Crimson red bougainvillea

After putting away their backpacks, they got straight to work. Doctors and nurses were constantly on the move… Wounded soldiers were continuously being brought in. Although there were few groans, Trang knew from directly treating the wounds that many were seriously injured. Having gained experience from her time at the Phuoc Long Military Hospital, Trang was still extremely careful with every step at this station, hoping to minimize the pain for the wounded. A soldier named Ky, from Ha Tinh province, had both legs crushed and shrapnel lodged in his right arm down to the bone. When he regained consciousness, he kept feeling for his legs and then burst into tears.

- My leg is gone! Now I need to get my teeth fixed so I can go fight!

Trang couldn't hold back her tears. All she could do was hold the young soldier's hand tightly.

The battlefield night seemed to stretch on with the sound of gunfire, the hurried footsteps of the medical team, and the groans of the severely wounded.

Illustration: Sy Hoa

Early in the morning, I heard the nurse announce: Medicine, rice, and food supplies for the wounded soldiers hit by the bombs have been stockpiled! It might take a few more days for the relief supplies to arrive!

That evening, just as Trang took off her green face mask, she heard a call:

Let's eat, Doctor Trang!

On the bamboo table were a few bowls and a bowl of boiled bamboo shoots. Tam Gang, the foster mother, selected a few tender pieces of bamboo shoots and put them in Trang's bowl.

Doctor, please try to eat!

"I've eaten like this many times before, sister," Trang said to reassure Aunt Tam.

Before I could finish my bowl of boiled bamboo shoots, I heard the nurse call:

Doctor! This comrade is in critical condition!

Shift after shift, job after job, shirt soaked with sweat, stomach rumbling with hunger.

The gunfire had subsided, and the enemy planes were no longer roaring. The eastern night was peaceful, with a cool, refreshing forest breeze. The late-night moon twinkled on the leaves like silver. Lying down on her bamboo bed, Trang opened her backpack and took out Huy's letter, pressing it against her face. The scent of the paper still carried the warmth of his hand, making Trang forget her fatigue and hunger. Each loving word resonated in her heart. Trang knew those words of love by heart.

My dearest!

My unit has been stationed at the Tau O checkpoint for over a month now. You know, this is a very important checkpoint in the Southeast battlefield. Every day we have to confront many well-trained enemy divisions.

Less than 2,000 square ^meters , yet every day this piece of land had to endure tens of thousands of enemy artillery shells fired from Chơn Thành. AD6 and A37 aircraft bombed dozens of times daily. B52 planes circled and dropped bombs… The enemy wanted to turn this place into a wasteland to open a supply route to relieve the siege of An Lộc and create a springboard to the revolutionary nerve center in Lộc Ninh. Your unit, in coordination with the 5th and 9th Divisions, repelled each enemy counterattack. This Tàu Ô - Xóm Ruộng checkpoint on Highway 13 is a steel wall forged by the sacrifices of thousands of soldiers, my dear.

Trang! Yesterday, there were fewer people to eat! We set out the food and waited and waited, but no one came back! There was no one left in the entire squad, Trang!

But never mind the sad story. I have a funny one. Two weeks ago, I was on a reconnaissance mission with the division commander and two scouts. It was pitch black, and just as we reached the barbed wire fence, the enemy opened fire. I fell to the ground without realizing it. As I was trying to get up, I felt a warm body beneath my stomach. Before I could understand what was happening, the division commander grabbed my hands!

Thank you for shielding me from the fireworks!

He panicked: "Report… It’s too dark, I can’t see anything!"

Hey! You saved my brother and you're still being so humble!

Seeing that he was injured, the commander became even more convinced that he had shielded him from bullets. No matter how much he tried to explain, the commander wouldn't listen…”

Every time she thought of that, Trang would laugh. She drifted off to sleep, filled with love, longing, and happiness.

Huy's house and Trang's house were separated by a straight row of tea bushes. Huy's mother was a teacher, and she loved planting and caring for flowers. Huy's house was always full of colorful flowers. On moonlit nights, Trang could see Huy often sitting on the white swing playing his guitar.

Nha Trang has a longan tree with thick, yellow, crisp, and sweet flesh, its branches spreading wide and reaching the roof of the teacher's family home. During longan season, when parents go to school, Huy and his friends come to the house to study, longingly gazing at the clusters of longan swaying… swaying outside the window.

While doing her homework, Trang heard a commotion. She ran to the porch to take a look. Oh my! The bunches of plump longan fruit were being mercilessly broken and ripped apart by those "little devils." Trang ran back into the house, grabbed her badminton racket as a weapon, and, with her hands on her hips, ordered:

Hey guys! Whoever steals the lychees, I'll beat them up!

Hey, me! Hey, me! I challenge you!

