"The horse let go of its hooves..." | QUANG NAM ONLINE NEWSPAPER

(QNO) - A sleepless night for me, when the light of the old day passed and the night fell. I thought about love, friendship, about the small lives of people in the midst of current events and remembered my old friend Le Nuoi who had just given up the joy of being as light as the wind and dust.

Returning after meeting friends at the Niem Hoa painting exhibition in Hoi An by the G39 Hanoi group, on the night of May 10, 2023, the old friend, the romantic guy who had gone through many seasons of love, seasons of life, and seasons of endless wandering like the sound of insects and earthworms, suddenly became quiet, his feet and nets down.

Le Nuoi - The old "refused soldier" in the old town. Le Nuoi - the most vibrant "cultural heritage" of Hoi An.

Le Nuoi - "like the peaceful water coconut forest of Cam Thanh, like the moss and grass fluttering on the ancient tiled roof, like Tra Que vegetables, an indispensable dish for Hoi An people... and also like the small wooden boat that he still anchors in front of his house, by the Do River.

Le Nuoi, the number one gamer in Vietnam, in the most beautiful sense of the word "play".

Many beautiful and kind words were recalled by friends when mentioning him, a sociable, rustic man with a Western face, of course, and a mustache and goatee that brought a pure beauty. A Hemingway-style worldliness.

Talking about Le Nuoi is talking about a man who “Loves to Live”. Loves to put his trust in the person he loves unconditionally. No agreements, no bargaining, no commitments, no matter what, maybe, then it all comes crashing down.

“The Dancing Woman” - with ten years of marriage, in her autobiography, once wrote: “At the Department of Justice, they displayed candy, cigarettes and cakes like an important ceremony. When they called each couple up, handed them papers, and asked one last time: “Do you two voluntarily marry each other?”. Nod. The light nod of a lovesick man.

The more love is filled, the more joy, anger, love and hate are pressed together, gradually increasing. Food and clothing... gradually erode the romantic sparkle.

Missed "a flight", missed a marriage.

Le Nuoi, after wandering around the streets of Hanoi, his hair and beard turned white, his old face was deeply etched with the wrinkles of time, he decided to leave the city and return to Quang Nam, where many "stormy" memories were firmly attached, to live out the rest of his life.

His house in Hoi An is very beautiful, full of sunshine, wind and green trees, right next to the Do River flowing to Cua Dai. Like “The Old Man and the Sea”, morning and evening, with a cup of coffee and a cigarette always burning in his mouth, his eyes are far away, thinking about his swordfish that has had all the meat plucked out and only a white skeleton remains.

Since then, he has divided his life between Hanoi, Hoi An, Saigon, Hue , Da Lat... through endless trips with friends.

Talking about Le Nuoi is talking about his friends and acquaintances everywhere. Talking about a house that never closes its doors. A meeting place for journalists, intellectuals, writers, and even those who accidentally came from all three regions. Friends often say: "You're familiar with half of Hanoi, and you're about to get to know the other half!". At those times, he just smiles, a gentle smile with a hint of mischief that can knock down any woman in front of him.

The day I first came to Hoi An, looking for a piece of land to settle down, he said: “Building a beautiful house is difficult, but leaving it behind is even more difficult. Having many friends come to visit while you are out and about is the hardest part.” It really resonated with me.

Sometimes by motorbike, sometimes by train, sometimes by bus. Go and go, play and play, do charity work if charity is needed… He roams around, sharing his life and money with friends in every nook and cranny across the country.

Just from Hoi An, then Saigon, up to Ha Giang , to Laos, back to Lai Chau, see you in Hanoi for a moment, then back to Quang Tri, Thua Thien...

“It's great, sir. Taking the bus allows you to sleep, saves money, and be there in the morning…”.

And so, your house is my house, your house is your house. With me, it's easy, without notice or appointment!

As a habit, last night I went to his house - to the place where he always came back from playing. The flickering light from the neighbor's house, with the door closed and bolted. The sound of the wind whistling, pushing the coconut leaves, the sound of insects singing and earthworms groaning like a harmony of the night, of sounds that seemed to come from a world both real and unreal, there but also not.

Humans are used to laughing when they WIN and to crying when they LOSE. For Bailey - a great thinker, that notion does not seem entirely true. He said: "When you are born, you cry and everyone around you smiles. Live so that when you die, everyone cries and you smile lightly." His meaningful comments about the way of life still hold an important place in the treasure trove of human thought today.

Trinh's lyrics rise sadly from the dry land like a worm that lives and dies without anyone knowing, like the last words a worm leaves in paradise. The song originates from the dry land, from low, dark places.

And the horse has let go.

Relax, have fun, and smile with your new friends, Mr. Le!

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