Chapter 10 — First Love In Ngo Dong Village

10"Nonsense! Dad understands, but others aren't sure. How can this An Chi Vien daughter make people laugh at her!" - He was out of habit and then lowered his voice - "... I also want to hide it for as long as possible, let you be free for a few more years." I couldn't hold back anymore, I jumped into his arms. The smell of disinfectant mixed with the familiar smell of cigarettes. This was the first time in nine years that I hugged him. "Dad, I will stay and help you." - I buried my face in his shoulder - "But about the company, dad has to teach slowly, I'm only good at handling kids..." His body paused, then hugged me tightly, his beard rubbing against my forehead made me feel pain: "Bad girl... finally knows what to do..." We kept hugging each other quietly, until the nurse came to change the medicine. My father boasted to the nurse: "Look at my daughter! Isn't she beautiful? Just a little dark..." That night I decided to stay at the hospital to take care of my father. While he was sleeping, I gently covered the blanket and discovered that there was a photo frame under the pillow - a photo of a family of three, the edges of the photo were worn white. Moonlight filtered through the curtains, illuminating his peaceful face. I suddenly realized that his smile was very similar to mine. The phone vibrates, it's a text message from Bo Jinyan: "How is Uncle An today?" I asked him: "Why didn't you tell me he was sick?" The opposite side was "entering..." for a long time, and finally only sent one sentence: "At that time I was in the mountains, the signal was weak." I stared at that line, in my mind the image of Bo Can Ngon squatting in the mud helping the children push the cart. He is like my father, he can clearly tell the truth, but he chooses to silently protect my freedom. The responsibility I should have shouldered, he shouldered it for me first. My eyes stopped on my father's face, I smiled: "Dad, there is someone who loves me like you do." Outside, Kim Minh Thi's night lights were as bright as stars. I suddenly felt that perhaps some relationships were destined from the beginning to never end. I started practicing handling company work. Initially clumsy, fumbling, constantly making mistakes. Fortunately, my father taught patiently, and Bo Jinyan also taught. Before I was your teacher, now the roles are reversed, you are my teacher again. Having just finished handling a task, I happily invited him to eat a meal. "Thank you very much, Mr. Bo." Bo Can Ngon froze, then bowed his head and smiled. He said: "A few days ago I went to Ngo Dong village." I stopped, a little surprised and looked up at him. Bo Jinyan: "The children have a message for me to send to you." He took out his phone and gave it to me. Inside is a very long video. Familiar faces appeared one after another, I looked dumbfounded. The video started playing, the first person to appear was the naughtiest boy in the class. He grinned at the camera, revealing a smile missing a front tooth: "Teacher Thinh An, we miss you so much!" Next was the best girl in the class, her face red, and she said softly: "Teacher, this time I ranked first in the class in the Math exam..." One by one, familiar faces appeared on the screen. Some were in the classroom, some were in the school yard, some even climbed up the old eucalyptus tree. Behind each person is the typical scene of Ngo Dong village - a mottled earth wall, green rice fields, and in the distance, a series of green mountains. "Don't worry about us, the new teachers are also very good!" "We exercise diligently in the morning every day!" "Teacher, I have learned to write your name!" My finger unconsciously swiped on the screen, as if I could touch those lovely faces. Until the last child - class president Tieu Vu appeared in the frame. The girl was obedient, the most understanding girl in the class, her eyes were red but she still tried to smile: "Teacher, we all hope you are happy. Ngo Dong village is too small, you should go to a bigger place." The video ended, the screen went dark. Only then did I realize my eyes were gone

blurred. “Are the children… okay?” – My voice was a bit choked. Bo Can Ngon nodded slightly: "It's okay. The new volunteer teachers are sponsored by Ngan Trieu's charity fund, very responsible." He paused for a moment: "The children asked me to tell you again, that they are proud of you." I took a deep breath, handed the phone back to him: "Thank you, Bo Jinyan." "No need to thank me." – His eyes were gentle but focused – “An Sinh, I'm very happy to be able to do something for you.” My heart skipped a beat. Over the past time, Bo Jinyan has really fulfilled his promise - every day he sends morning and evening greetings, cares enough, brings late-night snacks when I work extra, and even reveals his gentle eyes unintentionally. "I..." I moved my lips but didn't know what to say. At this moment, Bo Jinyan's phone rang.