Waiting for dawn, as soon as he got out of bed, put on an extra shirt and a pair of slippers, Mr. Thanh, seething with anger, cycled straight to his nephew's house, berating him from the gate all the way in:

- Where is Hung? He's barely out of his teens and already forgetting the gratitude he owes to his ancestors, forgetting the sacrifices made so that he could have enough to eat, warm clothes to wear, and live in peace today. I absolutely cannot accept such a mindset. This family cannot have a grandson like that!

Candles are lit in tribute at the tomb of the 10 heroic female martyrs of the Dong Loc Crossroads Youth Volunteer Force. Photo: VNA.

From inside the house, Mr. Huyen, Hung's father, came out scratching his head in embarrassment:

"Please come in, sir. Please calm down. It's only early morning, and I don't know what upset you about my grandson that made you speak so harshly! He left early today to go to the neighboring district to get some bricks to reinforce the pond embankment. He'll probably be back soon, sir."

Still not calm, Mr. Thanh showed his phone to Mr. Huyen and then shouted:

"Look, I don't understand where your son learned this habit of speaking ill of the government and showing disrespect to war heroes and martyrs. Not only that, he's promoting the rhetoric of hostile forces, slandering history, and forgetting the sacrifices made by those who shed their blood for this country. I ask you, is that acceptable? At the next family meeting, I'll bring this up for discussion."

"Oh, please, sir! Please calm down, let me discipline my grandson. It's probably because he illegally used an excavator to level the rice fields and garden the other day, and the local officials came down to issue a citation. He's upset and making such reckless statements. I've advised and warned him, but he still doesn't seem to heed my advice."

- I'm somewhat relieved that you understand this. But those who do wrong must take responsibility. You can't become resentful, distort the truth, slander the government, or even insult history and the spirits of our heroic martyrs just because you've been punished for a violation.

- Yes, sir, I understand. The fact that our commune is renovating the Martyrs' Memorial and organizing activities to honor those who contributed to the revolution reflects the tradition and moral principle of "drinking water, remembering the source," showing gratitude for the sacrifices of our forefathers for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland, and for the happiness of the people. The villagers fully support it, sir. What Hung did was very wrong. His thoughts and actions, stemming from unreasonable personal dissatisfaction, went against tradition and morality, even violating the law, which is unacceptable. As his father, I apologize to you and promise to take responsibility for advising him to understand the issue and abandon those wrong words.

- You're absolutely right! You need to make it clear to your son that what he's doing is not only wrong, but it's also giving disgruntled and hostile elements an excuse to slander the government, defame our regime, and deny our national history.

- Yes, sir, please take your time and have a cup of tea. When Hung comes home, I'll explain it to him and make him see the truth...

TRAN ANH

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