Mom's Garden

(BGDT)- Mom put the pot of braised fish on the wood stove, bent over to blow on the fire and coughed. The house had a gas stove for a long time, but Mom still cooked with wood stove every day. Mom said cooking with gas stove was not tasty, the smell of rice husk ash mixed with the smell of charcoal was what made her feel delicious.

What Mom said might be true, but she also felt sorry for the straw and firewood in the garden. But unfortunately, the place where Mom set up the firewood stove to cook was the kitchen in the sturdy three-story house built in the style of a French villa owned by Hai and his wife, which had just been completed last month. Hau, Hai's wife, was a daughter-in-law who didn't dare say anything in front of Mom, but whenever Mom went out to the garden to sweep the leaves, she would criticize Hai and say:

- Knowing that, I would have had the workers pour concrete on the backyard to keep it clean, without trees, straw, or firewood. Who would have thought that every time friends come over to a villa, they would see a wood stove right next to the gas stove? They said I was half-baked!

Illustration: THE SAGE.

Brother Hai did not dare to argue, he chose his words carefully:

- Come on, next month mom will be living at uncle Ba's house!

- Hey, each person takes turns taking care of Mom for a month, she doesn't have to stay there forever. Are you trying to put me to sleep? I don't want to be known as the daughter-in-law of my mother-in-law. Whatever you do, I don't want to see smoke from my kitchen next month.

Ms. Hau cheerfully took the bike out, leaving behind Mr. Hai, who was standing there like a scarecrow with a distorted face. To be clear, Ms. Hau had not cooked for a long time. As a high-ranking civil servant, she had a car to pick her up in the morning and when Mr. Hai came home in the evening, she had a full meal.

Before building the house, Mom told her to leave her the backyard so she could freely move around and take care of the vegetables and chickens. She was old and had lived in a house with bamboo walls for many years. Now, whenever she smelled the smell of lime and mortar, Mom felt cold and sour in her mouth. My second brother was not proud of anyone and wanted to leave it to make Mom happy. But unfortunately, Ms. Hau told everyone that she was an educated, high-ranking person but the house had no style or modernity at all.

She said to cut down all the trees to make it less of a hindrance. Brother Hai did not dare to argue. Mother was sad for a few days. When building the fence, Mother came out to stop the workers, telling them to leave the garden for her to come and go, not to cut down the trees that had been there for years, not to build all the concrete or the chickens will break their claws. Mother stood with her arms outstretched like in the old days to stop the bandits from destroying the village. Brother Hai was so scared that he ran out and told the group of workers, "Okay, okay, just build the fence but leave the garden." Sister Hau looked down from upstairs, her face darkening, but she held herself back from saying anything. She could only nag Brother Hai every night.

Mom stayed at Ba's house for exactly one day. Early the next morning, before the roosters had even crowed, Hau pulled Hai out of bed and onto the balcony, looking toward the garden, speaking firmly.

- Let me tell you, while Mom is at Uncle Ba's house, she won't be back until next month. Call the workers to pour concrete on the back porch for me. The houses of civil servants must be modern and clean to set an example for the people. If Mom asks later, just say that the new rural construction movement doesn't allow trees to grow wildly in the garden. But what's done is done, Mom probably won't force you to dig up the concrete and plant bananas and bamboo again.

Anh Hai's face was still sleepy, although he had not wanted to pour concrete all over the yard for a long time, he was afraid that his wife was famous in this area and everyone knew her. His mother had also sent him to study properly, and he had also worked for a living. But since his wife became a high-ranking official, no one had seen him go to work anymore. Every day, he stayed home to cook and take the two children to school. Several times at the death anniversaries, his mother and siblings told him to go back to work, because men are not so perverse. Anh Hai looked at Ms. Hau, who turned her face out into the yard as if searching for something. He spoke while frowning as if to justify that he wanted to take care of the children until they were "stronger" a bit more before going back to work.

They were just in high school, still very young! But even after the two children graduated from high school and went to study abroad, Hai still didn't go back to work. When someone mentioned it, he just mumbled, saying he was old now, no one would hire him anymore. Well, staying at home to do housework and serve the family is also legitimate work. Whenever that was mentioned, Hai turned his face away. Mom and the siblings kept urging Hai to go back to work, because no man would ever let himself be labeled a parasite. But Hai's heart felt as if there was a leaden foot dragging it down, heavy and sad!

After Ms. Hau's words, Mr. Hai hummed and then picked up the phone to call the repairman. Ms. Hau felt reassured and went inside to change into a new, pure white dress. She said she would be on a business trip for more than a week. She wanted the stone-paved backyard to have white veins like the color of her dress when she returned. She wanted Mr. Hai to have the repairman install a set of stone tables and chairs, with a statue of Venus holding a water jug ​​on the table or a set of European-style bronze lamps to light up every night.

