The wine glasses were full then empty, Van's tears mixed with the falling rain. In his drunkenness, Van kept muttering: The river is crying, the river is crying!
Van whistled as he walked, calculating the amount of money he earned from selling the shrimp he had just caught that morning. Today, the people of Vuc village had something to do and bought all his river shrimp in a flash. But like every other time, even though the shrimp were fresh, they would complain about it when they brought it to restaurants to get a few discounts. Van thought that maybe next time he should go to town and stop by Me market to buy a few things.
Van's train of thought was interrupted by a loud call from the ferry dock: "Ferryman... wait for me, I have an exam today...".
The crowded ferry had reached the middle of the river, the engine roaring. The ferryman waved his hand and shook his head in disagreement. The girl stood rooted to the spot on the wharf, her eyes blankly watching the ferry as it moved farther and farther away. Van approached and joked: “Hey girl, if you don’t mind my poverty, get on my boat and I’ll speed across the river.”
Like a drowning man clutching at straws, the girl happily said: "Tell me the truth, let me go to the other side!"
In a flash, she was standing on the boat's bow. The boat weighed anchor and headed towards town. Early in the morning, the air was pleasant, the morning sun made the pink color of the river water, which was turbid all year round, shine. From above, the river surface looked like a giant thin veil. Deep below were countless fertile alluvial grains, nurturing the banks that were green with cassava and corn all year round.
"You know you have an exam today, why didn't you leave early, little sister?" - Van was curious. The girl shyly said: "My bike broke down on the way!"
The boat docked. The boatman waved to Van with a cheerful smile: "Hey, you, the hero saving the beauty song is quite good!". Van smiled, raised his hand to scratch his head out of habit.
Immediately after that, he quickly lifted his bike closer to the girl and said: "Get on the bike, little sister. I'll take you to school. I also need to go to town for a bit." The girl nodded in agreement, her mouth full of thanks. The two of them didn't say a word to each other the whole way.
At the school gate, the girl hurriedly thanked Van again, then ran quickly into the exam room. Van also managed to ask: "Little sister, what is your name?". The girl tried to turn back, her voice clear: "My name is Hau!". "Oh, and your name is...". Before Van could finish his sentence, the girl disappeared.
*
When he was little, every morning Van often followed his mother to the market. After selling the shrimp and fish they earned, his mother often saved the money to buy snacks for him. At that time, Van was very happy.
But the little joys of childhood were quickly chased away by vague sadness. The longing for a father arose every time he saw the children on the shore playing soccer with their fathers on the sandbank by the river. For some reason, Van always felt jealous of the children on the shore, because they always looked very happy, so one day he naively asked his mother: "Mom, when will we be as happy as them?". His mother's voice choked up as if she was about to cry: "Each person has their own destiny, my child. It's not certain that looking complete on the outside means happiness."
At that time, Van simply thought that he lacked everything, and lack was an unfortunate thing.
One afternoon, fishermen recovered the body of a woman who had drowned. It was said that the woman was pregnant. People gossiped, feeling both pity and pity, and blaming the foolish woman for causing suffering to herself, her child, and those left behind.
As time passed, he gradually grew up and became more understanding. He did not let trivial sadness bother him. He lived optimistically with what he had. And the happiest thing for him was always having his mother by his side.
But his mother also left him because of the terrible cancer. The river washed away Van's tears. According to his wish, he scattered his mother's ashes across the river.
*
All afternoon, Van was busy on the boat's deck. Next to the bowl of flour mixed with rice bran, he sat meticulously shaping each ball of bait to catch shrimp in the evening.
His hand kneaded the bait but his heart could not stop waiting. The boat had just reached the shore, he saw Hau but did not dare to call out. She saw him but only smiled but did not speak. Reflexively, he gently raised his hand, which was dirty with bait, and smiled at her. In just a moment, Hau had jumped into a friend's car, her figure disappearing behind the green bamboo hedge. Leaving behind Van's absent-minded eyes and the pounding heart in his chest.
Life went on. But suddenly, Van had strange feelings inside him. He felt nervous and looked forward to something that was hard to name. Then he felt empty inside when the students stopped going back and forth on the river during the summer break.
One rainy morning, Van brought the fish he had just caught to the Vuc village market to sell. Because the fish was delicious, everyone was eager to buy it, and in a moment, it was almost gone. "Brother, are there only these shrimps left?" The voice sounded familiar, Van looked up, his eyes met the girl's, it turned out to be Hau. She softly exclaimed: "It's you, I didn't have time to ask your name that time!". "Ah! My name is Van, there are only these shrimps left, you can take them home to cook for now."
