( Quang Ngai Newspaper) - After graduating, Thach applied for a job at the town's People's Committee. While most of his friends stayed in the capital to seek a good opportunity for the future. Only a few people like Thach wanted to return to their birthplace. There is a house where three generations live together. There are familiar roads dyed red in the season of phoenix flowers blooming, the season of banyan trees changing leaves. There are familiar shops, kind people. There is a season of heavy crops, and the occasional storks from folk songs flapping their wings, fluttering in the deep blue sky. There are nights when lying down listening to the train whistle blowing long and hard through the night, suddenly remembering distant aspirations. There is a river of red silt, flowing gently, carrying many historical layers.
During the four years of studying away from home, every time he returned, Thach saw that the town had changed a lot, especially when there was a project to upgrade the town to a provincial city, the urban infrastructure was improved and upgraded. The urban space was expanded, many traffic routes were invested in. More trees were planted, creating shade on every road. Every morning when going to work, he could see the cheerful and bustling streets, and take a deep breath of fresh air, Thach felt how lucky his life was...
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| MH: VO VAN |
Thach returned at a time when there was too much work to do in the mass mobilization work. When the town expanded its administrative boundaries to neighboring districts, the land clearance needed to be resolved quickly and in a way that satisfied the people. Urban areas were built, commercial centers, large supermarkets, and entertainment areas were gradually formed. The agricultural land area was gradually narrowed. Thach caught sight of farmers who were still worried about their fields. They could not bear it when their grandparents' fields were now taken back, but no development comes without trade-offs. Thach believed that every resident of the town would happily comply for the common good. Every time he stood in front of an empty plot of land, Thach felt as happy as the wind as he imagined this place would soon be filled with large constructions, filled with aspirations for prosperity and happiness for a young city in the future.
Thach's house has a dormitory for workers, most of whom are distant relatives who apply to work in the newly opened industrial park in the town. In recent years, farmers have struggled with the epidemic, and there have been times when they have suffered huge losses. The weather is not favorable for farming, the cost of renting machinery and fertilizers is high, and it is only labor that makes a profit, so everyone has flocked to the city to find work. Young people work as restaurant and food stall staff, drive Grab, go to construction sites or work in large industrial parks. Older people work as housekeepers, earning a few million a month to send back home to cover their living expenses. Since the town's two industrial parks were planned and gradually put into operation, they have contributed to creating jobs and increasing income for people. With policies to encourage investment, the town is currently focusing on clearing land for businesses to build large-scale factories. This is difficult work, involving many people and often giving rise to complex social problems. In recent days, Thach and leaders have been removing "bottlenecks" in compensation work.
The 80-hectare land was planned for an industrial park, half of it is mountainous land, half is rice fields. Everything would have gone smoothly if it weren't for the many graves in that area. Graves are a spiritual and sensitive issue. Mass mobilization work encountered many difficulties. Many meetings were held with the people to mobilize and convince them to support. The government resolved everything in a reasonable manner. After nearly two months, most people agreed to accept compensation and proactively relocated. Only one grave has not been properly resolved. That grave is in the rice field of a policy family, so the mobilization had to be even more skillful. This morning, Thach went to Mrs. Mien's house right when a heavy downpour began to pour down. The old woman sat in a wheelchair, tearfully talking about her eldest son who died at a young age. That was her only son. “She was very beautiful and gentle. When my husband went to war, she was only seven years old. She stayed home every day to take care of her younger siblings. Later, she worked as a hired hand to support the whole family. At the age of twenty-six, she got married and had a child. When her daughter was only four months old, the family was in such a difficult situation that she went to the city to earn a living. Who would have thought that she would have an accident on the way there and die.” Thach sat there listening to the old lady whisper. Her voice was sometimes lost in the heavy rain falling in the yard. On the altar were two photos of Mrs. Mien’s husband and son. Her husband was a martyr who died on the southern battlefield during the Route 9 Southern Laos campaign. He returned to her with a death certificate, but his body was somewhere in Truong Son. For many years, she traveled long distances to all the Truong Son cemeteries to find her husband’s grave but could not find it. All her life, she was tormented by the feeling of not being able to bring him back to his homeland. There were many things in the family that were not complete, and the old lady always thought that it was because the grave was not yet at peace.
- Sir, this is the State reclaiming land to invest in socio -economic development for the common goal of the country. I hope you and your family will arrange your personal matters for the common good. Comply with the land reclaimation decision.
The old lady sat silently looking out at the white curtain of rain. Her figure slumped as if she had sunk into obscurity. Thach thought that no matter what he said, she wouldn't hear. Just then a woman opened the gate and walked in. It was Thu, the old lady's granddaughter who had just returned from the market. Thach felt that Thu looked so familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before. Thu tilted her hat to shake off the rainwater, smiling and saying:
- We were both born and raised here. The town is small, maybe we meet somewhere in the market, supermarket or some grocery stores.
- Maybe. But aren't you going to work today? I heard you work on the other side of the river?
- Yes, I work in the industrial park across the river. It's been raining heavily these past few days, the river water is very high. The ferry is closed, so I have to take a leave of absence. I don't know when we'll have a bridge.
- Soon, honey. There are projects, there will probably be a bridge across the river soon.
- In the future, there will be more factories in our town, so I would like to work nearby for convenience. So that I have time to take care of my grandmother.
Thu turned to ask her:
- Grandma, do you want me to work near home?
- Yes, I do. Rain or shine makes it less miserable.
- Then you agree to move my father's grave to the town cemetery. Return the land so that the company can build a factory. The faster they build it, the closer I can be to home.
- That's right, sir. In addition to the compensation according to regulations, the company also has a policy of giving priority to families whose land is recovered to hire workers in the factory, if there is a need. So many children do not have to go far to find jobs anymore, sir.
- That's right, grandma. If I could come back here and not have to work night shifts, my father would be at peace in the afterlife. Moreover, our family has contributed to the revolution, so we have to follow the right decisions. We have to support the general development of the town, right?
- Your father. The more you talk, the more you sound just like him.
Thu placed the last lotus flowers of the season on the altar. The lotus scent gently spread out, touching every breath. The old lady looked at the half-burned incense sticks, and tearfully prayed, “You lived wisely and died holy. Please rest assured, let me move this time.” Looking at the old lady’s silver hair, Thach felt even more sorry for a generation that had devoted themselves to their descendants.
Thach returned on a familiar road that had changed a lot. Workers were paving the last meters of sidewalk on the main traffic route. Youth union members were busy changing the clothes of the electric poles along the road. The usual gray look was painted on colorful flowers. The ugliness and messiness of all kinds of advertisements pasted on top of each other, ruining the urban landscape, were no longer visible. Instead, each electric pole appeared as a beautiful picture. It was as if the car was passing two rows of trees in full bloom. There were burning red phoenix flowers, purple morning glory, bright yellow chrysanthemums... On the remaining vacant land, schools, hospitals, and parks would spring up. Apartment complexes for low-income workers were about to be inaugurated. Thach believed that the lives of the town's people would improve day by day. The streets were also becoming more and more beautiful. The appearance of a young city was gradually taking shape. Thach has the right to be proud because he has lived and devoted his passionate youth to this land...
VU THI HUYEN TRANG
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