Ancient Tea Dream

- Stay and do research! Thai Nguyen Tea needs people like you.

Nam bowed his head in obedience, holding his teacher's hand in gratitude. His dream had never left the endless green tea hills.

The time working at the Research Institute flowed smoothly like the poetic Cau River. Nam was assigned to restore the midland tea variety, and his name gradually became famous. People called him “young tea sprout” – the hope of the Thai Nguyen tea industry.
But, when everyone thought Nam would go far in his academic career, he suddenly submitted his resignation. The reason was just one line:

“I'm sorry teacher. I want to find the origin of the ancient tea variety in Thai Nguyen myself.”

Mr. Hien could not believe it. He called Nam up, disappointment lingering in the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes:

- You have everything: fame, position, and opportunity. You must understand that your current job position is convenient for you to search for and research ancient tea trees, so why don't you combine the two?

Nam avoided the question, kept silent, in that look - there was something deeper than passion: Faith in something no one understood...

Nga - Nam's lover since college was also surprised to hear the news, but she did not object. The sadness in her eyes... was as thin as mist but as cold as ice.

* * *

With only an old backpack, a thick notebook and some minimal personal belongings, Nam wandered around the mountains and forests of Thai Nguyen. As for Nga, sometimes she went with him, silently carrying a hot water bottle and a scarf she knitted herself in the cold winter, and a folding fan in the hot summer. But Nga could not follow forever, she stood at the foot of the mountain watching Nam's shadow disappear into the dense old forest.

– Honey, this forest must have an ancient tea tree, probably hundreds of years old? People are suspicious but no one has ever been sure. I will find it. The ancient tea tree is the soul of the forest!

Nga nodded slightly. She did not dare to look up at Nam because her eyes were filled with tears, her voice lost in the wind:

- When will you come back?

Nam was silent. He turned and walked into the forest, his eyes and feet determined, going deep.

* * *

Three years. Three seasons of yellow camellia flowers on the small path. Their love gradually withered like the moss covering the old tea tree roots.

At the edge of the forest, in Nam's bare hut, Nga asked, her voice hoarse:

- How long do you plan to live like this?

Nam was stunned.

Russia cried, she could not bear the pain for the past three years.

- For the past three years, I haven't gone anywhere. I'm still here, by your side. But waiting isn't love. It's pain.

Nam still didn't say anything. He put on his backpack and walked into the forest even though it was already dark.

* * *

Nam did not return to that hut. He continued to roam the mountains and forests of Thai Nguyen: Dinh Hoa, Vo Nhai, Dai Tu... One day, after being soaked by a sudden rain, Nam got a fever. He was exhausted, his eyes were blurry, his throat was dry. Nam fainted.

In the dream, his grandfather came to Nam, holding his hand and flying through the vast forests. Coming to the base of an ancient tree, Nam reached out his hand, flowers and tea berries fell all over the base. Nam brought the tea berries to his mouth, the sweetness lingered in his throat, intoxicating.

Memories flooded back to Nam. The day his grandfather had a bad cough and was sent home from the hospital, he held Nam's hand and whispered:

- He missed the taste of ancient tea from the forest of Thai Nguyen. That kind of tea... saved him during the war - His eyes turned towards the mountain.

He whispered so softly. Nam only remembered that his grandfather told him that when he was still a soldier and fell ill, a Tay girl cooked him some wild tea. A few days later, Nam's grandfather was as healthy as if he had never been sick before.

Nam looked up at the afternoon sky and saw his grandfather's eyes from years ago - and something sacred that had never been named: The promise between the living and the dead - "I will find tea for you"...

In the end, he decided to just look around Tam Dao mountain, where his grandfather's eyes were directed, his hand leading him in his dream.

One afternoon, in the middle of the forest, Nam collapsed under an ancient tea tree. The tree was huge, with a rough trunk and thick moss. He gently crushed a tea leaf - the aroma spread: bitter, fresh, and reminiscent.

* * *

For a whole year, Nam sent his application everywhere. He collected samples, tested them, and compared genes himself. There were times when he felt hopeless. Then one day, the phone rang: “The ancient tea tree population of Bong Mountain - a rare native variety, in need of national conservation.”

On the day of the announcement, Minh Tien forest was covered with red flags, and the villagers came like a festival. Nam wore a white shirt and an honorary badge. Standing under the canopy of an ancient tree, he looked up with tears in his eyes: his grandfather's shadow, the past, and his homeland in each leaf.

Standing behind Nam, still silent, but smiling brightly, was Nga. She was still the same, her long black hair, smooth as an autumn stream.

From the crowd, a man approached - Mr. Hien. Nam quickly walked over to greet him.

Teacher Hien hugged Nam tightly, his voice trembling with emotion:

- Nga told you. Come back to me and the Institute!

Nam nodded slightly, trembling. His eyes filled with tears - It had been years since anyone had seen Nam so emotional.

* * *

A year later, a small wedding was held next to the old hut at the edge of the forest. No wedding tent. No loud music. No alcohol. Everyone invited each other with tea - a green, fragrant, rich drink. Just like their love story - through many storms, it remained green, rich in flavor, fragrant, pure as the morning dew on young tea buds.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/van-hoc-nghe-thuat/202505/giac-mo-che-co-dca2864/