piggy bank

When she arrived back at her rented room, the clock had struck eleven o'clock at night. Gently opening the aluminum door, she slowly wheeled her motorbike into the narrow room. He was washing clothes, the red plastic basin overflowing with soap suds. He had just washed his hair, so it was still soaking wet, water dripping down his ears and the back of his neck. She lowered the kickstand, carefully wiped the tire marks from the floor, then reached for a towel and bent down to dry his hair. He had just thoroughly washed his daughter's uniform and smiled, asking her:

Do you want to take a shower right away, or wait until I finish washing the clothes?

You go ahead and do the laundry, I'll take a shower later.

While carefully drying his hair, she noticed a single gray strand among his black hair.

Oh, you have gray hair now!

- Yes, my paternal relatives get gray hair very early. My uncle is only a little over fifty, but his hair is already as white as an old sage.

She strained her eyes to pull out the white hair, clicking her tongue:

- From now on, don't stay up late anymore. If there's no urgent housework, we can do it together early in the morning...

He just smiled without saying anything, filled the basin with water, wrung out the clothes, and then stood up to gather the hangers on the clothesline. He tried to be gentle, afraid that the sound of metal clanging together and the running water would wake his little daughter sleeping in the mezzanine. Hanging the towel up, she quietly climbed the iron ladder. Little Sen was still fast asleep. She pulled the blanket up to her daughter's chest, bent down and kissed her forehead a few times, then sat silently watching her sleep.

My sister and her husband moved from a rural province to the city to start their lives over ten years ago. My sister gave birth to Sen in the city; she's nine years old this year and in the fourth grade. Sen is well-behaved, diligent, and loving towards her parents. Every day she walks to the school near her rented room, has lunch and rests there after her morning classes, and then returns to her room alone after school. On days when her father or mother picks her up, Sen is so happy she jumps for joy, chattering excitedly like a little bird in the back of the car.

She works in a garment factory, and he's a carpenter in a woodworking shop. The couple have worked hard and saved for years, planning to buy a small house in the suburbs soon. Having a home of their own, no longer having to live in cramped rented rooms, will surely make little Sen very happy. She'll have her own room to herself. She'll buy a study desk, a bed, and a wardrobe, and sew her a beautiful bedsheet and pillowcase. Her books will be neatly arranged on wooden shelves instead of being piled up in stacks in this low attic.

Gently stroking her daughter's cheek, she looked over at the desk where her child studied, where a small cloth schoolbag and a bright red piggy bank sat. Little Sen had asked her mother to buy this piggy bank for her during a trip to the market. Her daughter had told her that a classmate had been saving money in their piggy bank for years, and when they finally broke it open, they had enough to buy a bicycle. The homeroom teacher also encouraged the children to save money in piggy banks to learn to be thrifty and appreciate the value of money. Little Sen had been saving in this piggy bank for a year now. Instead of buying candy and snacks, she put all the money into the piggy bank. Occasionally, her mother would see her carefully shaking the piggy bank as if weighing it, then whispering secrets to it as if confiding in a friend. She planned to break the piggy bank at the end of the school year to buy clothes and books, and with the remaining money, buy a small teddy bear. Hearing her child calculating like an adult, she found it amusing but tried to suppress it, solemnly supporting her child and promising that if her child liked it, she would contribute more money so that she could shop to her heart's content.

The child was still fast asleep, breathing steadily, a tiny smile playing on her lips, perhaps dreaming of something. He hung out the clothes to dry, then boiled a kettle of hot water and poured it into a bucket for her to bathe. After bathing, she tidied up the room briefly, glancing at the clock—it was almost midnight. He was already asleep, lying on the old mattress, his breathing heavy, his eyebrows furrowed. She turned off the light and lay down beside him. The streetlights filtered through the narrow gap, casting a faint, pale light into the room.

Lately, she's been very busy, working overtime until late every night. Her husband takes care of the housework and looking after little Sen after work. Some afternoons, after picking her up from school, he takes Sen for a stroll around town. Sitting behind her father, she eagerly gazes at the streets, her innocent heart filled with quiet joy. At the end of the school year, Sen received an excellent grade. Her parents were overjoyed, and on weekends, they take her to the park and stop by a fried chicken restaurant. Back at their rented room, she happily climbs up to the mezzanine, carefully carrying her piggy bank down to place on the tiled floor.

"Now, let's break the piggy bank!" the little girl said excitedly, looking up at her siblings with her big, round eyes.

She nodded slightly, her heart naturally filled with joy. Her daughter's happiness spread to her and to her husband. A clinking sound echoed as the rolled-up banknotes came loose. Little Sen carefully arranged the small bills neatly, asking her husband to count them for her. Her mother swept up the broken pieces with a broom, wrapped them in several layers of thick newspaper, and then threw them in the trash. After counting the money, her husband gave it back to their daughter, asking what she wanted to buy and promising to take her to the store right away. Surprisingly, little Sen said she would use the money she had saved to donate to students in mountainous regions.

"Why did you make that decision?" She stroked her daughter's hair and kissed her cheek very gently.

- The other day, during the class assembly, our teacher showed us a film about children in the highlands. Those kids have to travel really far to get to school, and they lack so many things compared to us...

"So, Dad will help you deliver this gift to your friends," he said excitedly, lifting his child up.

Little Sen laughed heartily, her clear, innocent laughter filling the rented room. Looking at the father and daughter, the mother smiled, but her eyes welled up with tears. Little Sen's kind heart was truly heartwarming and precious. This summer, when she brought her daughter home to visit, she would tell her grandparents about this. Surely, everyone would exclaim how clever their little darling was. But for now, she had to cook a delicious dinner, and tomorrow morning she would buy her daughter some beautiful clothes. She wouldn't tell her daughter about it, so she could be surprised by her gift, just as she was now surprised by her daughter's little secret...

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/con-heo-dat-a185862.html