Three jars of gold

Strangers who came to the house of the Chief of Phieng Luong village and asked to go all over Lung Cam forest to find gold all confirmed:

- In this Lung Cam area, there are three jars of gold left by the Chinese. When we find the gold, we will give half to the village and will not dare to take it for ourselves.

The words of the strangers caused the whole Phieng Luong village to split into two halves. Old Ngo and some young men secretly decided to sharpen their knives to go with the strangers. The old people in Phieng Luong just watched the strangers go towards Lung Cam forest and then came back together to discuss Thanh Minh festival. This year, Thanh Minh festival will come before March 3rd, so all the business of the Dao people will be very favorable. That is why the New Rural Program has brought a concrete road to cover the Khau Sam slope. Now, even if it rains for a month, there is no need to worry about not being able to go to the market. In recent years, every time it rains for half a month, the bamboo shoots and reed shoots of the whole village have to be dumped into Khuoi Linh stream because just one rain would make the traders leave for another village to buy bamboo shoots, and even if they were given more money, they would not dare to think about going up the Khau Sam slope.

- Where could the three pots of gold in Lung Cam area be?

Old Ngo could not think of where the gold was hidden. For many hunting seasons he had carried a gun through the forests chasing deer, crawling into caves to hunt for wild rats, and collecting bat droppings, but there was not a single sign of gold in this Lung Cam area.

Illustration: Bich Ngoc

The old man sighed, his hands had cleared a layer of forest in Lung Cam, his feet had not set foot anywhere. Lung Cam only had the yellow color of the infertile soil, there was no place where he could find any gold. But Lung Cam was very large, if you counted it all, even Phieng Chang would be part of Lung Cam. In recent years, the forest had been revived, young people looked at it and thought that the forest in Lung Cam was very dense and very old, but they did not know that only about twenty years ago, the hills did not have a single tree shade for the buffalo to rest on. In recent years, Phieng Luong village had always been the leader in the commune in planting forests, the village chief was happy about that achievement, the old people were more sad.

- In the past, we destroyed the most, so now we have to plant the most.

- The gold must be in another village, stranger! There is none in Phieng Luong.

- Let us find it!

Old Ngo and a few young men were still determined to go with the stranger. The group chose places with high mountains, hoping to find caves that no one had ever set foot in.

- Is anyone coming to Ngo's house to work on the road?

- He has a wife.

- Yeah! I thought we were all gone looking for gold.

The concrete road slowly climbed up the Khau Sam slope day by day, the elderly people waited for the road to be completed. Some people used their canes to look at it, others went out to serve drinks to people. It was very hot in June but the Phieng Luong people still tried to work all day, "The government spent money, our people spent effort, that's very reasonable" - many people in the village thought so.

Thanh Minh Festival is coming, all the families in Phieng Luong go to visit the graves. The forests that are usually less visited are now bustling, the sound of hoeing, cutting grass, incense smoke creating a gloomy atmosphere along with the prayers of the elderly. The drizzle cools the hearts of the old and the young. This year Phieng Luong will be blessed by the ancestors to have a more prosperous business. Now there is electricity, the roads are easier to travel, Phieng Luong people have more ways to earn money, living closer to new ways of doing things, better rice varieties, and fertilizers are also applied more evenly to the fields.

Many families in Phieng Luong only grow one rice crop to eat, the next crop they raise fish and ducks to earn more money to send their children to school and give their grandchildren new clothes. Now that life is stable, the elderly and young people in Phieng Luong think more about their ancestors when food and clothing are no longer the main concerns in their minds, and graves far away are cleared and new soil is built on them during the Qingming Festival. Many people who left Phieng Luong have returned to take care of their ancestors' graves, the road is easier, and people who come can sit comfortably on their vehicles all the way to their village. Today, Phieng Luong is as crowded as a festival, and people from far away stay longer with their relatives because they don't have to worry about the way home.

After Thanh Minh, the sun's rays returned to Phieng Luong. Wait a few more days until the land dries and the road over Khau Sam pass will complete the remaining section. It had been drizzling the previous days, but some people from far away were still able to return to their village by car. The children were running along the road, filling the old people's hearts when they saw it.

