In the evening, in a rented house of more than 40 square meters in a suburban residential area of Hanoi, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa (character's name has been changed, 32 years old, from Lao Cai) quietly washed dishes after meals.
On a small table placed close to the wall, a few electricity and water bills are neatly arranged. The room was so quiet that she could hear the sound of the heater running evenly.
Her husband's words on the way home were still in her mind: "I'm greedy."
Ms. Hoa is from the old Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province, and has been married for 5 years. The couple left their hometown to Hanoi to start a business, their life was not abundant but they could cover expenses.
Her husband is the third son in a family of four brothers. Her parents-in-law live in the countryside, with a house and land.
The two old sons lived nearby and were given land and a house by their grandparents early. Her husband and another brother work far away, only return to their hometown a few times a year, and most of the family's everything is "told".
Ms. Hoa said: "In the past, when my parents-in-law built a house, the total cost was about 500 million VND, my husband and I contributed 100 million VND, although not much, the money was still from the couple who saved it for many years. Essential items such as TVs, refrigerators, rice cookers... were also bought by my wife and I. At that time, I did not calculate more seriously, because I simply thought that was the responsibility of the children to their parents".
Recently, her parents-in-law have sold a part of their land. In a family talk, the grandfather and grandmother said they would give this person 30 million, that person 50 million so that the children "had some more capital".
"I went silent when I realized that my husband's name was not mentioned. No blame, no demand, but there is a gap in my heart that is difficult to name", Ms. Hoa sadly said.
On the way back from her hometown to Hanoi, she teased her husband: "Are you your biological child?" Her husband replied briefly: "I'm greedy."
The words were easy to say, but kept her silent for the rest of her life.
"I wonder, am I really greedy? Because if my parents-in-law gave me money, I also thought I would ask for permission to give it back so that my grandparents could take care of their old age. I am sad not about the small amount or the large amount, but the feeling of being forgotten, not being able to recognize the contributions I have made," said Ms. Hoa.
Ms. Hoa's story may not be unique. In many Vietnamese families, the division of assets among children is still quietly dominated by geographical distance and the concept of "having more is better than having more".
