Chapter 5 — It's Never Too Late to Start

A few days later, the matchmakers came back one after another to ask for her mother's advice. They praised the other men without hesitation. They promised that if I passed the Nhat Trung exam, they would help my mother pay for tuition. But my mother still refused. The whole village was in an uproar.
“Those three people all have good conditions, they are more than worthy of her!”
“Are you planning on marrying a man in the city who lives in a house and a car?”
Grandma was even more sarcastic:
“Finding a job with a salary of 500 yuan a month, your face is up to the sky?”
"She doesn't like this, she doesn't like that, she will definitely have to live alone in this life!"
“Look at how little Baby Boi studies.”
"Ranking 250th overall, passing Nhat Trung exam, it's truly a devil appearing!"
On New Year's Eve, my mother and I went to my aunt and uncle's house to have dinner. Uncle and aunt both advised their mother:
“We've learned about that teacher, he's really a good person.”
"He said that the last time he took a bus with me, he liked me as soon as he saw me. He took a long time to find out the address."
“He really wants to marry you.”
“It's not a good idea for you to keep refusing to get married.”
My mother put down the bowl, looked at them, and smiled faintly:
“Why must we get married?”
“I can afford to raise Baby Boi, I can also afford to raise myself.”
“I don't know how free I am alone.”
"I don't need to serve men. In the evening I can read books, study, and even go see outdoor movies."
"I don't want to get married, nor do I want to have more children. Having Baby Boi is enough."
At that time, my mother's eyes were extremely determined, no one could shake her. She is even cooler than the female lead in the TV series. On the second day of Tet, before leaving his house, he pulled me to a corner and secretly stuffed a hundred yuan into my hand.
“Take it and buy whatever you like, don't tell your aunt.”
He looked at me, his voice low:
“Baby Boi, you must study well.”
“In the future, if your mother really doesn't get married, when she's old, you have the responsibility to take care of her, understand?”
I nodded:
“Yes, I understand.”
After Tet, my mother went back to work. She took on additional duties of warehouse management and recording import and export goods. The workshop is small, there is no strict process, one person often does many things. In the past, warehouse managers often made mistakes, but my mother had a good memory, so she took over this job. Colleagues around laughed:
"No salary increase but still so enthusiastic, what are you doing?"
I don't understand either. But my mother whispered to me:
“No salary increase, but I learned many things.”
“I don't want to be a worker all my life, I want to be a manager.”
During that time, she arranged goods and entered data until 1-2 am. Some colleagues in the factory secretly mocked her:
"Why are you working so hard? Do you want to become a boss?"
"There's not much money in the job, just deal with the boss lightly and you'll be fine!"
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But the effect is clearly visible. The warehouse is neater, everything has clear and accurate records and data. Whatever you need to look for, just glance at it and you will see it, and the factory's productivity will also improve significantly. Mr. Cao was very pleased and secretly increased his mother's salary. He also gave her a private room, so mother and daughter no longer needed to live in a prefab house. At that time, my mother was like a bright light. Every time I want to be like my friends, follow my idols, go to a game shop, or surf the web, I think of her. Her starting point was so low. There wasn't anyone to help. But she still didn't stop
rise up. She never gave up. Now, she even buys accounting books to study, saying that "learning more is better than knowing nothing". You try so hard, what right do I have to let myself go? In the summer of 6th grade, my mother "invested heavily" in giving me a special tutor. That is Ms. Tu Tu, a student who just passed the entrance exam to Zhejiang University. She influenced me a lot. She taught me that I should not learn by rote, but find the rules. She taught me that there is a method to learning, you don't have to spend a lot of time to be good at it. Before, I just focused on studying, not knowing what was the main point. Then, the fog in my head lifted. My mother told Mr. Cao about my progress. So, Ms. Tu Tu also tutored Cao Triet Vien. He also improved significantly. Many years later, when social networks and smartphones developed, I accidentally scrolled through a short video and saw Ms. Tu Tu. She became an outstanding teacher at the national level. Turns out, she was born to be a teacher. In 8th grade, my performance improved very quickly. From ranking 250 in the entire grade to ranking 200, then ranking over 100. At the end of 9th grade, I was ranked 85th in the entire grade. Not the best, but compared to enrolling in the 300th class, this is a big step forward. My mother held the scoreboard, tears rolling down:
"Good, very good! As long as you maintain this form, you will definitely pass Nhat Trung!"
“Finally, something to be happy about.”
