Drop a bright red heart

That same afternoon, the dam was opened, and the strong, rushing tide ripped the ropes from his water spinach patch, carrying a bunch of it into the river. He was heartbroken and spent the whole afternoon trying to reinforce the ropes. He only surfaced at dusk, standing on the bank, shivering from the cold river wind. That night, he felt a burning heat on the outside, but a chill ran down his spine. He peeked up and saw the roof of his hut swaying; the small hut, usually so cramped, now seemed so spacious. The howling wind and the roaring water outside sounded so distant.

Lượm, hearing the news, hurriedly rode his bike over. "Honestly, why didn't you tell me to come and help, Dad!" he grumbled, then ran into the village, grabbed a bunch of lemongrass, basil, and pomelo leaves... rolled them into a bundle, and cooked them in an earthen pot, making the old man cover himself with a blanket to steam. The fragrant scent of the leaves filled the hut. A little later, Lượm's pregnant wife trotted in, carrying a tray of porridge in her hands. The chicken egg porridge, with plenty of pepper and onions, was eaten while blowing on it to cool it down, sweat pouring out, and the old man felt lighter. Old man Tư murmured:

And don't tell Cò about Dad's illness. He'll yell at him.

Luom was busy folding and turning over the blankets:

- Then Dad, you should take care of yourself from now on, and give me a call if anything happens!

- Okay! Now go home and take care of the goods, son, you still have to sell them this afternoon.

Lượm and his wife have a noodle cart, which they push to the crossroads every afternoon. They sell from 3 PM until late at night, still waiting to pick up hungry children returning home after a late night out. The couple manages their living expenses and saves up for Lượm's upcoming childbirth. Oh, just thinking about the moment when a little one walks around the shack calling "Grandma!" – how joyful that would be! The shack wouldn't feel so cramped anymore!

Lượm picked up the fertilizer, gave his father some careful instructions, and then turned his motorbike around to go home. The road ran along the riverbank; on one side were lush green gardens, and on the other, the vast expanse of sky and water. Several motorboats sputtered past, disappearing in an instant like drifting leaves. Without looking back, Lượm was certain that behind him, the old man's hunched figure would be watching until his motorbike disappeared around a bend. He had seen that figure many times before, and it had long been etched in his heart, stirring up a feeling of compassion, an urge to sometimes, without any reason, ride his motorbike past the hut, sit for a while, exchange a few casual words with the old man, and then return home.

A terrible loneliness seemed to be imprinted on every movement, every posture, every passing moment of his. The shadow of him busily cutting vegetables on the calm, misty mornings by the river. The shadow of him sitting and puffing on a cigarette at the bow of the boat against the hazy twilight. And the shadow of him trudging along on his old bicycle amidst the hustle and bustle of the morning market...

*

On Sunday noon, Co stopped by to visit his father. His booming voice preceded the sound of him kicking down his motorbike. He bent down to unload the plastic bags he was carrying into the shack. They contained food and other things, as usual. He hadn't even taken his backpack off yet, chatted a bit, and then left, always like a hurried dog.

Just like Luom, Co knew that when he turned his back, a shadow would squint and watch him until the car rounded the corner. Co probably thought the same thing as Luom. However, Co didn't just keep it to himself; because of... his professional habit, he took out his phone and recorded all those moments, so that he could occasionally look at them and sigh, "Poor dad!"

People say Cò is a terrible YouTuber. Selling noodles like Lượm could be considered a job, but calling being a YouTuber a profession just sounds weird! How can you possibly like a guy who's always glued to his phone, listening to and stalking sensational stories about fights, jumping off buildings, drug addicts climbing utility poles, and when he runs out of material, he'll wander into the fields or even climb mountains to find extraordinary people? He's present day and night at artists' funerals like his own father died, pushing and shoving, chasing after artists in sunglasses and masks, their steps quick and hurried. A few washed-up or unknown artists suddenly get a few fleeting moments of fame thanks to him. People are in trouble, crying and wailing, with cameras pointed everywhere, then microphones shoved into their collars, asking suggestive questions, perfectly targeting their frustrations so they can't hold back and expose everything to the public. And he's really into drama. The car is full of gas, the phone is fully charged, ready to go, filming and chatting at the same time, munching on sandwiches while "producing the show," with a face as beaming as a motorbike taxi driver who's dozing off and suddenly hears the app pop up.

