. What happened today really shocked me too much. A life swapped for thirty years. A younger sister suddenly appeared, making her situation even more confusing. "Speak!" He gradually pressed closer to his mother. "Whose child is Tran Niem? Where did you bring him from?" Mom looked at him, then at dad, and finally her eyes fell on me. In her eyes, the resentment gradually faded, turning into a kind of bone-deep decay. She laughed. Laughing is more unsightly than crying. "You want to know?" She looked at him, speaking word by word. "Don't you want to know?" "Okay, I'll tell you." She took a deep breath, as if using all her strength, and shouted: "It's also mine!" "It's a bastard child born from me and that fox spirit!" "Are you satisfied?” 05 The words “bastard” are like two poisoned blades, piercing my heart. The whole yard was as quiet as death. The wind stopped. The sound also stopped. Time seems to freeze at this moment. Dad completely let go, he took two steps back, looking at his mother like a monster. "What... what did you say?" He also stiffened.