Mrs. Xuan 'Pig Trough' - Short story contest by Nguyen Huong

Back then, I didn’t understand what a pig trough was. It wasn’t until I returned to my hometown and saw people dumping all their leftover food and mixed vegetables into one pot that I realized that the horrible thing was pig feed. And when I think of Mrs. Xuan, I immediately think of the pig feed trough.

Mrs. Xuan is over 70 years old. She often comes to my house to pick up rotten fruit - which my mother often forgets in the refrigerator or on the altar for a whole month. One day, I saw her go to Uncle Ngoc's house across the street, arriving empty-handed, and returning with a bag full of discarded bottles. Another time, I saw her picking up potted plants that people threw away at the landfill.

In the subconscious of a 10-year-old child like me, Mrs. Xuan was no different from a mobile garbage truck. The children in the neighborhood also agreed and said that Mrs. Xuan’s house was full of garbage, so it must be dirty and smelly.

But children are afraid of dirt.

So every time we saw her passing by with a pile of rotten ripe fruit in her hands, we would sing a song "for" her:

- Trash, trash is in the house, I smell it but I don't eat it. Mrs. Xuan, your hair is dirty, remember to take a bath or your mother will scold you when you get home.

We were very proud of this rhyme, because it was inspired by a fairy tale and it rhymed very well. And so Mrs. Xuan had to listen to this rhyme several times a week.

But Mrs. Xuan is clearly eccentric.

If my mother had heard that song, we would have all been "whipped". But Mrs. Xuan just turned to look at us, smiled, and continued to carry the "trash" home.

Actually, she didn’t look sloppy, her clothes were clean though a bit worn, her hair was always neatly tied up. It’s just… I saw something terrible in her house that still scares me to this day.

The story is that that day, I brought my mother a bunch of overripe bananas to Mrs. Xuan's house. As soon as I entered the house, a sour and rotten smell hit me straight in the head.

I reflexively scanned the house for the source of the foul smell. My eyes landed on a bin filled with rotten fruit, many of them blackened, with the skin and flesh mixed together. I could see foam bubbling inside, as if someone had spit in them.

- Oh my! - I cried.

Mrs. Xuan turned around, saw me frown and cover my nose, quickly covered the barrel and explained that she was fermenting the fruit to make the cleaning liquid, clean, not dirty. I don’t remember what else she said after that, only that the smell was exactly like the smell of pig feed that I used to smell in the countryside…

I already disliked Mrs. Xuan, but after that incident, I feared her even more.

But it is true that "what you hate, God will give you", because my mother often gave Mrs. Xuan spoiled vegetables and fruits, and some other small things. She seemed to be close to my family and often brought expensive gifts. Her gifts were also old and not as pretty as hers, usually vegetables she grew herself, or fruits she brought from the countryside. Those fruits were small, not as pretty as the ones in the supermarket, some had holes, some had black spots. My parents really liked those things, but I never ate them.

One time, she brought vegetables to my house and my mother asked me to get them. Although I was annoyed, my mother's orders were "heaven's orders", so I took out the basket and told Mrs. Xuan to put the vegetables in it, because I didn't want to touch her vegetables.

Unexpectedly, the thing that touched me was Mrs. Xuan's hand. She patted my head while praising me as "so good".

Mrs. Xuan's hand always held trash, now it touched my head. I shivered, without thinking, I shouted:

- Your hands are dirty, don't touch me!

Having said that, I did not forget to give her an unpleasant look and then ran straight into the bathroom to wash my hair.

When I came out of the bathroom, I saw my mother waiting with a whip in her hand.

I knew Mrs. Xuan's mother, and I knew I would be scolded and even beaten. I cried to her, saying that her hands were always full of trash and I really didn't want to be touched.

In the end, I still had to apologize to my mother and Mrs. Xuan, but I only apologized for the sake of it, because I felt I was right. Besides, I still accepted her vegetables and didn’t refuse.

As for Mrs. Xuan, her attitude towards me changed completely. After that day, every time she saw me, she stood back a distance and was no longer eager to talk to me, except for the time she mumbled an apology for scaring me.

Looking at her face drooping like a wilted vegetable, I suddenly felt a little broken inside, as if I had committed a great sin. But I was afraid of getting dirty, so there was no other way.

It's been more than two weeks since that incident.

For some unavoidable reason, I came home from a night out but forgot my house keys on the day my parents came home late, so I had to stay at Mrs. Xuan's house.

I'd rather smell than stand outside, I told myself.

But today Mrs. Xuan’s house seemed different from before. The smell of pig feed had completely disappeared, instead, there was a very fragrant smell like the smell of stir-fried snails my mother often made (later I found out it was the smell of lemongrass).

The pleasant smell made me feel less anxious. But sitting around was boring, so I started walking around the house looking for something to play with.

Her house was full of things, exactly as I imagined a junkyard would be, but cleaner than I thought. Newspapers and bottles were neatly stacked in bags, the tiled floor was shiny, only the refrigerator was a little cramped because of all the stuff it contained.

I followed the scent out onto the balcony. There was a large window that let the sunlight stream into the house. There were potted plants on the windowsill and on the balcony, large ones on the floor, and small ones hanging around the window.

I sniffed each plant, finally finding the scent coming from a potted plant that looked exactly like a bush of grass.

- What kind of grass smells so good? - I blurted out.

