Illustration: DANG MINH QUY
This was not the first time he had moved, but it was the farthest he had ever moved, more than a hundred kilometers. The previous times he had only moved around the city, through rented houses. The last time was just last year, when he bought this place, an old house in the suburbs that was being sold very cheaply. At that time, he was extremely happy because he thought that from now on he would not have to move, he could settle down and make a living as our ancestors used to say. Life is truly unpredictable.
The new neighbors had not been close for long before they had to part ways. The few perennial trees he had planted had only just begun to take root in the soil, and had only a few layers of leaves, not enough to shade the small yard where he had planned to park his motorbike.
He stood there, his eyes filled with thought. His ten-year-old daughter was carrying out a box full of teddy bears of all sizes.
- Put them in the car with me, dad.
He nodded. A moment later, his daughter brought out a jumble of cardboard boxes with scribbled drawings on them.
- Throw those things away, it's too cramped to carry.
- That's their house, dad. When we move, they move too.
He suddenly stopped. Children are always innocent and have ideas that adults cannot think of.
- Yes, all my things are brought with me.
- No need dad, I'll be back in a few days.
He suddenly remembered that he had not told his son about selling the house. The day before, he had signed the papers to sell it to someone at a very cheap price, much cheaper than the price he had paid last year. Real estate prices fluctuated, which was normal. This move was for work purposes, so he had decided to leave this city and go to a completely new place. The place he was about to move to had never crossed his mind before.
Selling his house to move to a rented place was a reverse process, at least for him. Saying he didn’t regret it would be heartless, but he had his reasons for selling the house. Last year, an old fortune-teller stopped by his house and said that the land had no good energy. He didn’t believe much in superstition, but he was a little wary, especially since his wife left home during Tet, leaving behind a handwritten note.
He had already calculated what to put on the car first and what to put on later, but he was still at a loss. The driver helped carry the things, this was not part of the transportation contract, but he had experience and now he was the one putting everything on the car. He was like a clumsy, flustered assistant.
- Focus, bro, there's so much stuff, the sun will come up soon and you'll be stuck out.
He seemed to be a carefree, cheerful person. He was in a state of confusion. He held the cupboard, but his mind imagined the times when the cupboard door opened, revealing a slender woman in the mirror. He often stood behind his wife, his two hands around her waist, and looked at her pretty face through the glass.
“We have a house now, let’s live a happier life from now on.” Those words were now just words of the past. A past that was so recent but felt so distant. When he carried the bed out of the gate, his hands suddenly felt weak as if someone was holding them back. He had to tell the driver to put it down for a while before he could lift it into the truck.
He lit a small fire behind the house to burn the discarded items. A few planks of furniture caught fire and burned. A few bamboo logs that had been saved for tying up against storms were now just a pile of firewood. The pile of old books with their spines gnawed by cockroaches were thrown into the fire along with the wall calendar that he had long forgotten to flip through every morning, burning away the old days.
The smoke gave off a strange aroma, it must be the smell of things filled with memories. A photo album from his and his wife's dating days, as well as a thick wedding album, were also thrown into the fire. The images of a beautiful time burned in a blue-violet flame, probably due to the oil-based coating.
- It's okay, bro. Let's go.
The driver asked, urging. The sky was cloudy today. The clouds blocked out the summer sun so no one noticed that it was already noon.
- Have a cigarette first, wait until it burns out and then go.
The fire had died down, and only a wisp of smoke rose from the ashes. The smoke would have lasted all day, for it was smoldering from some wood below.
- Let me pour a bucket of water on it and it will turn off in thirty seconds.
- Don't. Wait a minute.
The car started and started moving. He picked up his daughter and sat in the passenger seat.
- Dad, wait, I forgot the flower pot.
What tree?
- That happy tree.
Only then did he remember the small potted plant behind the house. The plant loved the shade, so its leaves were always green in that hidden place. It seemed that someone had said that happiness was something that should be kept hidden, and it was also true for the plant with this name.
- Oh well, when mom finishes her business trip, we'll come back home, right dad? She'll probably be grown up by then.
The car rolled away, the rearview mirror reflected the house moving away. He hugged his daughter tightly. Then he opened his phone and texted the buyer to ask for the deposit back and not to sell the house anymore. He told himself that he would return, no land is land without good energy.
Hoang Cong Danh
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/mot-cuoc-chuyen-nha-195716.htm
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