Illustration: MINH SON |
- Why did you separate your teammates here?
Vu startled and raised his head, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw the person who appeared was the leader of Company 7, Nguyen Chi Tien.
- Hello boss! I have some free time, and I still have some leftover papers from the beginning of the year in Lam Dong, so I took the opportunity to write down a few diary entries.
- That's a bit reckless, if the special forces find out...
- Oh my, they are so busy rushing back to Saigon, they don't even have time to get a seat on the plane. Where do they have the energy to spy on our soldiers, boss!?
- Don't be subjective.
- Yes sir! So are you looking for a place to study Kieu?
Everyone in the regiment knew that Captain Nguyen Chi Tien was a lover of and knew Kieu by heart. In his heavy battle backpack, among ammunition, maps, raincoats and dry rations, there was always a dry, hidden place for the book of Kieu he was holding in his hand. Vu had been close to him for so long that he knew that. He kept that book of Kieu like a treasure, and whenever he had free time, he would take it out and study it. Along the march, he often recited thousands of verses of Kieu to Vu and the other soldiers. In addition, he often inserted Kieu into his sentences, so much so that his comrades had to nickname him Tien Kieu to distinguish him from platoon leader Tien Ro from Thanh Hoa and private Tien Ho from Thai Binh.
Mr. Tien carefully placed the book of Kieu on Vu’s “temporary table”, rolled another rock closer and sat down. Vu gently lifted the book. This was the first time he had a close look at the captain’s book of Kieu. It was an old notebook with pages that had turned black with time, filled with slanted lines of writing, the ink had faded. The book of Kieu was very old, the cover was torn, the spine was loose, and a few pages were burned.
- Be careful, don't tear it! Mr. Tien reminded.
Vu laughed and returned the book:
- Everyone knows that the chief keeps the book of Kieu like the apple of his eye. Whenever he misses his wife and children, he takes out this handwritten copy of Kieu and reads it. I really admire the chief. After so many years and so many battles, he couldn't even keep his coconut shell intact. His backpack, rubber sandals, handkerchief, money, all gone. And yet the chief's book of Kieu is still almost intact like this.
Mr. Tien smiled, his eyes sparkling with pride:
- Well, my wife's keepsake is also my talisman. My wife copied it for me to study. Thanks to her, now I can even recite all 3,254 lines of Kieu. You don't know, but to copy this Kieu book for me, she had to stay up several nights.
Vu gently picked up the book and turned a few pages, exclaiming:
- Beautiful, clear, easy to read handwriting. The boss's wife must be a good writer!
- Yes, she is very good, a literature teacher, and beautiful too. I'm not kidding. She is the beauty queen of my area. That's why even though she is 4 years older than me, I still had to pursue her for a long time before she agreed.
Mr. Tien paused as if recalling old stories. Vu teased:
- The boss and his wife are so romantic!
- Even more romantic. To be honest, I still remember the scene of her sitting and carefully copying each line of Kieu onto old pages, under the flickering light of a kerosene lamp. Back then, things were difficult, there was a shortage of paper and pens, and although we loved Kieu so much, our family didn't even have a proper copy of Kieu... This notebook was a wedding gift from my uncle, a high-ranking man, and we kept it in the cupboard for years without daring to use it... But... It was hard, during the day I still had to go to work, teach, take care of my mother, take care of my children. At night, when I saw the lights on late at night, I thought she was preparing lesson plans and grading papers... The day I put my backpack on my shoulder and got on the bus to go to the battlefield, she ran a kilometer after the bus to the pick-up point at the communal house yard of Ha village, just to see me for a few more minutes. I felt so sorry for her that I took the risk of jumping off the bus in time to hug her again, then had to jump back on. The image of her staggering after the bus in the sunset still haunts me to this day.
- When did the notebook burn, boss?
- It's been years, since Quang Tri. It caught fire during an artillery attack. Luckily I wrapped it in several layers of nylon and canvas, otherwise... God, thinking about the end of the campaign, the liberation of Saigon and returning home makes me so anxious. After so many years of waiting, my wife must be old now. My little girl must be very grown up now.
Vu sighed:
- The boss still has a wife and children waiting for him at home. I'm almost 30 and still haven't known a woman. With all this gunfire, I wonder if I'll be able to return home in one piece!