- It's lemongrass, do you like this smell? - Mrs. Xuan suddenly spoke.

I turned to look at her and nodded slightly. It had been a long time since she had spoken to me.

Seeing my response, Mrs. Xuan smiled and let out a sigh of relief. She said she planted this lemongrass plant to repel mosquitoes and to create a natural fragrance for her house, which was located right next to the dusty, smoky street.

Yes, I also hate the smell of smoke and dust, because it smells like cigarettes, my mother said it is bad for the lungs. And speaking of repelling mosquitoes, I once had a headache for half a day because my mother sprayed mosquito repellent in the room. That smell is strong and unpleasant, not as pleasant as the smell of lemongrass. If I had known earlier, I would have told my mother to plant lemongrass a long time ago. Oh, or I could ask Mrs. Xuan.

So, I gently asked Mrs. Xuan:

- Grandma… can I have a lemongrass plant? I also want to repel mosquitoes.

Seeing me speak, Mrs. Xuan's eyes lit up. She was delighted and quickly got me a small pot and a lemongrass stalk. While working quickly, she excitedly showed off a few new "achievements". It turned out that she had just asked for some big pots to grow vegetables. She would use rice water to water the plants and tea grounds to fertilize them, which was clean and didn't litter the environment. She also asked for some old clothes, the ones that were too tattered she used as rags, the ones that were still new she washed and donated to charity.

I suddenly thought, is her situation really that difficult? The house is small, furniture and vegetables are all begged.

- Grandma, is your family very poor? - I asked.

Hearing that, she turned to look at me. In her eyes, I seemed to see a hint of sadness.

That day, she told me her past.

She was born and raised in a mountain village, surrounded by lush green trees and very fresh air. But when she was over 10 years old, during the war, the whole village was sprayed with Agent Orange.

- That is a toxic chemical, very toxic, my child. All the fields, vegetables, fruits, and land were contaminated, and grass could not grow. My sister, who was 2 years old at that time, died from eating fruit that had fallen on the contaminated ground. Many neighbors also became seriously ill. My family grew crops, but the land and trees were all ruined, so we became poor. We had to leave the country, it was very painful, my child! - Mrs. Xuan said.

She was afraid of chemicals from there. She grew her own vegetables because she was afraid of buying outside sprayed with pesticides. She made her own detergent from fermented fruit to ensure skin safety and protect the living environment. She grew lemongrass to repel mosquitoes, so she didn’t have to use toxic sprays, and also to create a fresh space in the midst of the city’s dust. Oh, her thrifty habit also came from her time of poverty.

I was in 5th grade and had heard and learned about the terrible effects of Agent Orange. It turned out, I had misunderstood her.

It turns out that she asked for spoiled fruit not because she was "eccentric", but to recycle it into products that were safe for health. It turns out that she picked up discarded potted plants from the landfill to turn her house into a green garden, to "save" the living environment that was full of dust and toxicity.

And it turns out we have a lot in common, like hating mosquitoes and dust.

Naturally, I found her cute.

After that day, I often went to her house. She taught me many tips, from how to grow vegetables, how to create cool air in the house by just opening the window and pointing the fan outside to suck in the air, without having to turn on the air conditioner. The lemongrass pot she gave me has now grown many new leaves, and the mosquitoes have also miraculously decreased. Mrs. Xuan is really amazing!

I have changed my view of Mrs. Xuan.

But the children in the neighborhood still don’t. I wish they would understand and side with her, so she can ask for more fruit from their house…

Unexpectedly, that seemingly impossible wish came true sooner than I thought.

Over the past few days, my street has turned into a river. The storm and heavy rain have caused the water to rise to chest-high levels. Along with the floods, there have been power outages.

The power outage lasted for three days, and the water level rose so high that the whole neighborhood became an oasis. We had to eat only raw instant noodles because there was no electricity to cook them and we couldn’t go out to buy any. My mouth was dry and I had indigestion because there were no vegetables in the house.

But on the fourth day, my mother suddenly brought a huge plate of raw vegetables to the dining table.

- Mrs. Xuan just gave me these vegetables and bean sprouts she grew herself. Our share is the biggest in the neighborhood! - My mother excitedly boasted.

I was surprised and asked my mother how Mrs. Xuan could swim to our house to "supply" us?

Mom just smiled and told me to go to the window and look.

I rushed out there and saw an interesting sight.

Mrs. Xuan was rowing a raft to "give" vegetables to each house. The raft was made from old bottles and styrofoam boxes, it looked ugly but was quite functional. Mrs. Xuan rowed quickly to each house. After distributing the vegetables, she asked if anyone needed clothes or blankets. Mr. Ngoc, who lived across the street, immediately asked because his first floor was flooded and his wardrobe was there.

Another family asked Mrs. Xuan for some candles so they wouldn’t have to eat dinner in the dark. Another family asked for some organic detergent to clean their dishes during the days when there was no clean water.

Mrs. Xuan kept rowing her boat from house to house. I guessed that her pile of stuff was more than half gone after this trip.

And in a moment, the "eccentric" Mrs. Xuan suddenly became the hero of the whole neighborhood.

And after that, no one heard the rhyme about Mrs. Xuan "pig trough" anymore. People still saw the children in the neighborhood helping her collect scrap, collect old clothes to do charity work and eagerly carry bags of overripe fruit to her house.