Just then, the doctor and his wife arrived. The boys scattered and ran away. The doctor's wife got out of the car and immediately saw the scene of withered longan trees, their leaves and branches tattered.

- You're so destructive! I'll have to tell the teacher so she can spank you and teach you a lesson!

Huy stood hidden behind the door. Sweat beaded on his forehead. If he got scolded, his parents would punish him severely.

- They asked me for it, Mom! I gave it to them.

Unexpectedly, the little girl became his savior. The following week, cycling home from school in the midday sun, Huy saw her standing by the roadside (probably waiting for someone to pick her up), so he stopped his bike:

- Are you going? Get in the car!

- Are not!

- I still have school this afternoon!

Probably afraid of being late in the afternoon, the little girl mumbled:

- Yeah! Give me a ride!

So the little girl sat with her mouth pressed against the luggage rack. The boy hunched over, pedaling the bike, sweating profusely…

One day after school, it was drizzling, and I saw her waiting at the gate. Her schoolbag was tilted to one side, shielding her head. Huy had his raincoat folded and tucked into the handlebars of his bike. He rode his bike closer:

- Back to zero.

- About!

Put this on!

- That one over there is wearing a cloak!

Huy quickly opened his raincoat and draped it over the little girl's head.

- Ri ni!

The rain intensified, Huy's shirt got wet, and the girl sitting behind him on the motorbike dreamily watched the rain fall, softly humming the lyrics of a familiar song…

Huy dropped out of his fourth year of university to follow his high school literature teacher to the war zone. Trang studied medicine hoping to follow in her family's footsteps. After accompanying her youngest uncle to the war zone to treat wounded soldiers, Trang couldn't bear to return to the city.

Coincidentally, on this vast battlefield, they were operating on the same front during those days of intense fighting.

Recalling the past, Trang felt a flood of cherished memories rush back…

For the past two days, Trang's heart has been burning with anxiety. The condition of some seriously wounded soldiers has worsened; there are no antibiotics or specialized anti-inflammatory drugs, and their wounds are swollen, festering, and causing fever. Some didn't survive the transfer to the hospital. What could be more heartbreaking than soldiers dying not in battle, but from lack of medicine and hunger!

Huy was so close, separated only by a few forests, yet they couldn't meet. They shared the same March sky in Binh Phuoc . Their hearts yearned for each other, but they could only secretly wish for victory. Trang believed that this longing and wish was miraculous and would come true.

Medicines and essential supplies had not yet arrived. The nurses had to wash the used, foul-smelling bandages, boil them to sterilize them for reuse. Trang gave the milk and sugar, which were usually reserved for the doctors, to the nurses to mix for the seriously wounded soldiers.

On the gaunt faces of the wounded soldiers, weathered by hardship and pain, a glimmer of joy occasionally shone as they spoke of their parents, wives, children, loved ones, or hometowns with unparalleled affection. Trang always saw glimpses of Huy in them. Almost every day, wounded soldiers escaped from the hospital to return to their units to fight. Some wrote handwritten letters, all saying: If we keep fighting in bunkers and hospitals, when will we ever defeat the enemy and return home? Trang understood that these soldiers, who faced life and death situations, only wished for that. They didn't care about medals or titles.

The news of Hon Quan's liberation reached the forward military medical station, causing even the most severely wounded soldiers to try to sit up. Laughter, cheers, tears, and even applause... Nothing was more joyful and sacred than the liberation of a vast area encompassing Phuoc Long - Loc Ninh - Hon Quan - Binh Long...

The order was given: The forward medical center would continue treating the lightly and moderately wounded. Severely wounded soldiers would have their medical records compiled and transferred to the central station. The atmosphere was tense, but everyone's face was beaming. Trang hurriedly prepared medical records for the severely wounded soldiers being transferred. She was overjoyed because their chances of survival and recovery would be higher with proper care and medication.

Nurse Ha's voice was like a cheer:

- Trang, I have some poetry here.

While subtly pushing the letter toward Trang, Ha pretended to be serious:

- If you write a poem for your lover, you have to treat her to some candy and milk!

Okay! Three rounds would be fine too!

Thu Huy reported that the unit would continue marching towards Binh Duong to receive a new assignment.

My dearest!

So, Loc Ninh, Phuoc Long, Dong Xoai, Hon Quan, Binh Long… have been liberated! The day of complete victory is not far away, my dear. These days I miss you so much! Last night I dreamed I stroked your hair. I also dreamed we had a beautiful house. I planted ixora plants all around the house. Every plant was full of blossoms. The vibrant red ixora blossoms are you in my heart, you know?…”

Trang's cheeks flushed, her eyes welled up with happiness. The March sun shone brightly. The breeze was cooler. The leaves seemed greener. Trang felt as if she saw Huy radiant amidst the throngs of liberation army soldiers on that joyous day of complete victory.