Complete happiness - Thai Nguyen Electronic Newspaper

Nam drifted away to the melodious, soothing music of Trinh. Suddenly the phone rang, Nam glanced at the screen, indifferently pressing the red button. Less than 10 seconds later, the screen lit up again, Nam switched to airplane mode. He adjusted the volume to make the music louder, eyes half-closed. But he could not return to the original state. The image of his old mother flickered near and far, sometimes clear, sometimes blurry.

Nam closed his eyes, shaking his head as if trying to chase away the wandering thoughts from his mind, but still could not get lost in the music, even though the whole space was filled with the soulful lyrics "Where have you been for so many years? Where have you been wandering around, making life weary..."

 

Nam had no choice but to turn off the music and lie down on the sofa, looking frustrated. It had been more than 2 years since his father passed away, and he had not once returned home or called his mother. He was angry. He hated the time he knelt down and begged his parents to sell the land so he could start a business, but they coldly refused. He put on his backpack and left home that night, tears rolling down the corners of his mouth. That was the last time he cried. He swore that even if his parents gave him land in the future, he would not accept it.

The day he returned home for his father's funeral, his eyes were dry. After finishing his father's funeral, his mother wanted him to stay in the countryside to work, to have people coming and going to keep the house warm. He didn't say a word, just smiled slightly, and then took the bus that same night, leaving his mother crying.

For nearly 3 years, he has lived without any worries. His younger brother went to work abroad, and they only called each other 2-3 times a year. Relatives in the countryside, who had not visited for a long time, had become strangers, and their feelings had faded. After a long time, Aunt Huong had called, and he did not want to listen. He had not listened before and felt comfortable, but now he felt uncomfortable.

***

- Dad, please forgive me! I didn't lose the key. I didn't eat the egg on the nest. It hurts so much, please forgive me! I'm sorry, Dad! - Nam cried and begged.

- Let your father go… smack… smack… smack… smack… You think it’s easy for me to earn money, but you still make me angry. Break the door, if tomorrow you don’t earn enough money to buy another lock, don’t blame me for being cruel… You even stole my eggs. How rude!

Bao, Nam's younger brother, stood in the corner of the porch, looking up with frightened eyes as his father beat him until his leg bled. Every time Mr. Chien swung the whip, he turned away, eyes closed, body curled up. Feeling so sorry for his brother, he shakily walked over to Mr. Chien, stammering to admit his mistake:

- Dad… dad… it's not… it's not that Nam lost the key, it's… me! While I was fishing… I dropped it in the pond!

A slap like the sky landed on Bao's face, causing his eyes to pop. Bao sat down and held his head. Nam rushed to hug him, both of them sobbing.

At that moment, Mrs. Hoi came back from the market. She pointed at her husband and asked:

- What trouble are these two bandits causing again? There is no peace with them.

Taking advantage of the situation, Mr. Chien shouted again:

- These bastards are a waste of food and useless. Now let them eat a bowl of…

Not understanding the situation, Mrs. Hoi also punched her two sons. Nam was scared and said through sobs:

- Please forgive us, we won't do it again.

- No forgiveness… - Mr. Chien's voice hissed.

Nam woke up, sweating profusely. It turned out to be just a nightmare.

Just then, Nam's wife rushed from the kitchen, calling out:

- Mr. Nam, Mr. Nam! Why did you turn off your phone? Aunt Huong just called me!

Seeing her husband sitting there absent-mindedly, his face covered in sweat, Lan spoke softly:

- Did you have a nightmare? - Lan calmed her husband down while gently using a tissue to wipe the sweat on Nam's forehead. Nam didn't look at the phone, gently raised his hand to wipe it out of sight and said as if enunciating each word:

- No! Tell her never to call me again!

Lan sat next to her husband, her face downcast, as if she had considered carefully, Lan's voice was soft and slow:

- After all these years, are you still angry with your mother? You can turn your back on the whole world, but you can't turn your back on your mother forever. Without her, you wouldn't have this life, you wouldn't have me and the children. In the past, parents could be strict and cruel to their children, but they all wanted the best for you and Bao. Now that I'm also a mother, I understand that more deeply. Do you want our children to treat us like that in the future?!

Seeing that her husband did not react, Lan took the opportunity to say:

- Aunt Huong called and said that the land in the countryside now has an inter-commune road running through it, and someone has come to pay more than 5 billion VND. Mom wants to call you and Uncle Bao to discuss whether to sell it or not so that Mom can decide. Uncle Bao is in Japan, so there's no need to say anything, but you don't even answer the phone. Do you two really intend to cut off your relationship with your mother and relatives in the countryside? Do you want to become a selfish, stubborn, heartless, unfilial father... What kind of example will you be for your children?

Nam listened to every word his wife said, but his attitude was indifferent and careless. He stood up and went to the toilet to wash his face to wake up, and as he walked he said absentmindedly:

- Who did something so heartless and unfilial… During the days when Nam was lying curled up at the bus station, penniless, having to sell his blood to survive, where was his father, where was his mother? They were determined to keep the golden land and neglected and humiliated this child, so now they just keep it, keep it tight…

- Even if Mom kept the land, it was still for you and your brother. If that day, Mom and Dad agreed to sell the land and give you the money, you probably wouldn't have been as successful as you are today. Perhaps the most valuable lesson for you and your brother to become the person you are, brother!

Nam said firmly:

- I forbid you to mention this again. If you don't listen, don't blame me for being heartless.

***

After half a month of being angry with each other, one day, Nam suddenly spoke first:

- I'll take the day off tomorrow, let's take the kids back to the countryside to visit grandma!

Lan did not answer but smiled gently, her face lit up with radiance. Perhaps today, Lan felt happiness to the fullest!

“… How do I know that rocks and pebbles don’t hurt/ Please let the rain pass over the vast land/ Someday rocks and pebbles will need each other” - the song made Nam’s heart beat strongly, something like torment and regret seeped into the deepest corners of his soul. Perhaps Trinh Cong Son was right when he said “rocks and pebbles also need each other”, so why does Nam, a human being, not need his mother?

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/van-hoc-nghe-thuat/202504/hanh-phuc-tron-ven-32e15b2/