Flowers of wind and dew

(GLO) - There are women who spend their whole lives without ever wearing makeup, rarely having the chance to wear elegant ao dai dresses on festive occasions. Their image is associated with worn-out conical hats, heavy carrying poles, hands calloused from plowing, or shoulders drenched in sweat from working on construction scaffolding.

However, in the eyes of many, they are the resilient "flowers of the wind and frost," enduring in their love.

Earlier this month, an old friend, Uncle Nguyen Ngoc Sau (originally from An Nhon), shared with me a clip titled "Throughout My Life"... which he himself made. It's a simple film, capturing images of women and mothers from the Central region busily making a living.

After retiring, he became a YouTuber as a hobby in his old age. Meeting hardworking women, he felt compassion, so he took photos and videos, then edited them into videos as a tribute to the women of his hometown.

Paintings by artist Le Hue

The video depicts early morning scenes at the construction site, where lime dust still hangs in the air, and the resounding clang of hammers echoes. Small women, wearing conical hats, patiently demolish old walls. One woman pulls a pulley to lift bricks. Another hunches over pushing a cart of materials across uneven planks. Yet another sits for hours meticulously cutting floor tiles.

Construction work is not only physically demanding but also fraught with danger. They work at heights and carry heavy loads. Yet, in the video, they appear both patient and graceful, skillfully mastering every movement.

At the An Nhon fruit wholesale market, while many people are still asleep, the women are already there before dawn, bustling with buying and selling. They nimbly load bundles of sugarcane, bunches of bananas, and other goods onto their vehicles. The clatter of tricycles and motorbikes loaded with goods echoes in the early morning mist.

Their shirts were drenched in sweat, but their eyes still shone with hope, wishing for a successful market day so they could earn a little extra money for their children's schooling and a decent evening meal for their families.

In the villages of Phu Cat and Phu My, women begin their day at dawn. They go to the fields to plant rice, harvest beans, and pick corn. Whether it's pouring rain or scorching sun, they diligently work in their fields. Many women also take on extra jobs such as selling goods on the street, washing dishes, or working as kitchen assistants... all in the hope that their children will study hard and their elderly parents will have enough to eat.

Those weather-beaten hands, though rough, still cherish life. Those thin, frail shoulders, though burdened, still bear the weight of their homes. And amidst countless hardships, they still hold onto the belief that when their children grow up, all difficulties will pass.

Sometimes, looking at their faded uniforms, we wonder: Why does life place so many burdens on women? Yet, they rarely complain. They silently bear the weight, juggling the struggle for survival with their responsibilities as wives, mothers, and daughters.

I know that in the current global trend towards gender equality, the roles and status of women are now very different from before. They can fly into space, be fighter pilots soaring through the skies, or be submarine navigators in the deep ocean...

But ultimately, and most importantly, we must mention the inherent role of womanhood. That is irreplaceable. Because even though society has undergone many changes, it is this perseverance and self-sacrifice that is the eternal beauty, creating the miraculous strength of Vietnamese women.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/nhung-bong-hoa-gio-suong-post569676.html