9

Date …

A bottle of rice alcohol that was stuffed up with a dry piece of banana leaf, a dish of boiled pig meat, a plate of boiled peanut, some pieces of dry pancakes and fresh vegetable … were all the things displayed in the most luxury “party” at that moment.

Hung and his trustworthy friends were gathering in his provincial “apartment” with neohouzeaua roof and earthy walls. They were full of innermost feelings. Their faces were quite red. They were “little Grey Tigers” in the Three Goddesses base of the old days. They and Hung used to have a rendezvous with death many times and created the title “Grey Tiger battalion” in Thuan An region. With submachine guns in their cloth bags, they disguised themselves as pig and water-buffalo sellers and suddenly bossed the show in the market by striking down the puppet men of sin who were flirting girls and refusing to pay their meals. The Grey Tiger “village chiefs and village majors” and their accompanies carried a very large quantity of rice, pigs and sacrifice to military post for offering mandarins who were one and all captured at the point of knives and had to lay down their arms.

Their spectacularly fighting “anecdotes” were spread and exaggerated so much that they crushed the whole rear of the enemy lines where was full of puppet posts.

Peace was set up. Invaders were defeated. The dauntless Grey Tiger had no places to operate. “The Grey Tiger battalion in Three Goddesses area” was dismissed. The “commanders” were assigned to work for Provincial army section as “officers” who were in charge of training militia, organizing maneuvers and the “national defense festival in the whole population” … That meant they did nothing but “festivities” and had fun all the time.

They had to be separated otherwise such “Grey Tigers” who were full of individually heroic color in Luong Son Bac style would be able to become meritorious officials, count on their influences, congregate in a “legal organization” and “mutiny”. Nobody could satisfy all meritorious officials’ needs.

So, the “Grey Tigers” didn’t harm even a fly. They attended continuation school and struggled with mathematics and dictations everyday. That “front” looked much more difficult than fighting.

The “Grey Tiger commanders” were out of job. They were sipping their wine with melancholy hearts. They had nothing to do but took their salary, prepared slogans, did demonstrations, joined in review meeting, selected through discussion whereas their great commander Vu Hung who had just escaped death in his re-education class contemporarily left the title Provincial army chief in order to receive the job as a cadre in reform Team just like a “rabbit” then.

Actually, their skill and spirit were not less than the commanders who sharpened the swords, drank wine and left live coals on their thighs to compare braveness while they were smiling in the Great Oldest Uncle’s group in the old days. However, they were then so timid with “paperwork” as “officers”. They even felt pain when their hands were thrust by pen points.

-       You stay in Provincial army section and do your work well – Hung gave recommendations – I leave here for a time and I will come back. We will meet together …

-       Uh-huh! You go … We believe that everything will be changed. Our perspicaciously supreme higher authorities will provide policies to correctly adjust …

… With knapsack on his shoulders, Hung reached Dong Phong commune. His green khaki battledress was replaced by brown trousers, brownish-back shirt synchronized with palm-leaf hat and a haversack on his shoulder.

Following the “law”, Dong Phong reform Team assigned Hung the task of performing “three harmonization aspects” in Mrs. Gai Nho’s house – a farm laborer whose daughter was a Chairwoman of commune who had “the most brilliant resume” in that area.

Hung ate, stayed and worked at the same environment with poor peasants. He started “taking root and getting in touch”, mobilized everybody to “air their grievances if they were oppressed”, kept on discovering Dong Phong exploitative landlords who escaped the reform Team net during the first period. Dong Phong reform Team was in a sweat because they hadn’t reached the assigned targets which stated that they had to detect 30 landowners, 10 village bully, sentence 10 people to death and sentence 20 people to life imprisonment at least.

Dong Phong reform Team took responsibility for not going through with the mentioned norm. Added in Dong Phong reform Team, Hung’s “heavy mission” was to strengthen their hands. So, he had to be careful if he couldn’t afford to do anything.

Mrs. Gai Nho and her offspring “received” Hung in their house built by earthy walls which was shining as though it was a “lord’s castle” in spite of its rudeness since the “whispering” talks between Hung and her in that place would determine the other 15 people’s destinies who belonged to the aspect of discovering to fulfill the target. Ones would be alive if she spoke very kindly of them and vice versa if she dropped a saying “one was exploiter”. Dong Phong reform Team “leaned” on her to go through with their work. She was “a set of live history” in that village. She knew all the ways in everybody’s houses like the back of her hand because she had taken hired carrying pig shit as her career for the last 30 years since she was a bud. They employed her to tidy up their piggeries and carry the stuff to the fields for fertilizing. Every house had pigsty and thus she came to every house. As a help, she would prepare delicious rice and crab soup and the owners would set their minds at rest when tasting their meal if she was handsomely paid for her wage. She would lay the table with inferior quality rice for surly and contemptuous people and they should concern with preparing to worship their ancestors in advance.