Yes, at that time, my mother's work was not going well. The bamboo factory is facing the risk of bankruptcy. Bamboo is a renewable material, used as a decorative material and is very environmentally friendly. But in reality, the cost of producing bamboo as a material is higher than that of wood. At that time, industries developed strongly but were disorganized. For consumers, low price is the important criterion, while environmental protection is just a theory. In fact, everything had signs before. Mr. Cao ran many exhibitions and rented many locations to display his products, but the results were not satisfactory. The warehouse is full of raw materials and finished products, but the factory cannot get orders. Workers were fired one after another. My mother, in addition to being a line worker, also worked as a warehouse manager and accountant. Now that the number of personnel in the factory has been significantly reduced, she is also considered a voice. Mr. Cao was in extreme crisis. He even had to mortgage his Santana to pay the factory rent. But that amount is only enough until March next year. If there are still no orders by then, the factory will truly collapse. That year, new rumors arose in the village.
“The bamboo factory has fired so many people, it must be Ngoc Phan's turn!”
"Before, I was picky, but now I'm 35 years old, it's very difficult to find good people!"
…. Grandma was gloating:
"Deserve it! Before, you were arrogant as if you were superior to everyone!"
"Now it's clear, do you know your identity?"
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My mother responded harshly:
"How old are you? I wonder if you'll still live to see your grandchild?"
"It's been almost ten years since Thanh Son remarried, but his city wife's belly still doesn't show anything?"
“Last time I told him to go to the hospital for a check-up, did he go?”
…. Grandma was poked at her weak point and was so angry that she couldn't breathe. During Tet, the TV is on all the time. Mom doesn't watch anything, just likes to listen to noise for fun. I remember very much
Oh, it's the 4th day of Tet. The News shows an international environmental conference, which displays a variety of environmentally friendly materials. Mom was going to the bathroom, when she heard the news, she immediately pulled up her pants and rushed into the living room. She attentively watched the news until the end, then took out her phone to call Mr. Cao.
“Director, let's try to find foreign customers!”
“Foreigners who care about the environment really like this material, they will buy it!”
Before Tet ended, my mother and I returned to the district. Mr. Cao seemed apprehensive:
“Actually, I've thought about it, but I don't know anyone and I don't know English.”
“Besides, what if we fail?”
A year of experiencing one failure after another, made him no longer as confident as before. Mother looked at him, her voice decisive:
“Afraid of what?”
“The factory is like this now, can it get worse?”
"If you try, you still have a chance. If you don't try, you will definitely fail."
“You can rest assured to go abroad to find customers, I will take care of the factory here.”
At that time, it was just the early 2000s. In a small town like this, the number of people who had gone abroad could be counted on one hand. Let alone negotiating business with foreigners. My mother only gave me a direction, but which country to choose, how to find customers, how to communicate, all still had to be taken care of by Mr. Cao. At that time, my mother started learning English. A person who doesn't speak Mandarin fluently yet practices pronouncing "Hello, how are you?". She said:
“You have to prepare gradually, at least you have to know how to say hello.”
One time, my father came to find me and accidentally saw my mother practicing her pronunciation. He sneered:
"Is your mother crazy? Why are you learning this language?"
“Her factory recently cut her salary in half, why hasn't she quit yet?”
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At that time, my mother was so busy that she could hardly breathe. Here, I'm about to take the high school entrance exam, so you have to supervise my studies. On the other side, Mr. Cao went abroad to look for orders. Rumors in the factory said that he had run away. The workers refused to work, and even began to steal goods to bring home. Mom put her hands on her hips and had to reason with them every day. If they can't reason, they curse each other. Before Mr. Cao left, she left some money behind. She weighed and measured every penny, trying to stabilize the workers' psychology and keep them there for as long as possible. I don't understand:
“If they want to take a break, let them take a break, it will save more money.”
Mother scowled:
"What do you know? If Mr. Cao really finds an order, if there are no workers, who will do it?"
I suspect:
“Can he really do it?”
She dismissed:
"It's not something you need to worry about, worry about studying for the exam."
I looked at my mother and asked softly:
“How long are you going to hold out?”
That time, early summer. Recently, my mother used all her speaking skills and begged in every way, finally the landlord agreed to delay the rent for another 3 months. She took a deep breath, then said:
“Wait until you finish high school.”
"If by then there is still no order, it will be considered that I have paid back all the gratitude he gave me in the past for taking care of me and my child."
"I'm not stupid. Being grateful is good, but there must be a limit."
