Worked the night shift here—if I don’t take a little walk, it just doesn’t feel right. Still early anyway. Better go have a look. If something really does happen and I’m not there, Hoac Lu Mau will definitely have my head.
Looks like Hoac Lu Mau already knows I let Duong Kim Thoa go. That guy is a snake—no wonder someone stole his wife! Not only did he refuse to help, now he wants revenge? What a scumbag. Even if Khau Dai Bang slept with his wife, I still won’t let Dien Ngac Nhu off the hook!
A few cups of liquor in, Dinh Truong Sinh suddenly grew bolder—bold enough to even curse at Hoac Lu Mau.
Turning into a small alley, he saw someone faintly in the distance knocking on a door. This late at night? Doesn’t look like a regular visitor. Or is it a ghost? No, gotta stay sharp.
He waited until the gate opened and closed, then quietly crept up. He didn’t know whose house it was, or whether they had dogs, so he picked up a small rock and tossed it into the yard. Nothing stirred. Taking that as a green light, he decided to climb the wall.
"What are you doing here at this hour? Don’t you know the village patrol dogs are out tonight?"
"Hmph, what’s there to be afraid of? I came from the back slope. Look, my legs are all muddy."
"I’m not saying you’re scared. I’m asking why you came creeping here at this time. Something happen?"
"It’s that woman at home! Think she’s starting to suspect something. Caused a huge scene today—I got so annoyed I went back to the township office. Then I suddenly thought of you, so here I am."
"Huh. So you only think of me after getting pushed around at home. Every time it’s like that. You suddenly remember me and come running. You ever think my husband might be home?"
"Didn’t he go out?"
"What if he didn’t? What if he’s still home and sees you charging in like this?"
"Even if he’s home, so what? Aren’t we just friends? Just dropping by to catch up."
"Friends? Hah. Do you treat all your friends’ wives like this?"—The woman’s voice got sharper with every word.
At that moment, Dinh Truong Sinh had just reached the window and overheard that last line. He nearly burst out laughing. Another sneaky affair! But wait… that voice… sounds familiar…
He lifted his head slightly, peering through the windowpane—and nearly had a heart attack. The man inside was none other than Dien Gia Luong, Party Secretary of Lam Son Township!
That’s serious. Messing with a leader’s dirty laundry is not a joke. Khau Dai Bang alone is enough trouble—now this? If he gets caught knowing the Secretary’s secret, he might as well go into hiding for life.
So, Dinh Truong Sinh quietly slipped away—but he memorized whose house this was. Looks like the man of the house isn’t home often.
After circling the area and finding nothing suspicious, he headed back to the dorms at the factory to sleep.
More than ten days passed, and the election day was drawing near. Dinh Truong Sinh was glad nothing had happened—looked like he’d be returning soon.
But strangely, now he didn’t really want to leave anymore. He’d been eating at Ly Kien Thiet’s house, and gradually grew close to Ly Phuong Ni. That woman had a warmth like a mother’s, and he found he really liked talking to her.
—
In a luxurious villa in Shanghai, Duong Kim Thoa sat on a sofa. Dressed in a white dress, in a spring-warm room, her beauty radiated—but her icy expression kept everyone at a distance.
On the tea table before her lay a one-million-yuan check. Her mind wandered back to Lo Gia Linh—that place of disgrace burned into her memory. But there had been one good person there—Dinh Truong Sinh.
She didn’t want anyone to know she had been imprisoned for a year. And even more, she didn’t want anyone to know she’d had a child. If that got out, it would tarnish her whole family.
"Uncle Long, you watched me grow up. Today, I need your help with something—just this once." Her voice was cold as she addressed the older man, well past fifty.
"Miss, you flatter me. Just tell me what to do—I’ll give it my all."
"This check—one million yuan. Go to this address and give it to the person there. If he accepts, you come back. If he refuses, or if he asks about me… kill him. Cleanly. Understood?"
"Understood. I’ll head out tonight."
Watching Uncle Long disappear through the door, Duong Kim Thoa murmured, “Don’t blame me. I just don’t want anyone to know who I am anymore—or what I’ve become. Dinh Truong Sinh, don’t hate me. Just take the money, and we’re even.”
—
"Where’s Dinh Truong Sinh? He hasn’t come back for days. The water jar’s empty." said Dien Ngac Nhu.
"I told him to keep watch at Lo Gia Linh. If the water’s out, I’ll fetch some." replied Hoac Lu Mau.
"You? With that body, you’d keel over before you even got halfway!"
"Nonsense. Didn’t I still have strength last night? If I had none, why were you yelling so loud?" Hoac Lu Mau actually cracked a rare joke.
Dien Ngac Nhu said nothing, but thought to herself: Strength, my ass! If I weren’t feeling unwell, your ‘tiny sausage’ wouldn’t even find the right place. Now all she wanted was for Dinh Truong Sinh to return. That kid might look average, but that thing of his was enough to make anyone crave…
—
"Brother Ho, my wife went back to her parents’ place. Doesn’t look like she’s coming back. Now there’s no one to boil water for me." Tran Tieu Tu had his baby strapped to his back, fiddling with a mahjong tile before tossing it down.
"Go back, my ass! If she dares come back, I’ll beat the crap out of her! If her dad weren’t the village chief, I’d have divorced her long ago. Been married for years, not a single damn egg! Not like your wife—got pregnant within a year… too bad she ran off."
"Brother Ho, don’t bring up bad luck. I still think something’s off. I swear it’s someone in this village. My wife might be hiding in someone’s house."
"You think it’s Old Ly’s place?"
"Yeah. They’ve been losing cows, sheep dying—probably think we’re behind it. So while I was distracted playing mahjong, they snuck my wife away."
"Then why didn’t you do something? There were plenty of people around that day. Just yell and storm the Ly house!"
"It’s not that I didn’t want to—it was that bastard Hoac Lu Mau! Beat me up and threatened me. My head was spinning, I couldn’t react. Now that I think back, it wasn’t even a big deal."
"Exactly! How about this—we burn that woodpile behind Old Ly’s house tonight. Teach him a lesson!" suggested Luu Ma Tu.
"Burn their house? That’s a bit much. If we get caught, we’re screwed."
"Coward! Your wife got snatched and you still won’t fight back?" Luu Ma Tu goaded him.
"It’s not that I won’t—but Dinh Truong Sinh is still here. Who knows where he’s hiding. If he finds out, we’re finished."
"Now that you mention it, that guy’s no angel either! Why don’t we set a trap—give him a real smackdown? Make him drown in debt. Then we’ll see if he still struts around like a rooster. Maybe even sneak someone into the security team." suggested Vuong Lao Ho.
"I like that. In a few days, I’ll invite him to play cards. We’ll stage everything perfectly so he doesn’t suspect a thing. If he catches on, he’ll hold a grudge." Tran Tieu Tu said, just as the baby on his back started bawling.
Amidst the baby’s wails, a shadow slipped silently away from the doorway—vanishing into the night.