The alley is filled with fragrant flowers.

Bi fell silent, burying his head in his food. For a long time, he had been inseparable from his grandfather. Whenever it was mealtime and his grandfather wasn't home, he would inevitably mention it. As for Tien, Mr. Phe's second son, he was always grumpy and never said a kind word to his father. Around mid-morning, Mr. Phe called his daughter-in-law: "Don't wait for me for dinner." She told her son and husband: "He called earlier and told everyone to eat first." After everyone finished eating, Mr. Phe arrived. Tien snapped: "Dad, where have you been again?" Mr. Phe yelled: "You! I'm this old, living happily and healthily, and I haven't needed a penny from you. Don't be disrespectful!"

The scene of Mr. Phe and his son bickering had become commonplace. Especially since Tien's downfall, no longer leading a self-organized construction group in the countryside. The workers who used to follow Tien were now financially stable and wanted to break away and work independently. Tien was left with only three or four people, and they lacked experience and skills, so after a few projects, his reputation declined. The group disbanded. Tien had to seek work for his former "subordinates." It was humiliating. Tien, who used to drink, now drank even more. His face was always flushed.

***

Mr. Phe is younger than many of his peers. He's a war invalid who retired after many years working as a security guard and school drummer. Although he only has a war invalid pension, plus a little savings he's accumulated over the years, he doesn't have to worry about finances and isn't dependent on his children. He has two sons. His eldest son married someone at the beginning of the village and leases a large pond to grow lotus and raise fish. Several times, he heard villagers complaining loudly about Mr. Phe's loud arguments with his younger son, so his eldest son considered bringing his father to live with him. But Mr. Phe said he had to stay in his ancestral land, and besides, he was used to the lane lined with hibiscus flowers, the garden, and the birdsong. Moreover, he could still tolerate Tien.

"That's just what I'm thinking of you, Dad. If you can't stand it, just come and live with my wife and me. Besides, you're only going to the edge of the village; you're not leaving your hometown forever, so there's nothing to be afraid of," the eldest son persuaded.

Mr. Phe thanked the elders for their kindness. He knew that it was easy for old people to have problems living with young people. Who could be sure that if he moved to the edge of the village to live with his eldest son, there wouldn't be any unpleasantness? At that time, if he wanted a change of scenery, he would have to walk a long distance to get back to the middle of the village to meet his friends.

Okay, let me figure it out first.

In the following days, Mr. Phe often cycled to his eldest son's place to play, paying more attention to his grandchildren. He had recently taken on the role of Chairman of the Elderly Association in the village. The association took care of the potted flowers along the roadside, beautifying the developing countryside. He told the members that the young men and women of the village were busy, but they had more free time, and planting flowers not only nurtured the spirits of the children but also brought them mental clarity and good health.

Besides Mr. Phe, there were actually only a few other enthusiastic elderly people tending to the flowers and trees along the roads and village lanes. The young people, busy working in companies and factories, felt very pleased to see the old men planting trees and tending to them day and night. Some even asked for Sundays off to help carry water for the elders. Mr. Phe chuckled as if he had struck gold. Taking care of the flowers and socializing so much, Mr. Phe felt his spirit uplifted. His emotions overflowed, and sometimes he would sing to himself or recite poetry. One day he came home and told his family:

After dinner, everyone sit down so I can tell you something.

Money snapped:

- What is this, Dad? Just tell me straight out, why beat around the bush?

Mr. Phe declared confidently:

- Well, it's like this, Dad will read poetry to the whole family. Nowadays, life is more modern; people aren't just preoccupied with food and clothing, but they should also appreciate culture and art…

Before his father could finish his sentence, Tien interrupted: "Goodness, kids these days don't need that sentimental stuff." Mr. Phe didn't bother arguing. Oh dear, if everything is reduced to money, what's the point of spiritual life? He stood up, stretched, and unexpectedly his eyes met the moonlight of his hometown. The moon was so beautiful and poetic. A poetic thought arose, and he blurted out: "I write poetry with the golden moonlight / Waiting for spring to come, waiting for her to leave / What more do I need at my age? / I long for the wings of swallows whenever I remember her." Bi shouted, "You're amazing, Dad!", while his son kept pouting: "Dad, don't poison Bi's mind!"

***

As the head of the Elderly Association, Mr. Phe launched a poetry-writing movement. The core members were the village's poetry club members. That's just a figure of speech, though; many of them were quite influential, members of the district-level poetry club. Once, Mr. Phe was invited to a meeting outside the district, where he saw people paying for permits to print their poems. The poetry collections were professionally printed and beautifully presented, unlike in his village, where they were just photocopied and crudely read. He discussed it with Mr. Truong and Mr. Ngu, two active members of the village's poetry club: "Perhaps I should invest in printing a poetry collection. I have about ten million dong, but I'm worried about my second son. He doesn't like poetry, and I'm afraid he might get angry."

Mr. Ngũ analyzed:

- No matter what, the kids just want their parents to be healthy. If we're healthy, they don't have to take care of us. And writing poetry certainly allows us to relive our youth; what else could it possibly do to improve our health?

- But my son, Tien, only thinks about money; he doesn't know what it means to love his father.

