(NB&CL) It was a season of yellow chrysanthemums that evoked nostalgia, even though in my life I have gone through countless chrysanthemum seasons.
In spring, almost every street corner in every city in the country people sell chrysanthemums. The proud yellow color of chrysanthemums brightens every street, as if it were an invitation to love. In spring, there is only reunion but no separation, only meetings but no farewells. Hoi An that year was also a yellow color of chrysanthemums. That year's chrysanthemum season became a flower season that I will never forget in my life.
That's me, at the end of the year, everyone is rushing to return home, but I'm on the road to somewhere, as if I want to enjoy a completely different feeling from the one I'm familiar with. So I was in Hoi An on a busy day at the end of the year. Why Hoi An and not another place? Because Hoi An is almost a familiar place to me, I've been there so many times but still feel like I haven't explored it all even though the old town is small, with only a few streets to walk on, just enough to tire my legs.
I visited Hoi An on sunny days, when innocent golden threads fell on the hundred-year-old roofs, turning them into a gray color. I also visited Hoi An on rainy days, and was stunned to see the same roofs covered in green moss, and suddenly blooming white moss flowers. And sometimes I visited Hoi An on happy days, to see the cheerful lantern clusters, or on sad days, to hear the rain falling softly on the ancient roofs.
In spring, Hoi An is decorated with many lanterns, a very special kind of lantern here, those lanterns give Hoi An a beauty that cannot be found anywhere else. And now, Hoi An has many chrysanthemums, many yellow chrysanthemums are displayed, along the Thu Bon River, on the walking path across the river.
I told myself I couldn’t meet anyone I knew at this time, because everyone would be very busy at the end of the year, with so many things to worry about. As for me, I had nothing to worry about except carrying a backpack, stuffing in it a few sets of clothes, a laptop and a camera. I was used to wandering the streets of strange cities, watching the bustling streets welcoming Tet, watching people smiling happily. And especially I really liked going to Tet markets. Tet markets can be said to be a rare feature in Vietnam that cannot be found anywhere else.
The Tet market in Hoi An is the same, also crowded with vendors and passersby. Of course, the flower market is displayed everywhere, the whole street has too many chrysanthemums, yellow flowers covering a corner of the sky. I jostle with that hustle and bustle, enjoy the joy, and tell myself that on the first day of the year, I will probably rent a boat, cross the river, go to Cam Kim to see how the people live there? I heard that Cam Kim people are very hospitable, just need to stop by a few houses to eat enough cakes and jams, add banh chung and banh tet and have the ability to get drunk because of the hospitality of the people here.
Then in that yellow chrysanthemum, I heard a call, a soft call, maybe from someone in the bustling and laughing crowd. “Anh Tien”. That was my name. And before I could react, a hug came from behind, a very familiar hug. Even the scent was very familiar. Hoai, and no one else: “Did you find me?”. Actually, I was also missing her and planning to go to Da Nang to find her.
The story goes that I visited Da Nang several times, but only in groups. Da Nang has a very beautiful love bridge located on the bank of the Han River. I went there when I first arrived in Da Nang when night had fallen, trying to take a few photos. At night, there were a lot of people, there were couples who kissed innocently and took selfies with their phones, they were so happy. There were also many girls and boys who went alone. Da Nang's love bridge at night is brilliant with lanterns forming hearts, and in the distance you can see the Dragon Bridge. The Dragon Bridge sprays water and fire at 9pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Unfortunately, I arrived at the wrong time, so I didn't see the Dragon Bridge spray fire and water.
I took a lot of pictures that day. In particular, there was a girl who was alone, had beautiful long hair, and was also wearing a white silk shirt. She may have been with her friends, but then separated to take pictures. I used the telephoto to take a lot of pictures of her, then she got lost in the crowd in my Da Nang night.
A long time later, I opened the photo I took at the Da Nang Love Bridge that day, and was surprised to see Hoai's beautiful photos (of course I only knew her name later)... I posted it on Facebook innocently. I was surprised when Hoai appeared with the comment: "Thank you, the photo is very beautiful" . And from then on, Hoai and I became friends on Facebook. And that was it, even though I promised Hoai that when I visited Da Nang again, I would go find her. But thinking back in the crowd of social networks, it seems that people are in a hurry to find each other, and then one morning or evening, when scrolling through the pages of friends they connected with, they suddenly delete them, as if deleting a day that had passed.
I really went to Da Nang, for no other reason than to find Hoai. Thinking back, I was really a romantic, because I only took a few photos and only met her on Facebook and then went looking for her. Sometimes, I might be rejected on a date because she already had a guy by her side.
It was a rainy day like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl were on a date that had been interrupted in July. Hoai was still there, the girl from Da Nang was there. Hoai and I went to Ba Na. Going to Ba Na was just an excuse to be close to each other, not to be curious about visiting European houses. At that time, Da Nang did not have the Golden Bridge, and everyone who went to Ba Na went there to take pictures. Ba Na was too high, so we both put on raincoats and sat in a cafe watching people. Hoai asked: "Are you cold?". I did not answer, hugged Hoai. Holding that rain-soaked dress to my chest, thanking the heavens for letting me meet a girl from Da Nang.
I asked Hoai: “I thought I lost you. I texted you on Facebook but you didn’t reply, and I don’t have your phone number.” Hoai laughed: “How could I have lost you?”
The two of us lined up at Phuong Bread to buy the best bread in Hoi An. Buying bread was like buying tickets to watch a football match, but I was happy to be able to squeeze in with her. Hoai and I got on the motorbike she had taken from Da Nang to Hoi An. Hoai said it was not by chance that we met, because she had located me and was determined to celebrate Tet with me. The two of us went to Tra Que to see the Tet flowers. The vegetable village, which had gone from being green, was now covered in the yellow of chrysanthemums. That yellow of chrysanthemums shone on her face, and I was fascinated by her beautiful face.
Amidst the yellow chrysanthemums in Tra Que vegetable village, the two of us parked our motorbikes, sat down to eat bread and waited for Tet in the yellow flowers, our hearts fluttering. Hoai innocently shouted out loud into the air: “Oh my God, I love him”. I didn’t shout out loud in the yellow chrysanthemums like Hoai, but I knew I loved Hoai as much as I loved Hoi An.
Khue Viet Truong
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/vang-mau-hoa-cuc-post331238.html
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