Hung was seized with terror when recognizing his “mission”. He couldn’t escape if he didn’t go through with it. Fore sure, he couldn’t avoid the punishment from shortcomings such as married landlord’s daughter, indirectly released Vu San and “shielded” landowners as the third one. Luckiness couldn’t come three times. How he could survive. All Hung’s actions were under observation to see whether Hung had done anything to “self-improve” and made an uncompromising struggle with class enemy. Hung would be dead or alive. The choice was pointed out. He had to do at random and shifted the blame on other people if he wanted to exist otherwise he had to sacrifice his life for common sense and justice. Hung announced his divorce because he didn’t dare to put a bold face on scarifying his life. There was no reason for him to “suffer death” then …

Good gracious! How terrible the life was! The supreme superiors! Hurriedly had a look at the world affairs …

Hung took notes what Mrs. Gai Nho “aired her grievances” in his handbook. Her saying would be rearranged, added or cut details, invented and disposed in “files”. Hung was training to be a short story “writer” whose character destiny would be determined by each of his short story. That person would be alive in the concluding part of a short story named X and another person whose house would be confiscated would be denounced, imprisoned and sentenced to death alive in the concluding part of a short story named Y.

The contents of the stories were dependent upon Hung’s “inspiration” and “art of literature”. Mrs. Gai Nho was then very interesting in reminiscing in her old age. Every elderly loved their recollection. Her reminisce would then determine many other people’s fates. Each word she said would become “universal truth”. She was an absolute base as she had a clear resume at bottom without having one iota of dust. Nobody dared to calumniate her as “social activity” element which was worthy of suspect. Nobody dared to regard her as “member of nationalist party” or “bourgeois and small bourgeois” putting on fancy dress as that was quite a funny thing. How she could do “social activity” when took hired carrying shit as her job …

30 years ago, she was a bud “as slender as a jar and as sloping as a pot” and as foolish as a full jelly-fish when she grew up. “Jack of all trades and master of none”, Gai Nho chose hired carrying shit as her career. Nobody knew how the “star” worked and that unexpectedly made the girl like her had the power of life and death over other people. Life in the world! That was why we shouldn’t jump to contemptuousness …

She led an even and monotonous “hired carrying shit” life. However, there was an uncommon event happened. Gai Nho had a pair of breasts as big as tea-pots and her aspiration was billowed out in her pip banana trees-like thighs in spite of her bad-looking face. On that day, Gai Nho was induced to carry shit in Pho Coi’s house. He was a wanderer who went through all his money due to alcohol, followed ideological “single” and opened the Western “Serlibate” trend in late 20^th century. That was in the afternoon. Gai Nho had flaked out on the ground after cleaning up the pigpen. Gentle breeze worked up Gia Nho’s skirt and brassiere showing her chalky white stomach and thighs on that the intense sun was shining. The feminine complexion always turned pinky-white under the summer sunlight. It looked quite beautiful. Pho Coi swallowed his spittle while he was bewilderedly looking at her.

How terrible Gai Nho was sound asleep! She snore hum hum. Her feet were standing on the ground. That made the fringe of skirt wide-open as a cave. Pho coi slipped his head into such a cave. Gai Nho vaguely felt something touching her groins. It was the first time in her life she received an extraordinarily and particularly interesting feeling. Pho Coi scoured something in the dark inside the skirt. He licked and swallowed with loud gulps the salty sweat on her poops. He banged his head so hard as though he was a goat banging its head against a fence that the banana string used to hold the upper hem of her skirt was suddenly broken. The overture of an orchestra under the “Eb” signature tune had finished. The climax of the “Cm” tune in the second chapter was started. Pho unfastened Gai Nho’s brassiere ribbon as gentle as he picked a rose-petal. Gai Nho’s shoulders were as rough and inky-black as elephan’s because of carrying too much shit. However, her arms were quite white. Pho Coi embraced her coconut-like breast in his hands and sucked it with continuous smacks while his mouth was snarling like a puppy. Gai Nho made a swear-sentence which suddenly changed “Freut doctrine”.

-       Fuck you! You give me pleasant feeling.

The existentialism and hippie movement in Europe and America was lagged behind tens of years by only a saying of Gai’s. Gai felt herself as water and Pho Coi looked like a boat bobbing on it. The concluding period of an orchestra was going to complete. Gai overturned herself and forced Pho Coi to turn upside down. Then she jumped on him like a tree-frog.

