Miss Tham of our village

“Oh! Who is like Miss Tham, the daughter of Uncle Nam, who has just returned from our village?” Who doesn’t know and love this song from decades ago? The young people in my village love to sing it even more because in the village there is Miss Hai Tham, also the daughter of Uncle Nam, a real bricklayer. That’s strange. Miss Hai Tham is twenty-four years old this year, a commune cadre, with a nimble figure and a charming appearance. Every time the young people tease her by singing the song “Miss Tham returns to the village”, she just smiles gently and asks back:

- So there is no village boy to welcome me?

Late this afternoon, I saw Ms. Tham return, getting off the huge 45-seat bus, her face still showing signs of fatigue. How could she not be tired, after traveling more than four thousand kilometers to help flood victims in the North? The fatigue on Hai Tham's face suddenly disappeared, replaced by a bright smile, when behind her appeared a young soldier with a heavy backpack. She said to her younger brother who had just arrived on a motorbike:

- Mr. Hung is at the border station. He came back on leave from Thai Nguyen, and the car happened to be in Tay Ninh so he came along. Please take Hai's things home while I take him back to the unit.

Hai Tham sat behind the soldier, waving to everyone. The car turned onto a dirt road in the middle of a shady rubber plantation. Words of admiration followed.

- What a perfect couple! This female officer is very picky about her husband, but after a few days away, she already has a really handsome guy.

A few days after the third storm raged in the North, Hai Tham threw herself into the work of collecting food, provisions and clothes. At the end of September, she collected a truck of relief goods from several charity organizations in the province. Hai Tham, along with a few other youth members, and the group directly transported it to help the people of Thai Nguyen province. There was a gold necklace that her mother had given her when she was a young girl, telling her to bring it as a dowry when she got married.

- That necklace, your grandfather bought it for your mother when she married your father! When your father was seriously ill, your mother wanted to sell it but your father wouldn't let her!

One day, the whole family was eating dinner. Seeing her daughter's neck was bare, the mother asked:

- Hey! Where is the necklace?

Hai Tham stammered:

- I don't know where it fell! Let me find it!

Her mother's eyes flashed with anger.

-What a heartless girl! If you lose the string, you'll be in trouble!

A few days later, seeing that her daughter's neck was still the same, her mother reminded her again:

- The string is gone, isn't it?

- Mom! I sold it.

- Oh my god! Don't tell me you sold gold to buy luxury goods.

- I sell it to raise money to support people affected by floods in the North. Seeing houses washed away and people dead is so pitiful, Mom!

The mother was silent and said nothing. She didn't hear her mother scold her, so Hai Tham felt less worried. In fact, she had hidden it from her mother and sold the necklace for more than ten million to support the charity group. In the list of donors, Hai Tham was second, after Uncle Tam Hung of Truong Giang hamlet, who donated a pair of cows for thirty million dong.

The truck carrying two tons of relief goods and more than twenty people departed in front of the main gate of the Holy See at 3 p.m. This was Hai Tham’s first trip to the North, her first trip away from home in her life. A few years ago, the furthest she had traveled was when she was studying at the Youth Union School in Ho Chi Minh City. This time, she had traveled more than two thousand kilometers, a long journey across the country. Hai Tham deliberately asked to sit on the outside seat near the car door to enjoy the scenery. Strange lands with mountains, rivers, and coastlines appeared one after another, making her excited and forgetting her motion sickness.

The youngest son asked curiously:

- Where did you get such a cute soldier?

- What a fuss! That's your benefactor! There's no photo, Hai fell into the stream that day!

- Don't lie to me! It sounds like a story from a novel.

- This nerd, talks like a crab.

Hai Tham shivered as she recalled that afternoon when the car arrived at a mountainous village, when the rain had just stopped, but the dirt road was so muddy that the car could not go up the steep slope. The feasible solution was to stop the car at the foot of the slope, then everyone would carry the goods by hand to the top of the village, and deliver them to the villagers. The mud was so deep that they slipped and fell after taking a few steps. It was terrible. The young men in the village saw this and also rushed down to help unload the goods. Hai Tham hugged two boxes of instant noodles, walking step by step in the mud and water, her canvas shoes soaked. Avoiding a rock on the side of the road, she slipped and almost fell. Trying to hold the boxes of instant noodles tightly, she fell sideways. Below was a rocky stream bank. She closed her eyes, screamed in fear, and then felt her body lighten. When she stood firmly on the road, Hai Tham realized that she was lying in the arms of a soldier. The soldier was still holding her tightly, and he reminded the young man beside him:

- You wade down to the stream to get the two boxes of noodles up right now, or they'll all get wet!

Hai Tham was embarrassed, she pulled her hand away from that firm chest, and almost fell. A strong arm quickly caught her, the muddy hand accidentally touched one of her plump breasts, leaving a reddish brown mud mark:

- I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!

