Chapter 5 — Ten Years Waiting for a Taste

I listened and sat down.

“Today scared you, didn't it?”

“No, sir.”

“She... Van Lam, her personality is just like that.”

I tried to explain.

“In pursuit of perfection, it's a bit... too clean.”

I said nothing.

“Actually, she's not a bad person.”

When he said this, it seemed like he didn't believe it himself. He smiled bitterly.

“When I met her, I had nothing.”

“Just moved from the countryside to the city to start a business.”

“It was her father who saw me and thought I was a person with potential.”

“Then we came together.”

“She led me into a whole new world.”

“Teach me how to wear a suit, enjoy wine and play golf.”

“I thought that was the life I wanted.”

“I risk my life to make money, wanting to give her and Tieu Tiep the best.”

“I think we just need to throw away all the past that we consider poor, incompetent and homely.”

“We will be able to live a perfect life like on TV.”

He picked up the photo frame. Fingers gently caressed the face of the woman in the photo.

“But I forgot.”

“My mother's scent was originally an earthy scent.”

“She has never worn a decent set of clothes in her entire life.”

“Never used skin care cosmetics.”

“Her hands are always rough.”

“Full of mud and cracks.”

He stopped. Choked voice.

“The year I took the university entrance exam, there was a flood in the village.”

“To save the crops in the field, she soaked herself in muddy water for three days and three nights.”

“Then she fell ill.”

“The day I received my admission notice, she was the happiest person.”

“She searched the bottom of the cupboard, took out the white flour and some scraps of meat that she had saved for a long time.”

“Then go to the field and dig up the biggest and youngest chopped coriander plants.”

“She told me, son, you are the first college student in our family, you must eat a delicious meal.”

“That day, she wrapped three hundred dumplings.”

“She said that number symbolizes longevity.”

“She just sat and watched me eat. She couldn't bear to eat any of it herself.”

“She said just smelling the fragrance would make you feel full.”

I silently listened. Tears blurred my vision.

“The night before I left for school.”

“She also packed dumplings with sliced vegetables for me.”

“She wrapped each cooked dumpling in cloth, filling my suitcase.”

“She said, son, if you miss home when you go to school, take one out and eat one.”

“But I criticize.”

Mr. Co's voice was filled with regret.

“I feel like it's rustic.”

“Feeling embarrassed.”

“I'm afraid my classmates will laugh at me.”

“As soon as I got on the train, I threw that package of dumplings onto the platform.”

At this point, I can't continue anymore. A grown man, in his office in the middle of the night, cried like a child. I gave him a tissue. I don't accept it.

“I didn't expect it.”

“That was the last dumpling meal she packed for me.”

“It was also the last time I saw her.”

“The first winter I attended college, she passed away.”

“Lung disease. Her body can't take it anymore.”

“From then on, I never ate dumplings with Thai vegetables.”

“It's not that I don't want to eat.”

"But I don't dare to eat it."

“I'm afraid I'll remember.”

“I'm afraid of remembering her disappointed eyes when I threw away the dumpling package.”

“It's been ten years, Ms. Truong.”

“Ten years.”

“Yesterday, when I ate dumplings, you packed them.”

“That's it That taste.”

“Exactly the same.”

"That's when I realized, it wasn't me who had forgotten."

“It's that I've been lying to myself all this time.”

He raised his head, his red eyes looking at me.

“Miss Truong.”

“Thank you.”

"I'm sorry too."

“For telling me these stories.”

I shook my head.

“Don't say that.”

“Hearing you share these stories is also my blessing.”

I look at the man who is always extremely successful on the outside, but right now he is pitifully weak. I finally understand. What does that bowl of dumplings mean to you?

07

The next day at noon, Van Lam returned. It wasn't Mr. Co who picked him up. But she drove home herself. She looked like nothing had ever happened. Exquisite makeup on the face. In his hand he held a newly purchased bag. Seeing me, she still gave orders as usual.

“Miss Truong, change the bed sheets in my room.”

“Using the new Egyptian cotton set that arrived yesterday.”

“Yes.”

I replied once. She added again:

"Tieu Tiep's lunch still follows the nutritionist's menu."

“Yesterday he didn't eat enough, today he has to make up for it.”

“Also, after every meal, you must immediately clean up the trash in the kitchen.”

“I don't want to see things that shouldn't be in this house.”

She said meaningfully. I understand.

"Things that shouldn't appear" in her words are Thai vegetable dumplings.

From that day. Van Lam began to "test" me. She no longer just gives instructions about work before going out. But you can suddenly come down from upstairs. Wearing white gloves, check door frames, picture frames, and even the top of lampshades. She could suddenly push open the kitchen door. Check to see if the vegetables I've sliced are thin enough. Is the soup I stewed clear enough? She even checked my private room. See if the furniture is neatly arranged or not. Is there anything that "doesn't fit the style of this house?" She didn't mention the dumplings again. No mention of Mr. Co either. Just use this method to silently pressure me. Tell me who is the female owner of the house. Who has the right to set the rules? One afternoon, I was telling a story to Tieu Tiep. Talking about my childhood days when I went to the river to catch fish. Tieu Tiep listened passionately. Sparkling eyes.

“Do fish bite people, Mrs. Truong?”

Now he doesn't call me Ms. Truong anymore. But call me Mrs. Truong. I smiled and said:

“Yes, crayfish claws are very powerful.”

“If you get pinched, it will be very painful.”

It giggled. At that moment, Van Lam walked in. She carried a glass of lemonade.

“Tieu Tiep.”

"It's time for me to practice the piano."

Her voice was very calm. The smile on Tieu Tiep's face stiffened. He looked at me, then back at his mother.

“Mom, I want to listen to the story a little longer.”

“The story can always be heard.”

“The sheet music assigned by the piano teacher must be practiced today.”

Van Lam's voice did not allow for objections. She walked in front of me.

“Miss Truong.”

“Don't tell Tieu Tiep about the countryside anymore.”

“Catching fish, catching loaches, those things are not hygienic.”

“Not elegant either.”

“Later he must enter high society.”

“These don't have any benefits to it.”

Her words are like a basin of cold water. Pouring down on me from head to toe. Me look at Tieu Tiep. It bowed its head, its eyes gloomy. Quietly walk towards the piano room. Van Lam looked at me.

“More.”

“Don't let Tieu Tiep call me grandma in the future.”

"I'm a maid in the house."

“He can call Ms. Truong or Aunt Truong.”

“You have to let him understand the boundaries.”

"That's good for both you and him."

After speaking, she picked up the glass of lemonade. Elegantly take a sip. It's like I was just telling you about a small, insignificant matter. I stood still, not knowing what to do. She no longer checks my work. Which is wiping me out. Wipe away my personality, wipe away all the "country smell" that I bring. She wanted to cut off the warm feelings that had just formed between me and Tieu Tiep. I want this house to return to its clean, spotless appearance, as precise and cold as a model house. And I am the only "pathogen" that needs to be eliminated.