The father

Late in the afternoon, it suddenly rained. At first it was a light drizzle, then it poured down heavily, as if someone was pouring a jar all over the field. The wind whipped wildly and fiercely. The raindrops hit him so hard that it burned him. That was when old Ha was about to start a day of hunting. He had a fishing net in his hand, and a basket on his waist. His half-black, half-silver hair was spread over his wrinkled forehead. At his age, he should have been leisurely sipping a cup of fragrant hot tea in a warm room. But his situation did not allow him a moment of rest. For twenty years, he had been supporting a family of five, including three children, two boys and a girl, and a sick and dying wife. Sometimes, his wife was so pessimistic that she lay on the bed, beating her chest and lamenting: Oh my God! God has made me suffer, and now he is making my husband and children suffer too. Her voice suddenly choked up. If only a decade after their marriage, her husband would not have had such a hard time. Back then, although her family was poor, they were happy and fulfilled in a house filled with laughter. She was good at farming and taking care of the children alongside her husband who was good at water.

But those days only lasted for a decade. After giving birth to her youngest daughter, all kinds of illnesses attacked her. They tortured her until she was as skinny and withered as a child. Her husband and children took care of her wholeheartedly day and night. She was proud that she was lucky to have a husband like Mr. Ha. It was true that when one door closed, another would immediately open. She considered that the greatest happiness of her life. Seeing other women helping their husbands made her sad to the point of tears. Mr. Ha held his wife's hand and squeezed it gently to encourage her: "Calm down, calm down. Don't get too agitated, it's not good. Everyone gets sick sometimes. It's just a daily chore, there's nothing you have to complain about. I can do it. Your job is to focus on getting well. At that time, you were only worried that you didn't have the strength to do it." He believed that the time would come when his wife's illness would be cured, and his three children would grow up and have stable jobs. Then they would support their parents. He nurtured that hope on his always cheerful face and in his optimistic voice.

Old Ha stepped into the rain. Thunder and lightning rumbled loudly, the air was damp and cold. He sneezed several times. His bare feet stepped on the sharp and pointed grass, making him wince slightly. But it was not the pain that made him hesitate. His wife and children were waiting for the rain tonight.

Old Ha was illiterate. It was not because his parents were poor and did not send him to school, but because he himself was. The rains, the rushing canals and the swimming fish and shrimps captivated Ha regardless of day or night. Even though it was time to go to school, Ha still immersed himself in ponds and lakes to catch fish. At fifteen, Ha knew the characteristics of each type of fish. While his friends went home empty-handed, Ha had big and small baskets. The villagers exclaimed: "If it continues like this, this village will soon run out of fish and shrimps." Ha's father used sweet coaxing and beating to get his son to go to school, but to no avail. Ha was as passionate about fish as a drug addict. Fed up, Ha's father had to say helplessly: "If the earth does not accept the sky, the sky will have to accept the earth. Don't blame your parents for not recognizing you." From then on, Ha was free to indulge in his own desires. Back then, there were countless groupers in the canals. There were days when Ha caught up to several dozen kilos. From the fish, Ha's mother sold them for money. With money, Ha's parents could do many things they wanted. Especially during heavy summer rains, Ha was elated. Ha could freely splash around like a fish in water. It was as if this whole field, this whole rain belonged to Ha alone. In the rain, Ha never felt bored.

At thirty, Ha got married. In less than five years, Ha and his wife gave birth to three children, two boys and the youngest girl. Loving his wife and children, Ha voluntarily shouldered the responsibility quietly, without complaining or sharing with anyone. Day after day, he worked hard to bring them warmth and peace. When Ha's children were young, his wife was still healthy, so the six acres of land were contracted out, so food and clothing were not a concern. But when the children grew up, his wife was sick one day, half dead the next, and bedridden, which was truly a concern. Before marrying Ha, she was also a pretty village girl, tall, dark, gentle and hard-working. But God was really cruel. Even the seemingly endless store of fish and shrimp was no longer endless. If you catch them all, they will run out. Rivers, lakes and ponds were getting narrower every day. Some were gone completely. Life was difficult, of course. Ha had to go farther, and caught less. I remember the time when my youngest daughter started first grade, Ha carried her to class. Halfway there, it started to rain heavily. Without raincoats, father and daughter had to run to take shelter under the eaves of a house by the roadside. Ha looked at which side the rain was splashing and moved her body to shield her daughter from the rain. Ha tried not to let the raindrops as big as corn kernels hit her. Ha raised her head to look at the sky as if complaining. Under the yellow light from the house, Ha saw her daughter's purple lips and wanted to cry. Ha asked as if to comfort her: "Are you cold? If I had money, I would buy you a raincoat." Drops of water rolled down her dark cheeks, Ha quickly wiped them away. It was unclear whether they were raindrops or her own tears.