Before, Co used to be a computer repairman; anyone who needed help would just call him, and he'd grab his tools and go. He started making a few videos sharing his computer usage experiences, and gradually gained a lot of viewers. Then, one fine day, Co transformed into a professional YouTuber. He was truly passionate about it. In conversations, he'd always talk about his travels, his eyes would light up when he mentioned the time YouTube allowed him to enable ads, and then there were the subscribers, the likes... as if all those things were his reason for living. In short, in the eyes of the neighborhood, Co was a carefree guy with no clear profession and no future. The old folks would bluntly say, "I have a daughter, and I'd never let her date him..."

Cò just chuckled. During a meal with his father and two sons in the hut, he asked Lượm, "People say I'm a useless YouTuber, what about you?" Lượm laughed heartily, "Of course!" Occasionally, when he had free time, Lượm would visit Cò's page and leave some smiley faces. Cò would exclaim, "Why are you laughing at me like that?" But Lượm was just joking; deep down, he thought Cò was a good friend, a compassionate, sincere, and loyal person.

That day, it was Co who told Luom, "Even if you're dirt poor, you can still get married." Then Co sat in Luom's rented room, calculating and taking notes. On Luom's wedding day, Luom struggled to play even the role of the groom properly, while Co single-handedly took on several roles: best man, cameraman, photographer, and even singer performing the song "Oh, so much fun...".

The stork travels back and forth like a shuttle, connecting poverty and loneliness with compassionate hearts. It earns views, likes, money, and even acts of kindness. It's truly "rich." It bought its father a small rowing boat to make it easier to harvest vegetables and reinforced a small hut on the windy riverbank. Occasionally, it stops by, spreads out a mat, lies down, and chats idly to keep its father from feeling lonely.

*

At midday, under the blazing sun, the stork stopped by Lượm's place.

Are you free? Come with me!

- Going out for drinks?

No! It's my dad's business.

Again?!

Lượm's voice held about eight parts skepticism, but as before, she put on her jacket and got on the back of Cò's motorbike. The motorbike turned onto the highway heading towards Bình Dương . A narrow alleyway stretched out before her, lined with closely packed houses, but further inside, a lush green garden emerged. A small, black-painted gate stood nearby. A woman in her forties, with tanned skin and a friendly gaze, introduced herself as Lan. Host and guest sat down at a stone table under the shade of a tree in the front yard. Her voice was soft, her pronunciation slightly strained. She recounted her childhood in a small alley in Saigon during the early years after liberation, her mother's last wishes, and then showed the two guests mementos her mother had left behind. An old tin box of biscuits contained several yellowed photographs carefully wrapped in plastic. One photograph showed a young couple, the husband in a Republic of Vietnam soldier's uniform. Another showed them sitting by a riverbank. Then she spoke of the longing of a daughter who had searched for her father for years without a trace. She said she had a very strong feeling after watching Cò's videos, so she decided to call him.

Cò asked permission to take a few close-up photos. Lượm leaned in, hoping to recognize some familiar face, but the person in the photos was too young to make a comparison.

*

The two of them painstakingly arranged a reunion in the old man's riverside hut. They didn't dare hope for much after several unsuccessful attempts. So their joy was like a shy plum blossom unfolding its bright yellow petals long after spring had passed.

Old man Tư's gnarled fingers trembled as he traced a photograph of himself in his youth with his young wife. Tears welled up in his furrowed brows. His lips trembled as they moved. It was a quiet reunion, unlike anything seen in movies. There were no sobs, no embraces. Only the small hands of the daughter grasping her father's large, gnarled hands, listening to the rhythm of his heart, the sacred love of fatherhood. The word "father" was trembling and hesitant. The father's voice was low and deep as he recounted a story that both Lượm and Cò had heard many times before.

It is a story of war and separation. It is the cruel irony of fate. It is the ups and downs of a lifetime. It is the loneliness and longing that weigh heavily, etched into space and time. Every morning, every noon, every afternoon along that stretch of river, is tinged with an overwhelming sadness.

- When did you meet Luom's mother, Dad?

- Uh... Lượm... Just consider him your younger brother.

- I bet you didn't expect to have such a tall, lanky younger brother...

Lượm forced a smile and chimed in, then suddenly felt too sad to speak anymore.