I thought everything was under my mother's control. Until one night, at 2 a.m., I had to go to the bathroom and suddenly saw my mother still sitting in the living room, her hair a mess, her hand holding a pen and calculating expenses. I'm curious:
“What are you doing, Mom?”
She raised her head, her voice lowered:
“Mom is
Calculate how much money is left, how to prolong it a little longer.”
She sighed, her eyes filled with worry:
"I don't know if I can hold out until the director finds an order."
I asked:
“Are you scared, Mom?”
She shrugged and smiled slightly:
“Afraid. But what good is fear?
“Thinking about the future 10,000 times is not as good as focusing on solving the immediate problem.”
At night, she was overwhelmed with anxiety. During the day, she eloquently faced workers and creditors. She firmly declared:
“Everyone can rest assured! Mr. Cao will definitely get the contract!”
After Mr. Cao went abroad, Cao Triet Vien also became his mother's responsibility. Eating, living, studying - she takes care of everything. Before the exam, mother discovered that Cao Triet Vien lied. He said he was going to a study group with his friends, but in reality he was hiding in an internet cafe. Mom was angry, rushed into the game shop, and was captured on the spot. Cao Triet Vien lost face and shouted angrily:
“You are not my mother! What do you rely on to control me?
Mom also shouted back:
“Your mother doesn't need you, leave you behind and leave.”
“You have to try harder, you have to live your life to the fullest.”
“You have to make her regret it so much that she can't sleep!”
“That's just a man!”
“Before leaving, your father asked me to take care of you.”
“So you have control!”
“Go home now!”
Mom grabbed him by the collar and pulled him away. Cao Triet Vien cursed, but in the end obediently followed. Mr. Cao went abroad for several months. Every week, he calls once. But before the high school entrance exam, Mr. Cao had no news for two weeks. In the workshop, there were countless rumors. Some people say he encountered problems abroad. Some people also guessed that he had run away. On the day of the high school exam, my mother took me and Cao Triet Vien to the exam school. She patted Cao Triet Vien's shoulder and said:
"If the factory collapses, if you pass Nhat Trung, that will be the greatest news for your father."
“In the future, your father will have to rely on you.”
She turned to look at me:
“Me too.”
“The money I saved for you to go to college is still intact.”
"Concentrate on the exam, I'm waiting for good news from you."
Cao Triet Vien and I looked at each other. At that moment, I felt like I had truly grown up. So does he. After the high school exam, another group of workers quit their jobs. Everyone said the bamboo factory was about to collapse. During this time, my father and aunt Tieu Phuong argued constantly. He began to seek out his mother more. In the past, Aunt Tieu Phuong opened a music tea room and made a lot of money during her heyday. But in recent years, KTV has become popular, old-style tea rooms have gradually disappeared from the market. My aunt earned less money, and of course her attitude towards my father was also worse. My father vented his anger on my mother:
“You are so stubborn!”
“This is the Cao family's factory, what does it have to do with you?”
“You can still make money if you change to another factory!”
“Now Tieu Phuong and I argue all the time, or we should get a divorce and go back to our hometown to live with you.”
“Bao Boi Boi quit school to work and raise the two of us.”
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Mom didn't say anything, just gave him a kick, along with one word:
“FUCK!”
At this moment, the happiest person is definitely grandmother. Every day she went around the village laughing.
"When I found a job in the district before, I was even more arrogant than some people with payroll."
“What now? The factory is about to go bankrupt!”
“I said, this woman is a comet, wherever she goes is unlucky!”
“Fortunately, the previous matchmakers
If it doesn't work out, if it doesn't, whoever marries the family will have problems."
"Married women should live in peace in the village, don't dream too high!"
Not long after the high school exam, Mrs. Trieu came to my house to tell me the news. She said, the recent heavy rain caused my old house to partially collapse. That day, my uncle had free time, so my mother took me back to the countryside to repair the house. Grandma stood right in the middle of the road, gleefully looking at us.
“Ngoc Phan, you've worked in the district for several years and you still have to return to this old, tattered house?”
“Let's build a new house, shall we?”
“Do you think trying all these years is beneficial? Now empty-handed is still completely empty-handed!”
"Last time Be Boi got 250th place in the exam, this time he kept quiet, he probably failed Nhat Trung."
“The bamboo factory hasn't paid salaries for several months? If you run out of rice, I can lend you some.”
"After all, he is my nephew, we can't let him starve to death!"