Loan was stunned, looking at the young soldier's sweaty back. It seemed like he was running towards spring.
In mid-December, the weather began to change. The northeast monsoon winds were less cold, the sky gradually warmed up, and there was a strong taste of Tet.
On Sunday, the unit gathered for two hours to clean the entire barracks. Taking advantage of the break, Ha washed his thick cotton military jacket. The cold weather was no match for the strength of a twenty-year-old youth. This year was the second Tet away from home. Even though he laughed and talked all day, even though he sat clapping his hands until they were sore, singing during the company meeting “For the people, forget yourself. For the people, sacrifice…”, the homesickness still burned like a small flame in Ha’s heart.
The scent of Tet comes from the bundle of dark green dong leaves that Mom bought at the market. Dad used two bamboo tubes to split bamboo strips to wrap Chung cakes. If she were at home, Ha would take on the easiest and most skillful task of peeling the bamboo strips into thin strips, then connecting them so Dad could wrap Chung cakes. Ha would sit there peeling the bamboo strips, while her mind would be filled with thoughts of the new clothes she had bought, waiting for the first day of Tet to come so she could wear them out.
When my grandfather was still alive, he used to hang a white lime painted bow and arrow on the top of the Tet tree to ward off evil spirits. Later, my father hung the national flag, which looked more beautiful.
- The devils have all run to the sea. Hang up the flag to welcome the country.
Dad explained to Ha like that.
*
Mrs. Luc sat on the porch, calculating how many banh chung she would make this year. Then she had to go to the market to buy Ha's father a new set of khaki clothes, which would cost more than two hundred thousand.
The heaviest was the pork, nearly a million dong. This year, Mrs. Hanh's family had a pig. The pig had been raised for two years, eating only vegetables and grass, weighing a hundred kilos, not a small amount. But it was worth the price, clean pigs had to be different, like the pig of Mr. Thanh's family last year, I would avoid it until I was old. Who would have thought of a two hundred kilo pig, but when they cut it open, its stomach was as big as a drum, and when they cut open the stomach, it filled the corner of the well with rice porridge and fish sauce. The pig ate so much that it couldn't walk, it just lay there waiting to die. Mr. Thanh ate nothing but a stomach, earned more than a million dong, and his reputation would last a lifetime. This year, he had a pig weighing eighty kilos, and no one wanted to touch it.
Seeing her husband solemnly carrying the things on the altar to clean, she reminded:
- Be careful not to break it. Why don't you let Ha clean it for you? I heard he's coming home for the first Tet holiday this year.
- Oh, wait for it, how long will it take?
All the antique wooden objects were left by the ancestors. Mr. Luc arranged the trays, incense sticks, candles, cranes riding turtles… one by one on the mat in the middle of the house, then cleaned the altar table first. White cloth and bamboo sticks were threaded into each slot of the wood, intricately carved with dragons, unicorns, turtles, and phoenixes, until they were clean and shiny, then the things on the mat. By the end of the morning, the weather was cold, but sweat was beading on his forehead.
- On the third day of Tet, I might go visit old Dong in town, ma'am. We used to be in the same unit, but we haven't had a drink together in two years. The eldest daughter of that family is the same age as Ha and is very witty. I plan to ask her to be my daughter-in-law. Old Dong, when he was in the army, knew how to calculate and was smart, so he never suffered. If his daughter was like her father, there's nothing better.
- I don't want Ha to marry a woman from the town. Just marry a country girl, she can help me with the farm work.
- Oh, right. So are you planning to get married or find someone to live with? This Tet, I will definitely take Ha to town.
Suddenly, sadness welled up in his heart. Women were truly “as deep as a betel box”, thinking about the matter before their eyes was no longer than three meters long. Look at the daughter-in-law of the Trung family, strong and healthy like a man, doing both heavy and light tasks with ease, but once the work was done, she would just sit there like a pile of straw, not knowing what to do next.
