Chapter 5 — After Taking Mother Away, We Changed Our Lives

There was fire burning in my eyes. That fire is also reflected in the bottom of her mother's eyes. She looked at me... Looked at the daughter she gave birth to but had never been treated kindly by anyone. Looking at the daughter who pulled her out of a desperate situation with her own hands. Her eyes slowly became hesitant... Gradually became determined. She pushed all the money towards me.

“I believe in you.”

“Everyone listen to me.”

At that moment, I felt the burden on my shoulders was a thousand pounds heavier... But in my heart, I felt an unprecedented spirit. The mother and daughter started a new round of wandering. This time, what we were looking for was no longer a shelter. It's the boat carrying my dream. The rental price in Dung Thanh for us is like a sky-high number. Busy commercial streets... We didn't even have the courage to ask the price. So we can only continue to go deeper into the old, distant alleys. Our goal is the type of house "front is for business, behind is a workshop". In front is a small shop. The back is used as a processing and storage area. You can still live upstairs. Although the conditions are a bit poor... But at least the costs can be reduced to a minimum. We searched for half a month. The soles of my feet blistered to the point of bleeding. The throat is also hoarse. Just when we were at our lowest point, we finally found a suitable place on the edge of a village in another larger town. It is a ground floor apartment close to the street. Pulling up the rolling door reveals a space of about twenty square meters, just enough for a sales front. The back connects to a small yard. In the yard there are two small rooms, one also has its own kitchen and chimney. Upstairs there is also a small attic big enough for a bed. It truly feels like it was prepared specifically for mother and child. The homeowner is an elderly uncle who speaks with a local accent that we don't understand much of. After a while of guessing and gesticulating, we finally understood the rental price. 1,500 yuan a month. Deposit one, pay three months. A total of 6,000 yuan must be paid immediately. Almost all the money we had. I looked over at my mother. Her face turned a little pale. I clenched my teeth. Sign the contract. When it came time to hold the heavy chain of keys in my hand... I felt like I had just signed a military order. There's no way back anymore. That same day, we moved out of that dark little room. The entire fortune is only two backpacks, a handcart and a few pots and pans used to cook soy sauce. Standing in that empty "new house" with a faint musty smell, the mother and daughter's hearts brightened like never before. I pulled up the rusty rolling door. The afternoon sunlight immediately shone in, spreading a bright yellow patch on the floor. I turned to tell my mother:

"Look mom, there's light here."

The corners of his eyes sparkled with tears.

“Yes… Nguyet Nguyet, there is finally light.”

The first thing we did was not make a place to sleep. It's about cleaning up the room with the kitchen behind it. Walls, floors, kitchen counters... We clean every corner with a brush and detergent. I even bought white paint to repaint the black smoke-stained walls myself. Looking at the "kitchen" that was so bright, I felt like I saw countless jars of That Ly Huong chili sauce coming from this place... Then going into every corner of the city. At night, my mother and I squeezed into the small bed above attic. Below, occasionally, a car passes by, lights gliding across the ceiling. This place is much noisier than the old room. But my mother slept especially peacefully. I clearly heard her steady breathing. She is no longer afraid. Because we finally have our own roots. Although that root is still very weak at present. But it has really sunk deep into this strange land. After the new workshop was stabilized, our work finally got back on track. The first thing I did was quit my job at the restaurant. When I submitted my resignation letter, my boss was still shocked.

“Tieu Ly, have you thought carefully?”

"You work here very well. The salary is not high but it is stable."

“Selling chili sauce… can you really support yourself?”

I nodded seriously.

“Boss, thank you for taking care of me all this time.”

“But I want to try it once.”

He looked at my steadfast eyes and finally gave no more advice. Just sighed and paid me all my salary.

“It's a good thing for young people to have the will to progress.”

"In the future, if you can't stand it anymore, just come back. There's still a place for you here."

My heart suddenly warmed. I bowed deeply to thank him. The moment I stepped out of the restaurant, I felt the sky was much bluer. I'm free. Finally, I can devote all my energy to my own work. My mother and I divide the work very clearly. Mom is in charge of the core technique, which is cooking chili sauce. And I am in charge of importing goods, packaging, sales and all foreign affairs. We even named our small workshop:

“Mother and Son That Ly Huong.”

I used red paint to neatly write those five words on the rolling door. The crooked writing is not beautiful at all. But in my eyes, it's brighter than any neon sign on the street. Having her own production space, mother's skills can finally be maximized. She no longer has to be reserved and constrained.