“Nowadays, it’s hard to find a husband like that. Our son is truly blessed.” She raised her voice in a satisfied laugh, looking up at her husband as if she wanted to share her joy. Immediately, she gathered all the husbands who were drunk all day, gambled all night, or ate too much to create a gloomy background to elevate her noble son-in-law. Her cheerful expression made him radiant and happy too.

He extended the joy by talking about his son, not his resourcefulness at work, nor his sociability, but his proficiency and sophistication in the kitchen. He said that Hai, in the past, did not even know how to fry eggs or boil vegetables, but now that he is number two, no one in this family is number one in cooking. Even when cooking a bowl of vegetable soup or stewing fish or stir-frying meat, he also seasoned it well, awakening the taste buds of diners before even touching the chopsticks. He said that the officer training school really trained students not only on the training ground but also in the kitchen; thanks to that, Hai had a commendable difference. It was ironic that his wife - a military staff - seemed to be inferior to her husband when it came to cooking. Whenever there was a party at home, Hai would join his wife in the kitchen and somewhat dominate in designing the table.

He shared his satisfaction with a smug smile, as if he wanted her to resonate. But no, the response was indifference and ignorance. He lost interest: "What's wrong with you?" His voice was scornful and drawn out: "What's so great about men always going into the kitchen!?" Every time she visited her grandson, seeing her son busy cooking, she felt strange, as if she was hurt. Moreover, he even took over his wife's share: "You've been working hard all day in the unit's kitchen, let me help you." Having said that, he put on an apron and rolled up his sleeves, leaving his wife to look at her mother's unhappy face with concern.

He wondered and said indignantly: “You are strange, doing the same things but with your son-in-law, you promote and encourage; with your son, you criticize. Young couples who know how to share housework with each other is precious, isn’t it?” She was speechless, dumbfounded. Even she herself could not explain the change in her heart since her children got married. Accordingly, whatever young couples do for each other, let’s call it “good” for their sons and daughters, she applauded; if her son pampered his spouse too much, she worried vaguely, as if he was at a disadvantage.

Even when it comes to their spending, she also implicitly shows her son's side, while she is the sure keeper of the house's finances. Mom once whispered to her son: "You have to save some money, every time you need it you have to ask your wife for money, it's so sad, my son." Her son smiled and waved it off: "We know, you don't have to worry." Still not able to ease her mother's worries, she told about men whose wives control all their money, and when they spend, they have to beg, as if they were begging for their own money. She shook her head, bitterly: "It's really pitiful!" Her son held her hand and reassured her: "We won't be like that, Mom."

Regarding money, her worries spread further when she heard that her son's parents-in-law were about to build a house. She told her husband and then casually said: "The parents-in-law are having a hard time, they probably need money from their children." Her husband smiled and added to his in-laws: "They are old, it would be great if their children could help them build a house." She remained silent, not responding to her husband's enthusiasm, probably worried that her son would spend money on his wife's family. On the contrary, her daughter bought her mother a steam fan, her son-in-law bought his father a bamboo mat or a folding hammock, she bragged to the whole neighborhood, with many times the joy of being taken care of by her children.

Seemingly aware of the narrow corner in her mother's heart, the daughter-in-law from the city often visits her paternal home first, then returns to her mother's home, staying longer. If she goes the other way, when she goes to her paternal home, she does not tell her mother-in-law about her maternal home, afraid that her mother-in-law will argue. There was also a time when she found out that her daughter-in-law stayed with her mother-in-law all day and then stopped by her paternal home for a moment, even though the two homes were not far apart. She frowned, blaming her daughter by complaining to her husband: "She just came here briefly to be polite." He looked at her, and said softly: "When your daughter comes back, you also want to keep her to stay and play for a long time, just like everyone else. You should be a little more open-minded to ease your mind, ma'am."

When Tet came, the bride was once again in a dilemma, whether to celebrate Tet at her husband's or her parents' house. After five years of marriage, the young couple had not yet had a full Tet together. The year she was on leave, he was on duty at the unit; the following year when he was free, she was in charge of serving meals to the brothers who stayed behind to fight. When her comrades were resting and having fun, she was often busy because the military had the task of organizing parties or extra meals, and during Tet, they also made banh chung and banh tet.

This year, the husband celebrated Tet at his unit, and the wife and their young child returned to their hometown. She planned to stay at her husband's house until just before Tet and then go to her parents' house, so she took the opportunity to clean the house, wash the cups and bowls, and help her mother make banh in and banh thuan. She soaked the bronze incense burner in water with galangal leaves and cleaned it all afternoon, then washed the mosquito nets and dried them around the fence. Looking up at the ceiling full of cobwebs, she went looking for a long-handled broom. Her father told her to rest several times, but she did not stop, and did not dare to say that she intended to go to her parents' house to celebrate Tet. It seemed that he sensed her difficulty in saying it, so the next day he said: "You pack up and go to your parents' house. I was also invited to celebrate the birthday of your little grandpa's grandparents right after Tet. You should come back early to take care of your grandparents' house."

She softly said “yes”, happy and surprised, bowing down to hide her emotions when she was understood. After a while, she looked up at her father and confided: “This Tet, Aunt Ba and Uncle Ut will not be coming home either, I am worried that our house will be empty…”. Her father smiled and waved her off: “It’s okay, my child!”

But when he said that, when his son turned around and waved goodbye, he was absent-minded, walked out to the alley, and watched until his son disappeared behind the row of sycamore trees on the village road. The husband turned back and saw his wife's unhappy face. She grumbled: "It's right for the children to celebrate Tet at their paternal home; you...". As if he had anticipated this situation, he smiled and lowered his voice: "I know that the children and grandchildren will be happy during Tet, but the family over there is preparing to celebrate their birthday, and the little boy's grandparents are weak...". Seeing his wife's heavy and annoyed face, he whispered softly into her ear: "You should think about others a little, ma'am."

On the afternoon of the thirtieth, the offering tray to welcome the ancestors was placed on the altar, with incense smoke rising. After praying to the ancestors, he stepped out onto the porch, absentmindedly looking at the apricot tree at the edge of the yard, full of buds under the misty drizzle, while his wife was still busy in the kitchen. Hearing the dog barking, he looked out the gate, and after the honk, his grandson jumped out of the car and ran into the yard. He stood still, his wife hurriedly ran up from the house below, both silently looking at their children and grandchildren.

The daughter-in-law parked the bike, smiling and greeting her parents. To their surprise, she said, “I was afraid that you would be sad during the Tet holidays…” Carrying a bag of things into the house, she looked at the altar with its bright lights and flowers, and exclaimed, as if she were apologetic: “My mother kept urging me to come back in time to help her cook the offerings, but the traffic was so heavy that I didn’t dare to drive fast.”

He suppressed his joy and said timidly, “As for the matter at my maternal home…” The enthusiastic reply: “Luckily, my younger brother was able to buy a plane ticket and just arrived this morning. He will take care of the birthday celebration, Dad.” He smiled, walked over, picked up his grandson, and kissed him. She turned away, looking embarrassed.

Nguyen Trong Hoat