The days before the epidemic
One afternoon near the end of the year… 4 pm, when the working atmosphere of the day had reached a time of drowsiness and lethargy, a few women gathered together, opened the guava and mango packages, sat whispering, chewing, laughing and talking, commenting on lipstick, clothes, vehicles, dresses,… the eternal topic of women.
Every now and then, there was a buzz of laughter, the second guy turned his head to look over and winked at me and the third guy, he wrote on a piece of paper a few words… probably Xuan found some thongs, bras with strings covering her nipples, secretly opened her phone to show Hang hehe
These two are from well-off families and newly married. Looking at the advertised model… they whispered to ask the price to buy them to wear for their young husbands to admire..
I and the second brother closed the computer, went out to the balcony to smoke, a moment later the second brother also came out to look at the sky near the end of the year, the sky was gray and the wind was cold. The second brother said Tet was coming, took a few puffs of cigarette and sipped cold tea, then the second brother asked
What is the most interesting thing about Tet in your hometown?
Giap pondered for a long time and then said… the cuisine of my hometown and yours is similar, but on Tet holiday, when I was young, there was a year when it rained heavily, it was freezing cold, the roads were waded, we just sat huddled together, burned firewood to keep warm, grilled some buffalo meat, some wild boar meat, sipped corn wine, several families took turns drinking from house to house and yet the whole village of men were drunk for several days.
I said why is that?
He said my hometown is in the west of the province, in the dry season the sun is like fire, sometimes there is a hot, dry wind that blows so hard that it dries you out, the road up to the mountains at that time went through three or four districts, in the rainy season the water from the mountains poured down and blew away the bridges, the roads were blocked, landslides sometimes took a week for the water to recede and the road was cleared, we children only used our studies to reach out to life
Now everything is fine, life has changed a lot, roads are open, cars run all day and night…or is it?
I asked what is it?
Or this year, on the second day of Tet, you and that guy can bring some friends to my hometown to play.
The bastard said, “Your mother, it’s the second day of Tet, how can my relatives let me go to your hometown? Tet is the day my relatives reunite, if I go, my father will kill me. He said he’s drunk all day, how can he have the strength to ride a car hundreds of kilometers back to your village… hehe.”
Giap said yes, it’s true that every year, people flock to buy tickets and vehicles flock to their hometowns. Everyone understands how sacred that feeling is, and no one wants to be away from their family during Tet.
I sat quietly, my eyes following through the glass window the crowd still bustling on the street in the distance. Life in this city is full of surprises. It was deserted, not a single car passing by on that first morning of spring. It made me feel like I was time-traveling back to that scene from long ago.
oh my hometown… my hometown’s Tet
That bustling year…now appears in a moment
The spring rain in the morning was as light as a thread of powder, pouring down on the damp yard, shining on the bricks. I sat on the steps and looked out. The mute woman had gotten up at some point and was leisurely bending down to sweep the fallen leaves from the night. My grandmother was cooking something in the kitchen. The smoke was drifting slowly, faintly appearing and disappearing through the vents. The smell of stir-fried meat wafted out, fragrant in the peaceful, quiet morning. The echoes of yesterday’s pork wrapped in cakes still brought a feeling of fullness to every house in this small hamlet.
overlooking the large garden
On the other side of the old peach tree that was planted by the ancestors, the trunks of the old peach trees were covered with moss in the dents. After just one night of rain, the green color appeared.
A few days ago the branches were crooked and dry, but after just one or two nights of spring rain, the old, crooked and dry peach tree now has buds on its branches, signaling that this year the flowers will bloom on the first day of the month.
On this side of the jackfruit tree, a few branches spreading shade in the corner of the yard… are also sprouting new buds, tiny and dense, on the old jackfruit tree trunk, a few buds are sprouting like chicken intestines, in a few days the jackfruit tree will again bear layers of fruit hanging down…
Dear Tet, Tet is coming very soon, the mute girl’s silhouette is tilted, sweeping the yard, cleaning the corner of the yard…she bends down, her butt is full of life
My grandmother came out of the kitchen and looked at me. She said, “Wash your face, eat, and bring some cake to Mr. Dam.” The mute lady looked at me and smiled.
She said, you are 16 now, right? Bring the cake to grandpa early and then come back, we will go to the Tet market.
I cycled like the wind on the village road running between the fields, the early morning sunlight rose from the other side from a group of people carrying poles and cycling towards the river wharf to the other side of the river where there was a market.
Mr. Dam came out to receive the cake and smiled. He said that the cake his family wrapped was delicious every year. He poured a glass of warm, dark red water from the pot. The priest from the garden walked in and said, “Is that cake for you?”
He went into the house and brought out two packages of firecrackers, wrapped them up, and told me to light them for fun tomorrow on New Year’s Eve.
uh..why do you give me so much
hehe…this year I did well in business and bought six envelopes. I’ll give you two envelopes, you’ll accept them to make me happy.
he went into the house
I asked…do your wife and children celebrate Tet with you?
He said that later his wife would take the bus to the province to check the house and then pick up the child to come here to celebrate Tet with him. On the morning of the 2nd, the couple would go to his grandparents’ house.