A “sexual revolution” was only worth being Gai Nho’s student in deed despite it was made a lot of noise in the West during the 70s decade. Everybody carried out class revolution and they implemented sexual revolution. How casually and nonsensically the West jested! The “sex life” between Gai Nho and Pho Coi established a foundation and basic for post-modernism was taken placed beside the coo coo melodious voices of cuckoos at the bamboo hedge and the onomatopoeia of sound of cymbals of the martins at the window railing. They were bathed in perspiration. Both clearly licked each other. After going through with their work, Pho Coi made a “gallant” action by tearing a dry part of banana tree to tie the belt of Gai Nho’s skirt. Gai listlessly looked at the sparkling summer sun and vaguely smile.

-       I won’t be a bloody damn shit carrying this afternoon.

People couldn’t do a commonplace after a lyrical event.

He was the result of their love on that day. He looked rather beautiful when she grew up. She was the Chairwoman of commune when Hung arrived there to “take root”. Her name was changed to Hue – a quite “small bourgeois” name which was opposite to current trend of thought. Even so, she was not to be a bloody damn cared of Revolution since she found the chink in the armor of Revolution which indulged the indigent people.

Hue took the “position” as chairperson of commune whose previous man had just been denounced as “the rich” despite of his nine-year resistance war when she was 18. She had to be taught how to sign (She hadn’t been able to well read and write) as the chairwoman’s signature was a symbol of the governmental power in the commune. The letter H was formed by two vertical dashes and one horizontal one. The letters U and E had to be written in scribing and drawn as zigzagging as possible so that nobody could imitate the power. An underline was used in the end.

Although she was a bad literate she was tall of stature, beautiful with bright face, intelligent by nature and had an alright keen way of speaking. Hue often sat at magistrate position whenever there was a landlord denouncement. Things performed evolutions. Pho Coi was a “subordinate defendant” in a trial at one time. Hue had never received him as her father since she grew up. She took him for a stranger. Pho Coi hadn’t dared to take in her as his daughter for he had never sent Gai Nho any cents to support her breeding in deed. Hue was born on the wrong side of the blanket. So, she had no father despite of the villagers’ buzz. Both of them had no relationship by correct cause and strong words. To overpower the “rumor”, Hue unflinchingly “suppressed” accused on that occasion:

-       Pho Coi! – Hue beat her hand on her desk while she was storming – You always speak ill of having money to buy alcohol if you build mortars in the rich’s houses and of having water if you build mortars in the poor people’s ones. You are denounced that you used to be a guard when the members of “nationalist party” had a meeting. Besides, you were very active in building mortars for them. You have to make a statement right away!

Pho Coi awkwardly hung his head:

-       Please … What did nationalist party build mortars for?

-       So much the worse for them! – Hue shouted again – Let you declare how did the members of nationalist party operate?

-       Who are the members of nationalist party?

-       They are village headmasters, literate teachers, the wealthy sons who couldn’t do farming, the people who often wear khaki trousers, white shirts with Ville watches on their hands and Parke fountain-pens in their pockets.

-       Ah! I know them – Pho Coi loudly cried with cheer – They had very strong activities.

-       Say!

-       Yes! They gambled at cards by using a deck of 120 cards and played by five persons every night.

-       What else?

-       Late at night, they cooked chicken and rice gruel and ate after the game.

-       What did they talk about?

-       They entangled each other in visiting geisha’s house in the central province and had sexual relations with prostitutes. They opposed the revolution like that at the most.

-       All right! From now on, you are forbidden to say that you only have watery stomach if you build mortars in the poor people’s ones, otherwise you will be thrown into a prison. Be careful!

-       Yes! Madam! I thoroughly understand!

The elderly Pho Coi timorously took a furtive look at the chairwoman. He then had the right to secretly pride of her in spite of having no days to breed: His family was flourishing. How lovely the revolution! Therefore, he insisted on going over to the revolution to the last. Unless revolution gave him wine to drink, he had to follow nationalist party. That meant he would build mortars for village headmasters, literate teachers, the people who often wear watches on their hands and fountain-pens in their pockets …

Thought he knew Hue was his daughter, he had never dared to talk about that by mouth. He was smart enough to comprehend that she would lose “her face” if he revealed the mystery.

Hung was considered as a real member in the family of mother Gai Nho and daughter Hue. There were three unconstrained rooms in the house. Hung’s bed was placed below the altar and in the middle room. Both of their beds were at both ends of his one. Every night, three of them alternately talked about loads of old rubbish, public affair, taking someone for a landlord, considering whether they should sentence some or another village bully to death or life imprisonment before sleeping. Mrs. Gai Nho usually snore after much heart-searching the death sentence and Hung was the last person who could only be asleep after tossing and turning in bed. He was terror-stricken recognizing himself in such a context. He had to make every effort to “play-act”, prove his “sincerity” and be eager for class struggle. He had to rely on Gai Nho and Hue without being against their will otherwise he would die if they dropped casually a unique saying: Team leader Hung shielded landlords.

