(BGDT) - It was almost 11pm and her daughter-in-law had not returned yet. Mrs. Minh had pulled down the curtain and gone to bed a long time ago but could not sleep. She lay there calculating, it had probably been a whole month since Huong had come home late and the reasons she gave were all very superficial.

One day, Huong said she had to work overtime because the office was preparing for an important event in the industry. Another day, she said there was a project that needed to be completed urgently, so the whole department had to work day and night to finish it on time. She listened to office news like a duck listening to thunder, so she didn't know anything and couldn't comment. It was just that, sometimes, she couldn't help but think, her daughter-in-law was only 26 years old, still in the prime of her youth, but she was far away from her husband, how could she trust her.

Illustration photo.

Thinking a lot, she became suspicious, wondering if her daughter-in-law was really working overtime at the office or if she was wandering around somewhere else. There were also weekends when Huong came home on time, mother and daughter had dinner together, went to the supermarket to buy small items. The conversations between mother-in-law, daughter-in-law and her son who was working far away were also very happy. So her suspicions were left there.

After more than two months of marriage, the company received a large contract in the West, Trung was assigned to supervise the project, expected to stay for a long time. Mrs. Minh understood the construction industry, having work meant having income, so she did not dare to stop her son. She only warned her son, saying that newlyweds leaving their wife at home alone, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were now blood-stained, wouldn't that be difficult for Huong. Hearing his mother say that, Trung shrugged and smiled. He trusted his wife very much and also believed that his mother would not make things difficult for him.

After her son was away from home for a few weeks, Huong began her journey of going out early and coming back late. Huong told her to lock the door in the bedroom first, she had her own key so she would open it when she returned. The rented house was not very spacious, about 60 square meters, built in a tube style, divided into a living room, two bedrooms, and a kitchen and a tiny bathroom. So lying in the room, she could clearly hear the sound of water running in the bathroom. Huong wore her office uniform to work, but every morning she prepared extra clothes and put them in a separate bag in the trunk of her car. When she came home late at night, the clothes Huong was wearing were the clothes she had packed in the morning. The more she thought about it, the more certain she seemed, if Huong did not go out to meet or date someone, why would she change into different clothes? She eagerly picked up the phone to call her son, even though she knew it was late, but if she did not call, she would feel very anxious.

- Look at your wife, she comes home late every day, what kind of work does she do?

- No, Mom, Huong really works at the office. My husband and I video call each other every day. She tells me everything she does and where she goes.

- Oh my god, why are you so real? Who knows when the ghosts will eat the feast?

- Mom, don't think too much or you'll lose your feelings. Living together for a long time is first because of love, then you have to have trust. I knew Huong for 5 years before getting married, not just a day or two.

Mrs. Minh knew she had no evidence so she gave in and hung up. But she thought she would have to find a way to find out for sure, it was not good to continue to be half-believing like this. She began to think of a plan to follow her daughter-in-law.

***

The next day, at the end of the work day, she drove to Huong's office, sat down at a tea shop by the roadside and observed. Just as she had guessed, Huong did nothing at the office. The clothes she wore to work that morning had been replaced by a knee-length skirt and a polo shirt. She wore a mask that covered half of her face, but she could still tell that Huong had reapplied her makeup. She hurriedly followed Huong for a while, but then lost track of her because she had to give way to cars at the roundabout. When she got out, she didn't know which way she had gone. After hesitating for a while, she had to turn back. The missed follow-up had further stimulated her curiosity. She was determined that if she didn't know now, tomorrow or the day after, she would somehow find out the truth.

On the second day of following her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Minh was even more certain that something was wrong with Huong when she saw her drive into a brightly lit multi-story restaurant. There were a lot of vehicles here, and people from all walks of life, including civil servants, families, manual laborers, and many elegant and luxurious people. After thinking for a while, she turned back. Because she had left in a hurry and didn't bring any money, she thought it would be awkward to go into the restaurant alone now. She discreetly glanced around, hoping to see her daughter-in-law sitting somewhere in the restaurant, but she had to give up.

Another restless night, she decided to "catch the thief" and see what happened. Waiting for her daughter-in-law to open the door, she pretended to wake up and go to the bathroom, and asked:

- Are you busy today? What kind of government agency keeps forcing employees to work overtime?

- Yes... well... one thing keeps piling up on another, Mom... Nowadays, many government agencies also have to do business, so they are very busy.

