Chapter 2 — The Snow Melts, The Sun Shines On The Green Mountains

Later, Luong Tranh often said that I had the talent to negotiate from a young age, that studying at university was a complete waste, that I should have gone directly to the market to open a stall. But my ability to go to school is what the whole village values most. Thanh Thach Ao does not have a primary school. As soon as it was dawn, the three-wheeled vehicle at the beginning of the village started. Whichever family is free will drive and take the children to school in town. In winter, when the trunk of the car is exposed to the wind, Mrs. La sews seven small cotton blankets. On a rainy day, the road was muddy, the tricycle got stuck in the mud, the adults immediately rolled down their pant legs to push. When I was eight years old, heavy rain washed away the mountain road. Luong Thu Nghia carried me, Luong Quoc Dong carried Luong Tranh, along the mountain ridge and took a detour until the sun rose high. I lay on Luong Thu Nghia's back and asked:

“Grandpa, why doesn't our village have good roads?”

“Because the mountain is blocking.”

“Can't you dig out the mountain?”

“Need money.”

“How much money?”

“A lot.”

I took out all three and a half coins from my pocket and stuffed them into his collar.

"You take it first. If it's not enough, I'll get more later."

Luong Thu Nghia laughed until his shoulders shook, almost knocking me down. ## Chapter 2

"Okay. When our Chieu Tinh grows up, I will fix the village's roads."

I don't know how much it costs to fix a road. He kept those three and a half coins in an iron box, along with the piece of paper he abandoned me in the past. I just thought it was childish coaxing. But Thanh Thach Ao people always remember for me. ### 3 When I was twelve years old, the town high school started charging boarding fees. My family can handle it. But the next morning, my schoolbag was stuffed full of envelopes. There were even and odd bills inside. Each envelope had the same sentence written: Chieu Tinh's school money. I carried my school bag and went door to door to return it. Aunt Chu slammed the door.

“It's not for me, it's for my mother.”

Ba La is inherently hard of hearing, but when she pretends, she looks even more real.

“Huh? What are you saying? The chickens haven't been fed yet.”

Uncle Tran who sells tofu is even more kind.

“You dare to pay, tomorrow I will change all the money into tofu and bring it to your house.”

I ran all the way around the village, in the end I couldn't return a single penny. When I got home, I dumped all the envelopes on the table.

“Mom, I don't want to marry you.”

Tuong Tu Lan is choosing chili seeds.

“Are you a little critical?”

“No.”

“Then take it.”

She threw the dried chili into the bamboo basket.

"In the future, when you have money, you will repay it. The kindness of the people in our village does not count interest, just results."

I asked what the result was. She replied:

"You have to step out, don't let people look down on you. But also don't follow those who have left here and forgotten the way back."

Luong Thu Nghia heard the story and gave me the bronze bell. The bell has been polished to a bright shine. Just shake it gently to emit a clear sound.

“Hang it on your schoolbag.”

“I'm in middle school, it's embarrassing to hang this thing.”

"What is there to be ashamed of? The whole village sends you off to school, is it not even worthy of hanging on a school bag?"

I immediately tied the bell. During my middle school years, I wore a bronze bell throughout the teaching building. Someone laughed at me for being a "goat herd", so I chased him several flights of stairs, stopped him in front of the bathroom door, and forced him to apologize. The teacher called Luong Quoc Dong over.

“Your daughter has such a tough personality.”

Luong Quoc Dong look at me.

“Did she hit someone?”

“No.”

“Curse people?”

“Neither.”

“So what's wrong with forcing someone who bullies others to apologize?”

The teacher momentarily didn't know how to respond. On the way home, he bought two grilled sausages. I thought he would compliment me. He bit off half of the sausage before speaking:

“Forcing people to apologize is not wrong. But blocking the bathroom is not okay.”

“Why?”

“It's very rotten.”

I laughed so much that I almost fell off the back of my bike. Thanh Thach Ao people have a bad habit. Very protective of family members. I also learn from them. If anyone bullies me, I respond right on the spot. Whoever said the argument was wrong, I immediately straightened it out. As for whether you'll be scolded at home or not, that's another debt, close the door and figure it out. The year I took the high school entrance exam, I ranked ninth in the district. The admission notice was sent to the village headquarters. Luong Thu Nghia held a loudspeaker and shouted three times.

“Hua Chieu Tinh, No. 1 High School in the district!”

“Free class!”

“Today, when we slaughter chickens, every family comes to eat!”

I rushed into the village headquarters and grabbed the speaker.

“One is enough!”

The speaker has not turned off yet. The whole village heard Luong Thu Nghia scolding me:

"There really is no future! The whole village eats a chicken, are you going to force everyone to lick the bones?"

Laughter from one side of the mountain spread to the other side. That day, for the first time, I seriously thought about how vast the world outside this road was. Also that day, a black car stopped at the beginning of the village. A strange man wearing a suit approached Luong Thu Nghia and asked about what happened on a snowy night fifteen years ago. He asked:

“Is the little girl picked up that snowy night still in the village?”

4 Luong Thu Nghia didn't tell me. He chased the strange man away, wrote down the license plate number, then went to the police station to add a record of the person who came to inquire. I didn't know about this until many years later, when I looked at the registration documents. At that time, I was busy struggling with life in the district. The first time I stayed in the dormitory, I didn't know how to put the blanket in the cover. I struggled with the pile of cotton for half a day, crawling inside, groping for the four corners from the inside. The roommate laughed so much that he continuously banged the bed. I stuck my head out.

"Don't laugh anymore. Whoever teaches me how to do it, I will invite that person to eat the best chili sauce in Thanh Thach Ao."

A jar of chili sauce can be exchanged for a new friend, no matter how you calculate it, it's not a loss. My achievements are not genius. When I encounter a problem I can't solve, I still scratch my head as usual. My strength is that I can endure hardships. If you don't know today, do it again tomorrow. Tomorrow I still don't know, I will stop the teacher in the office to ask. In the summer of eleventh grade, Luong Thu Nghia came to visit me. He brought a basket of plums, each one so small and so sour that the homeroom teacher's face wrinkled.

“Does your village only grow this?”

“There are also walnuts, honey and dried mushrooms.”

“Can it be sold?”