His God! Why his life could be uncomfortably emotional state like that. How “human beings” could have super power ever and again like that. They could say anything they wanted and a life could be killed by a word like a game. Previously, if we wanted to assassinate a puppet soldier we had to base on the reason that he had shot straight our people, he was an evil-doer who did harm our compatriot and was against Vietminh. Therefore, he was worth extirpating otherwise we would appeal him to leave the enemy ranks and stay with his family.

Then, we had to find somebody guilty and make up another people’s shortcomings so that we could fulfill our assigned target! …

… It seemed to have repetitive periods taken place in history. The First World War was followed by the Second World War. Gai Nho’s skirt and brassiere were worked up showing her soft white thighs and stomach in the old days when she was sleeping in the summer afternoon. And then, it was also in the summer afternoon. There was a whiff of wind. The cuckoos were melodiously singing. The martins were giving onomatopoeia of sound of cymbals. Hung was taking a siesta with nothing on but his shorts performing his outstanding body.

In the “First World War”, the “initiator” was elder Pho Coi. Then, the “initiator” was his daughter in the “Second World War”. Gene was the matter of capital importance. That day, Hue entered into the house after coming home from “committee office”. She saw the sunlight shining on Hung’s stone sculpted statue-like figure. She gazed at that shape. His chest size and biceps curled. His parallel legs were stretched out. There was something fabricated like a flagpole inside his shorts. Hung’s snore was snarling like the roar of a tiger. Hue stealthily approached him. The male “odor” pervaded in the air.

Hue belonged to the first-class and was the most powerful girl in the village. Everybody had to be obsequious towards her. Anyone could lose all his property if Hue assumed him as landowner. Anyone could have a peaceful life with his wife and children if she spared him. Anyone could vanish in the air if she announced the death sentence to him. Anyone could exist if she asked him to “live”. Woman was absolutely “emancipated” and was handed over the supreme power. She could do anything she wanted. She was the queen. She could love anyone she liked. Vu Hung had stayed in her house for months. She encountered him everywhere. His body seemed to be carved stone. How wonderful the Heaven was! He created the men who were love by the women and vice versa. They were infatuated with love. Her breasts and thighs made the men’s mouths water. His chest, hands and something didn’t make her mouth water less. She was beautiful bud in men’s eyes and vice versa.

Hue bewilderedly stood there and looked at Hung. Hung’s snore which sounded like the roar of a tiger was echoing in the summer sun. It was so hot that Hue stripped herself to the buff showing her breasts as immaculate white as a pair of white birds. Hue’s beautiful body dazzled her eyes. Then, she like a moon collapsed herself on Hung’s body.

Hung made a wriggle and stopped snoring. There was a resplendent bosom in front of Hung’s face when he opened his eyes. Hung moved forward his head direction but the busts followed up and touched his face. Hue’s silky and velvety arms hugged Hung’s head. He felt an immaculate white horse as smooth as a baby’s bottom pricking on his body and Hung looked like a patch of green grass being crushed. His flagstaff was hidden from view. Hung embraced Hue in his arms while Hue was crazily fondling, kissing and hugging Hung from top to bottom. The sun clearly darted its beams on each of fuzz and each sparkling bead of perspiration on their swinging bodies.

-       Elder Mit Cooker should be commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment. – Hue suggested – His guilty isn’t serious at all.

-       It’s up to you.

-       We should take elder Truong Khan for a prosperous peasant element in stead of landlord which was a quite felony whereas he has done farming all year round without hiring any labors.

-       I am the same idea to you.

-       The Second Beo’s family is worth considering as middle peasants element only. We are severe with him when reckoning him among rich farmers …

Hue’s mind was overflowing with “hearted” thoughts …

… The swell of Hue’s stomach struck Hung with consternation as though America had known about other countries’ atomic bomb production. He definitely died that time! How “the death” always “unconsciously” happened to him by accident whereas he didn’t want. The invisible and unfounded rope gradually laid siege to him and tightened his neck.

Hung sat there with wistful face. Was he being victim of a glaring injustice? No, he wasn’t. Not at all! Could anyone force him to receive Hue if he rose from floor and run away? Hue would bear him, would report that “he wasn’t sincere in coming back the class front line”, would fabricate everything to harm him. Was it going to be like that? If he said that she calumniated him because she couldn’t “rape” him nobody would accept such an unreasonable argument. How could a girl rape a boy? Nobody would listen to him but a dog. He would be assumed to be a sort of “class traitor” and as bold as brass. If he explained like that everybody would be labeled with a “strategic intention”: to ruin poor peasant class’ supremacy, to dishonor and drag poor peasants’ power through the mud. It was the most violent action that undermined agrarian reform movement. To leave a stain on Hue’s reputation meant to topple the power of trend which was running high like a current of cascade.

