Special bowl of noodle soup

Throughout her three years of high school, she spent more time at school than at home. She went to the table in the kitchen, and before she could even open her mouth, Aunt Tiếng asked:

- Oh! Is there no more grass outside today? Why did you come in here?

She laughed, because her aunt often joked with her like that, so she didn't find it strange.

- Give my child a bowl of "special" noodle soup, with lots of bean sprouts, and plenty of fried onions and pork cracklings.

- Don't even mention it, for three years they've been doing the same thing.

He chuckled…

Three years, or rather, only two years and two months, and I'm sure by the end of the year, I'll still be loyal to that special bowl of noodle soup. I don't know how long the auntie has been selling it at the high school canteen in this village, but since I started this school, I wonder if there's been any other student like me!?

- I guess if I want to eat special noodle soup later, I'll have to go back to school to eat the "Auntie Tiếng's" brand noodle soup, because outside, they'll probably be carrying brooms… hehe - He praised and cautiously glanced at the broom in his aunt's hand.

Tô hủ tiếu đặc biệt - truyện ngắn của Hương Hào (Trà Vinh) - Ảnh 1. — Illustrative image

In class, she was just an ordinary, unremarkable girl. Her life began to turn upside down when her grandmother passed away. Strangely, she had never heard anyone mention her parents; her difficult childhood meant she never bothered to ask about them. Her mother had either died or left a long time ago, she didn't know, and no one had ever told her. As for her father—that remained an unanswered question. Since her grandmother's death, she didn't know who she was or where she belonged (because her grandmother held the secrets of her entire life!), she had no one to confide in, no one to wait for her when she came home from school, and no one to look for her or scold her when she wandered off to play!

After that incident, she was adopted by her aunt. But who was this aunt? She didn't know her background. She only knew that the woman called her "little black girl" and referred to herself as her aunt. Whenever the school asked for photocopies of her household registration book for tuition fee exemption, she would ask for extensions, procrastinating day after day. Because her aunt never showed her the household registration book, so she couldn't see if her name was on it. Her uncle was even more clueless, having lost badly to her aunt at gambling, and didn't dare utter a word. As a result, her aunt handled everything, spending lavishly. She studied diligently, eating whatever her aunt gave her. Sometimes, while studying, she had to collect scrap metal to sell for snacks, and when she got older, she helped out at cafes to buy school supplies. Her homeroom teacher and friends, seeing her family's circumstances, would pool their money to pay for tuition and other expenses. Once, the homeroom teacher of 10th grade kept asking him to submit his household registration book to process tuition fee exemptions, and even threatened to invite his parents. He explained that he was confused and didn't know the details, because no one expected his life to be so convoluted and complicated.

***

Seeing her situation, another boy from far away in the countryside took her in, but her household registration was still tied to her aunt's house. Apparently, her aunt collected some kind of monthly allowance. Removing her name would mean losing that money. She didn't care at all, only focusing on learning to read and write. Her studies suffered greatly since she grew up; from being an excellent student for nine consecutive years, she was now almost average. Only her passion for drawing remained undiminished. She drew regardless of the time. During lunch breaks at school, after eating noodle soup, she would confide in the librarian. Then, she would read books freely. After reading, she would pull out paper and pens to draw, imagining scenes of the city, the countryside, and the characters from the book she had just read. Everyone acknowledged her talent; she drew beautifully and had a keen eye for color. Perhaps this passion was what kept her alive? She once won first prize in the "Dream School" drawing contest, part of the activities celebrating Vietnamese Teachers' Day, back when she was still a shy first-year student. The teachers at the school often commissioned her to draw diagrams and pictures of teaching aids. Yet, in her doodles drawn when she felt stressed or bored, she never dared to draw a picture of her family.

At his house (his wife had died of a serious illness before he could arrange for her to be brought home), she was in the same class as his son, so having a sibling was some comfort. But their clothes and hairstyles for school were worlds apart. His son dressed up and took care of himself, with perfume, new clothes, and an electric bike to school. As for her, her clothes were old, wrinkled, and he only bought her a new outfit occasionally, or she'd get one from a neighbor. She didn't need to think too much about it; having clothes to wear was enough. Going to school on her rickety old bicycle that he bought made her happy. She just told herself she had to study hard no matter what. Only through education could she hope for change.

"Study hard, otherwise no one will take care of you later," Aunt Tiếng often told him.

"I know that too, and I've tried my best, but..." Every time this deep pain is brought to the surface, tears well up in her eyes.

At school, besides her classmates, she also had a special friend: her aunt. She often confided in her aunt. Her aunt loved her like a grandchild, and she cherished her aunt very much. Her aunt would often scold her for the one thing she did: skipping lunch.

Hey! If you're not going to eat, go somewhere else! Don't call me if you faint!!!

At first, it felt harsh, and it was a bit of a crybaby. But it understood that its aunt was saying that because she was worried it would be hungry. Eventually, it got used to those slightly exaggerated jokes.

- If you eat rice noodles so much, you'll turn into rice noodles yourself!

- So, shall we eat?

