"Three Virtues"

Illustration: Phan Nhan

1. His name is Phin - Nguyen Tuong Phin. The name is unusual, its meaning unclear, and it feels very modern. Ultimately, it's not that the name was chosen to keep up with the times, but rather that the person who gave birth to him is illiterate. Worse still, they probably didn't even know how to register the child's birth, so the origin of the name is unknown, and trying to decipher its meaning would be even harder. It's a pity. From the moment he was born, Tuong Phin didn't have a father. From learning to speak until he went to school, he learned many words and practiced reading them, but he probably never once read the word "father"—the easiest word to pronounce. Phin lives with his mother. His mother is somewhat slow-witted, speaking in broken sentences like a chicken clucking, unable to articulate complete sentences smoothly. Furthermore, his mother often has seizures, a form of epilepsy, causing her to suddenly fall and convulse repeatedly. Because of their solitary circumstances, from a young age Tuong Phin learned to hug and support his mother during seizures and to help with all the household chores. Strangely, she didn't seem to bother wondering who her father was, nor did she complain to her friends about her misfortune. If it were someone else, that pain would seem greater than the sky itself. Ah, perhaps Phin wanted to confide in someone, but there was no one. Because no one in this area knew where her mother came from with that pregnant belly, and at school, no one wanted to befriend Phin. In short, her misfortune multiplied exponentially when fate made Tuong Phin bear a form that her classmates called… truly unique and strange.

Sometimes I think it would be better if children like Tuong Phin could just stay babies forever – maybe that would be less sad. And they should be babies from well-off families, forever carefree and innocent, eating well and sleeping soundly, never knowing the worries or anxieties about their physical imperfections. Generally speaking, children with physical scars also have emotional scars, so if possible, God, in His mercy, should let them live forever in the loving embrace of their struggling mothers, rather than growing up to face endless sorrow – especially girls.

The sadness began when Tuong Phin was very young, but she already knew she was different from her friends. She was heartbroken. But it wasn't until she heard her friends say that her mother had eaten monkey meat during her pregnancy, which caused her child to be born with Down syndrome, that Phin burst into tears. She didn't know where that ridiculous rumor came from, but her friends took it very seriously and excitedly, discussing it nonchalantly, completely oblivious to Phin sitting at the back of the classroom during recess, hearing every word…

Day after day, Phin trudged to school. She hated going to school. Not that she liked it, she enjoyed learning things, but she was embarrassed to go to school looking different from everyone else, surrounded by healthy and beautiful friends. Sometimes she wished there was someone who looked like her, or nearly like her, to ease her loneliness, but she was the only one. Phin feared most the moment she had to stand alone in front of the class to answer questions or be asked something by the teacher. The teachers were tactful, usually asking easy questions so she could answer correctly and receive praise in front of the class, but her friends still giggled whenever Phin said something good. They laughed at her mistakes, and they laughed at her answers. At first, she felt like crying, but then she understood their justified laughter. If it were her, she would laugh too. How could she not laugh when her voice was so hoarse and raspy? That voice came from a body that resembled a monkey. Her eyes bulged, her chin was broad and crude, her forehead protruded, and her nose was crooked and upturned. His mouth was a distorted, inverted V-shape, his lips excessively large and protruding. To make matters worse, his gait was unsightly. His back was hunched, his legs spread apart, and he walked with a shuffling gait. If his friends had stopped teasing him like that, he probably wouldn't have been so desperate as to want to drop out of school.

2. That day, the teacher had the class practice a group dance choreographed for pairs. Hai, standing next to Phin, after hearing the announcement that the students should hold hands and form a circle, focused on watching the model dance to follow along, and realizing they had to dance in pairs, quickly ran away. His lightning-fast "escape" showed just how afraid he was of holding Phin's hand. His friends looked on sympathetically, while he, having escaped to stand next to Ngan, chuckled gleefully without a trace of guilt. Perhaps no one saw the tear in Phin's eye. Perhaps even God didn't see this stray tear…

On her way home from school, Tuong Phin sobbed uncontrollably, unafraid of anyone hearing her hoarse voice, unafraid of anyone laughing at her like a crying monkey. She wasn't crying because the boy wouldn't hold her hand. That was a trivial matter, not worth crying over. She was crying because she didn't have a father. Because she didn't have a father, the other kids bullied her, she thought. If she had a father, no one would dare say a word to a "unique" child. But she was born to her mother. So she sobbed again... She walked and cried, but instead of going home, she stopped at Uncle Duc's largest and cheapest general store in the mountain village. If only there were a few people like him. Tuong Phin thought that only Uncle Duc respected her, treated her like a normal child. Inside the store, Uncle Duc was selling, and she sat in the corner waiting. Tears and snot streamed down her face. When Uncle Duc finished selling, he stood before her like a benevolent spirit hearing the miserable cries of a child. He stared intently, then reached out and pinched her cheek.