Hung was intelligent enough to avoid suicide by surrendering to Hue and lying prostrate in front of Hue’s power.

Hung felt a deep resentment against his “unconscious” and “instinctive” desire which had strongly lusted after woman as if it was lava in an active volcano when a “silky and white horse” was frenziedly pricking on his body.

However, he would also die if he refused her and in brief, he would die anyway no matter which option he chose.

Seeing the “swell” of chairwoman’s stomach, Dong Phong reform Team immediately understand the danger to their “come hell or high water revolution’s prestigious fame”. Hung himself was the person who had seen that problem without waiting anyone’s remark. According to his existential instinct, Hung knew what to do.

-       How? – The reform Team leader asked Hung.

-       How is how? Sir!

-       Are you pretending?

-       No, I’m not …

-       Hue is a symbol of poor peasant class’s authority which was trying to crush and defeat completely landlord class. And you who are revolutionary enemy’s myrmidon, taking your “malevolent strategy”, are intending to overthrow such a symbol … That is no longer an individual matter between man and woman …

-       Well! I have already understood. You don’t need to say anything else …

-       You must find the way how to solve the issue right away, otherwise your head will be dealt a thunder-like blow by the poor peasant class and it will become a pinch of coal ashes. Lift your head, realistically looked at the situation and choose the life road. I give you one week – The Team leader scowled.

Hung came back. The three spaces cottage was desolate. Hung was taking an afternoon nap under the early summer sun of the old days. And then, it was autumn sun which was very yellow, endlessly sad and covered the whole spaces in the house. Hue was lying in the nude on the floor dead in the place where Hung lay in the olden times showing her body which was big, voluminous, immaculate white with silky and white skin and her stomach which was as arched as the curved line of the earth’s crust.

-       Come here with me! – Hue gently spoke – Our “organization” had already informed you everything, hadn’t it?

Hung hummed and hawed.

-       My dear! Am I beautiful or ugly? – Hue asked.

Hung glowered.

-       I am a poor peasant but I have a fair complexion and I am rotund like this. Who should I thank to? I would remain skinny and black like undernourished demon if “revolution” didn’t appear … How about you? Being big and tall, full-blooded and handsome like that, you thanked to the landlord’s “leftovers”, didn’t you?

-       Don’t talk nonsense!

Hue stood up. Her height was nearly the same to Hung’s. She looked like a female elephant in spite of feminine condition. She suddenly struck him down on the ground and sat on his chest while the swell of her stomach was rubbing against his face. A bunch of her sharp needle-like hair pricked on his neck. Hue railed:

-       Marry me at once otherwise militia’s rope is waiting for you.

The Hue – Hung’s marriage feast was simple. Nothing was displayed but green tea and boiled sweet potatoes and several songs were performed “heave ho, yo-heave-ho, listening, please! Heave now and heave hard! …”

Hue and Hung’s wedding happened

Hold hands! Poor peasants! Forward!

Would tilt the river, ferment the earth

Sink the blue sky into the mud! Dear hearts! Try this time.

The chairwoman herself signed and chopped on her marriage certificate.

The last trial which was taken place some days after the nuptials successfully went through with reform work in Dong Phong. Hue was presiding over a tribunal. She declared:

-       “Village bully” Nguyen Van Keo was commuted the death sentence to 20 years’ imprisonment. Let him live on earth.

Those were “thankfulness and good fortune” given to Hue’s first kid who was later on named Hai Yen …

Attendant crowd at that day’s hearing was “dumbfounded”. “Their cheerfulness disappeared”. There was always death sentence condemned every time. The militia marched the landlord to path at edge of rice-field and shot him on the spot in front of the whole population’s eyes whenever the decision of the court was announced. They applauded tremendously right after the “class enemy” collapsed. Previously, people were always so scared that they had to close their eyes, hold their breath and didn’t dare to have a look whenever seeing shooting event. Then, they soon got accustomed to it because they had many chances to see. The trial wouldn’t be “vivid” without such an item. It turned out to be insipid when the person received the 20 years’ imprisonment was marched.

Everybody in the hearing disappointed because of Hue …

Date …

Cudweed was spreading all over the field in January. The twinkling pride of the morning stagnated on the top of Cudweed which was lapped around by white silk cord. The cudweed leaves were also knitted by tough silk whose resin overflowed and pervaded the air. Sticky rice and cudweed leaves were pounded together before kneading into cakes which tasted tough and extremely delicious. Lan Vien had loved eating cudweed cakes since she was young. However, they were made on a seasonal basic. The cudweed had never grown till January when there was spring rain. It seemed that the wild plants always gave an extraordinary perfume and beauty.

