The Warm And Gay Days

Excerpted from the novel "On The Raging Hong River", part 1, chapter 7, Vien Tuong.

Note: Year 1932: The revolution wave was dying down. Chuong dropped out of the Buo?i school to return home, the town of Le Giang with his mother, his sister - Thi, and his cousin - Nhan. In April, a friend of Mrs. Han Thao brought her three children, Quang - a young man, and Trinh, Tram, two young women, to go visiting them.

At important occasions like this, Mrs. Ky would allow the kerosene lamp to be lit up. The bright white light made the living room become more cheerful. Everybody sat around the lamp after a day strolling in the fields.

From the kitchen in the backyard, Thi brought in a vaporing basket.

- "Oh, chestnuts, we have chestnuts to eat!" Trinh clapped her hands and announced happily. Indeed, during a slightly cold night, there is nothing better than to peel hot chestnut skins. That night, the chestnuts seemed to be quite delicious and sweet.

Chuong peeled a chestnut while reading his book. Suddenly, he recalled the winter nights on the streets of Hanoi. It had been so late into the night but one could still hear the high pitch soliciting calls from a young woman selling the chestnuts. At this quiet country place, Chuong suddenly felt he missed Hanoi so dearly. During the few years in the old capital, even though he was only a young student in his teens, many things had happened. Many of them were sweet, innocent memories, but some others had impacted upon his young mind strongly, making that student ponder the meaning of life. During this moment, he was still sitting here and read a book while chewing on the chestnuts, hearing joyful voices and laughters around. However, not very long later on, things might not and should not remain the same. This society was full of troubles and whirling winds, and whether he wanted or not, Chuong felt that he would be swept away, and would definitely have to face the things that he could not reconcile.

- "What book are you reading so intently? A novel?" Quang snapped the book from Chuong's hands. However, it was not a novel, but a boring Physics textbook. Quang disappointedly threw it aside.

- "This is not a novel, but I have to try to read it anyway!!" Chuong raise his hands up to explain. Actually, who would be excited to read textbooks such as Physics, Chemistry, Algebra, or even Literature and History.

Unexpectedly Tram picked up the book and looked interested.

- "Are you studying this subject?" Chuong asked.

- "Yes, but my level is much lower." As if drawing a sigh, Tram continued, "but I still feel that it's too difficult for me. I could not understand many parts. My teacher always thought that I was hard to teach..."

Quang said:

- "What is so difficult? You had a teacher and you still complain that it is too difficult? He studies it all by himself, see? By the way, if you find something difficult, just ask him to explain it to you, because I am clueless about everything related to Physics, Chemistry..."

- "You are lazy, not clueless" Mrs. Han intervened "Since we don't get many chances to meet one another, could Chuong to help her to learn? She is very slow." She looked at Tram affectionately. Chuong thought that even though without much skill, he would be obliged to accept this difficult task. Thus, until late into the night, the two of them still talked to each other with low voices about their lessons, while eating chestnuts, and that was a pleasant way to study....

That way, the young people quickly became close to one another like brothers and sisters. During the day, in order to leave Thi and Quang a chance to talk about their private matters, Trinh, Tram, Nhan and Chuong went together to visit the surrounding area. They took the short cut going all the way down to the train station, or they followed the path along the rice paddies, next to the small creek turning around the village's bamboo hedges. At other times, they sat under a large banyan tree, looking far away at the green mountains. Sometimes, they entered the downtown, ate rice flour cake and drank bottled lemonade at the roadside hut, or they passed by the market when there was a fair; it was crowded and noisy but everything still gave out an air of poverty, suffering for lives unchanged for several years. At the end of the town, near the Lotus River, a big house stood behind a tall gate between two gray enclosing walls. A green booted soldier stood guarding, next to the gate. Chuong walked by quietly, without looking up. Trinh, surprised, asked:

- "Chuong, what is this place? It looks impressive, right?"

Chuong did not aswer. Nhan quickly replied:

- "This is ... the district chief's mansion!"

- "No wonder there is a soldier guarding..."

- "What do you look at it for? Let's go quickly, we go to the Lotus River’s bank.

Chuong hastened others. Without saying it, Chuong did not want others to pay too much attention to a place that symbolized the proud officials, who only used their power to oppress simple folks but were subservient and humble before colonists. His aversion for the rich and the powerful, who lived in abundance everywhere, had been embedded in his mind since an unknown time. Sometimes, facing with many questions from Tram, Chuong did not know how to answer. However, before her trusting eyes, he still had to make an effort to think and to read more books. It was good that what they wanted to discuss the most was not science, but literature. Tram was younger, but she had read many publications in both Vietnamese and French.

- "In French literary history, which time period do you think was the best?" Tram asked.

