I love my mother's footsteps

Early summer morning, when Phuong was still dreamily wrapped tightly in a thin blanket, her ears faintly heard the sound of the rooster crowing, her mother gently woke up beside her. It seemed that her mother did not immediately put on her slippers but tiptoed to the door of the room before leaving. Phuong confirmed this, because the sound of her mother's footsteps had been "ingrained" in her subconscious for a long time. Every time she thought about it, the girl felt her eyes sting, and her heart ached for nothing.

Illustration photo.

Mom has a habit of waking up early regardless of how late she slept last night, whether it was raining or not, cold or warm. Mom said, she got used to it, since she was 6 or 7 years old, she had the habit of waking up early. A life of hardship and toil has "soaked" into her bones, it cannot be changed. Mom said, when she was young, the family was poor, the whole family depended on her grandmother's clam porridge stall. Every night, like every other night, she woke up at 2am to prepare porridge for the old man. The children, partly because their stomachs were growling and they couldn't sleep, partly because they heard the rumbling sound, partly because they smelled the white rice and fragrant broth, also "scrambled" to wake up. When they grew up a little, grandma handed over the whole porridge stall to mom, pitying her old age and having to work day and night, mom took over her work. When she got married, mom continued her old job, Phuong and her sisters grew up, went to school all thanks to mom's porridge stall. Every night mom crawled over Phuong, her feet hanging from the bed to the floor, the girl "heard" it very clearly. Those feet, those steps, never seemed to miss a day, always quick and hurried.

There were days when Phuong only wished… that her mother was sick. When her mother was sick, she would not be able to wake up early, and she would be able to stay in bed a little longer. And Phuong and her sisters would be pulled close by their mother to whisper endless stories. Even on that day, when there was no porridge to sell, Phuong still felt happy. Because only when she could not sit up, would her mother lie still in bed. But even on days when she was exhausted, Phuong rarely saw her mother lying in one place. In the morning, she still had a fever, but in the afternoon, she was already getting up to measure rice, peel onions, and prepare firewood. She almost never gave her feet a chance to… rest.

Phuong and her sister grew up, went to work and were able to take care of their own lives, and had money to give to their mother. With her first salary, Phuong offered to "buy" her mother's porridge for half a month. Her mother quietly looked at her daughter, her eyes half happy, half sad. Phuong was confused, stammering, asking her mother, do you agree, do you agree, mother? Mother said nothing, walking back to her room silently. Phuong was uneasy, half sitting, half kneeling at the foot of the bed, her hands continuously massaging her mother's knees and calves, saying, if I did anything wrong, don't be sad, mother. I just want you to rest, I'm worried about your health, I love these feet so much. These two feet, these steps are always busy, calloused for the whole family. The young girl burst into tears. Her mother hugged Phuong, hot and salty tears mixed together. When she had her children, her family, she never felt tired, never felt like she had to sacrifice. Mom just feels happy, feels joyful, so please understand simply, living for the people you love has never been a burden.

This afternoon, looking at the way her mother walked, for the first time in her life Phuong understood that her mother's steps were not only heavy but also sometimes very leisurely.

Spring Flowers

Source: https://baonamdinh.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/202505/thuong-lamnhung-buoc-chan-me-3d6529e/