WHEN THE STREET IS LIGHTED

When heaven and earth transition to the most sacred moment, it is also the time when Thanh and many of his colleagues must be busy with their daily work. At that time, people were still going, still happy, doing and talking, and wishing each other the best on the first day of the new year. At that time, people still quietly went home on New Year's Eve like many other years. They are used to it. For them, New Year's Eve on the street is very beautiful. Many colors. And to them,...

When the last fireworks fell, the President's New Year wishes had just ended, the spring music had just ended, and it was also time to start the work of the first day of the year. With them,...

There is no need to choose a good time or a good day to depart and open things at the beginning of the year for great success and great benefits.

Thanh's small house is located close to the river bank. Here, the view of the river junction is very beautiful. The East direction is Tam Tien, the West direction is Tam Ky. She lives in Phu Binh, where the three regions of sun, rain and sea breeze meet. At night, I heard the sound of the fishing village chasing fish along the river, the sound of singing in the distance sounded so sad. Following her husband, she fished nets to raise her children for nearly ten years. There are more and more people catching fish, and there are fewer and fewer fish.

That afternoon, it rained heavily. The upstream rains in the central country flow like a waterfall. The water came rushing in from somewhere and couldn't keep up. The entire village she lived in was submerged in water tanks. Feeling anxious and not knowing what to do. Since working with her husband on the river, she has also learned how to float and sink when casting nets and fishing. She risked her life to swim along the flood water, along the village's bamboo fence, to go home. The small temporary house now only stands out from the water in two small peaks, undulating with waves. The water splashed on the bamboo branches, released the hook, and let go of the curtain to grab the boy. It tried to grab it, holding it tightly as if trying to hang itself upside down over a waterfall. As for the little girl, sitting on the roof, her body collapsed, her father let her swim back and carried her on her back to find a place to avoid the flood.

She struggled with her husband, struggling with the flood water, trying to get her two children onto the road, when it was just getting dark.

She had nothing left after that great flood. The house made of bamboo and bamboo walls, which was originally in poor shape, is now even more shabby. The rice is gone, my books are drifting away with the water. She was empty-handed. The husband sat depressed, the children wanted to drop out of school and stay home to help their parents earn money to support themselves.

Life seems deadlocked. Sometimes God also has eyes, sees her poverty, and feels pity for her. Hearing the announcement that a relief team from Ho Chi Minh City had arrived to help the families swept away by the recent flood, she also went up to pray for God's blessings.

- Excuse me, are you Thanh? A man was handing out gifts, gawking at her, then asked.

- How do you know me? She lowered her head and hesitated.

- Right. Bar. Nguyen Thi Thuy Thanh. Why is this so impulsive?

She ran out of the relief gift distribution area. Hurry home. She is extremely sad. Saying nothing, lying down until nightfall.

A few days later, someone came to her house. They gave her a gift from class 12 C1, the class she attended the day before, as a small gift to help her overcome this difficult time. She trembled as she opened the gift. It was the first time in her life that she received such a large gift. She ran out to find the postman, but he was gone.

Following the instructions in the letter, she went to the environmental company. She changed jobs, became a worker, and walked the streets sweeping trash every day.

The work is not difficult for her. She earns an extra few million dong a month to pay for books for her children. During the day she goes to clean the streets, and at night she helps her husband fish. For her, there is no noble profession, but it is the people who make the profession noble. She is very happy to see her child growing up day by day, obedient, and studying hard; Seeing all the clean and spacious streets, she was very proud.

Since the day she took over as a security guard at the kindergarten, she has gradually relaxed, even though she is on duty every day, every night, and fishing along the river also has to change according to that same duty schedule. Gradually, I got used to it. No matter what, they are called officials. On industry anniversary, you also receive flowers and happy congratulations.

Suddenly, more than ten years have passed since the day he put on the green shirt and set out to clean up the trash. Her children, now the last one, the first one. They are obedient, study well, and everyone praises them.

You are already used to it. Every year it's not like that. When people's lives are abundant, they shop more. There are flowers, lights, flares,... and of course the more people and parties there are, the more trash there is in the park and on the streets, so her work has to be even more stressful. For tomorrow, all roads must be clean and parks must be beautiful. Looking at my achievements last night, my heart was filled with happiness.

Every year, after the hustle and bustle of beautifying the street, those quiet people give each other a few good wishes, a few smiles and then rush back to their families to prepare for the first day of the new year.

