The sad childhood of a female freshman in Hue: While treating her mother's mental illness, her father passed away.

Song Qingling with "fiery" eyes - Photo: TBD

Tong Khanh Linh - a new student majoring in English at Da Nang University of Foreign Languages - has been enrolled for 2 weeks. Taking advantage of her free time, Linh works part-time to earn money for her studies. Linh has 4 years of hardship ahead of her.

Mother suddenly fell ill, father passed away on the way

Tong Khanh Linh said that her family used to live in a small house in her grandparents' garden in Phu Vang district, Thua Thien Hue province. Linh's mother stayed home and farmed a few fields of rice, while her father rode a motorbike to work as a worker in a textile company every day.

All the incidents started happening in 2013. Linh’s mother, who was healthy and normal, suddenly developed psychosis. Linh was still young at that time. The girl from Hue said that normally her mother could still do light work, but when she had a seizure, she lost control and laughed and talked senselessly. Despite going to the hospital many times, the illness did not improve.

To keep Linh and her sister safe from their mother's laughter, anger, and risks, the two sisters were taken to their grandparents' house. In the old house, only Linh's mother and father remained with their hardships.

At the end of 2013, when Linh's mother's illness became serious and there was no one to take care of her, Linh's father had to send his wife to the Social Protection Center of Thua Thien Hue province.

Linh and her sister thought that even though their mother was not by their side, she was still the spiritual support for them to continue to pursue their dream of studying, and their father was the strong pillar that raised their two children. But at around 9pm in 2014, while they were about to fall asleep, anxiously waiting for their father to return, Linh and her sister received terrible news. On the way home from the textile factory on his motorbike, Linh's father was hit by a drunk man, and his body was lying in the field.

Recalling this painful moment, Tống Khánh Linh could no longer hold back her tears. Linh cried. She said that at that time, the two sisters were still very young, but it was enough to feel the loss that came suddenly and painfully.

The old house was cold and empty, with no mother or father. Since then, the roof that once sheltered the family no longer had human warmth. The doors were closed and the house was abandoned until now.

Supporting School: Receiving Love from Many Hearts

Linh was allowed to stay and study at an acquaintance's house in Da Nang City - Photo: TBD

Since Linh’s father passed away, Linh and her sister have been raised at their paternal home. Mrs. Van, the maternal aunt who lives with her parents, has raised the two girls as her own children. To have money to raise the girls, Mrs. Van and her grandparents had to work on 6 acres of rice fields and do all sorts of things. Knowing that the two girls were disadvantaged, the grandparents and aunt Van gave them all their love to make up for it.

"My grandparents are old and don't have a pension, only a small allowance. My aunt runs around, rushing back and forth to take care of me and my sister. Sometimes she hugs us and jokes, "If it weren't for you two carrying me around, I would have gotten married and not stayed here. It's these two burdens that keep me from getting married."

"She almost gave up all her losses, never bought anything for herself, and spent all her savings on her two grandchildren" - Linh choked up when talking about her aunt.

Tống Khánh Linh said that every day at home, the two sisters helped their grandparents with housework and raised chickens and ducks for eggs. On weekends, the two sisters were taken by their mother on a motorbike to visit their mother in the mental hospital. Every time they went, their mother still recognized the two sisters and asked about the situation at home. Sometimes, her mother burst into tears and asked why the family forced her to go to a strange place.

"For the first two years, because we were afraid that Mom would go into shock and get sicker, no one told us that Dad had passed away in an accident. When Mom asked, she just said that Dad was busy working and couldn't come up. But we couldn't hide the news from Mom forever. When the whole family decided to tell her, Mom didn't believe it anymore, she said Dad was angry with her and had gone off with someone else. To this day, Mom still doesn't believe that Dad has passed away," Linh said.