- Damn your mouth! One word, one fate. Don't talk nonsense, after victory, you can find a wife as much as you want. I was almost 30 when I got married. We were married for a few years, lived together for only a few months. But we had both boys and girls. My whole life was a war. Fighting the French and then the Americans. Now that I'm old, sometimes I want to rest, but the closer the victory day gets, the more I want to try to see what Saigon will be like when it's liberated. How long can I wait, let alone when there are only a few days left.
- Yes, I heard from the leaders that Nguyen Van Thieu resigned, our entire army is marching towards Saigon. It will probably only be a few days. Oh, I have never been this close to Saigon before. I used to play with Mr. Bay, a real Saigonese. His voice was as soft as a girl's, but I couldn't understand what he said. He called the bowl a cup. The cup called the glass. By the time I understood, he had been cut into three pieces by a bomb, it was so pitiful.
- Sometimes I don't understand why all my friends are hit by it but I'm still safe. I've been through so many battles and I only have normal scars. But those who got hit by bombs, especially napalm bombs, have deformed faces that look scary. To tell the truth, I'd rather die. But hey, if it's okay to talk nonsense, bring this book of Kieu home to my wife. Remember to tell my wife and children that I'm always handsome and stylish. Oh, it's a pity I don't have a mirror to see how much gray my hair and beard have become.
***
Years later…
A black car drove up to the gate of Nam Duyen Ha High School, Thai Binh Province. Under the curious and eager gazes of the surrounding people, a young war invalid, leaning on crutches, got out. On his shoulder was a faded backpack. He asked for teacher Hoa. The security guard said that Ms. Hoa had retired, and he also enthusiastically instructed him on how to find Ms. Hoa's house.
- The house with the gourd trellis and the eggplant tree in front of the gate is hers. It's a new house with red tiles, easy to recognize. She's the wife of a martyr, living alone. Her eldest daughter is married. Her son got high marks in his university entrance exam last year and was sent to study in the Soviet Union.
Teacher Hoa, a rather old woman with a head of silver hair, a forehead and eyes with many wrinkles but still retaining the delicate features of a youthful age, quietly welcomed Vu and led him into the newly built, tiled house. In the middle of the house was the altar. On it were the certificate of merit from the Fatherland, the water bottle and the reconstructed photo of Mr. Tien. Under the expectant eyes of the woman, Vu put down his backpack, took out an old book of Kieu, with old burn marks and a round hole caused by a bullet, and placed it on the altar. He lit a match, lit three incense sticks and muttered a prayer.
- Chief, I am Vu, a soldier of Battalion 324, Vinh Quang Division. After many years and many hardships, I finally found your house and brought back your precious book Kieu.
The woman, with the determined eyes of someone knowledgeable and experienced, walked to the altar. Her dry, wrinkled hand caressed the book, feeling its dry burn marks. A tear fell.
When he calmed down, Vu slowly said:
- That night, the chief and I were still sitting and talking about you and the book Kieu... But the next morning... The chief led the troops through the nearby forest to liberate Long Binh district, the enemy counterattacked fiercely, the chief and a few others were hit by artillery fire. Everyone rushed over... at the last minute, he kept looking at me, his hands still trembling, pointing at the backpack that contained the book Kieu. I understood his intention and took out the book Kieu, promising the chief that I would bring it back and hand it to you. Only then did he rest assured and close his eyes.
I should have come back to find you sooner, but I was injured and somehow I lost his backpack, so it took me until today to find the address to fulfill his last wish... I also had the book of Kieu carefully bound, glued, and pressed. He was a lover of beauty, so I hope he will be satisfied... Oh, don't be too sad, he passed away peacefully and peacefully... Until the last minute, he was still very handsome and stylish...
Mrs. Hoa walked to the altar. Her hands trembled as she turned the pages of the book of Kieu. She softly mumbled:
The moon is full in the sky.
Two sides of the same coin
Hair twists the heart
"A hundred years of carving a word into the bone"
Vu stood still, outside, the April afternoon sun spread over the lush green gourd trellis. On the altar, incense smoke curled around the book of Kieu.
Short story by BUI DE YEN
Source: https://baobariavungtau.com.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/202504/cuon-kieu-chep-lai-1040880/
Comment (0)