Drizzle, south wind, bitter bamboo shoots..
How to say it…ah, rain falls from the sky, bamboo shoots grow from the ground…so there is sky, there is earth…oh shit, it’s like the saying that the universe has the moon, the sun, humans and the earth.
The guy said that all those planets would be meaningless without humans..because there is no one but humans with thoughts and ideas to perceive what happens on these planets..
Some people will say that the person telling the story, is saying something again… but no, just think about it… the weather, the scenery, the trees I’m talking about here are present every day in the daily life of every person, maybe someone finds it normal so they don’t pay attention, but just change the simple things I just said… it will cause a lot of trouble and upset what happens every day.
I once said that…what I told, is just corn, potatoes, rice, fields and gardens, simple everyday things that still appear in people’s eyes, in every meal. Someone is thinking about lofty things…but just try to think again…stop eating for a day, a week, a month…what happens…
oh..i dare not think what will come
Today…it’s raining lightly…spring rain falling all over the fields and gardens, spring rain combined with the south wind makes clothes and floors wet, water seeps out, washing for days doesn’t dry, clear drops of water stick to the window frame
In this strip of land, January days are so strange. In the south, the sun is warm and sunny, but out here, spring rain is flying gently… tiny raindrops on the hair of children walking to class every day.
It’s been drizzling these days, sometimes the raindrops stick to my shirt, damp and hazy…it’s been drizzling all night, this morning outside my house, in the gardens…it’s still drizzling, the raindrops are thick and heavy
it’s drizzling
I mumbled…the rain fell gently, on your hair,
cool as night dew, on branches, on leaves
drizzling rain…
Wet village road, rustling sound of wheels, the sound of someone bustling into the alley
oh nephew..
so you haven’t gone to work yet? I asked
Oh man, January is the month to have fun..
yeah..this year is difficult, with rain and wind like this
why don’t you turn on the machine, drive around a few times to earn some money for gas..
Well, these days I feel bored…don’t want to run anymore.
Did you buy your CRV new?
Yes, I finished the paperwork in a flash, uncle.
yes..new car
have you made tea yet
then…it’s delicious
I have this tea bag, try making it.
what tea
A few days ago, I leisurely went with some friends to a highland city that has famous Suoi Giang tea. I bought a few packs to try. I’ll give you a pack to enjoy.
yeah..your group is fun too, go wherever you want, wander around every corner..find what you like
I sat and thought…these days are so good that they can’t make up for what they had yesterday. The generation of people with so many things to worry about all revolve around the words “clothes, rice, and money”.
This nephew is now over 30, single, has worked hard for many years, has a house, a car, and accumulated assets… after the pandemic, he escaped death… now he said he’s taking a break from work to restore his soul to balance… naturally he joined several groups, clubs… passionate about antique cars, antique houses… antique household appliances, anything antique he searches for, buys and restores…
He leisurely poured a cup of tea, sipped it, sighed… looked at the rain falling outside… exhaled cigarette smoke, pondered, both uncle and nephew naturally fell silent, saying nothing…
I was silent
it’s silent..
a moment later it said…uncle this year you are not going to any festival
me,..
The festival still passes in my memory every day..
hehe..it smiled gently..your generation has many strange things
what’s strange about you
remember for a long time, I don’t understand what my memory ate in the past to have so many wrinkles… remember for a long time, we kids now have to do everything in a compact, simple, and effective immediately, forget what needs to be forgotten immediately
well…every time is different
Uncle…sitting like this is so boring, let’s go for a walk and look around
Where to go in this drizzle?
Uncle, don’t worry, sitting in the car won’t get wet. I’ll go get a luxury car and then go, uncle.
Yes …
I closed the door, picked up the phone, put the AIPASD in my pocket and took it with me…
The car drifted gently along the village fields, the old village road was now concrete, the old banyan tree…what day is it today, the shrine rebuilt by the village elders is filled with incense smoke…
the wheel rolled gently, i leaned back silently thanking the boy who was driving silently, he didn’t say anything, or ask anything, looking at the spring rice fields that had taken root and turned green, my mind drifted back to the silence of the past… passing by the old Mr. Dam’s house, the gate was closed… filled with sadness… wishing that now Mr. Dam was walking in the quiet house… at the fork turning to the district town he asked… do you want to go up the street or down the street?
I said…down…then stared at the scenery along the road…crossing the bridge to the road that turned along the riverbank…a row of markets selling along the sidewalk full of all kinds of processed foods. pork, celery, kohlrabi, cabbage…wow. a strange color, fresh bamboo shoots raining down, popping up all over the forest
White, peeled bitter bamboo shoots are sold everywhere…bitter bamboo shoots in spring rain…a dish of every family…like a seasonal specialty vegetable
Manh stop the car for a moment
It pulled over to the wide space along the side of the road.