Why are you so sad today, daughter?

"My daughter," those two words weren't the first time Uncle Duc had called her that, but hearing them made Phin burst into even louder tears. She longed to be called that, and even more so. Surely no one knew how much she longed to call him "Dad" instead of Uncle Duc. But he loved all the children in the world, not just her. Thinking this, Tuong Phin cried even louder. Unexpectedly, Uncle Duc hugged Phin: "Stop crying, Uncle loves you, Uncle will comfort you..."

Overwhelmed by Uncle Duc's affection, Tuong Phin was speechless, like a child who has stumbled and fallen and is asked if they're okay, if it hurts. She wanted to be a little girl, she wanted to tell her friends who bullied her, she wanted Uncle Duc to pinch the ears of those nosy and mischievous friends. But she didn't dare say anything, only trembling and sobbing when Uncle Duc reached out and stroked her hair.

- Shut up! Now tell me, who dared to bully my daughter?!

Oh, did she hear wrong? He called her "Dad," and referred to her as "daughter." Phin remained silent, imprinting each word in her heart. Just then, Thu, her class president, walked into the shop to buy a pen. Thu said in a reproachful tone:

- Hai was teasing Phin, Uncle Duc. He absolutely refused to hold Phin's hand while they sang and danced. He made his friends laugh their heads off, completely ignoring his friend's sadness. That guy is so annoying.

The uncle chuckled after hearing that.

- Oh my god. I thought something earth-shattering had happened, like someone daring to hit my daughter, but holding hands is a small matter... like a mosquito. My daughter wouldn't even want to hold hands with someone while they dance and sing, would she?

Phin couldn't hold back any longer, he spoke up:

- Because he said I was ugly as a devil, Dad... uh... Duc.

For some reason, Phin called him "Dad Duc," and after saying it, she felt a little embarrassed, but she had already said it, and she felt quite comfortable.

- It's just that she hasn't seen my child as "beautiful" yet. Everyone is born with their own unique qualities; everyone has some kind of beauty, but not everyone understands it, not to mention that all the children in the class are just kids. Okay, for now, you have the right to call my child ugly, and my child also has the right to call you... arrogant. Everyone is equal. The problem is that my child always carries a huge inferiority complex, so any event from the surroundings easily leads to self-reflection and sadness. Dad Duc advises: Inferiority complex is not only disrespecting God and the mother who gave birth to you, but it's also an insult to yourself. If a person possesses all the virtues to be a good person, then nothing about their appearance can make them ugly.

But Hai and many of his friends didn't understand...

- They don't understand now because they're young, but later they will understand and love them a thousand times more.

Uncle Duc owns the largest grocery store in the area. He and his wife have been married for twenty years but have no children. His wife passed away due to a serious illness. People in the neighborhood urged him to adopt a child, but he said: "I don't want to pour my love into an unfortunate child."

Yes, because he doesn't shower his affection on any one child, he treats all the children here like his own sons and grandsons. The kids from the mountain village are very fond of Uncle Duc. Once a child comes to his shop with their older siblings, they'll insist on coming again. Uncle Duc is friendly to every child who comes, asking about their well-being and giving them a bag of biscuits, a candy, or a bottle of milk. In the area, if any child is in need, he'll find a way to help them very skillfully. I'm sure Tuong Phin doesn't know that the bags of rice and daily necessities that someone regularly brings to his house, claiming they're from a benefactor, are from Uncle Duc. He does good deeds and doesn't want anyone to know…

3. The final year of junior high school was over. That day, Phin stopped by "Dad Duc's" shop to show off his first certificate of merit. "Dad Duc" was happy, when suddenly he heard:

"I'll probably drop out of school at the end of this year!" Phin said calmly.

- Huh, that's strange.

- My family can't afford to send me to university, and if that's the case, I shouldn't even go to high school.

- Just go to school, your father will take care of everything you learn.

But what good would that do?

Why, daughter?

- Why would anyone hire an "unique" employee like you and waste money and time sending them to school?

- Don't worry. Just bring your diploma back here after you finish your studies. My dad needs someone to help expand this shop into a mini-supermarket.

But Dad, you have to promise to hire me for that job.

Okay. Let's pinky promise!

- Remember, Dad! - the word "Dad" was uttered with a choked voice, as if about to cry...

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/202505/ba-duc-02c7b72/