In his family, Ha was the eldest son, and the family would be miserable without a good daughter-in-law. Putting down the worship items, he immediately found the phone and called old Dong. The phone rang for a while before his friend picked up:
- Geez, what took you so long?
- Washing dong leaves to wrap cakes. Have you slaughtered the pig yet?
- Eat and touch. Thirty people are operated on.
- I have an early surgery, come up for a drink at 26.
Mr. Luc hesitated, it was difficult to decide whether to go or not.
- Okay, let's go over on the 3rd to wish our grandparents a happy new year. Hey, let's decide on Ha becoming the son-in-law of that old man's family, okay?
- That would be great. Then you should bring the boy here and let the two of them meet.
Mr. Luc laughed happily. A big job done. There is no greater joy than becoming in-laws with a comrade in arms.
He wondered again, what gift should he bring when visiting his friend, his future in-laws, for the New Year? He suddenly remembered the days he was stationed in Tay Ninh, fighting Pol Pot's army. Enemy artillery exploded all night on New Year's Eve. He and Corporal Dong sat in the same bunker, having to cover the RPD machine gun with their shirts to keep dust and dirt from flying in. Dong smacked his lips:
- I suddenly crave a pair of rice cakes. If I were in the countryside now, I would be so happy to have a piece of cake.
Oh right, let's buy a bottle of good wine and a box of sticky rice cakes as gifts. Let's see if old Dong still remembers the old days.
Mrs. Luc struggled with the basket of old clothes. She had to put them in the warehouse to last through the Tet holidays, she didn't want to burn them. All the clothes were still usable, she would give them to someone after Tet. She was annoyed by her crazy husband, who wanted moldy chopsticks and a red tray. She was a country girl, so she would marry a country girl, and she also wanted to go to town to find in-laws. The more friends and comrades, the more awkward the situation. The children were fine, but if the trays and bowls were knocked over, what would they say to each other?
The sound of laughter outside the gate interrupted Mrs. Luc's train of thought. Four neighbors in their fluttering dresses walked through the gate.
- Hey Ms. Luc, we need your help.
Mrs. Luc opened her eyes wide:
- Thanks for what? Where are you going dressed like that?
- Invite your sister to join the folk dance group for fun. The yard has a roof, let us practice a few times.
Mrs. Luc was confused and didn't know what folk dance and Quan dance were. If you want to gather here, just do it. The more fun, the happier the family.
It was not until the portable speaker was brought in and turned up with a deafening boom that Mrs. Luc realized what folk dancing was. The women in their 50s and early 60s suddenly seemed to have regained their youth, dancing with excitement. Their arms waved in the front and back rhythms. Their cheeks gradually turned rosy and their eyes sparkled. They had to practice well in time for the New Year's Eve party that would be held at the village cultural house.
Mr. Luc was annoyed but did not dare say anything, so he closed the door and went to the neighbor's to smoke tobacco.
- Sister Luc, let us find one more person, can you join to make three pairs? It's fun, and good for you.
- I don't know, sixty-five, what dancing?
Then she burst out laughing.
*
Private Ha had to take off his heavy cotton military coat.
The morning on the training ground was quite cold, even though the sun was high in the sky. The platoon had just practiced individual movement through terrain and objects for an hour, and the soldiers were already sweating. Ha bowed her head to the ground, her eyes wide open, looking at the barbed wire stretched low in front of her. Her two hands were placed face down in front of her chest, her two toes were pressed straight against the ground, pushing her body forward, inching forward centimeter by centimeter.
This barbed wire crossing is very difficult, you have to lie close to the ground, and sometimes the barbed wire gets caught in your shoulder or butt, causing you pain. The slogan at the training ground gate hits you every day: “Sweat on the training ground. Less blood on the battlefield!”
The father, who had also fought in the war for several years, often reminded his son, “Be patient and practice! Being lazy and relying on your mother like at home is not good. Soldiers must be agile and brave.” But the soldier’s mind was filled with thoughts of Tet. Tet in the unit was very joyful and fulfilling, but Ha missed home, missed the warm, sweet taste of Tet in the countryside.