So you are alone on the second day?
yeah..i come here to sleep with you for fun..hehe
yes let me ask my grandmother
Yeah… having you running back and forth makes me feel warm… So this morning you got to rest, did grandma ask you to do anything?
yes sir, i will go to the market to buy books for grandma
yeah..so let me thank your grandmother..
sir have you seen Mrs Binh these days..hi hi
It’s not even Tet yet, but you’re already busy with customers coming to buy and sell… hehe, what do you want?
no sir i’m just curious
hee hee..take it slow and the potatoes will be soft.I’ll see after Tet
……..
I and the girl with the book in hand drove the clouds, the plastic bag and the old lady leisurely went to the river wharf… let our feet walk along each stone step, the river was clear, the wharf had water only up to our calves, the shallow water flowed fast, the rocks slid under our feet, the sound of laughter and chatter, the greetings of everyone. I greeted my grandmother very happily.
I walked behind the mute girl in front. Every now and then, my grandmother turned back and said, “Be careful, child. The water is flowing strongly. Watch your steps and avoid the big, slippery rocks or you will fall.”
I lightly hit her arm and raised my head to signal her to remember what she said. She smiled, revealing her white, even teeth. In the middle of the river, in the clear sky, her arms appeared smooth, white, pink, and soft. Her smile seemed to radiate boundless, gentle joy. Her clear eyes shone with a feeling of friendliness and tolerance.
I asked…are you happy?
She nodded..she held my hand and gently pressed her body. I also don’t know what she heard last night, but we both kept walking along the flowing water. On the other side was a high slope on the dike, the market..the old year-end market in this land..thousands of people were crowded with goods..vegetables, fish, clothes, mixed with flowers. My grandmother and I walked together, the sound of bargaining was so happy, leisurely the year-end market, the sound of laughter on the other side of the rows of paintings displayed so beautifully.
Tet market paintings in young brick colors, mixed with bright red, old paintings… carp watching the moon, mouse wedding, painting of a girl lifting her skirt to catch coconuts… a mute girl smiling… holding my arm tightly… just for a moment, a bouquet of fresh flowers, green vegetables and a few bunches of fragrant onions, my grandmother happily played with many acquaintances asking about the peaceful village day.
The peaceful scene is imprinted in the eyes, the simple and rustic village market, after many years the market is still peaceful, the village market of that day is still simple, but why is it still filled with smiles on everyone’s lips and eyes. So dear, until today many nights I still dream about that day
that is the lifeblood passed down through generations, the buyers and sellers of the beloved tet market will last forever. after 9 o’clock, my grandmother and I prepare the tet meal
The year-end feast is bustling to every home.
my grandmother said…tu come here… today she asked me to decorate the altar..
The incense burner and incense sticks of our ancestors must be arranged like this. On this side are the portraits of our ancestors and a pair of vases with flowers. Today the pink petals are blooming.
After she finished praying, my two uncles, my mother, the mute aunt and I bowed our heads to pray. She said that from now on, we were sisters… brothers.
My uncle said…do you know there is anything special on our family altar?
what
He pondered for a long time and then said
Today, you have turned 16, the age when you must begin to understand the role of a son. On that table there is a pair of ancient vases passed down by your maternal grandfather. Those vases were made by a ceramic village artisan in 1870 for a Western mandarin. When he passed through the ceramic village, there was a preface with the name of the person who ordered them, but that mandarin did not live to return after going to war to receive the gift. Through many generations of owners, until the year of At Dau. Everywhere, scenes of crop failure and famine occurred. One afternoon, a father and son staggered through the village, carrying a pair of vases, asking to sell them to buy rice.
My grandfather brought them back to give them two baskets of rice..because he didn’t have money to buy them..at midnight, after dinner, father and son took the two baskets of rice and left a vase at the door, and a piece of paper with a few lines of words..asking him to keep it for them, when he has money, he can come back to redeem it..
Sir, how many years have passed since then and they have not come back to redeem it?
It’s been almost fifty years, my dear..so after your grandmother’s life…then your two uncles…from now on, it’s your turn to still remember this advice of your ancestors to carry out…because it’s a promise that children and grandchildren must keep today that their grandfather passed down…so that later you can pass it on to the next generation.
until today I am still remembering the words of the ancients… lost in thought
New Year’s Eve, the sky was dark, the sound of firecrackers welcoming the New Year flashed and exploded in every corner of the yard, filling the sacred moment of harmony between earth and sky. My grandmother brought some bowls of sweet soup and placed them on the altar, lit incense and prayed. She whispered, I don’t know what she was praying for. The sound of firecrackers mixed with the sound of temple bells, mixed with the sound of communal house drums by the river, making people’s hearts by the river excited. Fireworks shot up and exploded… spreading colors, sowing into people’s hearts the sound of Tet.
The mute girl leaned on my grandmother’s lap and smiled. She said, “We sisters, please love each other and help us overcome future obstacles.”
I engraved her words..down there, Mrs. Binh’s sons were hurriedly walking onto the yard..wishing my family a happy new year.
Tall and handsome man held my hand and said “I wish you good study in the new year and a new age”