Meritorious Artist Huu Chau - Memories of stage and life: Thank you to my 'tangerines'

Hong Dao

Many years have passed, and we have only met once in a while, because we are in two far away places, because the artist life is full of many ups and downs for each of us. We only briefly chatted and then each went our separate ways. It is rare, very rare to be on the same stage, singing and having a blast like "the old days". The time when Huu Nghia, Huu Chau, Hong Van, Hong Dao... were present on every stage or studio.

- Ảnh 1. — Hong Dao was the "treasurer" for Huu Chau when he was young.

Luckily, most recently, "she" and I had a few days to "film" together. I happily asked her to take new photos. She was just as "happy", smiling brightly like a flower. We sat next to each other, no longer young, but warmer and more touching than when we were young. I remember the "hot" movie When life gives us a tangerine and said a blunt sentence to... facebook: when life gives us a... peach.

Yes, we have gone through a memorable youth together. She is Hong Dao, a precious gift that life has given me.

How can I forget what she did for me.

I grew up with a well-off Grandmother, because she had many children and an artist husband... but when needed, Grandmother saved up a considerable amount of money to open a theater troupe, buy a house...

As for me, a clumsy and clumsy boy, I am never sure about money, the money I earn just flows through my fingers, endlessly. The wind blows into an empty house. I had to ask Hong Dao to be the "keeper of the keys". Dao felt sorry for me, always crawling and "plowing" to take shows regardless of day or night, regardless of far or small provinces... but I had no money left! I knew my place, as soon as I had money I gave it to Dao to keep. If we performed together or nearby, I would give the money to Dao right away, if we performed far away, I would try to save it and wait for the day we met to "hand it over"...

No notes, no memory of how much I gave, absolute trust. When I "asked for it back" for random spending, Dao refused to give it... She questioned me very carefully, and then... no way!

When I needed a motorbike to go to work, I begged: "Dao, I want to buy a motorbike... I can't go to work without one. It's embarrassing to keep sharing a motorbike. I don't know if I have enough money to buy a motorbike yet?".

Dao also scratched his ear and forehead, thinking for a bit. Then Dao gave me "a few wads of money" tied with a very strong rope. I saw the orderly layers, with notes, divided into denominations, the hard-earned money that my friend had collected and kept safe, and I was moved.

Thanks to that, I was able to buy my first motorbike. So I had "money", because motorbikes at that time, as everyone knows, were worth several fortunes of poor artists.

Warm, lovely, how rare.

After many years, I am now a teacher of many generations of students. I get to hear people say yes or no to me. Only "she" has the right to bully and yell at me... As for me, I look at my precious peach and happily laugh. Whatever she says, I keep quiet or jokingly reply, "not daring" to argue!

Hong Van

Van is truly a tangerine of life, not just for me, but for anyone who gets close to her. She is sweet, warm, kind, generous. We have been close friends for a long time, our memories are overflowing, our memories are endless. We call each other all the time, sometimes when we have a "movie" together, we happily pretend to be husband and wife, grandparents, in-laws, old friends... quarreling and loving each other... exaggerating and being affectionate with each other.

- Ảnh 2. — Hong Van has acted with Huu Chau many times over the past 30 years.

And here is the "happy story" that she herself told me, when I asked her if she remembered anything about the old days. Twenty years ago, she, Minh Nhi and I went to film together. Hong Van was pregnant with the youngest son, Tre Phi, her belly was big so she looked very "majestic". When it came to the scene where the pregnant woman climbed onto the horse carriage, she had difficulty walking, I crouched down, trying my best to support her, worried and trying to be gentle, because at that time I was very sick and skinny.

Minh Nhi standing nearby was also nervous, joking: "Do you think you can handle it? If someone falls on you, your spine will collapse."

I was tired so I got angry and grumbled to him: "Can you help me? Why are you just standing there talking nonsense?"

That's it. Hong Van reminded me that because of the Tre Phi in her belly that Uncle Chau had helped a little, now he was a young man of nearly 1 meter 9, talented, "majestic". I was also the type of person who was weak but Tre Phi was even taller, my senior sometimes had to raise his neck a little if he stood up to "talk" to him. He also had a career as a director. Who knows, maybe one day those old people would become his actors.