Chapter 10 — Between Two Worlds: A Bride Exchanged for a Dumpling

The first rainy season after three years of constant drought has finally come to Bai Tro village, late but no less precious. The drought-resistant seeds that Thua An quietly distributed to the villagers many months ago, in the name of "gifts from the master in the mountains", have now begun to sprout greenly on the once dry, cracked fields. The whole village was excited by a scene that had not been witnessed for a long time: young shoots of rice seedlings reaching out in the moist soil, signaling a crop that could save the whole region from the tightening spiral of famine.

But that joy also came with a sudden stormy night, stronger than any rain that had ever happened in the villagers' memories over the years. The wind howled and the rain poured down all night, threatening to wash away not only the tender sprouts that had just sprouted, but also the warehouse of food and goods that Thua An had worked so hard to accumulate. The thatched roof of the warehouse, although carefully reinforced, still began to show signs of falling apart under the fierce wind.

Thua An woke up in the middle of the night when he heard the ominous creaking sound of the thatched roof, quickly put on his coat and rushed out. Tieu Mien, even though he told her to stay in the house for safety, refused to sit still and immediately ran after him, both hands clutching a tarpaulin to help him shield the corner of the warehouse that was in danger of collapsing.

"Go back inside, it's dangerous out here!" Thua An shouted amidst the howling wind and rain, trying to hold on tightly to the rope tying the thatched roof that was being whipped by the wind.

"No, I can't let you deal with this alone!" Tieu Mien shouted back, her voice equally determined, her hands still holding the tarp tightly despite the rain drenching her body. "This is also my career, I can't just stand by and watch."

Throughout that night, the couple and several members of the labor team struggled through the storm, using every material they could find to reinforce the warehouse roof and move the most perishable bags of food to a safer place. Near morning, when the storm gradually subsided, leaving a gray but quiet sky, the group of people were wet, exhausted but relieved to look at each other - the warehouse had been preserved, only missing a small corner of the thatched roof that could be repaired during the day.

Thua An turned to look at Tieu Mien, her hair was wet, her face was covered in mud but her eyes were still bright and resilient. He reached out and gently brushed a few strands of wet hair from her forehead, a gesture so natural that he didn't even realize he was doing it until his fingers touched her cold skin.

"Thank you," he said softly, his voice containing a deeper appreciation than usual thanks. "Not everyone is willing to rush out into the middle of such a storm just for an inheritance that is not entirely their own."

"Why doesn't it belong to me?" Tieu Mien looked up at him, her tired eyes still shining with determination. "From the day I received that dumpling, my life has been linked to you, to this inheritance. This is no longer just your story, but the story of both of us."

At that moment, under the sky that had just ended the storm, between the smell of damp earth and the cold air left after the rain, Thua An felt something change deeply in his heart. This was no longer simply a husband's gratitude or responsibility towards his wife who was married in difficult circumstances. This was a sincere, deep feeling that had grown silently through the days they had overcome difficulties together, but only tonight did he truly realize it clearly.

A few days later, when everything had stabilized again, Thua An spent a rare evening not busy with work to sit with Tieu Mien under the moonlight of the first month, telling her more about the vague memories he still kept - not to find the past, but simply because he wanted to share with her more completely, not holding back anything as much as possible.

"Sometimes I dream of strange images," he said, his voice thoughtful. "Glossy black asphalt roads, tall buildings that touch the clouds, bright lights all night without the need for fire. I don't know if those are my real memories or just meaningless dreams, but every time I wake up, I feel more relieved when I realize I'm here, next to you."

Tieu Mien listened attentively, didn't ask any more questions that might make him uncomfortable, just gently held his hand. "No matter what those images are, no matter where you come from, I only know that the man sitting next to me right now, the one who gave me half a dumpling in my most desperate time, who defended my honor against slanderers, who built with me everything we have - that is the most important thing to me."

She hesitated for a moment, then continued, her voice quiet but sincere. "I think... I have truly fallen in love with you, Thua An. Not because you saved my life, not because of what you brought to me and Tieu Ha, but because of who you are — steadfast, kind, always putting others before yourself."

That sincere confession made Thua An's heart clench in an indescribable emotion. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling the familiar warmth that had become an indispensable part of his life for many months.

"Me too," he whispered in her ear. "I don't remember clearly who I have loved before, but I know one thing for sure: the feelings I have for you right now, are not because of the gate, not because of any other calculation, but because of you - the woman who agreed to commit her life to a stranger just for a dumpling, and then step by step, proved to me what a true partner is."

That night, under the gentle moonlight, the two sat leaning against each other for a long time, without needing another word. The silence between them now is no longer the distance of strangers when they first met, but the peace of two souls who have truly found each other amid the brokenness of the Great Hunger Year.

The next day, Thua An quietly asked Pham Dinh Nam to help him find a small but meaningful gift - not something too lavish to attract attention, but a wooden comb engraved with the image of a pair of small birds clasping their heads together, sophisticated but simple. He gave it to Tieu Mien one quiet evening, without any elaborate explanation about its origin, simply saying it was a gift from his sincerity.

Tieu Mien held the comb in her hand, admiring each delicately carved line, her eyes shining with simple happiness. This is not a jewel or a lavish wedding gift that a bride usually expects, but for her, in the midst of the difficult days that have passed and the difficult road ahead, that small gift containing her heart is more precious than anything in the world.

"I will keep it forever," she said softly, her voice filled with emotion, her hands caressing each grain of the wood respectfully. "As a reminder that, although our marriage began with a dumpling in dire circumstances, it has become the most precious thing in our lives."

Since then, the way the two addressed each other gradually changed, no longer maintaining the polite distance of the early days. Tieu Mien started calling him "he" naturally, no longer embarrassed, and Thua An also gradually got used to calling her "she" whenever they were alone together, a simple intimacy but filled with affection that they both treasured. The labor team and familiar neighbors also noticed that change, often gently teasing them every time they saw the Ky couple looking at each other with affectionate eyes in the middle of busy work hours, making both of them blush but their hearts were filled with happiness.

The next morning, when visiting the fields with the labor team, Thua An stood silently looking at the green rice fields stretching after the storm, his heart filled with an indescribable feeling of satisfaction. He remembered the first night he almost surrendered to death in the abandoned warehouse, remembered the feeling of extreme despair when he no longer believed that tomorrow would come. Now, standing in the middle of the field of rebirth, next to his wife who has accompanied him through all those hardships, he understands that he is not just building a business or maintaining a mystical gate, but is truly living a meaningful life, with love, and a true home that he never dared to dream of before in this miserable situation.

Tieu Mien walked up to him, put her hand in her husband's arm, and silently watched the green fields with him in the gentle morning sunlight after the rain. No one said another word, but that silence contained so many things that were said last night, so many silent promised for a future that the two of them were building together, day by day, between two worlds whose true existence only Thua An knew.