A story from the badminton court

- Have you heard of the philanthropist Hoang Phi Tuong recently? - Many people know his name. He's the CEO of a large company. But Tuong also has a huge income sent from his brother in Canada. Only someone as wealthy as him could afford such large-scale charitable work.

Mr. Nghia smiled vaguely:

- Sometimes I wonder, do philanthropists truly care about justice and compassion, or are they just pursuing some other goal, like gaining fame? In your opinion, what kind of person was Hoang Phi Tuong?

Nghia glanced sideways at me and winked:

Hey, would you like to join me in a game? You're a writer and journalist, so you should be a little curious. Who knows, it might even be helpful for your writing.

- A game? But what kind of game?

"To be honest with you, I'm an old friend of his. When Tưởng was working as an accountant for a company, he was in danger of being caught embezzling, so he begged me to lend him five taels of gold. That was all the savings I'd accumulated after half a lifetime of hard work. But if I ignored him, Tưởng would surely go to jail. Finally, I decided to save him. Then, somehow, Tưởng managed to get a scholarship to study abroad. Around that same time, I moved to the Central Highlands. Many years later, Tưởng returned to the country, appointed to a relatively good position, and financially very well. During that time, my wife was seriously ill, and our house was in ruins. My wife urged me to collect the old debt. I tried several times to go to Hanoi to find Tưởng, but I don't know if it was pride or something else, but I kept hesitating. If only Tưởng had known better, he should have overcome all obstacles, even mountains and rivers, to come to my family to return the five taels of gold along with his deepest gratitude; that would have been the right thing to do." But it seems he's forgotten those five gold coins that saved him. Fortunately, after those difficult years, my wife and I prospered, so the frustration from the old debt was relieved and gradually faded into the past. And then, suddenly, the man who defaulted on my debt became a philanthropist. I was surprised. Right and wrong, black and white, were all mixed up. Therefore, recently I've been planning to create a game to force Tưởng to reflect on himself in the mirror of his character, even if only once.

I'm getting impatient:

So, what do you want me to do?

Mr. Nghia took out a letter and said in a low voice:

- I want you to deliver this debt collection letter directly to Tưởng. It's an open letter; you can read it. I want you to be a witness. Or, to put it more formally, you are a historical witness.

The letter was carefully and neatly written:

To Mr. Tuong - an old friend

I'm sure you recognized me from the writing on the envelope. It's been a third of a century since we last met. I should have forgotten you long ago. But recently, the money I lent you suddenly came back to my mind. If you were still the timid, huddled Tưởng who came to my house thirty years ago, I might not have asked for it back. But today you are Hoàng Phi Tưởng, a philanthropist of considerable stature. So, please allow me to get that debt back.

Tran Trong Nghia

P.S.: Mr. Manh Tien, the person holding this letter, is a writer and journalist from the Central Committee, residing in my province, and also a close friend of mine. Mr. Tien can handle everything on my behalf.

***

- Hello sir! You are…

Hoang Phi Tuong held out his hand, stained with the color of flesh. I got straight to the point.

After reading the letter, even though the room was air-conditioned, I could still see the beads of sweat glistening on Jiang's forehead. After a long while, Jiang suddenly slapped his thigh and turned to me:

Oh dear! People often get confused by the smallest things.

I understand that this was probably the statement Chiang Kai-shek chose after a few minutes of deliberation. I secretly acknowledge that it was the wisest and most reasonable statement in the current circumstances.

Tưởng's voice was smooth and affected:

- This is a stroke of luck. Thanks to the reminder from my friend Mr. Nghia, and especially his presence at this humble abode, my mind has been able to find complete peace. I have been able to forgive my absent-mindedness.

I thought he went up the stairs and brought down a velvet-covered box:

- Sir, exactly two and a half trees. Please take them back and give them to Mr. Tuong for me. As for the two extra trees, please tell Mr. Nghia to consider them a token of my appreciation.

I smirked. "Hmph! My good intentions! Those philanthropists certainly have nice words."

I wrote a receipt. Hoang Phi Tuong waved his hand, saying it wasn't necessary, but I still placed it on the table and said goodbye.

***

A few days after receiving two and a half gold bars, Mr. Nghia sought me out again at the badminton club, handing me a letter still smelling of fresh ink. I teased Nghia:

- Another debt collection letter? Isn't one for five times the usual amount enough?

- Just read it.

I held the letter

To Mr. Tuong

I acknowledge the five gold coins you used to repay the debt and the two gold bars you "donated" to charity. But I am returning all of this gold to you. In life, borrowing and repaying must be done on time to be considered fair and honorable. I only hope you understand why it took me thirty years to write this letter demanding repayment. The truth is, if you hadn't become such a renowned philanthropist, I probably wouldn't have paid attention to that "fossilized" debt. Because I humbly believe that in this world there may be hundreds, even thousands, of people who, due to difficult circumstances, deliberately forget about borrowed money, but there is never a single philanthropist who should be allowed to evade debt. I would like to offer you a saying that perhaps isn't just for you: If you want to become a benefactor, the first thing you must do is search your past for the debts you haven't yet repaid. Here, I want to emphasize the debt of character.

Tran Trong Nghia

Mr. Nghia pleaded:

- Please help me one more time, sir. To end this story, please consider it just a game. The referee's whistle will blow a long blast, and that will be the end of the match. No more losing.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/202504/chuyen-o-san-cau-long-f540431/