- "How about you?" Not having enough time to think, Chuong asked her back, and he was also curious to know her thoughts. "Definitely the 19th century, right?"

- "How do you know that?" Tram asked, looking at Chuong.

- "Is there any young girl who did not love the sentimental literature of the French's Romanticism? Who did not shed tears for Graziella of Lamartine, or for "The Falling Leaves" poem by Verlaine, or for Baudelaire?

- "I have only glanced over Larmartine's Graziella." Tram admitted. "And I have read very little of Hugo and Verlaine"

During that time, young people still wept with To Tam and Dam Thuy, with Mrs. Tuong Pho in "Giot Le Thu" (Autumn Tears), with Chuc Anh Dai, with Lam Dai Ngoc in "Hong Lau Mong", (Dreams in the Red Mansion). They even cried after reading "Wuthering Heights", or "Tuyet Hong Le Su". Those immortal tragedies would be told over and over again.

"So much tears for people in the past..." Tram sat still, looking out into the dark. The soft wind sailed softly through the branches. Chuong suddenly thought of the sensitive and emotional young women in the history. "Beautiful women, unlucky lives". Those four words rang in his ears like a complaint. "Is this a law for humankind?" He looked at Tram. Her face was beautiful and very young, full of life. But inside her still young eyes, there was already something like a worry. In a sudden, Chuong wondered about Tram's future life. Possibly she would be the same as Nhan, taken away from the insouciance of a young girl, and put into a life full of attachments and hardships, against the rightful will of a human. He felt something heavy in his chest, a feeling of helplessness for the fate of himself and of the people around him.

- "Tram, you seem to like literature a lot? I do too." Chuong broke the silence. "But now we have to study for the exams, with all these tedious subjects."

- "When we are done with our exams, we can read as many romantic writings as we want." Tram smiled gently at Chuong.

- "Romantic writings are wonderful. But I think that we still need some other kinds of writings now." Chuong suddenly said, and Tram was bewildered. She did not understand what those different kinds of writings were. Even Chuong himself did not understand clearly what they were. He only vaguely felt that the romantic, sentimental, soaking literature were too weak. In life, there was still much suffering, injustice, hopelessness that needed to be described, to be spoken about.

But Tram, she only felt that Chuong thought differently than other students of the same age.

The few holidays passed quickly. Tomorrow the new friends would have to return to Hanoi. Tonight Tram and Trinh were still reading the books at the same table with Chuong, but Tram was no longer talkative or asking many questions. Thi and Quang were still sitting together and whispering to each other, out in the patio, talking about what nobody knew, but the conversation seemed to be endless. Chuong did not say anything, but he was glad because his sister had found a friend whom she could trust.

The next morning, Trinh went to the kitchen to help prepare for a farewel meal. Since Tram no longer felt like reading, she asked Chuong to go fishing. The two friends turned around the bamboo hedges behind the house, to the pond, and found a place to sit at the foot of a fig tree with rough skin that bent down, nearly reaching the water. The soft rays of the sun snuck through the bamboo and shone off the
waving surface of the pond. Chuong attached the baits onto the two hooks, then the two friends sat looking at the bobbing floats, trying to enjoy some light-hearted moments... In front of them was the still, open field.

The discussion about romantic literature of the day before was still fresh in his mind. It seems that Chuong was still vaguely worried
about Tram.. "But we don’t have any relationship at all, Tram and me. It’s just a childhood friend who came to visit our house, ‘a meeting of duckweed and water’. Then each of us would go our own way... maybe we will never see each other again. Letting his thoughts wander to that point, Chuong started to laugh "How could I be so messy and sentimental?".

His laugh made Tram, who had been intently looking at the float, turn back her head and smile:

- "What was so strange that made you laugh?" Tram asked.

- "No, it was nothing. I was thinking about the many fishes I am about to catch for frying..." Chuong answered. But Tram already knew that Chuong was lying. She changed the subject, thinking that he was sentimental and funny, but cute.

- "Oh, when will you go to Hanoi to take the exam?"
- "This June, to take the first exam..."
- "If you could get the diploma, what would you do?" Tram asked with solicitude.
- "The exam isn't taken yet, how can I plan? Maybe I will fail". Chuong laughed and continued. "If I got lucky and passed the exam, I would probably find a paper- shuffling position, carrying an umbrella to work in the morning and carry it home in the evening."