She knew Huong was lying, but she didn't expose her. She wanted to collect solid evidence before it was too late to tell her. Today she intended to take a photo, but in a panic, her phone fell off her hand, and when she looked up, Huong was gone. Tomorrow, tomorrow she would definitely prepare more carefully. The third time is a charm, she wouldn't return empty-handed. She didn't hate her daughter-in-law. Huong was gentle, resourceful, and very understanding. But if she did anything wrong or wronged her son, she wouldn't forgive her.

On the third day, she did not drive anymore but decided to hire a motorbike taxi for safety. Huong still drove straight into that big restaurant. Now that she had prepared well, she confidently walked in and chose a corner table near the entrance. This place had a panoramic view inside, she could easily observe and look for Huong. Looking through the menu, she saw that not only were there expensive Asian and European dishes, regional specialty snacks, but the restaurant also had many dishes suitable for families with young children, and office lunches. The space was airy, the decoration style was quite elegant and gentle.

On the first floor there were private dining rooms, on the second floor there seemed to be a coffee shop, a karaoke room, and even a movie theater… She ordered a set of office lunches, and while waiting for the food to be served, she used the excuse of going to the restroom in an attempt to find her daughter-in-law. She discreetly looked around the first floor and didn’t see her, so she tiptoed up to the second floor. She walked slowly, listening intently through each closed room while feeling nervous. At this moment she was no different from a mean stalker. Suddenly a voice from a dining room with a half-open door leaked out, making her stop.

- Let me buy you a drink, Ms. Huong. Wow, you look even more beautiful since you got married. It makes me so lovesick...

Hearing the man's flirtatious words, and seeing Huong silent, her face became hot. While she was confused about how to look at Huong, the door suddenly opened. The waitress came out, softly speaking into the walkie-talkie to order a new dish. She quickly glanced inside. There were 3 men and 2 women at the table, but no Huong. It turned out that they were just people with the same name. After a quick glance, she quickly went downstairs, as if afraid that her shady business would be exposed. While eating and concentrating on observing for nearly an hour, she determined that Huong was somewhere in the other dining rooms, either having coffee, singing, or... watching a movie. But if she went looking for her now, she really didn't know which way to go, and it would be bad to attract attention. She left, her mind in turmoil, carrying with it an ever-growing suspicion.

***

The sound of the door opening told her that Huong had returned. Hearing the sound of running water in the bathroom, her heart was in turmoil. She got up and tiptoed to the bathroom. Through the half-closed door, she saw Huong using a bandage to clean her thigh, her mouth hissing in pain. She pushed the door open, startling Huong, the cotton in her hand fell to the red floor. Looking at the long cut on her thigh that was bleeding, she panicked:

- What's wrong with you, Huong? What did you do to get into this situation?

- Yes... yes mom, I... I...

Without waiting for Huong to reply, she quickly turned on the light and called her out. Gently treating her daughter-in-law's wound, hearing her soft groans, she couldn't bear to say a word of reproach. As if understanding her thoughts, Huong softly explained:

- Actually…, my office is not busy at all. I work as a waiter at a restaurant after work, Mom. Today, there was a fight between a group of customers, and unfortunately a wine bottle broke and hit my leg. My husband and I have bought a small piece of land on the outskirts of the city, and we also want to build a house next year, so I am trying to work hard, adding on and taking care of big things. We want to settle down so that you can be more comfortable, and then have a baby… Mom… I’m sorry for not being honest with you!

She sat quietly listening to Huong's explanation, realizing that she was the one who was really at fault. Her daughter-in-law was so kind, yet she suspected her of negative things. Holding Huong's hand and patting it, she smiled with relief:

- Why apologize? You've worked hard for your husband's family. Thank you, daughter!

For the first time, she hugged her daughter-in-law's shoulder without any feeling of distance or awkwardness like before.

Short story by Mai Dinh

Grass from the rule

(BGDT) - I told my wife that last night, I dreamed of Ha coming back, wearing a floppy hat, a Suzhou military uniform, and a small rucksack, all covered in red dust. Ha stared at me and then, confused, pulled out a grass doll from the rucksack.

You are always you

(BGDT)- It's almost six o'clock in the afternoon, but the weather is still so hot. The stuffy air is really uncomfortable! There must be a storm coming. It's been almost a month since the weather has given any rain.

Backward

(BGDT) - Thinh sat down on the ground, grabbed his conical hat and fanned himself. Sweat was dripping down his bronze face. The curly hair on his forehead was stuck together in the shape of a question mark.