More than twenty years have passed, the old Ha, now the villagers call him old Ha to respect his age. Life has not taught him to sit and wait. Even fish and shrimp do not lie around waiting for him to catch them. His feet have to walk faster, step on grass, go to the canal bank more, farther. He has to buy more tools, his hands have to move faster, and have more experience and knowledge about aquatic species to hope to catch more shrimp and fish. Every long distance, he stops to set up the net, set the net, and drop bait. Twenty minutes later, he comes back and picks it up. The net is sometimes there, sometimes not. The shrimp and fish are not as big as before, only small ones remain. He collects a crab, a few small shrimps and puts them all in the basket. Not only humans need the fishy taste, but chickens and ducks also need it. Feed them enough nutrients so they will grow quickly, produce meat quickly, and produce money quickly. From the money, they will buy books and clothes for their children. His goods are always loved by everyone because they do not contain growth hormones. During the waiting time, he thought about today and tomorrow. He looked very simple and tolerant. Today's life is very different from the days he learned in books. It turns out that nothing is perfect. We just know how to accept and compromise. Even in the most difficult times, whenever someone needed help, he was always willing. When neighbors had conflicts with each other, he said: "Life is already complicated, don't make it more complicated."

Time passed by one by one. He was the support, the faith and hope of the members of this small family. In the poor house, there was the warmth of hearts that could melt even the thickest ice. Life out there was bustling, but when he stepped through the threshold of his house, everything became peaceful. He spent his whole life striving to give his children a bright future. Thinking about his youth, he felt regretful. If only... if only... Time could not be turned back. He told his children about his past education in a sad voice and considered it a bad example. When his eldest son entered high school, he said: "Now I don't have enough knowledge to teach you anymore. From now on, you study by yourself. If you have any problems, ask your teacher or your friends. I can only help you with material and spiritual things." A few neighbors told him: "Oh my god, the crab's life is like a snail's life. If you worry about them, you won't be able to take care of them for the rest of your life." The old man was silent. He did not bother to argue with that silly idea. He could not let his children be uneducated. If they did not study, their future would be no different from his own. He praised his children when they got high scores in exams, and consoled and encouraged them when they were disappointed because their results were not as expected. He could generously spend money on books, notebooks, and extra classes for his children, but he hesitated when buying a new shirt for himself to wear during Tet. It could be said that his encouragement and pride was that his three children were very obedient and studious. Then came the day when the trees were planted and the fruit was harvested. The eldest brother boasted: "Mom and Dad, I passed the entrance exam with a high score to the School of Architecture." The following year, it was the second brother's turn to happily announce: "The University of Science and Technology, majoring in mechanical engineering, sent me an admission notice this morning, Mom and Dad." Two years later, it was the youngest daughter's turn to whisper to her mother: "I passed the entrance exam to the University of Education with a fairly high score. What reward will you give me, Mom?" The worry about his children's future was lifted off his shoulders like a boulder. Looking at his wife and children, joy was evident on his dark face. He rushed into the rain. For the first time, the villagers saw him laugh out loud.

Everyone must admit that Mr. Ha is a strong and flexible person. Very few people over fifty years old are like him. Someone jokingly said: "If you work hard until you are twenty-five, who will have a lot of money to spend?" He laughed it off: "If you have the strength, you have to try harder." Only his wife understood that sentence. He tried to save up to build a decent house, to be equal to his brothers and sisters. On the day that his eldest brother graduated from school and went to work to receive his first salary, he excitedly bought a scarf for his father's birthday. He looked at his son with tears in his eyes and smiled emotionally. Suddenly, he put the scarf around his wife's neck and said affectionately: "You deserve a gift more than me." His eldest brother opened his arms to hug both his father and mother, saying in tears: "I love you, Mom and Dad. Thank you for giving birth to me and raising me to be the useful person I am today."

Late afternoon, a sudden rain brought with it many memories. When it was dark, the rain stopped. As the night went on, the sky became brighter and higher. Far away was a city with many tall buildings and many roads crisscrossing like a chessboard. The breeze carried his soul across the fields in harvest. The wind carried him across the canals and rivers of memories.