- No! No problem! Thank you!

After distributing gifts to the people, Hai Tham had enough time to ask about the soldier. His name was Hung, a soldier at Border Post X in Tay Ninh, who had just received his annual leave. Hai Tham followed him into the village, bringing a gift for Hung's old mother. She refused:

- My house is not affected. You save it for other relatives.

- The whole neighborhood has gifts. Please accept them. Thank you, your son Hung, for working hard with the charity group.

The old lady wiped the betel juice from her mouth and smiled sadly:

- He only came home on leave for a few days, and tomorrow he will go back to the unit.

Asked Hung, just learned he has leave the day after tomorrow. Hai Tham suggested:

- Tomorrow the car will go back to Tay Ninh, why don't you come with us for fun?

Hung was worried because he planned to visit his uncle in Nha Be. If he could hitchhike with the charity group, he would save some money on the ticket, but he didn't have time to visit his uncle. But he also didn't want to miss the opportunity to be close to the beautiful female Youth Union officer. In the end, Hung shyly asked the group leader about hitchhiking to Tay Ninh.

- Great! Please enjoy!

Later, he learned that the head of the delegation was also a veteran of the Border Guard. Everyone arranged for Hai Tham and Hung to sit next to each other. Hai Tham was secretly happy, while Hung was visibly embarrassed. Sitting upright on the chair, glancing to the side, Hai Tham saw Hung's serious expression. The soldier's eyes were lingeringly looking outside, where the forests were rapidly receding behind. He must be missing his mother. The car rounded a curve. Hai Tham leaned toward Hung, suddenly wrapping her arms around his neck, holding him from falling. She remembered the muddy hand that had touched her plump breasts, her face flushed. Seeing her expression change, Hung worried:

- Do you get carsick?

- Yes… I'm fine!

It is not right to say that I am intoxicated by the green color of the soldier's uniform. From the beginning until now, every time I interact and interact with army units, Hai Tham feels that way.

- Does Hung have a wife and children?

- Not yet! It's too far from home. When I get home, my friends will take everything.

- Then get married here. There are some soldiers who have Tay Ninh wives.

- Yes! Chief Dung, your deputy station chief, is also married and lives here. The station is home, the border is your homeland.

Hai Tham excitedly urged:

- Marry a Southern woman. Let me matchmake you a cute and capable girl.

The whole car burst into laughter.

- Marry the girl sitting next to you, soldier! She's also very good!

Hai Tham covered her mouth and laughed, her eyes glancing sideways:

- I'm old, no one wants to marry me.

Hung was confused, pretending to smooth his collar.

- I heard that Eastern girls are very fierce and often bully their husbands.

Hai Tham sat up:

- No way! Whenever you get bullied, just call me.

The leader of the delegation sitting in the front row turned around, his silver hair flying.

- So if you bully me, who will I call?

The whole car laughed.

Hai Tham went to the city for a week of training on Youth Union work. On the weekend, Ut called to tell her the news:

- Two soldiers came to my house to look for me. I told them I was busy!

Hai Tham was nervous:

- Who is that?

- Who knows! He looks like the soldier you took to the station the other day.

Hanh's heart was pounding. Could it be Hung? When they parted, she asked for his phone number, but he said he didn't have one.

- In the unit, soldiers are not allowed to use cell phones!

So today people asked for directions. They went with two people probably because they were shy. Oh! What a cowardly soldier.

The second time, Hung came to the house, still leading a soldier with a milky face. He brought out a bag of tea:

- I'll give it to you for fun! Thai Nguyen tea is very good, and it's home-made tea. It's clean tea!

- Oh my god! How did you know my husband is addicted to tea?

Mrs. Nam was surprised, the durian tree in the garden had just ripened a fruit, she cut it and offered it to the guests. The young soldier, with a baby face and a purple mouth, said:

- Durian is so delicious! I've only had this kind of yellow flesh with flat seeds three times. Mom! Look for a cute girl in the village and find one for Hung. He wants to get married and settle down here.

Mrs. Nam smiled:

- I have a daughter who is still single. How can I find one?

- Oh my god! Then marry Hung! He's a bit ugly, but has a good personality.

Hung tapped the young man on the head:

- Stop talking nonsense, man.

District Youth Union Congress. After Hai Tham finished reading the report on the achievements of the commune union in “helping red addresses”, he walked down to the hall. Toan - the Youth Union Secretary of the neighboring commune, swooped down beside him and whispered:

- Hey big sister! There's a handsome land officer. Can I introduce him to you?

Hai Tham said to Toan:

- You devil! Why are you so worried about me being single? I already have a boyfriend!

PPQ

Source: https://baotayninh.vn/co-tham-lang-ta-a180416.html