Chapter 10 — The Summer Contract of Western Beauty and Beasts

The marriage registration ceremony took place simply at the Loc An Commune Committee headquarters, with no wedding flowers, no parties, only the signatures of the two people in the presence of judicial officers and Mr. Sau Lanh standing as a witness. Nha Khanh wore a simple white shirt temporarily borrowed from a neighbor near the farm, her hair tied neatly, completely different from the image of a gorgeous bride in a wedding dress custom-made from abroad that she dreamed about just two weeks ago.

When the judicial officer read the names of the two people, declaring that they had officially become husband and wife before the law, Nha Khanh felt a strange feeling creeping into her heart - not the overwhelming happiness she had imagined on the wedding day of her life, but a mixture of relief and insecurity, as if she had just stepped through a door leading into a completely new, unpredictable chapter.

Bach Son stood next to her, his face still maintaining its usual serious expression, with only a slightly complicated look in his eyes as he signed the marriage certificate. After completing the procedure, the two of them returned to the farm with Uncle Sau. There was no bride procession, no fireworks, only a simple meal prepared by Uncle Sau to "celebrate the two of them getting married". What he said was half joking and half serious, making both Nha Khanh and Bach Son somewhat confused.

That night, after dinner, the two sat in the living room, the atmosphere more awkward than usual. This is the first time, since they decided to get married, they actually sat down and discussed specifically how to live together under the same roof as husband and wife.

"I think we should agree on a few specific rules, to avoid awkward situations in the future," Nha Khanh spoke first, trying to keep her voice professional as if she were discussing a business contract, even though she couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

"You say it, I listen," Bach Son replied, arms crossed over his chest, eyes avoiding looking directly at her.

"First, we still keep the private room as before, nothing has changed," Nha Khanh said, her voice a bit quick as if she wanted to quickly solve the most difficult part first. "Second, in front of outsiders, especially when it comes to the lawsuit or anyone from Ms. Ngoc Lan's family, we will act like a normal couple, but only in those necessary cases."

"Okay," Bach Son nodded. "Is there anything else?"

"As for the farm work, I will continue to help as before, as my contribution to this family, not just living for free," Nha Khanh continued. "And as for An, I will try to spend more time with her, but you are still the main decision-maker in all matters related to the child. I will not arbitrarily intervene too deeply if you do not agree."

Bach Son was silent for a moment, looking at her with somewhat softened eyes. "You don't need to hedge like that. Since the day An was panicked by the sound of thunder, I have trusted the way you treat her. You can go ahead and treat An as your sister, I have no objections."

Those words surprised Nha Khanh a bit, a warm feeling gently spread in her heart. "Thank you. So... I think these basic rules are enough. If any problems arise in the future, we can make further adjustments."

"Agreed," Bach Son replied, then stood up, somewhat hastily as if wanting to end the conversation that made both of them feel uncomfortable. "Then I'll go to bed first. You should rest early. Tomorrow you have to get up early to feed the cows."

Nha Khanh nodded, watching his shadow disappear behind the door. Her heart still held a strange feeling that was hard to name. She looked down at her hand, where she had just worn a simple silver wedding ring, no stones attached, not elaborately engraved like the diamond ring Viet Cuong once gave her, but it had a more real, more solid feeling, even though the nature of this marriage was just an agreement on paper.

In the days that followed, life under the same roof between the two gradually fell into order, although there were still many awkward moments. Some mornings, the two accidentally bumped into each other in the narrow hallway leading to the yard. They both stopped and let each other go first with speechless embarrassment. At meals, Uncle Sau Lanh deliberately started conversations and asked intimate questions like a real couple, making both of them confused and trying to answer as naturally as possible under the old man's teasing and probing eyes.

One evening, when Nha Khanh was sitting in the kitchen learning how to make tea jam according to Uncle Sau's instructions, Bach Son walked in to get water, accidentally standing next to her too close in the cramped kitchen space. They both paused for a second, clearly feeling the other's breath, before Bach Son quickly backed away, using the excuse of going out to check the barn even though it was late at night.

Nha Khanh stood there, still holding the spoon stirring the jam, silently wondering why her heart was beating faster than usual just because of such a short moment of contact. She shook her head, telling herself that this was just a pragmatic agreement, she shouldn't let any emotions creep in, but deep down in her heart, she couldn't deny that the presence of that quiet, cold but devoted man was gradually becoming a familiar part of her new rhythm of life, in a way that she had never anticipated.

On the first weekend after the marriage registration ceremony, Uncle Sau Lanh invited the whole family to the Doi Suong market, held once a week at the beginning of the village, where people from around the area brought agricultural products, livestock, and handicrafts to trade and sell. This was the first time Nha Khanh appeared publicly in front of Bach Son's neighbors in the name of his wife, and she couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Is this Son's wife? So beautiful," an old woman selling vegetables on the side of the road smiled brightly, holding Nha Khanh's hand and cooing. "Son is so lucky, he finally got married. We're so happy for him. It's been a hard time raising the rooster alone for so many years."

Nha Khanh smiled wryly, nodded in greeting, trying to appear as natural as possible even though she was still embarrassed about this new role. Bach Son stood next to her, seeing her awkwardness, he gently held her hand, a gesture so natural that even he was surprised by his actions.

"She just came here, doesn't know anyone, everyone just help her," Bach Son said, his voice a bit softer than usual, making the people around him even more confident in the newlywed couple's feelings.

On the way home, after buying all the necessary supplies, Nha Khanh still felt the warmth from Bach Son's hand holding hers just now, even though it was just a natural role-playing gesture in front of others. She glanced at him and saw that he still kept a calm expression as if nothing happened, but his ears seemed to be slightly red in the afternoon sunlight, a small detail that made her laugh silently inside.

"What are you laughing at?" Bach Son asked when he saw her smiling slightly to herself.

"Nothing," Nha Khanh shook her head, trying to hide her smile. "It's just that everyone here is so friendly, completely different from what I imagined about life in the highlands."

"Here, people are simple and emotional, unlike in the city," Bach Son replied, his voice a bit proud. "That is also one of the reasons I chose this place to raise An. She needs a safe, uncomplicated, uncalculated environment."

Nha Khanh nodded in agreement, thinking to herself, perhaps it is the honesty and simplicity of this land, of the people here, that is gradually healing the wounds she brought with her from the city, even though she herself has not yet clearly realized that process is happening every day, silently but surely.

That evening, when returning to the farm, Tue An ran to the gate to welcome them both, something that rarely happened because she usually did not like to change her familiar position. The baby grabbed the hem of Nha Khanh's shirt and gently pulled it towards the corner of the garden, where a newborn calf was standing trembling next to its mother. Tue An's eyes lit up rarely, her mouth muttered a few unclear words, but her eager look was enough for Nha Khanh to understand that she wanted to share this joy with her.

"So beautiful, An," Nha Khanh squatted down to the baby's eye level, her voice gentle. "Thank you, An, for letting me see this calf."

Bach Son stood behind, quietly observing the scene, his throat suddenly choking. Over the past three years, this was probably the first time he had seen his daughter actively seek out another person to share such small joys, instead of just quietly enjoying it alone as was her usual habit. He looked at the two small figures bending down to look at the calf under the sunset that dyed the whole yard yellow, and for the first time since his wife's death, he felt something close to completeness creeping back into his small home.