Short story: Tet is for returning home

(Quang Ngai Newspaper) - Hanoi is freezing cold in the last days of the year. Although he has lived here for many years, Long still cannot get used to the cold that penetrates the skin of the North. His company is from the South and opened a branch here. Except for those who live in Hanoi, almost everyone who lives far away has returned home for Tet. Long still has some unfinished work so he is still trying to work until today.

Sitting alone in his office, he felt a pang of nostalgia for his hometown. His hometown was a small village by the Tra Khuc River, with rustling green bamboo banks and rice fields. He still remembered his childhood days, running barefoot on the dirt road with his friends, eagerly welcoming Tet with popcorn, rice cakes and dishes cooked by his mother... Since moving to Ho Chi Minh City to study at university and then start working, Long has returned to his hometown less often.
This year, Long decided not to go home because of his busy work. His childhood friends were all in different places, and the village was no longer as bustling as before. Long thought to himself: "Back home, I don't know what to do except eat and sleep, and then when I go to work, I have to lose weight for a month to get back in shape." But his girlfriend Belinda, a girl from faraway England, after seven years of knowing each other, intended to go home to visit his parents. The reason he didn't go home was partly because his father didn't accept his only son's girlfriend being a foreigner. His father said:
- If you don't give up the idea of ​​marrying that foreign girl, don't come back.

He had been persuading for nearly seven years now, now seeing that his father had agreed, he intended to return to ask for permission to get married, but he was still afraid that his father would be angry, so he was still holding back. Thinking about this, he missed his mother. Although his mother did not study much and did not have as many connections as his father, her views were very modern. When he asked:
- Mom! Can I marry a foreigner?
She replied immediately:
- Just love each other, cherish each other, and respect each other.
Luckily he had his mother, she persuaded him so his father gradually agreed. Thinking of his mother, his heart ached. He loved his mother so much. For decades, his mother had been taking care of the house, taking care of both sides of his family, raising children, and raising grandchildren, but she had never stepped foot outside the bamboo fence. She got carsick, and just smelling gasoline made her vomit until she fainted, not to mention getting into a car. His father was angry with Long for not visiting him, forbidding him from coming home, and his mother only showed her longing for her son through the phone that Long had left behind. His mother loved that old phone, so no matter how new and fancy a phone he bought, she refused to use it. Just last night, his mother called again:
- It's been seven years since you came home to celebrate Tet with me. I understand that you're busy, but if we don't have you at home during Tet, I'll be very sad.

His mother’s words kept ringing in Long’s head as he quietly cleaned up his desk on the afternoon of December 28. The last bus home would depart tomorrow morning. He hesitated, his hand flicking through his phone, wondering whether to book a ticket or stay in Hanoi.
On the morning of December 29, Long stood in the middle of a crowded bus station, carrying a small suitcase with a few clothes and some Hanoi specialties. He decided to return home after many times asking himself what he really wanted. The bus started moving, taking him away from the noisy city and back to the familiar village road.
His village was still the same as before, peaceful and simple, the only difference was that now there were more tiled houses and high-rise buildings. Along both sides of the straight concrete road leading to the village, the apricot and kumquat trees were in full bloom. As Tet approached, the chrysanthemums and gladiolus had been pulled out of the gardens, leaving only a few rows of trees, probably for the homeowners to use during the three days of Tet. The village seemed to be covered in a fresh color, the Tet atmosphere filled everywhere, completely different from the quiet atmosphere that Long imagined of his hometown.

MH: VO VAN

His mother was waiting at the gate, a small figure in an old sweater, her eyes shining with joy at the sight of her son.
- Are you home, son? Is Belinda coming with you?
He bent down to hug his mother, the warmth from her arms made his heart calm. It had been a long time since Long felt such peace.
- Not yet, Mom! I'll go home and see what Dad thinks before I let her go.
- I give up, tell him to go home with peace of mind, our house has just been renovated. Next year, if your age is compatible, you can get married.
That evening, the whole family gathered around a pot of steaming banh tet. His father smiled and said:
- I remember back in the day, Long was the most mischievous kid. Every time he cooked banh chung, he would secretly wrap a small stick with two banh hoc and wait until the banh chung was cooked, then dip it in cold water to eat first. Now that he's grown up, he probably won't dare to do that anymore, right?
Long's mother smiled:
- Secret, you will know soon.
Long's father laughed:
- So I guessed it, even though it's grown up, it's still the same as before, like me when I was young.