In the corner of the garden, make a Koi fish pond with a Japanese-style rockery. This place will be a place to receive guests or organize parties with barbecue, champagne... it must be suitable for the style of guests who are officials, businesses or at least show the modernity of a modern civil servant. She feels that all of those things are worthy of her current position. She does not look down on her husband, she will still introduce the person who comes up with all the ideas as herself, but to have everything perfect, her husband has worked hard to implement.

She will still credit him to everyone that thanks to his support, she has two obedient, studious children, and a mother-in-law who is always healthy and happy. What era is this, she wants everyone to see the modernity and flexibility in changing the roles of women today. She is the head of this family, she has the right that men have long had, that: "Behind a successful woman, there is always a man who should not be ashamed". Her white skirt bounced as her plump feet stepped into the car. The door slammed shut. The business trip of a modern woman sped away, leaving a long, sharp black tire mark on the white concrete floor.

* * *

Mom chewed betel, her mouth red with tears, looking out at the banana bushes where a mother hen was leisurely leading her chicks to dig for worms. Mom’s eyes were no longer as bright as before, and her legs were weak. Mom went out into the garden with a sense of familiarity. Mom knew that if she fell, the vegetable beds and potato roots would support her. It was not that Mom did not like neatness and cleanliness. But Mom wanted her children and grandchildren to breathe in the scent of their homeland, not the overwhelming smell of artificial materials. Mom chewed betel and thought, then “a little bit” let the chickens come near her feet, and sprinkled them with a few corn and rice grains. Mom smiled and looked up at the curved bamboo shade that covered the sun…

The sound of a car screeching to a halt in front of the house. From the car, Ms. Hau stepped down, wearing her white skirt as she left. She turned her head back, smiling and waving to someone in the car through the black window. Then she gave a discreet kiss seductively in true European style. The young driver bent down and handed her the pink suitcase. The modern woman returned from her business trip with the hem of her skirt still bouncing to the happy tunes in front of the house.

She rang the bell but no one came to open the door. Strange, her husband should be home at this hour. Whatever, she took out her own key to open the door, her eyes with curled false eyelashes quickly glanced out to the garden, waiting for the change after the words she told her husband before leaving. But… nothing became more magnificent and splendid than she had imagined. In fact, everything seemed to return to the true nature of a country house more than before.

She quickly walked to the back porch, almost tripping over a few clods of soil that someone had just dug up to plant potatoes. She stopped mid-step when she saw her mother sitting on a bamboo bed, her long hair neatly tied up, attentively watching the flock of chickens. In the distance, in the bamboo bushes, she seemed to be boiling a pot of soapberry water with bamboo leaves swept in the garden. The scent of soapberry filled the small space of the sky.

Why did you come home before the end of the month? Where is the “modern” garden that you have been dreaming of? Where is your husband? Does he dare not do as you say? Everyone should remember that you are the one who single-handedly supports this family...?

Seeing her sister come back, her mother smiled gently:

- Are you back, son? Mom has boiled soapberry water for you! Come here, I will wash your hair!

- Why did you come back, mom? Where is my husband?

- Hai said he missed you, Mom, so he came to pick you up! He's back to work! He applied for a technical job at the cooperative earlier this week. So he's your subordinate! But nowadays, it's not a bad thing for a husband to lose to his wife!

- Who told him to go to work? I have enough to take care of this house, what is lacking?

…

- I told you to go to work, Dad! This house is gradually lacking family atmosphere and will lack the taste of home if everything is concreted, Mom!

The voice of Ms. Hau's eldest son came from inside the house. He was the one she had sent to study abroad, she thought he would be very happy if this house was designed in a modern style. But perhaps things were not as she had thought and tried so hard to arrange.

- Not only dad but I will also come back here to work, mom! In developed countries, no one destroys their own garden to try to imitate the gardens of other countries. "Culture is what remains after everything is lost", mom. Dad is a man, still the pillar of the family in the face of all storms. If dad destroys this garden, he is also destroying our family's culture and affection. The phone call dad made earlier this week after mom wanted to concrete this garden was for me! I understand the situation dad is in in his life and hope I want mom to understand dad better.

Sister Hau was stunned and then looked down at her child, the white skirt tail seemed to stop dancing, it became out of place in this scene. She felt like she had forgotten something for a long time. One day she would have to give up her current position to someone else. At that time, there would be no more long business trips. No more luxury cars to pick her up. That would be the time to return. So who would this garden welcome if it was no longer her.

There was the sound of a chicken clucking to call its chicks, then the sound of my brother's motorbike coming home from work in front of the alley. The scent of soapberry still wafted from the wood stove, carried by the wind throughout the garden. Mom was already waiting for her sister at the water jar. She had never loved this garden so much. For dinner tonight, Mom had already put on the pot of braised fish...!

Short story by Tran Ngoc Duc

Reflection by the bridge

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Where indigo green

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Simple happiness

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Little ivy

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Bac Giang, Garden, wood stove, gas stove, cooking, mother-in-law, status, family, Meal

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