From Hanoi , the car traveled a long and bumpy twenty kilometers, the road was plowed and eroded, then stopped at the entrance of Binh Hoa village. Binh Hoa was still littered with traces of the terrible flash flood: More than a dozen roofs were swept away, now only bare rocks and soil remained. Thai's heart ached. He looked around, asked the villagers for a while, then got in the car, turned left a few hundred meters to go to the commune committee. Ten years ago, the committee headquarters and the middle school were built on high ground, no longer at risk of landslides. But more than a hundred households in Binh Hoa still lived in low-lying areas, almost every year suffering from floods, at least the water reached the house foundation, at worst it was just above the roof tiles. Now he had to find a safe place, high enough to avoid flooding and avoid flash floods. So difficult!
The commune chairman with his thick, broad arms and his voice as heavy as lead, but enthusiastically poured water for the guests and briefly talked about the flash flood. Thanks to "hearing" the sound of the mountain's belly, the people were proactive and informed each other to move to higher ground so there were no casualties. The school located diagonally to Binh Hoa mountain was bustling again. When mentioning the school, Thai's heart suddenly felt like it was stabbed by a thorn. He whispered: "The teacher with the big black eyes must still be teaching there."
Thai met the commune chairman about 5 years ago on a charity trip, when he was a social and cultural officer. During the trip, he also met Luyen. That year, Binh Hoa was isolated, the water level rose because the dam in the lower village had not been renovated, the whole commune suffered heavy damage. Thai enthusiastically drove a truck carrying food and clothes donated by the company to share with the people. The water level was just above the school yard, but Binh Hoa was up to the roof. Luyen was a teacher at the school who was in charge of receiving food to distribute to the people. After the trip, Thai called Luyen a few times to chat about work and hometown, but then saw that it was not going anywhere, so he stopped. Busy with work, here today, gone tomorrow, he forgot that he had ever known such a person. She must be married now.
A few months ago, the province hired a team to conduct a survey, but they have not yet found a suitable place to resettle the people. Now the work cannot be delayed, who knows how many more storms and floods will come…
* * *
On the shoulders of Thai and his colleagues were total stations, some resistance measuring devices, GPS... If he found a place where he could build a house, he would report to his superiors to bring in a drilling machine. Two local officials led the way, along with two people from the village who were familiar with the terrain, bringing food and drinks. At noon, Thai and his colleagues could breathe a sigh of relief when the whole team confirmed a place that, although not too large, was quite flat, suitable for accommodation for the people. Standing here, you could clearly see a small stream, named Nho stream. Since ancient times, the lyrical beauty of Nho stream with rows of ancient tea trees on both sides that were green all year round, has beautified this land, making anyone who has come here remember it. The villagers changed No to Nho to make the stream more romantic. Later, bustling tourist spots attracted people, but few people still knew about the beauty of Nho stream...
Late afternoon, passing by the school, he tried to look for Luyen. The villager who was with him asked: “Do you know someone here?”. After knowing that teacher Luyen was still working and not married, he went through the back of the school, the teachers’ dormitory nestled under the tall ironwood trees. Luyen was stunned when she saw him enter the porch with a bright smile. She exclaimed: “Oh, you… are you Mr. Thai?”.
Thai was glad that she still remembered him. He was even happier that the teachers' conditions were better than before. As for Luyen, her eyes were still big, black, and clear like the first time he met her. Her enthusiasm and passion that day reminded him of a resilient wild flower, tirelessly spreading its fragrance in the storm. The dew fell quickly, the cold pulled the night curtain down. The exchange meal cooked by Luyen and her colleagues was simple but cozy. By the fire, Mr. Truong's guitar playing was so graceful that the fire seemed to dance and cheer. When he accompanied Luyen to sing "Song on the Mountain", the emotional lyrics made Thai's heart flutter. In this mountainous area, people inspire each other to live, to honor each other, and the small, homegrown cultural nights warmed many cold nights...
