Becoming a daughter-in-law in Quang Nam

4-Color Fluorescent Oil — Illustration: HIEN TRI

Mrs. Sau frowned and hurried upstairs. She muttered, "I don't know how to make sweet soup or stew." The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. There were plenty of girls in the countryside, so why did Toan have to bring home one from the far-off South?

Hearing Huong mention the name of her hometown, her mother couldn't picture where it was. Toan, oblivious to her mother's frown, chuckled and said, "It's a place with vast rivers and waterways; when we have weddings, we'll take the whole family on boats and canoes for a truly memorable meal!"

She sighed deeply, already dreading the thought of a wedding involving plane or bus travel, and now Toan was suggesting a boat trip. Even the long bus ride to Da Nang for a backache felt like a distant journey. Huong was also attractive, tall and slender, and they would make a good couple. But "one eats sea fish, the other fishes in the river," how could they possibly spend their lives together?

When the meal was served, Huong gently scooped some rice and asked her grandmother to try the bamboo shoot soup she had just cooked. Huong said that in her hometown, the sour soup was very different, with water lilies, Sesbania grandiflora, and Sesbania grandiflora flowers cooked with young snakehead fish at the beginning of the season. And the sour soup with young tamarind leaves was cooked with catfish, it was absolutely delicious, Grandma. Her grandmother's ears buzzed. Her hometown didn't have those ingredients.

She took a spoonful of soup. The slightly sweet broth lingered in her mouth for about fifteen seconds before she could swallow it. Glancing over and seeing Toan slurping and praising how delicious it was, she sighed again. Since Toan brought his girlfriend home to meet her, she couldn't count how many times she had sighed each day.

The next day there was a memorial service at home, and Huong busied herself helping out. Mrs. Sau sat on the bed preparing betel leaves with the other old women. They whispered, "That girl is lovely, quick-witted, Toan is so clever." Mrs. Sau nodded, but she didn't approve of anything the girl did.

Earlier, when we were grilling, we burned all the rice paper wrappers, so Aunt Hai had to sit down and grill some more. The spring rolls were all loose; when we put them in the hot oil, the filling and the wrapper separated. Not to mention, she kept asking the same questions over and over again, sometimes just staring blankly and giving a wry smile.

In the afternoon, after all the guests had left, Huong sat sadly washing dishes by the well. Mrs. Sau stood inside the house, watching, and saw Huong wiping away tears. Earlier that day, after the offering ceremony and before serving, someone had asked, "Who made this fish sauce? It's so sweet!" Mrs. Sau had inadvertently blurted out, "That girl Huong! How could she possibly be a daughter-in-law like that!"

The memorial feast was crowded and noisy, but Huong heard the remark clearly while carrying a plate of raw vegetables for everyone to wrap in rice paper with pork. Mrs. Sau turned around, their eyes meeting. She was flustered, and Huong, with tears welling up in her eyes, placed the plate of vegetables on the table and went back to the kitchen to tidy up. From that moment on, the usually talkative and cheerful girl didn't smile again…

Toàn sat down dejectedly next to Mrs. Sáu. She guessed Hương had probably recounted what happened that afternoon. Toàn told her that he and Hương had met when they were in university, five years ago now. Back then, Hương asked where he was from. Toàn said it was in Quảng Nam . If you went by bus, it would take a day and a night to get there. His village was called Dùi Chiêng, surrounded by mountains; as soon as you opened your eyes, you could see a line of mountains stretching out before you.

In his hometown, there are two seasons: the hot season is scorching, and the rainy season brings torrential floods and storms. During the rainy season, it's very difficult for children to go to school, wearing raincoats in the freezing cold. Toan asked, "Isn't it a bit far?" Huong shook her head, saying, "What I fear most is distance in the heart; geographical distance is nothing. If I can't take a bus, I can take a plane."

Every time Toan went home, he would bring back some local specialties. Huong picked up a jar of fish sauce and asked what kind of strange fish sauce it was. Toan said it was a signature dish from his hometown. He said that dipping boiled pumpkin shoots or boiled sweet potato leaves in this fish sauce would make you finish a whole pot of rice. Toan joked that a daughter-in-law from Quang Nam must be able to eat this fish sauce. The mothers-in-law were very pleased to see their daughters-in-law making a delicious bowl of this fish sauce.

Huong innocently asked, "Is that really true, brother?" Toan nodded and smiled. Toan said he was just joking, but that day Huong peeled garlic, crushed chili peppers, and squeezed lemon juice to make a really delicious fish sauce. Huong nervously watched Toan dip vegetables into the sauce and gently asked, "Am I ready to be a daughter-in-law in Quang Nam, brother?"

Toan also visited Huong's hometown. Behind Huong's house was a branch of the river leading to the vast Hau River. In this region, people go to school and to the market by boat. They add sugar to everything they eat; it's natural that their food tastes sweet, Mom! But I think food is a small matter; personality is what really matters.

Mom, you know, Huong is smart, pretty, and speaks softly and sweetly. Many boys in Saigon are crazy about her. But she didn't like him, and instead flew and took a long bus ride back to our hometown. Huong isn't used to the Quang dialect, so she often asks for clarification. Sometimes she just smiles awkwardly because she doesn't understand. I heard you say this afternoon that she was very sad. Huong is going to the airport to return to the city tomorrow morning, Mom!

Mrs. Sau stood hesitantly at the kitchen door, gazing out at the well. Huong was neatly arranging the washed cups and bowls into a basket. After washing the dishes, Huong didn't forget to scoop water and thoroughly rinse the well floor. Mrs. Sau felt a pang of nostalgia, remembering herself decades ago when Toan's father brought her home to introduce her to the family.

It wasn't that far away, just people from the neighboring village. Her mother-in-law had known her since she was a little girl, yet she was still nervous, hesitant, and worried about all sorts of things. How much more so for Huong, who came from so far away… After hearing Toan's story just now, she realized how unreasonable and difficult she had been.

She stepped out to the well as dusk was falling. Huong looked up with sad eyes. Mrs. Sau reached out to take the basket of dishes: "Let me carry them for you, go reheat the broth for your noodles, and tell Toan to bring you down to visit Grandma tomorrow morning. I heard he brought his girlfriend home to introduce her, Grandma is watching closely..." For a fleeting moment, she saw a smile bloom on Huong's pretty lips.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/lam-dau-xu-quang-3156708.html