I walked over… looked around and took a few pictures of the countryside market, the sidewalk… vegetables and fruits this season are abundant, the sidewalk market in my hometown is very full
Uncle, buy some bamboo shoots.
bitter yet
very bitter uncle.. if you want it more bitter choose these green bamboo shoots
bamboo shoots
no uncle…bamboo shoots…there uncle
Oh, how strange this bamboo shoot is, a bamboo plant that grows on barren red soil. When it rains, the soil is moist, and in the spring it sprouts and grows. The bitter taste suits the taste of those born in this area. Whoever is used to it… in the spring rainy season, fresh bitter bamboo shoots are available for every family meal in this countryside. It’s like a specialty vegetable.
taste of the countryside… when you’re far away you miss it. In the countryside it’s just a little taste of everyday life
I bought a few kilos… pre-boiled… put them on the trunk of the car… the two of us leisurely watched the rain, the wheels rolled, accidentally heading towards the market… the market street bordering two provinces… in the past, and now the market place is now a city and district
The scenery has changed a lot… the old banyan tree still casts shade over a row of houses… the rain has stopped, the gentle sun is shining… the nephew said
It’s almost noon, let’s go to the restaurant, shall we?
yeah.. today is not market day.. for many years now the market street sells all kinds of things without needing a market day it is still bustling and crowded
The car stopped, I took out my phone to film, the scene of the crowded market street, horses and carts had no jostling scene, but the market street always, at any time, still had the sounds of this place being a metropolis… the angle of the camera tilted to the other side was so strange
I suddenly remembered the old rice shop opposite the banyan tree, the old rice selling house, now the sparkling three-story house below is still a place to buy and sell rice.
The shabby house next door is now a restaurant, the pho is neatly displayed.. I absentmindedly remember the 4th day of Tet when I was 16 years old.. That day, I and a few students rode our bikes down to this place, suddenly saw Cuong.. pretended to buy some things, looked at him.. my heart fluttered, why is he so tall and big, and there is a story under the pine hill.. Cuong, oh you made the mute girl’s life seem like it was at a dead end..
How many years have passed, now I accidentally look back, the old marks are still there, the old scene has changed… where are the people of that year, I turned around, went back and forth a few times looking at the old rice shop, where my aunt and I gave the tall boy the resentful letter…
silence..a moment later the nephew came over and asked, what are you looking for?
no..nothing..
I feel like I’m looking for something like an old memory.
no..do you have rice to eat
This restaurant has delicious food, people come and go to eat busily.
The nephew poured a glass of wine. He told his uncle to drink it, he raised his glass of non-alcoholic beer… clinked glasses… the two of them didn’t say much, just silently looked out the glass window.
idly watching people passing by..
He asked his uncle if the old market street had changed much.
yes, things change…nature and humans keep rotating…nothing stands still..
So, for the past few months, I’ve been off work and I’ve been following the old stuff search club and I suddenly feel interested, uncle.
Hey, uncle, the other day my friend went to the mountains and bought some stone mills to grind flour, some worn-out rice mills, and some old rice pounders… on the way back, he kept saying thank you for buying those old, original things.
hehe..I laughed lightly..the things you guys can buy are just soulless objects
why do you say that
Only people who lived through that time could understand what that thing was, because they lived with it every day…that’s why people are important.
i understand
understand anything
surely this place…has traces of old memories
I looked into the distance..silently, raised and put down my wine glass, remembering the moment my aunt gave me a bowl of pho at this shop..then followed the wheel back to the mute girl’s village..I suddenly thought..after the meal, should I call my wandering nephew back to Doc Thong one more time?
strong..
uncle’s skin
later we wander around more
Yes, I like to go this way. Tell me how you want to continue later.
The meal passed peacefully. My nephew and I paid the bill and sat at the hot tea table, thinking endlessly.
I don’t understand why there is a tall man sitting next to me asking…
your uncle and nephew come from far away
Yes, my uncle and I have to pass by here…
I asked no..do you seem to be looking for someone here?
no bro
do you live in this area
In the past, this side was a rice shop..the other side was a rice shop.
that’s right..my house on the other side is a rice shop, the land where this rice shop is located was sold to my family a long time ago..
oh so that’s it
I answered and then was silent..so that person from the past..he is here
still this big fox figure, bright eyes, radiant face..just a moment of passion…
are you cuong
yes i am..how do you know anh cuong
oh no..
Because my old friend told me he knew a guy who sold rice at the market.
I called my nephew to the car.. hello, looking back, the man’s eyes were wide open.. it seemed like he wanted to say something.. through the window looking at him he looked like he was absent-minded.
The wheels drifted back to the old red dirt road, winding to the pine slope area..stopped the car..the old road today has been paved with concrete..the old tree stump, the two-headed pine tree, still stands tall through the years, standing here as if witnessing her life through many periods..
The nephew asked if he was still going, uncle. The car drove silently in the gentle sunlight.
along the ferry dock… the new bridge appeared, the old river had a ferry slowly crossing, in the past, my aunt Tham and I cycled all morning until almost noon to reach the mute girl’s village
over the bridge, here is the mute village, here is it village