When she was little, Ha liked to stay up all night on New Year's Eve. Not to wait for the spring god, but to wait for the banh chung her mother wrapped for her and her sister.
Now that she is about to get married, Ha still loves banh chung, misses the fragrant smell of sticky rice mixed with the rich smell of green beans, the hot cake in the middle of a cold night.
This Tet, if she could go home for the first vacation as arranged by her unit, Ha would definitely make a pair of banh chung for her two grandchildren. Banh chung must be made long to look beautiful, if made square, it would look no different from other banh chung.
The first period, the brothers who lived nearby had a break from December 28 to the first day of Tet. On the second day, they had to be present so that those who were far away from home could rest until the sixth day. Ha had already planned everything. She would borrow a motorbike from teacher Loan at the elementary school and go home. Forty kilometers of provincial road, driving for an hour and a half, still enough time to wrap banh chung with her mother. On the second day, she would return her leave, conveniently stopping by to return the motorbike and wish Ms. Loan’s family a Happy New Year. Ms. Loan was one year older than Ha, not beautiful, but gentle and dignified. The two had been close friends for over a year. On Sundays, whenever she was allowed to leave the barracks, Ha would go to Ms. Loan’s room to borrow books to read. Ms. Loan praised:
- You really read books. Loan really appreciates people who read books.
Ha stammered:
- I… I have loved books since I was in school. I read every book I could get my hands on.
One time Ha came to visit, while she was engrossed in reading a book, Ms. Loan suddenly discovered a tear the size of a fingertip on the back of the soldier's shirt. She asked why the shirt was torn. Ha was embarrassed and explained:
- I went to practice tactics at night and got hooked by barbed wire. My shirt was torn and I got points deducted for revealing secrets, because the punks yelled.
- I already called myself "I", and now I also called myself "em". The old saying goes "bi" means "cha", "bi" means "chi".
Ha scratched his head:
- I'm used to it...
- Take off your shirt, I'll patch it up, it'll be done in a minute. Who would wear a torn shirt out in the street?
Ha was so embarrassed, the soldier had two sets of clothes. The other set had just been washed, so he had to wear the torn shirt. Luckily, he had a bra to wear underneath, so his back was not exposed. Finally, Ms. Loan managed to coax Ha to take off the shirt so she could patch it. The tear was about 1 cm, and it would take two minutes for the needle to be done, but the teacher took too long to patch it. Ha waited impatiently, worried that some teacher would walk into the room and she would be embarrassed to death.
Now, he has become bolder, the two of them call each other by name whenever they are close.
- When Ha leaves for the army, Loan, please introduce me to a teacher who is both pretty and good.
- Shooting should not be compensated by bullets.
Ms. Loan smiled:
- Don't worry, the teacher won't miss when she shoots.
Recently, hearing Ha boast about having a few days off for Tet, Ms. Loan discussed that Ha would take the motorbike back to her hometown, then on the 2nd day, go straight to Loan's house to return the motorbike, then Loan would take Ha to the unit.
Teacher Loan was wondering for a long time, not knowing what gift to send to Ha's parents. Not a lover, not a girlfriend, so it was really difficult. She wanted to buy each of them a set of clothes, but she felt it was not right. Only as a daughter-in-law would one dare to give such a gift. Or should she buy two boxes of bird's nest to give to the parents to nourish their health? She would have to go to the market tomorrow to buy them in time, Ha had three more days off.
- Miss Loan, Miss Loan…
Ha barged in, forgetting to knock. He was wearing a faded grass-colored military uniform and canvas shoes. Ha quickly handed her a piece of paper.
- Dad's phone number. Loan called to inform Ha that she had to work suddenly and couldn't come home for Tet. Ha asked for permission to come here for 5 minutes. It's time to march.
Loan was shocked, dropped the lesson plan on the bed, and looked at the young soldier's sweaty back. It seemed like he was running towards spring.
Writer PHUNG PHUONG QUY