Because Lượm wasn't her father's biological child. Lượm was actually an orphan, her origins even more obscure than her sister's. She knew little beyond the story her grandmother told her: one morning, she went to the coconut grove, heard a child crying, and saw an old basket moving. Her grandmother opened it, felt so sorry for her, and cried along with her, then picked her up and took her home to raise her. Nineteen years of affection, and then her grandmother left her. Her uncles and aunts, because of the seven acres of land they owned, immediately tried to prove on the day of the funeral that she was a child found by the coconut grove, not related by blood. Aunt Út said she would renovate her grandmother's memorial house for her eldest son to move into after he got married. Lượm sat on the porch, tears of sorrow for her grandmother mixed with bitterness for human relationships. After the hundred-day mourning period for her grandmother, she bowed before the altar and left. Her backpack contained a few old clothes, her black, moldy, alum-stained pair of flip-flops still covered in straw. She didn't know where Saigon was, but she just hopped on a bus and went. She did all sorts of jobs to make a living. At night, she would lie in her rented room and look at her phone. He watched Cò's YouTube channel. He knew perfectly well that he wasn't the long-lost son of old man Tư, considering his age and social background. But the yearning to call out "Dad!" compelled him to contact the channel owner. He called out "Dad!" out of love for the old man and for himself. Then he moved here so that father and son could visit each other more easily...

Cò was busy with his work. Today, Cò was overjoyed because he had finally found a family for his old man after many unsuccessful attempts.

- What a great day! It's only when there are so many people like this that we truly feel like a family.

Cò said, turning the phone towards Lượm. Lượm quickly jumped away from the screen.

Don't you dare show your face! You lousy YouTuber.

But even though she said that, deep down, Luom had already given him a big, bright red heart.

Rules

Live beautifully with total prizes up to 448 million VND.

With the theme "Loving Heart, Warm Hands," the 3rd "Living Beautifully" contest is an attractive platform for young content creators. By contributing works in various formats such as articles, photos, and videos , with positive and emotional content and engaging, lively presentations suitable for the different platforms of Thanh Nien Newspaper, participants can create engaging content.

Submission period : from April 21st to October 31st, 2023. In addition to essays, reports, notes, and short stories, this year the competition has been expanded to include photos and videos on YouTube.

The 3rd "Living Beautifully" contest organized by Thanh Nien Newspaper emphasizes community projects, charitable journeys, and good deeds by individuals, entrepreneurs, groups, companies, and businesses in society, especially targeting young people of Generation Z. Therefore, it has a separate competition category sponsored by ActionCOACH Vietnam. The presence of guests who own works of art, literature, and young artists beloved by young people also helps to spread the contest's theme widely and create empathy among young people.

Regarding entries: Authors can participate in the form of essays, reports, notes, or reflections on real people and events, and must include accompanying photos of the subjects. The entries should depict a person/group that has performed beautiful and practical actions to help individuals/communities, spreading heartwarming, humane stories and an optimistic, positive spirit. For short stories, the content can be based on real-life stories, characters, or events, or fictional. Entries must be written in Vietnamese (or English for foreigners, with translation handled by the organizers) and should not exceed 1,600 words (short stories should not exceed 2,500 words).

Regarding the prizes: The competition has a total prize value of nearly 450 million VND.

Specifically, in the category of feature articles, reports, and notes, there are: 1 first prize: worth 30,000,000 VND; 2 second prizes: each worth 15,000,000 VND; 3 third prizes: each worth 10,000,000 VND;

5 consolation prizes: each worth 3,000,000 VND.

1 prize for the most popular article among readers (including views and likes on Thanh Niên Online): worth 5,000,000 VND.

For the short story category: Prizes for authors with short stories submitted: 1st prize: 30,000,000 VND; 2nd prize: 20,000,000 VND; 2 3rd prizes: 10,000,000 VND each; 4 consolation prizes: 5,000,000 VND each.

The organizers also awarded one prize of 10,000,000 VND to the author of an article about exemplary entrepreneurs, and one prize of 10,000,000 VND to the author of an article about an outstanding charitable project of a group/organization/business.

Specifically, the organizing committee will select 5 individuals to be honored, each receiving 30,000,000 VND; along with many other awards.

Readers can send their entries (articles, photos, and videos) to songdep2023@thanhnien.vn or via postal mail.

( Applicable only to the Article and Short Story categories ): Thanh Nien Newspaper Editorial Office: 268-270 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Vo Thi Sau Ward, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City (please clearly state on the envelope: Entry for the 3rd "Living Beautifully" Contest - 2023). Detailed information and rules are posted on the "Living Beautifully" section of Thanh Nien Newspaper.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/tha-mot-trai-tim-do-choi-truyen-ngan-du-thi-cua-an-phuc-185230923182447025.htm