Chapter 6 — I Bring My Grandparents to Celebrate Tet

Nanshan Temple is located south of Sanya. We took a taxi, which took about forty minutes. During the journey, grandmother was very quiet, just looking out the window. When the motorbike taxi rounded a corner, the sea in the distance suddenly appeared. The sunlight reflects on the water, so bright it's blinding.

“It's beautiful.”

Grandma said softly. Grandfather said "yes". Arriving at the temple gate, the grandmother stomped her feet to let the sand fall on her shoes, adjusted her collar before entering. She walked very slowly. Every time I pass by a Buddha statue, I stop and look for a moment. Arriving at the main hall, she took her purse and bought three sticks of incense, lit them, then stood in front of the incense burner and closed her eyes. Her lips moved slightly. I couldn't hear clearly what she was praying for. Grandfather stood next to him, also holding three incense sticks but did not burn them immediately. He waited for his grandmother to finish praying before lighting a match. The time he stood in front of the incense burner was shorter than hers. After placing the incense, he brushed the ashes from his hands and walked next to me.

“Your grandmother was crying just now.”

“I'm not crying.”

Grandma came from behind, using the back of her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes.

“It's just the smoke.”

Grandfather did not expose her. It was almost noon when we left the temple. We found a noodle shop nearby and sat down. While eating, grandmother suddenly asked:

“Tieu Niem, you work in Hangzhou, how much do you earn each month?”

“That's enough.”

“How much is enough to spend?”

“Seven or eight thousand.”

That was the salary when I first started working. Grandma nodded and continued asking:

“How much is the rent?”

“Two thousand.”

“So how much is left over?”

Grandma said softly.

“That's enough, ma'am.”

“This trip must cost a lot of money, right?”

“Not much.”

Grandma looked at me and didn't ask any more questions. But she drank all the last sip of water in the bowl of noodles, not leaving any leftovers. I know she's running out of money. It's not your money. It's a waste of my money. After eating, I walked out of the restaurant and my phone rang. Not a family member. This is Lam Kha, a colleague in the same group in the design institute.

“To Niem, are you really not coming back this Tet?”

“Um, I'm going to Sanya.”

“Do you know what happened to the company?”

“What?”

"Mr. Tran just accepted a shopping center project and assigned you to be in charge. But you haven't been present these past few days, so Trieu Uyen Tinh..."

I stopped.

“What happened to Trieu Uyen Tinh?”

Lam Kha was silent for two seconds.

“She called the company.”

"Tell her she's your sister, tell her you're not here for Tet, tell the company to give the project to someone else to avoid affecting the progress."

I stood dumbfounded on the side of the road. The Sanya sun is so intense that the asphalt surface feels like it's about to melt.

“When did she call?”

"Yesterday afternoon. The receptionist received the call and passed it to Mr. Tran. He didn't say much, but this morning at the meeting he mentioned a question, asking what day you'd come back."

“I'll be back on the fifth day.”

“Okay, I'll tell Mr. Tran again.”

After hanging up, I stood still and slowly put the phone in my pocket. Trieu Uyen Tinh called my company. Where did she get the company number? I think two seconds is enough to understand. My CV is still hanging on an industry recruitment page, with the company name and contact information above. She used the identity of "older sister" to call. Want the company to transfer my project to someone else. This is, to put it mildly, meddling in other people's affairs. To say it more seriously... is touching my rice bowl. Grandma came over and patted my arm.

“Let's go, what are you doing standing in the sun?”

“Grandma, you and grandpa Let's go back to the hotel first, I'll make a call."

She looked at me and then called her grandfather to go first. I stopped and opened Trieu Uyen Tinh's WeChat. Type a few words. Then delete it all again. This debt, wait until it comes back and then calculate it. On the morning of New Year's Eve, my grandmother woke up very early. She sat by the bed, took the seashells she picked up at the beach the day before, placed them on the bedside table, and took a long time before choosing the most beautiful ones and putting them in a small cloth bag.

“Bring a few home for my eldest aunt and second aunt each.”

She chose and spoke. Grandpa stood on the balcony brushing his teeth, his mouth was full of foam so he couldn't hear anything clearly.

“What did you say?”

Grandma turned to the balcony and asked. Grandfather spit out mouthwash and replied:

“I said I'll leave you two more of yours.”

“He doesn't like these things.”

“Do you leave it or not?”

“…Then leave two.”

I sat on the chair and looked at the two people. Today is New Year's Eve. Years ago, I was either sitting on the sofa in my father's living room, in front of me was a tray of rice that I couldn't help but the sound of my stepmother and her family chirping and chatting. Or stay alone in a rented room in Hangzhou, cook a bowl of noodles, turn on the TV and listen to Gala Xuan in the background. This year is different. In the morning, I took my grandmother to the shopping center near the hotel, wanting to buy her a new outfit.

"It's Tet, you have to wear new clothes."

“You have something to wear.”