As he spoke, Van raised his hand to scratch his head, as he had a habit of doing when he was confused. Then he quickly picked up the remaining shrimp and put them in a bag and gave them to Hau. Hau received the bag of shrimp with an excited expression: "This shrimp would be delicious if cooked with sour cassava soup. Please let me deposit the money!" Van waved his hand and smiled:
- No money, I'll give it to you, go home and cook to see if it's delicious!
- Oh no, I won't take it. If you don't take the money, I'll give you back the shrimp.
Van felt embarrassed, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind:
- How about this, honestly I've never had pickled cassava before, why don't you cook it and let me exchange this shrimp for a bowl of cassava soup?
After listening, Hau smiled and nodded in agreement:
- Wait, I will bring it to the dock for you.
That afternoon, the rain had stopped, the dark gray clouds gradually dissipated, the sky became clearer. Receiving the bowl of hot and sour cassava soup from Hau, Van felt moved.
- This dish is so delicious, is it difficult to make? - Van asked excitedly.
Hau shook his head and smiled:
- Very easy, bro. My grandma always said this is a poor family dish.
Van nodded and praised the dish as he ate, not expecting it to be this delicious. The strong, nutty, sour taste of cassava mixed with the fatty, fishy taste of shrimp created a rich, refreshing sour taste. A bowl of soup imbued with the flavor of home.
The wind blew more steadily, the waves lapped against the boat, the river was happier than usual today. The two young people stood on the boat's edge, enjoying the breeze. They told each other their own stories. The girl's cheerful eyes suddenly fell into a deep sadness. She said that since she was little, she had returned to her grandmother's hometown because her parents were divorced. Since her parents had their own happiness, they rarely visited her. And many times she cried silently, wondering if her parents remembered that they still had a daughter.
Van also opened up and told the girl sitting next to him about his situation. Hau looked at him with deep sympathy.
*
Summer passed, autumn came. For Van, that summer was the happiest time of his life.
One moonlit night in early autumn, Hau sat on the riverbank, picking up pebbles and throwing them heavily into the water. In the middle of the river, a familiar fishing boat emitted a faint light. Perhaps, at this hour, Van was busy mending his nets? Hau did not know that from afar, Van had seen his lover sitting there. He dived under the water, approaching Hau. With the intention of scaring Hau a little for fun, unexpectedly she got angry and started sobbing.
Van felt guilty, he thought he had done something wrong that made Hau sad so he kept apologizing. Hau shook her head, her lips trembling: "No, it's not your fault". She pulled Van to sit next to her, leaned her head on his shoulder, and whispered:
- Do you think the other side is beautiful?
- Have!
- Have you ever thought about leaving this dark boat and reaching for a brighter, more brilliant place?
Hau's question was like a knife gently caressing Van's heart. His throat choked up, his mouth stammered: "You, you...".
Tears rolled down Hau's cheeks, she choked:
- Tomorrow, I will go back to Hanoi to study. I have to go to school because the future is still ahead. I don't know when we can meet again.
Kissing Van lightly on the cheek, Hau whispered: "Until now, you are still the person I love the most!", then ran quickly towards the village.
Van's heart was broken, Hau's figure was vague in the magical moonlit night. But her words still stuck in his mind.
One day, Van went to Hau's school in Hanoi to visit her. Standing in front of the school gate, looking at the young men and women coming and going, Van suddenly felt less confident. Feeling guilty, he returned to the old riverside. He decided to leave his homeland and go to the South to make a living. Van felt that he was not worthy of Hau. Only when he had made a career would he return to see Hau. From that day on, he no longer contacted Hau.
*
After 10 years of separation, the man returned to the riverbank of Vuc village. 10 years is not a long time but so many things have happened. After a period of determination to go to the South to start a career, Van had his own property. The only thing is that he still hasn't married. This time he returned to find Hau.
He was surprised by the change in the scenery here. In the dim afternoon light, a fishing boat drifted ashore. Van called out, luckily the old fisherman still recognized him. He smiled, then gently scolded: “Is that Van, you’re back? You left without saying goodbye to me. I thought you had forgotten us. But Hau was always asking about you!”
The old man's words made Van unable to keep calm. He asked eagerly:
- Do you know where Hau is now?
The old man shook his head sadly:
- I don't know, I just know that she got married and her husband is very rich but I heard that he treats her badly.
At night, the rain poured down, the storm came from somewhere, the old man's boat swayed on the water. The wine cups were filled then emptied, Van's tears mixed with the falling rain. In his drunkenness, Van kept muttering: "The river is crying, the river is crying!"
TRAN TU