Mr. Ngũ said confidently:

- I don't think it's that bad; he loves his father, but he doesn't have any ulterior motives. It's just that his business isn't going well. But the other day he told my son Thoi, "Whatever my 'old man' needs, I'll provide." I heard that right.

Mr. Truong nodded in approval. He himself had set aside some savings to print a collection of poems for posterity. Mr. Phe thought it made sense. He was their father and mother; Tien's mother had passed away early, and raising two children alone was incredibly difficult. Now that things were a little easier, printing a collection of poems wouldn't hurt anyone. The three men shook hands and unanimously agreed: Each of them would print a collection.

***

Mr. Phe suddenly won the lottery. It was a rather beautiful morning when he received a phone call.

- Excuse me, Mr. Phe, are you from the association?

Mr. Phe was taken aback by this and asked again:

- I am indeed Phê, but not a member of the association. I only participate in the poetry club.

The caller quickly corrected himself: "Yes, that's right, it's the Poetry Association. That's correct, sir. I'm calling to inform you of some extremely good news: your phone number has won a Honda SH motorbike. Our staff will contact you soon, please answer the phone."

Overjoyed, Mr. Phe hadn't even had time to ask why he'd won. He intended to ask the person who called him. A few minutes later, an unknown number called, claiming to be an employee of Corporation X, contacting him to guide him on how to claim his prize. Because the car was worth 120 million, the tax was 10 million, and he also had to purchase an additional product from the corporation, worth 5 million. The girl, with a sweet voice, asked Mr. Phe if it would be convenient to pay via bank transfer. Mr. Phe replied:

- By the way, I'm wondering why I won the prize?

The girl said: "Yes, this is our company's policy. Every year, the company randomly selects subscribers to award prizes. You're the only lucky one in the whole district. Do you have a bank account?"

- I'm old, I don't know anything about bank accounts to transfer money.

The girl continued to sweet-talk Mr. Phe: "No problem, sir. We have a customer support system for receiving rewards. We will send someone to your location to verify your face, collect the tax payment, and deliver the purchased product. Once we confirm that you have paid the tax into the system, the company will send someone with a car to your location. Just prepare your drinks and wait..."

Mr. Phe felt an unprecedented surge of excitement. He had never heard such a youthful and enthusiastic voice before. The girl had also instructed him to surprise his relatives, so he had to keep it a secret. He paced back and forth, counting the money and waiting for the call. He told himself that his son would be overjoyed to own that expensive, luxurious car. He would only tell him to return the money for printing the poetry collection; he could keep the car for himself, because he was old and couldn't use such a luxurious vehicle.

The female employee called again, saying Mr. Phe would be coming to see her the next morning. She asked if he used a smartphone. He said he used Zalo to connect with poetry groups.

- Then please follow my instructions, so you can send us your location and make it easier for us to find you.

Mr. Phe followed the instructions, his heart filled with joy. He eagerly awaited the next day so he could meet the young people who had surprised him with a wonderful spring.

The next morning, before arriving, the young couple, employees, called Mr. Phe beforehand to ask if anyone was home and where would be a convenient meeting place. He said everyone was busy with their own work, so he was home alone. “It would be best to meet in the hibiscus-lined alley near my house. Can you two find your way there?” The girl, as if trying to sound sweet, replied, “Yes, we can find it.”

There they are! Mr. Phe almost exclaimed when he saw the two delivery people. They were dressed so elegantly. The two strangers showed him a flyer with a picture of a gray SH scooter and handed him a large box of health supplements. The girl said, "We're professional, bringing our customers surprise and satisfaction. We hope you're happy and healthy."

As Mr. Phe was taking out the money and preparing to give it, Tien shouted from the end of the alley, "Dad, don't give it to them!" He and another young man rushed forward and blocked the young couple.

- Dad, these are regular scammers, why did you trust them and give them money?

At this point, several other villagers also arrived. Tien explained: "Several people in our village have been scammed, Dad, didn't you know? It's an old lottery trick. They even gave you fake health supplements; taking them will only make you sicker. Let me call the police."

It turned out that since yesterday, Tien had vaguely overheard his father talking to a stranger. Then, noticing his father's unusual behavior, he secretly followed him. This morning, Tien lied about going to work, but had asked his friends in the village to help him find a way to surround the scammers. Meanwhile, he hid in the garden and waited for the "reward-giver" to arrive before rushing out.

At this point, Mr. Phe finally understood everything. Tien chuckled and approached his father:

- I know you were planning to publish your poems, Dad. If I hadn't stopped them in time, you would have lost the money. Now, I'll give you the money to print the book, and you can keep the rest.

The village poet felt proud, secretly thanking his son for teaching him a lesson. Two commune policemen appeared, conducted an administrative check, and then took the two strangers to the station. At this moment, the village headman and Mr. Ngu also arrived. The headman told Mr. Phe: "You received news of winning the lottery but tried to keep it all to yourself without telling us. Luckily, these scammers are unprofessional; if you had encountered the more skilled ones, you would have lost your money."

Outside, the hibiscus and rose bushes bloomed brilliantly, gently swaying in the breeze...

Short stories by Xuan Hung

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/hoa-thom-day-ngo-post542392.html