Springtime in Bản Pò

Spring arrived in the village of Pò, as if it were immersed in a forest of fragrant flowers. Standing high above, old man Lìn could hardly believe his eyes; the intoxicating scent made him feel euphoric, like he was in his youth. That's right. It was on this very slope that he had met Vi's mother long ago. Everyone was beautifully dressed, singing folk songs with flowery lyrics, singing tirelessly from day to night. He imagined it like a film... and suddenly, his beloved had passed away.

Illustration: LE MINH

-Hey, Uncle Lin? What are you staring at that you never seem to get tired of looking at?

He rubbed his eyes to see who greeted him: "Oh, Pan, when did you get back?"

-Just yesterday, Dé? Come over tonight so we can talk. I have something to do now.

-Oh, there's no need to be so formal. It's good that you've traveled so far but still remember the way back to your village. I'm so happy to see you healthy and well.

Pan sped off on his bicycle, disappearing from view on the slope, while old man Lin sat down on the lush green grass. He liked to sit like that to contemplate. Nowhere was as beautiful as his homeland, the babbling streams never drying up. The apricot, plum, peach, and cherry trees bloomed like a colorful painting, it was just a pity he was old now... In the distance was old Hoong's house. He was very old now too... Old stories, new stories... Old man Lin felt a sting in his nose... Never mind, the chickens are jealous of each other's crowing, everything will be alright in the end. Who can turn back time... The wind still murmured in old man Lin's ears....

Inside the house, old Hoong was also cleaning up with his children. Despite his age, he couldn't sit still, constantly pacing back and forth, giving instructions to his children, to the point that his youngest son was getting angry.

- Dad, sit still. Old people shouldn't get so worked up, let your children and grandchildren know how to clean the house.

"Well, sit down." The old man, no longer as strong as before, dragged the chair out into the yard, bumping it against the coffee table, and his son yelled again:

-Everything's broken, Dad, where are you taking the chair? I'll carry it for you.

-Sit down.

Sang swiftly picked up the chair with one hand and placed it close to the sidewalk for the old man to sit on.

-This guy is as strong as a dog. Why didn't you wait for Pan to come back so you could work together?

-He's busy with village affairs, his legs move like a wild chicken. How can we wait for him?

Old Hoong sat still, then glanced over at his neighbor's house:

-Where did Lin go so early? The door is closed, but there's a lot of stuff drying on the floor outside. If I hadn't asked, this old man wouldn't have bothered watching it for me.

The thudding sound of footsteps, the voices of people at the end of the alley, startled the old man:

"Dad, what are you muttering about? Talking to yourself isn't good. They say it's like being possessed by a ghost. Only people who are senile talk to themselves."

-Pản, you said you were going somewhere, why are you back already?

-I've come home to help clean up and prepare for Tet (Lunar New Year).

-You say Dad is senile? Not a chance! I'm still working hard, still helping you guys herd buffalo, harvest corn, and cook meals too!

-I know. The weather is so unpredictable these days; you can't predict what will happen tomorrow, and people's hearts are so hard to fathom.

Where did you learn to say so many great things?

- Studying? My father sells all his corn and rice, and if I'm not good at it and lose to the girls in this village, it would be so embarrassing.

Hearing his son's words, old Hoong thought to himself: I wonder if Pan knows about my youth? If he does, I'll be so ashamed. Just because I wasn't very literate, my sli singing wasn't sweet, and I couldn't respond well, I lost that beautiful girl. And now, my rival's daughter is smart, beautiful, and the most well-behaved girl in the village.

There was a time when old Hoong thought, "Maybe I should ask for Vi from Lin's family for my son Pan's hand in marriage; having in-laws would make life more meaningful."

That thought then passed by like the mountain wind and drifting clouds, simply because old Hoóng didn't want to be looked down upon.

"Dad, is Vi, Uncle Lin's daughter, pretty?" He was startled by Pan's sudden question.

-What's the point of being beautiful? Knowing so many words like that makes it hard to keep her. If she writes letters to boys, how will she remember the way back to her village?

-Dad, don't talk nonsense. She's a human being, not a bird that flies from one mountain to another, forgetting its way home. I really like her because she's a good student.

-Don't even dream of it. Do you know how to sing Sli? Do you know how to do "Com Lot"*? It's not that easy!

-What's the point of doing those things? Now, the things Dad talked about are considered "old news."