Long burst out laughing, memories of the old Tet holidays flooding back. Back then, he and his friends in the village would race to wrap banh chung, competing to see who wrapped the most beautiful banh chung. At night, the children would gather around the banh chung pot, watching and telling ghost stories. That feeling, that joy, why is it so luxurious now?
Long looked at his mother and saw her smiling gently, her eyes sparkling with happiness. He suddenly realized that perhaps for his mother, the greatest joy was seeing the family reunited. The banh tet was cooked, and it was also New Year's Eve. The first offering tray of the year had the aroma of banh tet. Looking at the plate of banh tet, he secretly admired his mother's talent for wrapping banh tet. Even though many years had passed, her hands were shaking and her eyes were dim, but each banh tet wrapped was the same, straight and the filling in the middle of the round cake. After cleaning up, his mother went with him to ask for luck. She said:
- This year, my mother and I went to Uncle Hai's house. He has many children and grandchildren, and they are all well-behaved and good at studying. My mother and I went to ask for some blessings from his house to enjoy a little luck, my child!

Accompanying his mother, Long pondered over the beautiful cultural customs of his homeland. People always wished for prosperity, happiness, and a full family. His mother was the same, she wished him to have a wife, children, and a prosperous and happy family. On the first morning of the New Year, the whole village seemed to awaken under the warm spring sunshine. The whole family wore new clothes, followed their parents to visit their grandparents' graves and wish the villagers a happy new year. At every house he went to, Long was warmly welcomed. Everyone asked him about his work and life in Hanoi. Uncle Minh, a neighbor, patted his shoulder and smiled:
- Remember when you were little, you used to run to grandma's house to ask for candy on the first morning of Tet, but now you're taller than your dad. Hurry up and get married, your mom is waiting for you.

Long scratched his head and smiled, saying “yes” out of politeness. The stories from the villagers and the simple greetings made him feel like he was back in his childhood.
That afternoon, Long met his old friend again. Class monitor An stopped by Long's house to take him to the reunion and said:
- You haven't been back for a long time, I don't know, but we, although each of us is in a different place, always meet on the fourth day of Tet, sit together and share the joys and sorrows of the past year. We established a fund, in addition to sponsoring poor students who study well at our old school, we also create capital for friends in our hometown to borrow to start a business when they are in trouble.

On the evening of the fifth day, Long sat on a bamboo bed in front of his house, looking at the starry night sky. He missed his lover's blue eyes, he was sad because he was about to leave his parents but also eager to meet her to tell her the good news. He was a quiet person, did not like to share much over the phone, he wanted to personally inform her of the paper that his parents went to see the engagement date. He did not know how happy and joyful she would be when her father accepted.

Inside the house, his mother and sister were busy preparing the dishes for the farewell meal. After dinner, his mother, like when he first left home to study, took on the task of packing Long's belongings and the gifts his parents had sent to Belinda. She smoothed each fold of his clothes and said:
- Long, no matter how busy you are, remember to come home for Tet! Tet is a day of reunion, the most important thing for family is to be together, especially on death anniversaries, Tet, my child!
He said nothing, just nodded. He suddenly realized that Tet was not just a time to rest or eat, but also a time to return, to connect with familiar values.

The Tet holidays in his hometown gave Long the sense of peace that he had lost in the hustle and bustle of urban life. He told himself that no matter how busy he was, he would never lose the warm feeling of his family and hometown - a place that always welcomed him with open arms whenever he returned.

When the bus left the village, Long turned around and saw his mother standing silently in front of the gate. He waved his hand and silently said to his mother: “Mom, I understand that Tet is for returning home. I will never miss another Tet with you again.”

DUONG THI THANH HUONG

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Source: https://baoquangngai.vn/van-hoa/van-hoc/202501/truyen-ngan-tet-la-de-tro-ve-a86116b/