Wherever I go, whenever I reach the top of Tranh slope, my heart feels moved, as if I see the familiar shadow of the countryside market.
Viet An Market, a truly peaceful name, harbors the name of the eternal dream of the people of the countryside: peace. According to the elders, the market is about two hundred years old. And perhaps, over the past two hundred years, since the establishment of Viet An village, that dream has followed the people of my hometown through the years.
Perhaps because the name Viet An always reminds people of the countryside, the buying and selling here rarely involves haggling. The market only opens in the morning, exchanging fish and vegetables, and in the afternoon the shops close, and mothers and sisters rush to the fields.
The countryside market is so peaceful that it lacks the “market people” mentality that other places complain about. They do not haughtily distinguish between countryside and market people. People from the villages often hear friendly greetings: Hello, long time no see, what have you been doing all month? Sit down and have a drink. How are you all? The rice, the harvest, the pigs and chickens, the gains and losses, they just follow the story and whisper…
The country market is peaceful, so it avoids the reputation of “lots of unsold star fruit and lemons/ lots of beautiful girls for the young man to tie up”. The villagers know the habits of each boy and girl: Mr. Giao’s daughter is really gentle, Mrs. Huong’s son is hard-working… so any girl who is flirtatious, any boy who is into trading in strange things, will be embarrassed.
Since when has the corner of Viet An market become a corner of nostalgia for one's hometown? Anyone who has traveled far away and has the opportunity to visit their hometown will not forget to take some time out of their limited time to visit Mr. Nuoi's sweet soup shop, visit Con Xiu's coffee shop... and especially to breathe in the musty smell, welcome the noisy sounds, and filter out the rare bustling vitality of a deserted countryside to reminisce about their childhood.
In the old days, the countryside market still favored and admired students who had just passed the entrance exams to college and university. In this peaceful countryside, new students who set foot in the university gate were full of love and pride: whose children are so talented, what a lucky family...
More than two centuries and many vicissitudes, but the rustic character is still so good, nestled in a corner of the countryside, not much concerned with land prices or gold prices, silently exchanging without giving up, is it the philosophy of great hiding that has permeated the blood and flesh and become a way of life for generations?
My mother used to sing: “ Smart men look for wives in crowded markets/Smart women look for husbands in the midst of armies… ” Is it a message that the character of the people and the character of the land are often most clearly revealed in gathering places? And whoever has the opportunity to pass through Hiep Duc district, and pay attention to Viet An market, will feel the friendly and gentle character of my hometown inviting…
Lost in the countryside, after a long journey, then a return, I - a smart boy who has immersed myself in many aspects of life, suddenly wished I was small, like before, my sister gave me some money, happily went to the market again...
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