After the summer rain

Le gave a thumbs-up, his voice firm:

- Mom, don't worry, go harvest the rice, I'll watch over it carefully!

With a sickle in one hand, her mother put on her hat with the other and hurried out of the house. After her mother left, Le was left alone. It was harvest season in the countryside, so at this time, the adults were out in the fields, and only the children or elderly people were home. Those who stayed home also had a lot to do, constantly busy. They were harvesting rice, turning over straw, and preparing meals in the evening. Not to mention the urgent situation Le's mother had just mentioned. At that moment, all they could do was scramble to scoop up the rice as quickly as possible, without even having time to breathe!

After doing another round to help the rice dry faster, Le went up to the porch and sat in front of the fan. The fan whirred, blowing out a cool breeze, gradually dispelling all the heat. But at this moment, Le suddenly felt restless and bored. If only Na were home, the two of them would go to the garden together, climb the guava tree, and lie perched on a fork in the branches, chatting and munching on guavas. Just thinking about it made Le's heart flutter with joy.

***

Na is Le's neighbor, but she's currently living far away in Hanoi . She's been gone for almost a week now. A week feels incredibly long to Le. In that week, Na must have visited the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, West Lake, Hoan Kiem Lake, and enjoyed delicious, refreshing Trang Tien ice cream. Oh, just thinking about it makes Le so envious! Le doesn't have any relatives in Hanoi, and she wonders when she'll ever get to visit like Na!

Le's house and Na's house were separated by a hibiscus hedge. The hibiscus bushes were a little taller than an adult's head, their stems densely intertwined. At the end of the hedge, there was a small opening between the two houses. Le and Na had secretly created this opening, so only the two of them knew about it. Usually, at noon, when the adults were fast asleep, Le and Na would tiptoe out of bed and quietly go to their meeting place. Under the cool shade of the trees, they would play catch, sew clothes for dolls, and especially, perch on the forks of a guava tree, chatting and enjoying the fragrant ripe fruit.

Once, while the two girls were eating a guava, Na said, "This morning, while you weren't home, my mom and your mom had a fight!" According to Na, her chickens had "escaped" into Le's yard and destroyed her entire vegetable garden, leaving Le's mother both annoyed and upset. Then, an argument ensued, turning into a fight and a falling out. "It's an adult matter, let the adults sort it out. We'll always be friends, Le, okay?" Na told Le. Le held out her index finger, hooked it with Na's, and said firmly, "I agree!"

The day before yesterday afternoon, another "war" broke out between the two families. This time, Le's mother was cleaning the buffalo shed, and because there was so much work, the pile of manure hadn't been disposed of yet. It was also windy that day, so the unpleasant smell drifted over to Na's house. Na's mother raised her voice, accusing Le's mother of doing it intentionally. The two mothers argued loudly and incessantly throughout the afternoon. Although Le was used to their quarrels, she still felt a little sad. Especially this time, the situation seemed more tense. Despite Le's mother's attempts to explain, Na's mother insisted that Le's mother was being unreasonable and malicious. In previous instances, when Na was home and they could talk, Le felt more at ease. But this time… What was Na doing right now? Le gazed absentmindedly out at the sunny yard and wondered.

***

While Le was lost in thought, a sudden clap of thunder echoed. The sun had been shining brightly, yet from nowhere, dark clouds rolled in. The sky darkened. How could her mother's words be so prophetic!

Le only had that thought for a moment before rushing out to the yard to rake the rice. Gathering the rice into a pile, as if guided by some unseen force, Le suddenly looked over at Uncle Minh's yard. Through the fence, Le saw a yard full of rice. Surely, Uncle Minh's whole family had already gone to the fields by now. If he didn't rake it up quickly, the entire yard would surely be washed away.

After a moment of hesitation, Le decided to go and help Uncle Minh harvest his rice first. After all, Uncle Minh's family had more rice than hers. If the rainwater washed it away, the damage would be greater. In Le's situation, Na would probably do the same!

Uncle Minh's house was locked, so Le couldn't bring the rice inside and could only shovel it onto the porch. The weather seemed relentless, urging Le to shovel the rice even faster. In just a short time, the huge pile of rice in the yard had been moved onto the porch. Seeing Uncle Minh's and Hoai's clothes drying outside, Le quickly brought them inside and slipped them through the window for Uncle Minh.

Having finished her chores at Uncle Minh's house, without a second thought, Le hurriedly crawled through the secret hole to go back and shovel rice into the house. Although exhausted, Le still tried to finish shoveling the rice quickly so she wouldn't be late. After dealing with the pile of rice, she suddenly remembered there was no more firewood in the kitchen, so Le ran out and grabbed a bundle of dry firewood to use for her mother to cook dinner that evening.

When Le finished all her chores, the first raindrops of the season began to fall. The rain grew heavier and heavier. Sitting inside, Le was restless and worried about her parents. She huddled in the corner of her bed. Outside, the wind continued to howl. The rain intensified. In a short while, the yard was flooded, a white sheet of water. Suddenly, there was a "plop" sound outside the gate. Le wondered who was out there? Could it be her parents returning? Or could it be a thief?

Le began to tremble at the thought that had just flashed through her mind. The footsteps were getting closer and closer. Le told herself she had to be brave. She held out her hands and took a deep breath to calm herself. When she looked out the window, Le was overjoyed to see that the person outside was Uncle Minh. Le quickly got out of bed and ran outside.

Oh, Uncle Minh! You scared the hell out of me. What's wrong? Why are you walking in the rain like that?

Because he was still wearing his raincoat, Uncle Minh just stood huddled under the eaves. Uncle Minh looked at Le affectionately:

- Thank you so much, Le! It's a good thing you were here, otherwise all my rice would have been washed away.

Seeing the old man soaking wet, Le was about to invite him inside, but the old man said:

Oh! You left your sandals behind in my yard. Well, I have to go now. Thank you!

Le awkwardly reached out to receive the slippers. It was because she had been in such a hurry, with the rain practically rushing past, that she had been so absent-minded. She also hadn't expected that Uncle Minh would come all the way to her house to thank her for such a small thing. Suddenly, Le felt happy. Na hadn't come home yet, so she would definitely tell her parents about this tonight.

Now Le was no longer afraid. Le looked out at the sky. The raindrops were falling, getting smaller and smaller...

HO HUY SON

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/sau-con-mua-mua-ha-post798594.html