Rice flowering season

Illustration: PV

Manh was an abandoned boy in a communal house yard. Ms. Lien, who was in charge of the medical station in Van hamlet, brought him to the station to take care of him, but no one came to claim him. People had to ask if there was any family in the hamlet that could afford to take care of him, but no one took him in. It was understandable, because the people in Van hamlet were very poor at that time. Everyone lived in a situation where they had to worry about tomorrow's meal, so how could they feed a newborn baby who was thirsty for milk?

On the tenth day, Ut Nhien - a small woman with crippled legs, limped towards the village health station. No one thought that the poorest crippled woman in Van hamlet would dare to adopt that newborn baby. Yet, Ut Nhien dared to do it and did it. Van hamlet did not understand why a woman who had never been a woman like her had the natural duty of a mother to raise a newborn baby. She named the boy Manh with the thought that he would always be strong enough to overcome all obstacles in life, just like how he miraculously survived that stormy night to stay alive.

Ut Nhien raised Manh with everything she had: a handful of rice cooked into thin porridge with a little sugar instead of breast milk when Manh was a baby. When he was older, it was a bowl of rice mixed with sweet potatoes, anchovies, and braised shrimp that Ut's mother had collected from the river next to the house. Watching Manh grow up innocently, taking his first steps, babbling to call her "Mom... Mom Ut", Ut Nhien's heart was filled with sacred maternal feelings. When he was old enough to go to school, Manh was sent to school by Ut's mother like many of his peers with the money his mother had saved from sewing for hire. Manh grew up in Ut's caring arms, like a young rice sprout growing strongly from the mud, despite the harshness of life, still growing green and thriving.

One day, after coming home from school, Ut's mother was surprised to see Manh covered in dirt and his face bruised in many places as if he had just been in a fight. She quickly called Manh over to ask him the reason, but Manh just bit his lips and bowed his head as if he was trying to suppress all his anger. Ut's mother hugged Manh and comforted him, saying softly:

- My child! No matter what happens, I will always be by your side. We will always be each other's support, my child!

At this moment, Manh burst into tears. All the pent-up resentment burst out like a flood. He said through tears:

- Minh and Dung, my classmates, said I wasn't your child... They said I was a... bastard. So... I fought with them.

Hearing Manh say that, Ut's mother was stunned for a moment. Very quickly, she regained her composure, gently wiped away Manh's tears, then softly advised:

- You guys are wrong. Manh is Ut's mother's son. Doesn't Ut's mother love Manh very much? You just need to know that I love you very much. As for the other things, you will understand when you grow up. My child!

The mother and son hugged and comforted each other. Until all emotions were balanced, Manh was no longer angry and hurt. In the evening, his mother told Manh to stay home, she had to go out for something. Ut's mother's feet went to the teacher's house. No one knew what the mother and the teacher said to each other, but the next day at school, Minh and Dung met Manh privately to apologize. From then on, the classmates never teased Manh like that again.

The older Manh gets, the more understanding he becomes. Pitying his disabled mother who has to work hard to take care of him, Manh studies hard and is always an excellent student at school. After school hours, Manh often collects bottles, fishes, catches crabs and snails to sell to earn extra money to help his mother. All the money he earns, plus the bonus he receives from school, Manh brings home and gives it all to his mother. People in Van village praise Manh for being a good boy, and are even happier for Ut's mother, who is blessed by God, to make up for her filial son. The day he received the university admission notice, Manh ran straight from home to the market to tell Ut's mother the good news. Moved by her son's achievements and determination, Ut's mother had tears in her eyes and advised:

- Try to study hard. I am always by your side.

Manh brought with him the will to overcome difficulties and his mother's advice to leave his hometown to study in the city and work hard. During the day, he went to school, and in the evening, Manh asked to work at a pub or a coffee shop to earn a living and gain experience. The hardships did not discourage Manh but helped him gain more knowledge and will. On weekends, Manh often went to areas with many foreigners living and traveling to actively communicate and improve his foreign language skills. Four years of university passed quickly, and finally, he graduated with an excellent degree and was invited to work in a foreign-invested company with a salary that many people dream of. On the day he received his first salary, he bought Ut's mother a mobile phone so that they could easily contact each other.

Every day, working in a high-rise building with full amenities, Manh never forgot the small thatched roof in the remote village that raised him. He always called to ask about Ut's mother every day, asked how she was eating, if her legs still hurt like before, reminded her to remember to take her medicine regularly. Manh secretly determined to buy an apartment in the city to bring his mother to live in the city, conveniently taking care of her in her old age.

Manh returned to his familiar hometown on an early summer day, when the rice fields were in full bloom, lush and green. Van village has now changed thanks to the new rural program, no longer the poor land of the past, but the people of Van village still live with the same love as the day they opened their arms to welcome, help and protect Manh on that rainy night. And his mother, the kind and tolerant disabled woman of the past, is still in the thatched house by the river, waiting and looking forward to him every day like when he was a child. The only difference is that now, his mother's hair has turned gray. Looking at his mother sitting there, small and lonely in the evening light, the wooden crutch neatly propped up on one side, Manh could not contain his emotions. He ran to support his mother, held her thin hands, and exclaimed with emotion: "Mom! Today, I will take you to the city to live with me. So I can take care of you every day."

Seeing her son grow up into a strong, mature and successful man, Ut's mother could not hide her emotion and pride. She agreed with Manh, saying that she would prepare a few trays of food to invite the people of Van hamlet to join in the celebration before leaving the village for the city. Everyone was happy for Manh and his mother.

Late in the afternoon, Ut's mother sat in the car with her son to the city. The car slowly drove on the familiar village road, on both sides were lush green rice fields that were about to open ears, bloom, and stretch out healthily after many days of being carefully cared for by farmers. Ut's mother held Manh's strong hand with her wrinkled hand, her heart filled with love. She did not have the conditions to raise her son with wealth and luxury, but she raised Manh with all the love and protection of a mother. And now, her Manh has truly become a solid support for her in her old age. Her Manh is like the rice flowers out there, growing from the alluvium of the fields and the diligence of farmers who work hard in the sun and rain, maturing from storms and rains and strongly conceiving, opening ears, blooming, and finally letting go of the heavy stalk to crystallize into pure white pearls that offer their fragrance to life.

Source: https://baophuyen.vn/sang-tac/202505/mua-lua-tro-bong-d92156e/