Tram's intelligent eyes showed the doubts:

- "Is that true! You want a paper shuffling position?" Tram look straight into Chuong's eyes, thinking that he was lying again. "I know that you have some other plans!"
- "You can read people’s features? You even know what others plan to do!"
- "There is no need to know how to read people’s features! It’s enough just to read your diary." Tram answered. Now Chuong remembered that he gave his diary to Tram some days before. Chuong's face reddened, and he forgot about the bobbing float on the water. Tram tapped softly on Chuong's hand. A strange warmth flowed through all over his body, a new sensation that he experienced for the first time in his life, and that could only come to him now, after they've met for some days. Tram had to pick the fishing rod up for him. The float was pulled under water.
- "Maybe there is a fish, a big fish!" Tram called excitedly, her hand was still on Chuong's arm. Chuong hurriedly pulled the rod up, but at the end both of them were disappointed, because they only pulled up a reed. The two friends sat quietly next to each other. They did not know what to say and also had nothing to say. The sun went up high, over the top of the bamboo trees. Maybe the people inside the house have finished preparing for the meal. Tram softly pulled her hand back.
- "Well, let's go back inside the house." Chuong said, but he still sat quietly.
- "Next time when you come to visit, stay longer." After saying this, Chuong felt that his words were cold and insincere.
- "We might not get any more chance to come down for a visit" Tram's eyes flashed an expression of sadness. "When come up to Hanoi, would you come to visit us?"Hesitantly, Chuong wanted to say that he really would like to, truly want to, but was it proper, and what would it lead to? So he did not answer right away. As if she read his mind, Tram continued: "If your mother comes, then no matter what happens, you would have to come too, okay?" Tram looked up, pouting. "I still have many things to ask you, because my brother Quang is very lazy, and he would not want to teach me anything..."
The clacking sound of approaching wooden clogs stopped the chat. Trinh appeared behind a bush, her cheeks blushing because of the fast walk:

- "What took you two so long? The table has been set, and we need to finish the meal to prepare for going to the train." Looking down on the fish basket, Trinh asked: "How many fishes did you catch, Chuong? Bring them back quickly so we could fry them."
-"You put the cooking pan ready on the stove, then we will shoulder them right back"

Chuong replied and the three of them laughed. At this time Chuong suddenly realized that Trinh addressed him as a younger man and he addressed her as someone older... "How strange? Trinh was not that much older than I am?"

Seeing that Tram was still relishing the country pond scene and have not stood up yet, Trinh tried to comfort her younger sister:

- "Let's go inside and eat, then we still have to pack up. Next time when we come back, we will have more time, and we can fish or play chicken grass fights all we want. This summer we could come back here to eat the guavas, would you welcome us, Chuong?" Trinh looked at Chuong in an amusing and lovely way.

The meal was quite plentiful, but it lacked the laughters of the days before. Only after lunch, and back to the rooms for making-ups, the talks and the laughters returned once again.

- "The girls only know how to adorn themselves!" Quang shouted at Chuong, "if it continues like this, we would miss the train for sure!", he looked anxious, because the girls took a long time to brush their hairs and to dress, watching themselves in the mirror, and still seemed to be unsatisfied. Both Thi and Nhan also kept on fixing their hair before going to bid farewell. It is truly upsetting, but for Chuong, he wanted this scene to continue forever, hoping that everyone would miss the train, because moments like this, even if one wanted to, would not likely to come back.

The train to Hai Duong already slowly passed by the front gate. Because Mrs. Han’s prodding, everyone got out to the street, walking and talking away. The winter breeze still blew through their hairs and went through the many electrical poles, making whistling sounds the same way as when people arrived a few days ago. Only Tram did not talk much, even to Nhan. When they almost arrived to the train station, Tram slowed down, along side with Chuong, and whispered:

- "Even though we said that, we probably would not be able come back here this Summer." Chuong looked at Tram with disappointment. "We have much work to do at home... And I even don't know if I will continue to go to school at all." Tram continued.

- "Why is that? You should continue to go to school, otherwise it would really be a waste." He suddenly thought of Nhan, an intelligent girl, very bright, who should have to continue her study to achieve a goal. However, with the traditional bias against women, a woman’s job is only doing household chores, getting married, bearing children, and that has suppressed so many talents. Chuong looked at Tram sympathetically. "Would her future be the same as that? But is there something, anything that can be done to prevent such a fate for her?"

- "You can’t understand now. But later on you will" Tram shook her head and continued "After the exam, please stop by our house. Ask my brother Quang to take you home." Tram gave an order like an adult, and that made Chuong smile, though still sad. "I have many things to ask you, and you must come or I will be angry at you", the last few words, Tram whispered very softly, so no one else heard them!

He did not expect Tram to say so many words. Chuong felt that Tram has grown-up and understood many things, even more than he himself. He forgot all that he planned to say to her. But there is no need to say anything now. Chuong looked at Tram and nodded lightly. Trinh walked up faster, pulling her sister's hand, and followed Mrs. Han and Quang into the station's platform. When stepping up into the train, Tram did not turn back to look at Chuong the last time, since she believed that he would keep his promise. The train slowly left the small Le Giang station.

Vien Tuong