Behind the stream of cars excitedly returning to the city to study and work after Tet is an indescribable silence in front of the porch, where fathers and mothers have just seen their children off.
The happier the family is during Tet, the sadder it is when the children return to the city - Photo: NVCC
After days of family reunion during Tet, the question that makes many children working or studying far away the most emotional is still: "When will you leave?".
When do you go?
That question was asked by Phuong Thao's mother (26 years old, living in Ben Tre) on the night of the 3rd day of Tet. She said she was lying next to her mother on the night of the 3rd day with tears in her eyes.
Ms. Thao is working at a media company in Ho Chi Minh City. The company opened on the 6th day of Tet, so on the morning of the 5th day, she left for the city.
So that night, my mother sat down and folded each set of clothes for me, gathered all the banh tet, fruit, braised meat, etc., then wrapped them up neatly and hung them on the car for Ms. Thao.
“Sitting with my mother packing clothes, I couldn’t hold back my tears. I only get to go home about three times a year, and every time I leave, I dread the most. Mother and daughter were always so attached, which made me even more reluctant to leave,” Thao said.
This Tet is the same, Ms. Thao's mother stood in front of the porch, carefully reminding her daughter to see if she had forgotten anything, while the corners of her eyes were already red.
“Every time I go, my mother cries. She cried from the moment I tied my things onto the car and prepared to leave,” Ms. Thao choked up.
And Thao also cried, but tried to prepare quickly to run away for fear of not being able to hold back her tears.
Every time she returns to the city to work, Thao feels reluctant to leave - Photo: NVCC
“I was afraid that my mother would be sadder if she saw me crying, so I always turned my face away and wore glasses so she wouldn’t see. I tried to leave as quickly as possible so that my mother wouldn’t miss me. Honestly, no one who works far from home like me could hold back their emotions at that time,” Thao shared.
Arriving in Ho Chi Minh City, Thao spent the whole day packing the things her mother had packed: meat, cakes, fruits, soft drinks, pickled onions, and a box of bird's nest given as a Tet gift.
“My mother also gave me 1 million dong as a lucky money. She said we have money at home, so just bring it up and use it when needed,” Thao said tearfully.
You go, the house is sad
As for Mr. Bui Xuan Phuoc (34 years old, living in Binh Phuoc), when he and his wife just got home on the 27th of Tet, his mother asked: "How many days will you be home?"
Mr. Phuoc's wife is from Bac Lieu, the whole family is doing business in Ho Chi Minh City, every Tet, he and his wife return to his maternal and paternal hometowns once.
“This year it’s my turn to go back to my father’s family. I’m the only son in the family. We have a field, so if the children don’t come back, my parents will just go out there and work alone. I feel so sorry for them!”, Phuoc shared.
Parents are always the saddest people on the days they send their children off to work far away - Photo: AN VI
Only during Tet, when Phuoc's family returns, is his parents' house truly bustling.
It was the laughter of his grandson who had just started second grade, Mr. Phuoc was busy repainting the walls, his wife was cleaning for Tet, and his parents were cooking.
And when Mr. Phuoc's family returned to Ho Chi Minh City to work, his parents' house seemed even sadder.
Phuoc and his wife set off on the morning of the 6th. His parents prepared all kinds of food from the countryside for their children to bring to the city.
Mr. Phuoc's family returned to Ho Chi Minh City on the morning of the 6th - Photo: AN VI
The house, nestled inside a busy highway, became strangely quiet. His mother came out to pet her grandson, told her son to drive carefully, then went to the porch to look out.
His father did not see him off, he sat inside watching TV but every now and then turned his head to look.
When Phuoc's family had left, his father came out to look after them, then closed the door, took the camera and went to the field to blow the cashew leaves to prepare for the new season.
Inside the kitchen, his mother quietly prepared lunch without her son's family.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/sau-nhung-ngay-ve-que-an-tet-co-mot-cau-hoi-cua-cha-me-lam-nhieu-nguoi-con-ua-nuoc-mat-20250203123945212.htm
Comment (0)