This year, Thanh did not come home. She rushed to the hospital to take care of her father on her husband's behalf. Let me go home and worship on New Year's Eve before it's too late.

Her three sisters are over ninety years old. He suffered from stomach bleeding and was hospitalized yesterday afternoon. On the afternoon of the 30th of Tet. The house had just finished the year-end and was about to clean up and go to work, when my father got sick and had to go to the emergency room. Now, father and son are celebrating New Year's Eve at the "Life and Death Crossroads" with four white lime walls.

Thanh comforted his father again, trying to stop it, there was too much blood. The family has three sisters, two of them live far away, Thanh lives closer to the hospital, takes care of her father who is in the hospital, takes care of her elderly mother who is at home, and has to go to work. She was happy and thanked the doctors and nurses for taking care of her father. She quietly held her husband's hand and saw him out the door, don't be sad. Thank you very much husband.

Her father is old, very clear-headed, but difficult. Whoever disobeys him, he curses. If you curse, you curse very harshly. Same thing tonight. On New Year's Eve, when it was supposed to be fun and everyone had to receive the best words, he instead sent a series of bitter sounds from life to the memories of the doctors and everyone in the hospital room.

Right now he is probably preparing the late New Year's Eve offerings. His parents died early, he worked hard to take care of them for his sister but had to endure a lot of trouble from things no one wanted.

She thought so, then went to do her work. She cleaned and changed her father's clothes, cleaned up all the loose fabric in the room so that tomorrow it would be more or less spacious and clean.

She took a shower in the hospital bathroom. You are already used to it. She loves her children, at this time they are probably awake to welcome New Year's Eve, and then prepare offerings with their father. Before going to work, knowing she wouldn't come home, she put it somewhere and told her children to be careful. Dad comes home, I help him, this tray is prepared in the yard, this tray is prepared on the altar of grandparents. Remember.

The sick chamber tingled again. For those who are struggling with death to prolong their life on earth, let's encourage each other. Feeling overwhelmed, she pulled out the lucky money envelopes from her sisters and her boss, and gave them to everyone. She did not tell anyone in her team about her father's hospitalization. They texted us on a date. Tomorrow morning, let's go to the square to see our achievements today. Dress nicely and take pictures. She texted back, yes... Have fun. Lie to yourself, lest you miss out on other people's fun. As for you,...

Tomorrow morning, I will go to the doctor's house with my husband, first to wish him a happy new year, thank him for saving my father, and then to apologize for what my father said at the beginning of the year.

The doctor smiled and thanked her husband. He was angry and said it was effective. The story is that my father had a stomach hemorrhage. There was a lot of blood in his stomach. He had to insert a wire to suck the blood out or else he would die. Nurse, the flow from his nose hurt so much, he threw it away and swore that he would die. The whole night of fighting, no one could say anything. The doctor left angrily. Her husband was so angry that he spoke recklessly, saying that his father would die. When I get out, I'll take you home, I've bought a coffin for dad. Heard about the coffin, he was so scared. So he let the doctor insert the wire.

Since the day my mother came to live with me, it's been fun. You are blessed to take care of your mother. But it also makes it more difficult for her husband. The scene of the mountain pass, burdened by both sides, sometimes made him frustrated. Knowing her husband's personality, hot-tempered but kind, not petty or selfish, she tries to work harder. Yes, you are very diligent. Outside of work hours at the office, when he stops casting nets and fishes, he goes to the garden to grow vegetables and raise chickens to increase his income. Thanks to that, she also has less worry about shopping for salted fish sauce, pickled tomatoes, vegetables, shrimp, fish, and meat. Her children no longer want to drop out of school, but on the contrary, they are more interested in studying.

Time passes quickly. This year is probably the fifteenth year she celebrates New Year's Eve on the street, wishes New Year's Eve right on New Year's Eve, and most especially, she and her colleagues are forever the first to declare work of the year. She recited a few verses from the poem "The Sound of the Bamboo Broom" by poet To Huu as if to comfort herself and also to put her soul at ease.

“Remember me

The sound of bamboo broom

She scanned

Summer nights

Cold windy winter night

The sound of bamboo broom

Early evening

Go home

Keep margins clean

Beautiful way

I heard!”

New Year's Eve has passed, the work has just finished, the sky is already bright. After giving New Year wishes, she quickly hurried home. Probably right now, her husband and children are waiting for her. If only this year there was no COVID epidemic, tomorrow morning I would go to the square to take photos with my sisters, after so many broken promises. The square is very beautiful. I think so...

The sun was rising red in the east.