* * *
Thai's work was done. Now, new constructions were being built. Many households wanted to move their old stilt houses to a new location to preserve and maintain the local culture. The superiors agreed. The groups of workers worked enthusiastically, day and night. Thai would go anywhere according to the agency's assignment. Now his heart was filled with longing for Luyen and those eyes. Those eyes that, in Thai's dream, had brightened the moonlit night by Nho stream. For many years, his parents had urged him to get married, but his heart felt cold towards women, as if all male and female emotions had been drained. It was all because the girl in the city, named Han, had scratched his heart. Thai had believed and hoped for a love that lasted four years in college and two years after graduation that he thought would last. The two would be together forever. Thai had introduced Han to his family, but then had to bear the pain of a betrayed person. Han was the one who "played two-timing", cuckolding Thai. That day, he climbed to the top floor of the tallest building in the city, asking the wind, the clouds, and life why they had put him in this ironic situation. But the wind answered him with a cold whistling sound. The clouds were still white and below, the stream of people was still rushing about in their quest for a living.
The wound followed him to many lands and places, even though there were fragrant flowers and sweet fruits, his heart could not heal. His parents were getting older, only wanting him to settle down, but whenever the topic of marriage was mentioned, he would avoid the matter. He immersed himself in projects, survey trips, measurements and found that his heart had become callous. Because he was too busy, sometimes he felt that his busyness was too… flat. Nothing special.
Now he is changing. He also makes Luyen change and the Nho stream becomes more lively. Every Saturday, Thai comes to visit her. Her colleagues are happy for Luyen and hope for this relationship. They support the two of them, but few people know that she once had difficulties and was afraid of marriage. That day, the moon perched on the mountain top, the Nho stream flowed, the coldness mixed with the mountain flavor made Thai and Luyen's hearts flutter. The trees and grass witnessed the two of them kissing. The sound of the mountain night rushed into the stream of emotions, as if wanting the sweetness to last forever.
* * *
Life was more difficult than Thai thought. The company where he worked had many problems related to debt collection. The salary and bonus were nothing compared to the cost of living which was always on the rise. What would happen to the two of them after getting married, when one was in the city, the other was in the highlands, several hundred kilometers apart? There were also whispers from the students that Thai would take their teacher to the lowlands after the wedding, many of them were afraid of losing their young, enthusiastic teacher. Some did not greet Thai when they met him even though they liked him very much before. Thai discussed with Luyen to find a common voice. If Luyen followed him to the capital, she would have to leave this place, the homeland she had always wanted to contribute to. And when she moved to the city, would her work be favorable? If she stayed, Thai would still have to drift aimlessly following his work, would he really "not be able to redeem her"? So many questions and obstacles came into their marriage. Thai asked his parents, asked himself, what should he decide?
The wedding was held when Thai was still in a state of confusion. He still tried to arrange his work, taking the bus from Hanoi on weekends to return to his wife. He was happy when the new houses in Binh Hoa were like flowers blooming in the mountains and forests. People were excited, children were running around going to school, Nho stream flowed steadily, blending with the rhythm of life. When Luyen got pregnant, Thai said: "Why don't you come live with my parents, so they can take care of you?" Luyen shook her head. Thai didn't know what to do anymore. He couldn't live like this forever. Who could help them solve their problems?
* * *
Gray clouds hovered over the mountain. Thai drove to pick up his wife to go live with her parents in the provincial urban area. The students and the people were all sad. They all shared the same worry that Ms. Luyen would not return after leaving. But Thai looked at everyone, looked up at the high mountain, and promised: “Thai has already completed the paperwork to transfer back to the province. After maternity leave, Ms. Luyen will still teach here. Everyone, don’t be sad.”
Hearing those words, Luyen's heart warmed. She didn't know Thai would transfer his job to the province to be near his wife and children. But she believed he wasn't joking. As she got in the car, she whispered, "Do you remember what you said to Suoi Nho?" Thai smiled, "I remember. You and I will be together with Suoi Nho." Luyen's eyes smiled, looking through the car window, she felt happy.
Source: https://baophapluat.vn/ve-cung-suoi-nho.html
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