Illustration: DANG HONG QUAN
When I was little, my mother worked far away in the mountains, only coming home once a month. She worked there until I was in the fourth grade before she could return to the lowlands.
The three of them—father and two sons—were at home, with the father alone taking care of the two boys, so it was quite a struggle. But no matter what, the meals were always delicious, because the father was a good cook and always put in the effort in the kitchen.
My brother and I should have learned to light a fire and cook rice from a young age. But my younger brother was lazy, always playing around, only good at sneaking food, leaving my older brother with a messy face because he had to cook rice alone.
Luckily, there's a motorcycle repair shop near my house, so I often find some broken inner tubes. When burned with firewood, they start a fire very easily and quickly, only producing a slight burning smell.
Back then, there was no dish soap; dishes had to be washed with wood ash, loofah, and straw. I still remember those cold winter days when dishes were so difficult to wash because of the grease. My father had to boil a pot of water to wash them. Only by dipping them in boiling water would the grease dissolve.
I don't understand why winters used to be so cold. Maybe it was because we didn't dress warmly enough, and our houses weren't well-insulated. Now I just long for a winter as cold as the past, but they're so rare.
I remember the winters of yesteryear, the sweaters my mother knitted. She knitted yellow vests, sweaters with hoods. But the yarn back then was very rough, not smooth like it is now. And she knitted them a little too tight, so every time I put them on it was torture. It was itchy, tight, and uncomfortable, but so warm.
Mom works far from home, and every time she comes back, she rushes to give her two sons a bath. Oh dear, we just wish for a little sunshine in the winter so we can wash our hair and avoid the cold. When Mom comes home, we're clean and smell nice, but when she leaves, we're both all dirty and messy.
Back in the old days, living in a thatched house, I found a small crack in the side. There was a small glass bottle, which I used as a piggy bank to hide the money my parents gave me and the money I saved from selling scrap metal. I only told my mother about this secret hiding place. It took a lot of squeezing to get through; if a thief knew about it, they'd probably get stuck in there too.
That Tet holiday, I broke open my piggy bank and got a little over a thousand dong. I went to the market to shop for Tet but didn't know what to buy because I had so little money. In the end, I only managed to buy a plastic toothpick holder. And that thatched house... I'll never forget the time my younger brother set off fireworks. He didn't aim them at the sky but instead aimed them right at the thatched roof. He got a good scolding, luckily the house didn't burn down.
But the kitchen did catch fire, the kitchen piled high with firewood behind my grandparents' house. The fire broke out when my grandfather and father were preparing to build the house. Luckily, just as the fire reached the roof, it started to rain, and the fire went out completely.
My grandfather said it was a good omen, so we should build the house right away. I don't know if it was really a good omen, but I found that house very cozy.
I can never forget that bitterly cold New Year's Eve, when the whole family gathered together to eat boiled chicken. The chicken was so tender and delicious, and the feeling was so warm, filled with happiness in our little family. Even after all these years, I still remember it vividly, and I can't seem to recapture that same "delicious" feeling from the past.
There are so many stories from the past, so many that I could tell them forever. But in this smartphone age, everything has become dull, and it's hard to find the same feelings as before.
In the past, everything was perceived through our genuine senses. Now, we spend most of our time on phones and computers. As a result, the value of life has faded considerably...
Acacia leaves in the old daysSource: https://tuoitre.vn/nhung-ngay-con-tho-20240804000622252.htm
