At the age of 18, I left my family and married an old man with 2 wives and 5 children. Looking at him, everyone cried and wasted their youth.

At the age of 18, I left my family, didn’t have time to study, listened to sweet talk and hastily married a man who was a whole generation older than me, who had been married twice, leaving behind 5 children. On the wedding day, everyone shook their heads and cried for me: “What a waste of youth, the girl’s life is gone”. Some said I was greedy for money, others said I was foolish and ignorant.

But 4 years later, when I had just turned 22, the whole village had to  silently bow their heads  before the unexpected ending. For 4 years, I single-handedly managed the house, endured every criticism from my stepchildren, took care of my sick husband, and endured all kinds of gossip. Outsiders saw me suffering, but little did they know that he trusted me so much that he… handed over all the real estate documents, and a chain of stores on the main street, worth hundreds of billions.

The day the old man died, his five stepchildren rushed to fight over him, thinking that I would have nothing left. But when the lawyer read the will, the whole family was stunned:  all the property was in my name alone . No woman in the village, including those who had criticized me, could hold their heads high like that.

From a despised 18-year-old girl, I became a “golden landowner” in the blink of an eye. People whispered behind my back:  “You girls are still very young, life is unpredictable…”

The day the old man died, the whole family was in turmoil. The five stepchildren, who had rarely paid attention to their father for years, were now crying and struggling, then gathering to plot and plot, thinking that their share would definitely be in their hands. Some wanted to keep the shop, others wanted to take the land, and even hinted that I was just a “wife in disguise”, still young, and definitely had no chance.

I kept quiet. I knew people were cruel, but their hearts were even crueler. Over the years, I had gotten used to their contemptuous looks. I just sat upright next to my husband’s coffin, crying silently.

Then the day the lawyer appeared, holding the red-stamped will, the whole family held their breath. Each word read was like a knife cutting into the ears of the five stepchildren:

“All assets including houses, land, chain of stores, vehicles… are legally transferred to my wife, Nguyen Thi H… Full ownership and usage rights, no one is allowed to dispute.”

At that moment, the whole room fell silent. Those who had previously laughed and whispered were now speechless. Some bowed their heads, others were red with anger. But the notarized papers and the will were clear, no one could deny it.

I – the 18-year-old girl who was once despised and considered to be “selling my body for money”, now became the rightful owner of “golden land” in the middle of the village and the big city.

The neighbors who used to criticize and shun me, now seeing me at the market, had to bow down:
– Hello, madam!
Her voice sounded both flattering and shy.

I just smiled. I understand, life is full of ups and downs. If I hadn’t gone through those bitter days at 18, how could I hold my head high at 22?

Many nights, sitting alone looking back on the journey, I still feel moved. Four years – not long, but long enough for me to understand what endurance is, what a woman’s wisdom is. I did not get it by luck, but I paid for it with tears, with my youth, with patience.

Now, I am no longer the “girl who married an old man” that the neighbors gossip about. I am the “golden land owner”, a woman who decides her own life.

People whispered behind their backs:
– You girls are really young, life is unpredictable…

I listened, just smiled slightly. Because I knew, I had gone through a bitter cycle, and now, my youth was not wasted – it had been paid for with my head held high, with freedom and power in the very house that used to be hell for me.