- I eat every meal at home.

So, what do you want to eat?

Her aunt spoke loudly, her "killer" face and the sharp meat-slicing knife in her hand making him shudder; he could only slink away to the library without saying a word.

And yet, for three whole years, it was still just noodle soup, dry noodles, rice noodles, rice noodle soup with vermicelli...

- It's really tough, Auntie. There's one problem: some people eat all the time but never gain weight, like me, while others who don't eat just keep gaining weight steadily.

"Then you starve yourself to death, don't blame me!" Auntie sang her same old tune for almost three years.

- Once you graduate, no one will let your aunt say anything anymore.

Her circumstances were similar to her aunt's, so her aunt understood and sympathized with her. She dropped out of school after the sixth grade and went to work as a day laborer. She did whatever work she could find, regardless of the weather. When there were no more farm workers, she would take on road construction or carry water for hire. Sometimes she would go fishing, strip sugarcane leaves, or corn leaves. Otherwise, she would sit listlessly at the market selling mangoes, guavas, and sugarcane sticks.

Thinking this, it felt much luckier, being able to go to school and eat noodle soup like this, Auntie. So it loved its aunt even more.

Hey, when you go to university later, where will you get the money for tuition?

"I have to take care of myself... why can so many people who are in more difficult situations than me manage it, but I can't?" She didn't need to think long; her words came out like lightning.

The thought of "university" gives her extra motivation to pursue her dream of becoming a designer, a dream she's cherished since childhood. She often thinks to herself: "Don't always look up; try looking down, even further down, looking behind you. There are many people who are more disadvantaged and poorer than you, yet they still live well and succeed. I'm luckier than hundreds of others, so why be pessimistic?" Each thought motivates her to keep going, like someone walking in the desert—once you've decided to go, you have to accept the risk of burning your feet and finding your way to your destination, even if you know the path won't be smooth and will be full of cacti.

"You have such a tiring dream, you're poor but you dream too big!" her aunt would often sigh in exasperation.

"Dreaming costs nothing, I have nothing to lose, so why shouldn't I dare? Since I'm like this, I should study hard so that I can have a profession like everyone else later," she would often smile wryly as she justified herself.

***

Newspapers simultaneously ran headlines such as "'Packaging' Saigon on a cyclo, orphaned girl wins prize worth nearly 200 million VND" at the fourth season of the "Vietnam - Where I Live 2019" competition organized by the London Academy of Design and Fashion in Hanoi. The artwork encapsulated iconic Saigon landmarks like Notre Dame Cathedral, Ben Thanh Market, the City Post Office , the Bitexco Tower, street vendors, the Saigon Zoo, Thi Nghe Bridge, and newsstands on a cyclo in the drawing. "Saigon Wandering" - the title of the artwork she submitted to the competition, even though she had only been a Saigon resident for nine months - was praised by the organizers as "...with its dominant black and white color scheme, it doesn't lose its luxurious splendor, but instead possesses a mysterious beauty; an ancient beauty that transcends simple values to modernity. The artwork serves as an invitation to friends both domestically and internationally to explore the streets, corners, and iced coffee, discovering each unique beauty that is distinctly Saigon, past and present...". She shed tears dozens of times on the day of the exhibition and receiving the award.

Returning home, she saw so many people at her uncle's house, bringing all sorts of gifts, cakes, fruits, bird's nest drink, boxed milk, saying they were to nourish her so she could draw better and win a higher prize. Then they asked how much the prize money was, whether it would be in cash or via bank transfer, and how she would manage the money. They recounted the relationships between relatives, close and distant, how she should address them, how close she used to be to her grandmother, what she gave her, how she helped her grandmother's family and her uncle... She didn't answer anything, just nodded and greeted everyone, then smiled. That's how it was, but her heart was filled with indescribable sadness. How could she make her dream of studying at the Academy of Design and Fashion come true when she had nothing to her name?! The prize money would cover all her expenses for three years of study in Hanoi; the organizers wouldn't give her cash. If she didn't attend, she would lose everything. This is something that probably few of the relatives who came to his house to greet him and so on would know or understand.

With the front yard bustling with activity, he made an excuse to go to the back of the house to wash his face, then crossed the fields, running as he went, all the way to Aunt Tiếng's house.

Wow! The celebrity's back, huh!?

Oh my goodness, Auntie, please don't tease me. I'm so tired. Do you have any special noodle soup? Could you make me a bowl? Hehe...

- Damn you! Sit there… it’ll be right there… right away.

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: April 21 - October 31, 2023. In addition to essays, reports, notes, and short stories, this year the competition has 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; and 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.

Entries (articles, photos, and videos) for the contest should be sent to: songdep2023@thanhnien.vn or via postal mail (only applicable to the Article and Short Story categories): Thanh Nien Newspaper Editorial Office: 268 - 270 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Vo Thi Sau Ward, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City (please clearly indicate on the envelope: Entry for the 3rd SONG DEP (Beautiful Life) Contest - 2023). Detailed information and rules are posted on the " Living Beautifully" section of Thanh Nien Newspaper.