The field was completely deserted. There was nobody there but Vien and small drizzling rain. Vien was picking cudweed. Her fingernail had already nipped off the top of cudweed but it was still held by a piece of thread like broken lotus rootstocks whose threads were still trailed along.

Cudweed’s silk was as spotless white and beautiful as spider’s thread. Many broken things on earth still held their thread. Hung and Vien were the same to broken lotus rootstocks and picked cudweeds but were their threads holding? A basket hanging by her side was full of vegetables. Her fingers were blackish with cudweed resin. Ah! Cudweed resin was blackish as well. Vien had smeared sweet potato on her face for many days and then she tried to use the resin of cudweed leaves in stead to see how “long” it was. She had just “discovered” a new “face-cream”. She applied such a cream to harmonize with her current period. How dangerous woman’s peach cheeks were!

Vien had dropped to the bottom of the underworld for a year. The young lady in Dong Khanh School of the old days used to lie on lotus mattress which was loaded on a boat rowed by her “servant” around the pond was then in ragged clothes with a worn-out conical hat on her head, picked shell-fish, hunted for crabs, gleaned corn and potatoes …

How was it? Nobody knew. The only thing was known was that there were two women stayed in an uninhabited ox-stall which was located at the corner of uncultivated garden in the Stone Farming House. They were Doctor of Letters’ wife and gentlewoman.

Vien had experienced her most miserable and poorest days. The roar of north-easterly winds rose. Straw was spread on the floor. Dry banana leaves were used as walls to prevent the gusts of wind. Nobody thought of the walls for the purpose of preventing the north-easterly winds when building the ox-stall. Then, the cow “asked” the people to spend their lives there to see whether they had reasonably drawn the “apartment”. Their cushions and blankets had been confiscated and divided among poor peasants who had experienced the cold for generations and had to be compensated then.

A peck of rice “distributed” the day before as a real result was run out. Mrs. Doctor of Letters and Lan Vien hunted for crabs and caught grasshoppers on the fields. They didn’t expect to be searched and seized a wad of paper money hidden under their upper hem of a pair of trousers although they had already been vigilant in advance. Both women became penniless and had nothing but the clothes on their bodies.

Vien surreptitiously visited Pho Phung’s house in District Town to “establish liaison” with Hung and Ham as planed. Pho Phung who swaggeringly cut clack clack on the French heads in the daytime and talked in a whisper to Vietminh by night of the old days was then had a bloodless face when seeing “landlord’s daughter” Lan Vien.

-       Mrs! It is very dangerous. The poor peasants’ informers are in everywhere. One will die if he keeps in touch with landowners at the moment.

-       But have my Hung and Ham given any message?

-       No, they haven’t. None of them come near here.

Pho Phung’s wife then “appeared” to be bravery person.

-       Let you go back and come here the next market-day but pretend to have a bowl of plain rice gruel which was sold in my store. You are my normal customer. Which policy forbad landowner eating plain rice soup? Your Hung and Ham are sure to contact us …

Firstly, Mrs. Doctor of Letters decided to live on the market in District Town. A mass of mash, bundles of vegetables, a flat winnowing basket of boiled sweet potatoes and a flat of helixes were bought at one and sold at another end of the market at a crawl. End of the day, their “income” was also enough to buy a bowl of plain rice flan made of maize and a cassava cake as their daily “rations”.

One day, while Lan Vien and her mother were eating two cassava cakes – the profit of that day “trading” and several crows were having stampedes in looking for a touch of scattered rice and maize at closing-time of the market, the poor peasants Nguyen Van Chuot passed by and shouted:

-       Who allows you to eat such a “luxury food” like this? The cassava cake is merged with bean and grease! – Chuot pursed his lips. Being busy himself with attending the meetings, denouncements and conferences all year round, he had no time to do his own business and thus “the poor peasant Chuot” was always in hungry status. He hadn’t had anything in his stomach yet.

-       Give your cake to “your poor peasant ancestors”, otherwise don’t blame me. Be careful!

Mrs. Doctor of Letters and Lan Vien had just had a bite of cake and they had to hand over the two cakes to him. Chuot greedily chewed them without leaving their leaves lapped around them.

Chuot’s saying “otherwise don’t blame me” sounded terrible. If he couldn’t eat such those cakes he might vilify: “He caught an old trot Ngan “telephoning” her son Duc Vinh – the puppet deputy governor of a province in the South of Vietnam at the market store in the afternoon”. Mrs. Doctor of Letters and Lan Vien would rather submit their two “telephones in which had beans and fat” to Chuot than being seized and tortured.