- You keep urging me to go build the road, but I won't go. If I find gold, I won't even share a dime with you.

- At that time, you can buy nice cars freely, Khau Sam slope is nothing.

The whole group became excited again, cigarettes were puffed hard, guns on shoulders were held tightly; they advanced towards Khuoi Linh stream.

Dam Deng Mountain was in front, halfway up the mountain there was a large banyan tree that could be seen from several hills away. At the foot of the mountain, several graves had been cleaned, new layers of soil had been piled up, and those who were faint-hearted did not dare to approach the new graves. In the past, there were about four houses living here. The Khuoi Linh stream was cold, trees grew along the stream bank, when the Bjoóc Ma flowers bloomed, the whole area was bright yellow with flowers. On the top of Dam Deng Mountain, there were mainly intertwined vines that made it impossible for buffaloes, cows, and even people to enter. Old Ngo went ahead, his newly sharpened knife shining brightly, trying to clear a path to the top of the mountain. The young men could not wait any longer, they crawled along the rocks searching around.

- Remember to search carefully.

When they reached the banyan tree, the group stopped to rest. The young and strong team still tried to climb the tall tree to look around but got no results. The bamboo blinds everywhere did not let the sunlight through, so mosquitoes and leeches could smell the scent of people and came looking for them. Old Ngo smoked continuously but could not chase away the hungry mosquitoes.

- Let's go on, sitting here for a while has no blood left to live.

- Wait a minute!

- What's wrong?

- Looks like someone is there.

- Are you crazy? There's no one in this area.

The young man climbed down from the tree and signaled for silence. He pointed up, behind the rock, where a thick mist was rising.

- There is a cave there. Old Ngo whispered.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

- Rustle! Rustle.

At this moment, the rustling sound became clearer, everyone closed the distance, old Ngo signaled to surround the cave entrance, and asked people to observe the surroundings to see if there were any ambushers. After everyone was in position, he shouted loudly:

- Whoever is in there, come out here! Or I'll shoot.

- Ah!

It seemed that his shout startled the person in the cave and made him fall down the cave.

- Come here!

Old Ngo held his breath and waited for the people in the cave to respond. If they came out, he would pull the trigger. Perhaps it was the strangers who had come to this place. He wondered if they had had time to move the gold. Oh my god, why didn't they think of this place first after searching everywhere in the Lung Cam area? He leaned his gun against the rock and waited.

- Let me shoot into the cave to scare them.

The most enthusiastic young man came up to him and whispered, but he immediately stopped him.

- Wait! Human life is no joke.

- Here, here, come here, don't shoot, hu hu...

Old Ngo ran up to the cave entrance, the black head just popped out of the old man's hair and pulled hard.

- Phin, what are you doing here?

- Dad! Dad! Why are you here? I came in here to shoot mice.

- Old Ngo's son almost got shot.

Old Ngo was breathing heavily, holding a cigarette and smoking continuously. His son was sitting next to his father, his legs were shaking. The whole group was silent, and the strangers just sat there looking at each other and watching the smoke rise into the sky.

- How did you get up here?

- There is an easier road from the other hill. Every day after herding buffaloes, I come here to shoot rats.

- Damn it! Chum and Vang, almost lost my son.

- What should we do now, Mr. Ngo?

- There's that monkey dry, throw it away, throw it all away...

* * *
Today was the day the concrete road was completed, old Ngo and the young men who had been absent from the beginning had come to work. Many people asked about it, and some criticized it, but everyone kept their heads down and tried to work harder than everyone else to make up for the days they were absent.

In the afternoon, when the work was finished, the atmosphere of joy and happiness filled everyone's mind. No one criticized Mr. Ngo anymore, the young people also made an appointment to contribute wine and meat to celebrate together at the village chief's house. Mr. Ngo walked next to the old man but did not say anything.

- Mr. Ngo! Have you been to all the places?

- All gone, just tired, almost lost my son. Strangers are just good at bragging.

- Don't try to take what isn't yours.

- After this I understand!

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