"Oh, don't tell me you can just throw them away! Many times at those fairs, the city folks would search high and low to buy these looms and indigo-dyed fabrics. Back then, everyone was scrambling to grow indigo, and it took a long time to catch up, my child."

-Let's forget about that, the child was just asking.

Pan ran through the village, leaving old Hoong sitting alone in the sun. He felt a strange unease in his heart; perhaps Pan had fallen for the girl and taken her. He didn't approve of it at all.

The old story should be kept secret, but as for the new business deal, our family isn't even as good as Lin's family, so how can we possibly compete with them? We absolutely must stop them. Old Hoong was lost in thought.

Wow, in recent years, Old Lin's family has been doing incredibly well financially. There's so much rice piled up in the granary and yard that even the rats can't find a way to escape. On the surface, he pretends to help everyone, but who knows what he's really thinking?

Old Hoong was startled when Pan came home; he walked as quietly as a squirrel.

- Dad, Uncle Lin invited you over to his house tonight.

-Playing games? Do you even have any alcohol to offer? That family is so stingy with alcohol, like they're saving honey, so what's the point of talking? If we drink too much, they'll just make excuses about getting drunk and developing liver disease. I'm not going to their house anyway, there's nothing to talk about.

-He's such a good person, always helping everyone, but Dad treats him like a stranger, not at all friendly or approachable to the neighborhood.

-If you like it, go somewhere nearby...

***

At night, the electric lights in Po village shone brightly, making those visiting for the first time think it was a corner of a town. Pan did not forget his promise to Uncle Lin.

Right at the beginning of the floor, Pan immediately met Vi, who greeted him warmly:

-My dad has been waiting a long time. I guess he wants to see what's new in this new rural development project, and how things are going down in the lowlands?

-They're good at their jobs, but their daughters aren't as pretty as the girls from our village.

-That's so embarrassing!

"You've arrived, child? Come inside. How was your training? What did you see about how they're building new rural areas down in the lowlands? What did we learn from it?" Ké Lìn quickly asked.

After a steaming cup of tea, Pan calmly began to chat:

-Uncle, the criteria we're applying are quite difficult, but we've already met some of them, such as security and order, transportation infrastructure, and cultural centers. However, some criteria are hard to achieve, like concrete roads within the fields, and the terrain with so many terraced rice paddies makes the design impossible.

- So how do they do it down south?

- The fields are flat, they've consolidated their land, and plows and harvesters can go down to the fields. Production is very convenient. When transporting products, they have tractors to carry rice and corn. Here, we have to transport everything by bicycle or motorbike; in the valleys, we even have to carry it on our backs.

- No matter how difficult it is, we have to do it. It's the Party's policy, the State's policy, and everyone has to comply. How much we can actually do is another matter.

Ké Lìn and Pản were engrossed in conversation when suddenly gunshots rang out at the edge of the village.

"Oh dear, who's in here? There's gunfire! We've all handed over our flintlock guns, so why are there gunshots now? Let's go, child."

Two figures, one old and one young, ran quickly towards the edge of the village. Judging they weren't at the edge of the village, Pan ran in the direction of the road between Po and Na Don villages. Suddenly, he stopped short as a very suspicious dark figure crept into the bushes. Instinctively, Pan shouted: "Stop!"

The thief was trying to escape, but he turned back and threw a plastic bag. Quick as a flash, Pản leaped up and tripped him, disorienting him. Despite his large stature, the thief was slow and fell into the bushes. Taking advantage of the situation, Pản lunged forward and grabbed him by the neck. A unequal struggle ensued... less than a few minutes later, torches had blocked all escape routes, and Pản had subdued the robber amidst the cheers of the militia.

"Pản is so brave." Pản's arm felt a little cold from the reckless stab wound inflicted by the assailant in an attempt to escape. Vi quickly bandaged it for him.

While people surrounded Pan, old Hoong was also present and witnessed everything.

And to make matters worse, Lin even encouraged him:

"Pản, you're so clever! Catching those drug traffickers passing through our village is a great achievement. Come to my house, we'll make a bet together. Hoóng, let's go home."

Over a glass of wine in the cozy stilt house, old man Lin simply summed it up in one unpretentious sentence:

"My friend, let's forget about the past. We're all getting old. Let the young people build a prosperous village together. We may not live nearby, but we can at least be close to each other."

Old Hoong was flustered:

-I'll listen to whatever he says. Another spring has arrived in our village.

*Bamboo mat: A woven item made of bamboo by the Nung ethnic group.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/mua-xuan-o-ban-po-5071887.html