Like all other landlords in the village, Mrs. Doctor of Letters and Lan Vien were considered as if they had “leprosy”. Nobody dared to get close to leprous people because of disease communication. One would be accused of connection guilty if he got close to landlords. Militia and poor peasants’ informers always supervised and snooped into landowners’ “reform opposition” activities. To be very fair, they had had an “opposition” in deed. Lots of landlords were so scared, sad, deeply resent, tired of the world that they had garroted themselves. Mass garrote had taken place in a village. However, it was not so “easy” and “untroubled” to withdraw from the world at all. The reform team immediately captured Middle boy, Small boy … and relative and neighboring people when Big boy hung himself. Middle boy, Small boy were too painful because of torture and being gripped with pincers to stand and they had to admit that “they had treaded on Big boy’s neck and killed him in order to suppress evidence as they and he used to join in nationalist party’s activities. They scared of Big boy’s declaration” …

… In that period, the reform trials often opened on high and dry fields and fabric was stretched out. The magistrate sat on bamboo platform. A bamboo stake with its knots was buried tens of meters far away from the rostrum. A landlord was drawn and tied to that stake within three steps after the death sentence had been announced. Militia used the obsolete rifles which could sometimes shoot and sometimes get stuck to fire in the chests at the points of rifles. There was a landlord who was closing his eyes and waiting but nothing had happened despite the gun was fired three or four times. There was no sound echoed but a “clatter” voice.

All the villagers from the snowy-haired old elderly to the three-year kid attended the “reform” trials without having anyone left. All of them were as quite as statuses without giving a cough or whispering their individual matters, otherwise they would be taken for protestors. The yellow and black dogs seemed to recognize the serious and dangerous issues so that they didn’t dare to aimlessly roam and bark with raucous noises as before, the “peace period”. They silently lied down and cast furtive glances. All houses wide-opened their gates and the thieves were as frighten as the dogs. They didn’t dare to do anything. The whole villagers “attended the denouncements of landlords and village elders”. The village was completely deserted with no souls in the streets but none of them lost anything …

Mrs. Doctor of Letters was lucky because she was a female and she didn’t “join in any parties”. She received the denouncement due to her richness and by the same token, she didn’t take prison sentence. Most of “men” who had some hectares of fields, tile-roofed houses and used to be village mayors, speakers of the rural assembly, keepers of register in villages, village watchmen, village keepers, secretary of village registrars and teachers were difficult to avoid imprisonments. How “funny” the previous society! A person whose full name was Nguyen Van Thanh was called Prostitute Thanh or Cock Thanh right after he had his first female child or male kid. The “subordinate pronouns” such as Prostitute and Cock were placed before his name all his life unless he had a position in the village by spending some money, giving a feast to buy a job title. The above mentioned diabolic “subordinate pronouns” would be deleted. There were so many posts in the village such as Chiefs, Chief vassals, Mayors. “Keepers of register in villages” would keep land and tax record books. “Secretary of village registrars” whose abbreviation name was secretary would keep birth and death registration books. “Village watchmen” whose abbreviation name was “Watchmen” would go on the beat and watched for thieves from picking up maize. “Village keepers” whose abbreviation name was “Keepers” was “armed forces” that controlled the order and security.

There was another title which was in charge of something in “Elder village notable council” named Canton such as Canton chiefs of general offices, Superhuman Canton … They sounded as the later American or European presidents …

One-time luxury “titles” were then the causes of death. Sirs such as Chiefs, Chief vassals, Mayors, Keepers of register in villages, Secretary, Watchmen, Keepers and “Presidents” … were taken revenge by “cock father and prostitute mother”. They were all accused of members of “nationalist party”. A great deal people were prisoners. There was actually no jail in the true sense of the world. All of them were marched to District. It was considered to be authoritative when the stockades were “far away” from there, otherwise it would “lose face” to have the houses of correction right in the village. However, the District was poor. The headquarters was built by bamboo and neohouzeaua. Where could they use as coolers? There was no reason why they were prisoners but they stayed in “boarding houses” in District Town. How the conventional trend assumed to be. The solemn of law would be destroyed. They had to rearrange their offices in District. The sitting-rooms, the warehouses, the offices … became temporary penitentiaries. District couldn’t afford “prisoner feeding meals” and thus their relatives had to support them. Several misdemeanor prisoners whose imprisonments was ten-year prison sentence were sent back their homes called “self-sufficient prisoners” and “prisoners at home” who had to present at District every week to prove that they were “in prison” but not “strollers” … because of the overloaded status and District had no more places for “incarcerating”.

… Ham’s declaration of breaking off with his own mother was sent to the ox-stall in the Stone Farming House. Mrs. Doctor of Letters received it with an unconcerned attitude. It was also a normal “ridiculous” event among so many “ridiculous” events she had ever been seen.

