Chapter 4 — It's Never Too Late to Start

At that time, I was young and already had low self-esteem. My face felt like it was on fire, I quickly denied:
“This is my shirt, it's mine!”
From that day on, I only liked wearing uniforms. I also never take off my coat at school. There were many times when I wanted to ask my mother to buy me a nice new set of clothes. But every time I see her busy working, the back of her shirt drenched in sweat, I can't open my mouth. How to fill this hole of inferiority? It can only be studying. At school age, people judge you by your grades, not your clothes. My mother became more and more proficient at working at the bamboo factory. She can choose the best quality bamboo sticks that can withstand high overtime intensity. She can also keep detailed records of incoming and outgoing warehouses, and rearrange messy materials into a neat system. She became more and more confident and smiled more than before. When she works, she looks like she's shining. In the evening, when I did my homework, she also sat next to me and read specialized books. Now, she reads books without looking up in the dictionary. Once upon a time, my mother was just an ordinary rice plant in the countryside. But coming to this place, she became a brilliant flower. I thought, if I can achieve good results, I can be like my mother and stand out from the crowd. But learning is not something that happens in a day or two. In the final exam, I ranked 250th in the entire grade.
18
Mom received the scorecard, looked at it for a long time, then smiled:
"In one semester, I can get 50 places. If I keep up this pace, I will definitely get into Nhat Trung school!"
I'm surprised:
“Mom, don't you scold me?”
She patted my head with a rare gentle voice:
“I'm not lazy, why are you scolding me?”
“Mom also worked hard for half a year, but still couldn't become the fastest worker in the factory.”
"Before, my mother was uneducated and didn't understand that in this world, just trying is not enough."
Under the white light, her face clearly showed its hard lines.
“When I was in the countryside, life was so miserable, my mother only knew how to force me to study so that one day I could leave that place.”
“I want you to pass, so I can slap your grandmother and father in the face.”
"But actually, it's your fault that you don't live well. You should try yourself, instead of placing all your hope on your child."
“Do you remember the time you went to perform in the district?”
“Other parents are talking about giving their children extra classes and buying reference books.
“What about mom? Besides beating and scolding your child, do you do anything to help your child study better?
Her voice choked:
“It was my mother who was wrong.
“I only have one child, but no one has taught me how to be a mother before…”
I hugged her, smiled and said:
“Mom is a self-taught mom, this mom got 100 points!”
She laughed, quickly wiping the corners of her eyes:
“Who taught you to be so soft-spoken?”
At that time, there was a noise outside the door. I stood up and opened the door, seeing Cao Triet Vien holding a styrofoam food box. He gave me:
"My dad ate at the hotel, packed some food. I asked you and your mother if you want it?"
“If you want, thank you!”
I received the lunch box, and he softly asked:
“Your mother… always treats you this well?”
“Um.”
Cao Triet Vien curled his lips and smiled faintly:
“It's as if everyone's mother is good, only mine is no good.”
“In eight years, she has never contacted me once.”
“Sometimes I forget I once had this child.”
It's cold, every word he says turns cold
Each cluster is slightly white. I don't know how to comfort her. At this moment, mother poked her head out from behind and said:
“Tieu Vien, I'll cook some sticky rice wine with floating rice cake, eat a bowl and then go home and study.”
After eating, he got up and went home. Mother advised:
"In the future, if you're hungry at night, come over to my house. Don't go out to buy snacks. It's not good for your health."
"Yes!"
Since then, every time my mother cooks late at night, she cooks a portion left over. At first, Cao Triet Vien was a bit shy, but after a few times, he started ordering directly:
“Auntie Kim, do you have wontons tonight?”
After the 10-day supplementary school term, Tet is very close. In the countryside, Tet is an important occasion, the atmosphere is bustling from early on. Just by December, the workers' minds were gone. On the 20th, Mr. Cao could no longer hold back and waved his hand to give all workers a Tet holiday. Even if you work in the district, you still have to go home during Tet. My mother and I went to the market to shop for Tet items. Mom bought me a new set of clothes, and she chose a red jacket for herself. She stood in front of the mirror and turned around, a bit shy:
“Is it appropriate to wear red at this age?”
19
"Suitable, Mom, the dress is very beautiful! Buy it!"
