Chapter 2 — The Wife I Rescued In The Snow

Before, I was lazy and hunted enough for myself to eat. Now I go to the mountains every day. Rabbit, wild chicken, roe deer. She told me to keep the skin carefully, and marinate the meat. She said these things can all be exchanged for money. She also told me to go to the mountain behind to dig for medicinal herbs. I don't know the identity. She immediately drew a picture for me to see. What shape are the leaves, what color are the flowers? She showed me exactly what each type was. I dug it back, she took it out to the yard to dry. Gradually accumulate a large pile. When spring came, she asked me to go with her to the district. I borrowed a donkey cart from the village chief's house. She brought with her all the animal skins and medicinal herbs she had accumulated during the winter. Go to trading cooperatives and medicinal herbs stations in the district. She went in and negotiated the price herself. I'm not good at talking, I just stand outside and wait. I thought a woman like her would be bullied. Unexpectedly, after entering, she was not afraid at all. She haggled with those picky people. In the end, the sale amount was much higher than I imagined. Having money in hand, we do not spend it carelessly. Hua Tue dragged me to buy salt and lychee first. Then buy ten chicks and two breeding pigs. When returning to the village, the donkey cart was filled with things. The people in the village looked with wide eyes. They didn't expect that a poor person like me could live to this extent. From then on, my family's life was like an inflated balloon, getting better and better. I'm in charge of going up the mountain, she's in charge of taking care of the family. When the chicken grows up, it lays eggs. Pigs are raised to fatten them, and when Tet comes, they are slaughtered and sold for meat. She used the money from selling animal skins and medicinal herbs to hire someone to repair the house. The roof is tiled and the walls are built of bricks. The windows are also covered with bright white paper. She also reclaimed a piece of land in the corner of the yard. Plant white cabbage, radish and cucumber. In the summer, we can't eat all the vegetables at home. She salted the vegetables she couldn't eat. In winter, when other people's families can only eat corn cakes, our family still has delicious meat and crunchy pickles. Six years. Full six years. My house went from being the most ragged house in the village to the most spacious brick and tile house. In the yard there are chickens and pigs, and in the warehouse there is food. The clothes on my body were all sewn by Hua Tue using new fabric, without any patches. People in the village no longer laugh at me. Their eyes looking at me turned from pity to jealousy. They said I had great luck. But in my heart I understand clearly. This is not luck. It's thanks to Hua Tue. It was she who used her mind and hands to support this family. During those six years, she rarely smiled. Always very quiet. But her eyes looking at me were very warm. I know she considers me her only relative. Me too. I thought days like this would last forever. Peaceful and stable. Until 1984. That summer, loudspeakers in the village rang out. Announcing that year's college entrance exam was about to be held. Intellectual young people can return to the city, farmers can also take university entrance exams. The news spread, but there was no movement in the village. Studying? That's the story of city people. Knowing a few words for people like us is not bad. That night, I drank some wine. Lying on the heated bed, I mentioned it This story with Hua Tue.

“If you pass the university entrance exam, you will become an officer in the future.”

I said.

“In the future, I can eat government food, how good it will be.”

I just said that casually. Unexpectedly, in the darkness, Hua Tue suddenly spoke up. Her voice carried a tremor that I couldn't understand.

“Tham Son.”

“Yes?”

“I want to take the exam.”

03

I was stunned. It's dark on the bed. I can only hear her breathing. A bit rushed.

“What did you say?”

I thought I heard wrong.

“I said, I want to take the university exam.”

She repeated it again, each word extremely clear. I sat up from the bed. Fumbled around for a while, then lit the oil lamp. Under the dim yellow light, I saw Hua Tue's face. Her face was very white, her lips pursed tightly. There was a light in my eyes that I had never seen before. It's like she just made a huge decision.

“Are you… literate?”

I asked cautiously. In the past six years, I have never seen her read a book or write. In my eyes, she is just a resourceful but uneducated rural woman.

“I am literate.”

She said.

“I was in high school.”

My heart suddenly sank. Level three. In this village, middle school graduates are as rare as autumn leaves. Yet she was in high school. This truth was like a rock hitting my chest hard. Makes me extremely uncomfortable. It turns out she and I are not the same type of person.

“Why… have I never heard you mention it before?”

“There's no need to say it.”

She lowered her eyes. I looked at her and suddenly felt that she was very strange. How many things has she hidden from me? The room fell silent again. The flame of the oil lamp kept flickering.

“If you want to take the test, just take the test.”

Finally I said. The voice is a bit dry. I don't know what I'm feeling inside. I just know I can't stop her. What she wants to do, I cannot become an obstacle. She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Thank you, Tham Son.”