Chapter 4 — General, It's No Time Anymore... My Wife Has Remarried

I burst into tears, cried so much that I let out all the anger and bitterness of the past years. He was a bit flustered, clumsily reaching out his hand to pat my back, but his hand stopped in mid-air. I had enough crying, raised my hand to dry my tears, looked at him, and nodded very seriously. My marriage with Tham Khoat was organized very simply. There are no three books and six rituals. There is no mysterious phoenix gate. Just invite the village chief and a few reputable elders in the village to have a simple meal, then the marriage ceremony will be completed. That day was the first time I saw Tham Khoat smile. He was already tall and strong, his facial features were clear and strong. When he wasn't smiling, he looked a bit fierce, but when he smiled, he carried a kind of warmth that was hard to put into words. He held my hand and said to everyone:

"From now on, A Ly will be my father, Tham Khoat."

His hand was very large, very rough, but extremely warm. I bowed my head, my cheeks were hot, but in my heart I felt an unprecedented sense of peace. The days after becoming a child were as calm as water, but I willingly immersed myself in that calmness. We grow all kinds of green vegetables in the yard, raise a flock of chickens and ducks, and also clear a piece of wasteland behind the house to sow rice. Every day, before it's fully dawn, we wake up. He went to work in the fields, while I stayed home to cook, feed the chickens, and clean the house. He remembered that I liked to eat fish, so he often went down to the river to catch some and bring them back to me. I remember he worked very hard on his shoes, so every needle and thread sewed shoe soles for him. We rarely talk. But with just a look, a small movement, both can understand the other's thoughts. In the spring, we sow seeds together and watch the young shoots sprout from the soil. In the summer, we sat under an old rose tree in the courtyard, he told us interesting stories in the mountains. In the fall, we harvest golden rice together, our faces full of joy from the harvest. In winter, we gathered around the fire, he carved all kinds of small toys for us, and I mended his clothes and washed his clothes. I often think that days like these are really good. So good that it almost made me forget about that person named Hoac Dien, and that painful past that I can't look back on. I used to think that my life would continue to pass peacefully and happily. Until that day, when a team of centaurs appeared, disrupting the entire peace of the village. It also destroyed the peaceful life that we had to use all our strength to rebuild. That day, I was in the field harvesting vegetables, preparing to bring them to town to sell. Tham Khoat carried the hoe and stood next to me, the two of us talking and laughing. The sunlight shone down on his ancient bronze skin, the sweat on his body reflecting the sparkling light. I looked at him and felt extremely at peace. At that moment, there was suddenly a commotion in the village. Immediately afterwards, a team of elite armored cavalry escorted an extremely luxurious carriage, majestically entering our poor and desolate countryside. On the tall, handsome horse leading the way was a figure We can never forget this life. Golden armor, majestic and majestic. It's Hoac Dien. Compared to a year ago when he left, he was more arrogant and more... strange. That face that once made me miss him day and night, is now filled with the arrogance and majesty of someone standing on high. He won the battle and returned. Moreover, looking at the battle like this, he would definitely have been promoted by his family and given the title of marquis and general. My heart suddenly sank at that moment. All the people in the village ran out to watch the excitement, pointed at the luxurious convoy and discussed in low voices.

“Oh my god, which high-ranking official is this?”

"Looking at that flag, it seems to be... General Chinh Bac, Hoac Marquis!"

"Marquis? Why do you come to such a poor place of ours?"

I stood on the edge of the field, holding a handful of green vegetables covered in mud in my hand, my whole body completely stiff. Tham Khoat noticed my strange behavior, immediately put down the pickaxe and stepped forward to block him.