After bargaining for a while, she finally bought it for 75 yuan. On the way home, mother suddenly said:
“When I married your father, I wanted to buy a red coat as my wedding dress.”
“But your father told you to save money for the wedding, not to waste it.”
“After getting married, he said he had to save money to build a house.”
“After you have children, you will have to save even more.”
She gently stroked the fabric of her coat and smiled:
“So, relying on men is not as good as relying on yourself.”
“Whatever I want, I will make my own money to buy it!”
Back home, everyone complimented my mother on her beauty. It's not flattery. Previously, when she plowed and worked in the fields, her skin was burned black. But after half a year of working in the factory, no longer exposed to the sun, my skin gradually became white again. In addition, she always keeps her figure and is in a happy mood, so she looks even more youthful and radiant. My father also returned to the village. When he saw his mother, he was stunned, his eyes glued to her.
“Ngoc Phan, this shirt looks nice.”
As soon as grandmother heard his voice, she immediately came out. As soon as she saw her mother, her eyes were stinging with jealousy.
"When I'm old, I still wear red and blue. Anyone who doesn't know will still think she's a street girl!"
Mother smiled faintly:
“I'm beautiful, I have money, I buy things to beautify myself.”
"Unlike some people, their legs are bowed, their stomachs are as bloated as a water barrel, their hair is as stringy as straw, even wearing nice clothes can't save them."
Angry grandmother:
“Who are you talking about?”
Mom raised her eyebrows:
"Whoever gets hot, I'll tell that person."
That evening, many people came to the house. Everyone was curious and asked about life in the district, the work in the bamboo factory, and asked if the factory was still recruiting people. Mom was calm, confident, and told everything. When talking about difficulties at work, people frown and worry. When talking about their own progress, everyone nods in approval. When telling interesting stories in the workshop, the whole room was filled with laughter. My father sat in the corner, his eyes showing surprise and fascination. The 100W light bulb illuminates mother's bright, confident smile. Also illuminates Dad's thinning head and beer belly. Late at night, the guests left one by one. He hovered at the door, his tone ambiguous:
"Ngoc Phan, you've been in the district for half a year now, why didn't you come find me?"
My mother swung her hand and pushed him hard, causing him to stumble
Stumbling down the steps, smirking:
"What are you looking for? I abandoned a dog, do you still want to come back and pick it up?"
My father was furious:
"This woman, her mouth is still so poisonous, no wonder no one wants to marry her!"
This time he was wrong. The next day, several matchmakers came to the house. The people introduced all have quite good conditions. One is a middle school teacher in the upper town, divorced three years ago, and his daughter lives with his ex-wife. A man with a small winery, his wife died two years ago, and a son, was willing to accept me. Another person drives an excavator and his income is not bad. Many people in the village advised my mother:
“Pick someone who is okay and marry him.”
"There's still time to try to give birth to another child. In two years, no one really wants it."
“That's right, women should still find men to rely on!”
My father suddenly became frantic.
“That teacher is as skinny as a stick, the winemaker beats his wife after drinking it, and the excavator driver is ten years older than you!”
“No one fits!”
20
My mother raised her chin and glanced at him:
“So who is suitable?”
“Are you suitable?”
“Are you planning to leave Tieu Phuong in the city and come back to ask me to marry you?”
My father pursed his lips, boldly reaching out to hold my mother's hand:
“For six years, that girl hasn't given birth to any children.”
“As long as you give me a son, I will immediately remarry you!”
My mother laughed out of anger. She waved her hand and gave him a heavy slap:
“Vuong Thanh, look in the mirror and then talk.”
"Do you have money? Are you beautiful? Are you healthy?"
“You still force me to get pregnant with a son before remarrying?”
"People are willing to spend 5,000 yuan in bride price, but what do you have besides a rotten mouth?"
She smiled coldly, her tone sarcastic:
“Before, you always blamed me for not being able to give birth to a son.”
"Now that I've changed my wife, nothing has changed."
"Don't you think, is it possible that nature doesn't want your family to reproduce anymore?"
My father was scolded until his face turned red and he argued bluntly:
“No way, Baby Boi is clearly my biological daughter!”
“It's absolutely not my fault!”
"There are many people who can give birth at first, but then can't give birth anymore. You should try going to the doctor and see."
Having finished speaking, he angrily left.