Remembering Vo Xu

The scenery of Vo Xu in my memory is only a fleeting, vague image. I've never had the leisure to gather the rays of light, never the tranquility to listen to the wind singing and the clouds drifting. I only visit occasionally, and each time I arrive and leave just in time for the sunset.

Vo Xu Market

But I still remember a peaceful rural scene, the rustling green spaces. Whenever guests came to visit, the leaves and flowers would chirp and chatter, welcoming them. Just like my aunt and uncle would joyfully greet us with warm hugs and smiles full of love.

The road to my aunt and uncle's house was about ninety kilometers, but back then, traveling on my father's rickety old motorbike, it took almost three hours to get there. And as the name suggests, it was hit or miss. If you were lucky, the ride from my house to Vo Xu would be smooth and easy; if you were unlucky, your motorbike would suddenly break down and refuse to start. Not to mention, the red dirt road, over ten kilometers long, from my house was like a capricious girl, the kind that doesn't like sun and doesn't like rain. The sun would angrily blanket the long road with dust, while the rain would make it slippery and muddy. Yet, every year I looked forward to going to Vo Xu...

My aunt and uncle are very kind and good-natured; everyone loves and respects them. My aunt and my father are cousins. My aunt's mother is the third child, and my grandmother is the seventh. My parents love my aunt and uncle as if they were their own siblings.

And so, time passed. Every few years I would go there. Then came the summer of my eighteenth year. My uncle passed away. The entire sky of my childhood shattered amidst countless dark clouds. There are sorrows that cannot be named, only able to cut sharp , cold wounds into the realm of love and memory...

Since my uncle passed away, my aunt has remained there. Quietly. Alone. Sometimes, she visits her children's house, but then returns to her empty house in Vo Xu.

Sometimes I wonder, does a person choose to stay in their homeland because they are indebted to the land that has embraced their souls and nurtured their ambitions for so many years, or because of the bonds of life that have already encompassed all the moral principles and sentiments? I don't know if Vo Xu is the promised land in her eyes, but perhaps it has been intertwined with so much joy and sorrow in her life. Waking up to the chirping of birds, feeling the warmth of the sun caress her hair. Neighbors passing by don't forget to drop a few words into the house. At night, the sounds of frogs and herons harmonizing in a joyful symphony.

My aunt said she had already instructed the neighbors. Every morning, when they go to the market, they should call out to her and ask if there's no answer, and if they don't hear a reply, they should kick down the door and come in... Hearing that made me feel so sorry for them that tears welled up in my eyes!

It's hard to say how much strength and how much optimism lay behind those words. Was it the resilience of a woman who had endured years of hardship alongside her nation, thus remaining calm amidst life's storms? Or was it the melancholy of those afternoons, listening to the wind rustling through the leaves, of someone standing precariously on the porch, her eyes filled with sadness, wondering why none of her children had come to visit her? And then, as the sunset faded into the silent night, only a solitary figure remained amidst the desolate, lonely sand dunes...

Last year, my cousin brought her to visit my house, and he excitedly said, "She's moved to Vo Xu to live there permanently, Uncle." That's all it took for us to be overjoyed. Before my mother became senile, my parents were always worried about my aunt being alone and "getting sick in the cold at night." Then, conversations would be interrupted by my father's sigh: "If she doesn't live with anyone else, will she be willing to live with us?"

Now that you're closer to her, the house in this sandy land is no longer so desolate. Perhaps every land carries within it a lingering sense of nostalgia? Is it the love for the land or the love for the people that holds back the footsteps of those far from home, so that when they are away, they miss it, and when they are there, they cherish it? And when we look back, the places where our feet have left their mark always hold such deep affection...

The La Ngà River flows through the town of Võ Xu.

Everything is constantly changing. Time cannot stand still. The road from my house to hers has also been paved smoothly. At times, it feels as if someone has wrung out a piece of silk to dry under the scorching Eastern sun. When it rains, the silk darkens from being soaked, no longer a muddy mess of black, red, orange, and brown like clay.

The old scooter sat quietly in a corner of the house, making way for other scooters to continue their mission with people. My father still cleaned it as if it were a cherished companion. It probably missed the old apricot tree, and the pretty little garden in front of my aunt's house very much.

But Vo Xu always surprises me. Every time I visit, the place is dressed in a brand new outfit. Like a young man or woman in their prime, blossoming, beautiful, and full of life. The outfit of yesterday no longer fits today.

Though life has changed, my love for the people and the land here remains ever strong. The apricot tree, once so vibrant, has painted a whole area of ​​memories with its golden hues. Time may erase many aspects of life, but it cannot touch the deep-seated longing and affection in my heart. My uncle's gentle smile and affectionate eyes remain as pure as they were in my childhood. And my aunt's loving embrace still extends its warmth as ever, even though her small figure has become thinner with age...

My friend, if you ever have the chance to visit Duc Linh - Binh Thuan , stop by Vo Xu to hear the scent of ripening rice, to hear the La Nga River winding its way and singing its song, to hear the changes in every breath. And to hear the cheerful laughter, both strange and familiar...

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/thuong-nho-vo-xu-18523121916250508.htm