Need a heart

Standing on the balcony of the second floor, her neighborhood appeared clearly, each alley, each house clearly. On the day off, everything became more leisurely. The market area, which was noisy all day, now also became quiet. The small road in front of her house was about 500m long, with big and small houses. Not as poetic as many other roads, but in this very clear morning, it seemed to become peaceful, like a stroke of paint passing through the houses and shops. The residents in this neighborhood were of all types, from officials to ordinary workers.

However, on normal days, almost everyone is busy with work and making a living, so they rarely see each other, only at the end of the year do they meet at the neighborhood year-end worship. Her family is the same. All year round, they are busy with their children's education and work at the office, so the neighborhood only cares about fulfilling their contribution obligations; visiting when someone's family is sick or has a wedding or funeral. Suddenly one day, having thrown away the hustle and bustle of a civil servant's life, she feels more interested in the small neighborhood she has been attached to for nearly 20 years. And everything feels much closer and more connected than she thought before.

When she carried her basket to the market, she saw Ms. Ly's fish and shrimp stall ready, with a few regular customers. It was probably over a month since Ms. Ly had appeared, so she stopped to ask. While preparing her goods, Ms. Ly told the story of her child being hospitalized for a whole month, and now that she had recovered, she had to return to selling wholesale to support the whole family. She said: Thanks to the doctor and many people's help, my child was able to recover, especially the people in this neighborhood. "I will always remember this kind help," Ms. Ly said with tears in her eyes. Naturally, she was also moved. For a long time, whenever the neighborhood announced support for a difficult situation, she always contributed without fail.

Illustration: HH

But that support was only shown by the amount of money transferred into the account, and she rarely understood the difficulties of the person needing help. She always found excuses, saying that she was too busy, that any form of help was fine. Now hearing the person in the story tearfully express his gratitude to everyone, she felt that she was sometimes too indifferent. In her story, Ms. Ly especially mentioned the help of Mr. An - a retired leader and Mr. Toan - a lonely old man who repaired shoes at the alley entrance. Although one person was a high-ranking official, he was still close to the working people, with a kind and tolerant heart.

The day he heard about Ms. Ly's family, he called to ask about her and supported a large sum of money for her treatment. As for Mr. Toan, he was old and had no children to rely on, but as soon as he heard that Ms. Ly's child was suddenly ill, he rushed over, quickly shoved a handful of coins into her hand, and said he wanted to contribute a little bit to the family in this difficult time. Ms. Ly lives in Hai Lang but has been making a living in this market for more than 10 years now.

From early morning, she collected goods from fishermen in the low-lying communes of Hai Lang and brought them to Dong Ha to sell. The land of Hai Lang has the poetic O Lau River flowing into the fertile "ke" and "cang" regions for generations, providing abundant fish and shrimp, thereby creating a livelihood for many people. Fresh fish and shrimp caught from the rivers and lakes are brought to the city by people like Ms. Ly, so they are trusted and chosen by many people. Buyers and sellers from faraway places gradually become close, sharing with each other through many difficulties and hardships. Ms. Ly, although not a local, is very affectionate. She is always there to help when anyone has a problem, and if she doesn't have money, she helps with the work after the market.

The market is located in a residential area, so many times she feels annoyed by the noise and all kinds of smells that blow into the house with the Lao summer wind. That's why sometimes she and her husband want to move. However, when it comes to convenience, there are more than inconveniences. The market is small, the sellers come from many different villages but have been together for a long time, so buying and selling is very convenient. If you need delicious vegetables, call Mrs. Lan, if you need freshwater shrimp and fish, there is Ms. Ly...

Then, each season has its own products, and products from the countryside are all available here. She rarely bargains when going to the market, partly because she thinks the sellers do not overcharge, and partly because she thinks the products on sale are guaranteed to be of good quality and have a clear origin. Not only her, but everyone in the neighborhood thinks so. The valuable thing is that because of the long time of attachment, almost everyone understands the situation of the farmers who trade here all year round.

Since leaving the government job, she often had rambling thoughts. Some people advised her to continue, others said that when she had enough money , she should let go of her busy schedule. This life, although long, is actually very short, so she had to do what she liked before it was too late. Do what she liked? She asked herself and let the question drift in her mind.

Well, everything depends on fate. And what you like, sometimes there is no ready answer. Since hearing Ms. Ly's story, she felt less thoughtful and the world around her was less distant. Just look at Mr. An's story to see that love between people must originate from the feelings that each person has for each other.

For a long time, everyone in the neighborhood loved Mr. An, even though when he was still working, he only came home occasionally. Now that he has retired, he has returned to live in the neighborhood. But no matter where he lives, he is always involved in all the big and small things in this neighborhood. If he does not contribute directly, he will send his heart to the people in difficult times through his wife and children. As for Mr. Toan, although his life is still full of deprivation, he is very kind and generous.

Another peaceful morning, she listened to the full lyrics of the song “Living in life, need a heart” by musician Trinh Cong Son. But another melody hummed in her, needing a heart not to “let the wind take it away”, but to leave the best and most precious things in the hearts of others and in this very fragile life.

Ha Vy

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/van-hoa/202510/can-co-mot-tam-long-3d56fdb/