Study well from adversity and tears at 18

Mrs. Van - Linh's aunt - worked hard all her life to raise her two children - Photo: NHAT LINH

We visited Tong Khanh Linh’s house right after the 4th storm that swept through the Central region. Ms. Tong Thi Van - Linh’s aunt - was wading through the floodwaters to tie up the mushroom hut. The mushroom piles also gave her hope to continue sending her two children to school.

"Linh is a very good student. Every year she gets a certificate of merit for being an excellent student. She is also an honor student representing the school to receive a certificate of merit in the province. But the better she studies, the more worried I am because I don't have enough strength or money to pay for her education like her friends," Ms. Van said, tears welling up in her eyes.

Mrs. Van choked up as she recounted that from childhood until she entered university, her granddaughter had never had a year of academic decline, despite many difficult times. Without her parents by her side, Linh rarely cried or showed any signs of weakness.

Sometimes Linh is a joy, dispelling the fatigue and burden of the whole family. During 12 years of schooling, Linh was always an excellent student. In the recent exam, Linh registered for Da Nang University of Foreign Languages and passed with a very high score.

Recalling the day Linh told her that she had passed the university entrance exam in Da Nang, Mrs. Van could not sleep that night. The 6 sao of rice field only grew enough rice for the whole family to eat all year round. The fields had just been harvested, and all the straw on the field was used by Mrs. Van to grow mushrooms.

Working so hard, each straw mushroom crop, even if it is successful, only makes a profit of about 500,000 VND. If we have to go hungry one day and have enough the next, where will we get the money to pay for Linh and Tram (Linh's older sister) to go to university?

"That day, I thought a lot. But I had to tell Linh that she should quit school, do something to help her sister finish university and then retake the exam, it's not too late to go to school later. After hearing that, Linh burst into tears, and I cried too. Linh told me that she wouldn't drop out of school. She chose Da Nang because she thought that in a dynamic city, it would be easier to find a part-time job" - Mrs. Van covered her face and cried because she felt sorry for her granddaughter.

On the day her granddaughter left for school, Mrs. Van said she had searched and saved up exactly 1 million VND. When Linh walked out of the village with her backpack, she ran after her, stuffed it into her granddaughter’s bag, then ran home and cried like a child.

"She is like my own child. I raised her single-handedly so I know Linh is very strong. I cried because I felt so helpless, afraid I wouldn't be able to take care of her education," said Mrs. Van.

On the day she got on the bus, Linh only had 1 million VND in her hand. The tuition fee of more than 9 million VND for the first semester was borrowed from relatives and deposited into the school's account.

Linh has a cousin who lives in an apartment building for the military in Da Nang City, so the couple invited Linh to stay there to save on rent.

Remembering the student with "fiery eyes"

Teacher Tran Cong Tien - Linh's homeroom teacher for class 12 at Nguyen Sinh Cung High School (Phu Vang, Thua Thien Hue) - said that he remembered most the bright, intelligent and determined eyes of his poor student. According to teacher Tien, at school Linh was a good, polite and studious girl. Despite her difficult circumstances, she never considered it an obstacle in her studies.

"Linh is famous for being a good student at school, so all the teachers love her. So if there is any scholarship at school, she is always given priority to receive it" - said teacher Tien.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Hat (head of Le Xa Dong village, Phu Luong commune, Phu Vang district, Thua Thien Hue) said that the case of Tong Khanh Linh and her sister is very special. Although they are orphans, their mother is sick and they are among the poorest in the village, both Khanh Linh and her sister are very good students.

"In the village, Linh and her sister won all the scholarships for studiousness. They are both good students, well-behaved and determined. I heard them say that they want to study really hard so that they can have a good job in the future and earn a lot of money to treat their mother's illness," said Mr. Hat.

Invite you to join the School Support Program

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Graphics: TUAN ANH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tuoi-tho-that-buon-cua-nu-tan-sinh-vien-hue-dang-chua-tri-chung-tam-than-cho-me-thi-mat-cha-20240924104534049.htm