Flood season in my hometown

Taking a sip of tea, my uncle winked at me and said: “Come on, you and I will go wading in the water. It’s been a long time since I watched people play in the flood.” So the two of us put on our raincoats and rode our motorbikes out onto the street. My uncle also works far from home and rarely returns to his hometown, so when I come back, he wants to relive the feeling of his youth when he rode a raft to play in the flood. He confided: “Floods visit our hometown almost every year. The people of Le Thuy diligently endure wind, rain, storms and all the damage, then diligently rebuild. In the past two years, there has been no flood in my hometown, I feel like something is missing, I miss something…”.

Following our emotions, we reached the village fields. The water was almost on the road, stretching as far as the eye could see. Along the road, a few small nets of the villagers were being regularly raised and lowered. Looking at the basket of an elderly man nearby, we saw only fish. Seeing us looking intently, the man said: “If you marinate this fish with turmeric leaves and spices and then simmer it for a long time, when the fish becomes hard, you will not know how much rice is enough for you two.”

Illustration: HH

It is strange that floods are a natural phenomenon that causes a lot of damage, but for the people of my hometown, Le Thuy, sometimes it is a "lucky" thing. The old people have a saying: "In July, the water jumps up to the banks". At that time, the people of my hometown waited for the flood to come to supply water to the dry fields. During the flood season, the Kien Giang River flooded all the village fields. The water brought aquatic species from the mountainous areas, especially fish: carp, crucian carp, catfish, snakehead fish, snakehead fish... and birds, frogs... to the fields to find a place to lay eggs.

During the flood season, from fishermen to farmers and craftsmen, everyone goes to the fields to catch aquatic products using all kinds of homemade tools. The atmosphere of welcoming the flood and catching fish in the fields during the flood days is very crowded and bustling, no different from a seasonal festival. The flood season is also the season of many migratory birds present throughout the Le Thuy fields.

Birds such as wild geese, ducks, and white storks all gather here to dive in the water to find food. According to the elders, in the past, the Le Thuy people in the deep waters around Hac Hai lagoon had a few famous professional bird hunters. Every time they went bird hunting, they had to perform a lucky ritual and immerse themselves in the water for hours to let their breath fade before starting the hunt.

In addition to birds, field mice and snakes are also hunted by people during the flood season in my hometown. When the water rises and covers the fields, mice have to climb up the tree trunks in the fields, people just need to take a pole with a sharp nail on the end and stab them. Field mice specialize in eating rice grains and young rice plants, so their meat is fatty and delicious.

After being caught, the field mice are cleaned, processed and cooked with bamboo shoots to make a great meal for friends. Field mouse meat is a specialty of my hometown Le Thuy. Every child far away from home when returning home during the flood season can taste the flavor of their homeland. Visitors coming here can also enjoy the culinary culture of the lowland countryside.

Bird hunting and fishing are not only a livelihood but also a hobby that everyone is passionate about. Young men and women in my hometown, during moonlit nights pounding rice and singing back and forth, still sing songs criticizing incompetent people: "Birds of the sky, fish of the water, don't dream of not being able to achieve your dreams. Go back and grab a basket and catch a dam, maybe you'll be lucky."

In recent years, unusual floods or storms have caused a lot of property damage to people. However, after the water receded, the people of my hometown Le Thuy still endured hardship and worked hard, always "sun and rain" in the fields to forever be famous as the land of "White rice, clear water".

When the water gradually receded, I set off back to my busy life. Looking back, the Kien Giang River was a silvery color. The vast fields were still flooded. My heart felt uneasy, the floodwaters were like “a familiar yet strange guest”, coming and going but its flavor lingering in the memories of many people.

Written by Linh

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/van-hoa/202510/mua-lut-que-toi-cd478e5/