-       We must be sympathetic towards your elder brother Ham, otherwise he will die as well – She talked to Lan Vien – He is young and he must live. Like me, I need nothing.

Vien sadly smacked the lips. However, she didn’t feel unhappy so much when Hung’s declaration of divorce was sent to her “ox-stall”.

Both mother and daughter looked like two corpses. That meant it was quite good for them not to dream of “good” matter anymore but normally ate and slept like that.

Vien understood that Hung would lose all his job and title or even be put into prison if he didn’t divorce. Hence, they would “be drowned” together. It was no use doing like that. Who could “live”? Let him tried to live. Who had to “sink”? Accept it. It was quite stupid to die together.

-       Or you walk to Hanoi and stay with your brother – Mrs. Doctor of Letters suggested.

-       And you will alone die here.

-       Death is nothing. I need nothing.

-       You can’t say like that. I believe that the situation will be different till one day. It’s impossible if they keep shooting, killing and committing people to prison like this forever …

-       When that day is …

-       Anyway, I can’t escape from militia and poor peasants that are encircling, besieging and controlling us. They will run after, stop and catch me if I am out of District Town. They perhaps assume me to “contact the spies”. Therefore, they will catch and fasten me before torturing. What a pity! Well, we keep sleeping in ox-stall, eating cassava like this and waiting for a chance …

… Everybody was always accustomed to the circumstance when they were happy or unhappy. Mrs. Doctor of Letters and Lan Vien were gradually in orbit of normal lives after some first months of giddiness. The most important thing was that they weren’t hungry while the whole villagers were actually suffering hunger because of famine, failure of crops and doing no farming. Everybody was busy with meetings day and night in order to air their grievances, denounce landlords and village bully. They were seething with “revolution” and forgetting their farming work. Each family had some bamboo baskets of rice after a series of dividing “real result”. By the same token, they kept thinking of actively discovering more landlords so that they could live on landowners’ paddy and didn’t need to work at all. It was a quite big property for undernourished people in their whole lives. Therefore, they assumed themselves to be rich enough and there was no need to hunt for crabs and pick shell-fish anymore. The “strategy” that what they could eat after such baskets of rice as real result were run out was beyond their scope.

At that time, everybody thought that revolution loved the poor people so much. They were indulged, provided food and lived on the sky. They were no more scared of hunger because revolution would breed all of them. Revolution had a cordial dislike for rich and was wiping the floor with them to the every root. They were being “pampered”. They wouldn’t foolish to work and become the annihilated objects. They had to follow revolution to the last breath. Revolution had already given them food which was the most important thing and thus they had nothing else to concern.

As a result of such a “trend”, the whole Thuan An reform area was extremely suffering hunger. The Team cadre was also as hungry as hunter. His ration rice of 13 kgs had to contribute to poor peasants according to “three harmonization aspects”. They had to have vegetables and rice soup together so that they could unanimously determine to find out as many landlords as possible and then they could divide landowners’ last baskets of paddy among each other. Taking such a motive power, the reform movement became more and more effervescent. The confiscated landlords then set their minds at rest while the “new objects” that had enough and spared were “within the sweep of the eye”. The divisions of “real results” were then the village Festivals in Thuan An. Being an ancient area by nature, all the villages in Thuan An always celebrated carnivals including catch-as-catch-can, cock-fighting, sailing, swinging and counter-singing in spring. The images in village festivities expressed the vitality of the whole community. The typical festivals like that were then tedious and people could only happy with divisions of real results Festivals whose attendants had a peck of paddy, a shirt or small things like a thrashing-instrument or a screen or big things such as a house or a buffalo at any time. There was no festival funnier than that. Nothing could be stronger and more encouraged than that. Nothing could be much “come hell or high water” like that. The ravenous stomachs were crying for “revolution”. Everything turned out to be nonsense by paddy, rice and sweet potatoes that became the most precious things. Nobody died of ragged clothes but it was hard for anyone to stand one unnourished day. Lan Vien had her own smart trick when she hid her pair of ear-rings in a glazed terra-cotta phial and buried it at the corner of ox-stall before the day of “property confiscation”. She was distributed an “apartment” right at that place by accident. By the same token, there was gold under the dry shit foundation. Nevertheless, gold had no meanings then as it couldn’t make the stomach full. Nobody would afford to buy it if she sold. People bought it for what. They would be assumed as landlords and their homes would be shattered right away if they were caught buying gold. Vien had approached the gold store in District Town to sell them at cheap price so that she could get rice but the male owner shook his head: “I have quarreled with my bread and butter for a long time. I am now a blacksmith’s who forges the farmer’s hoes and reaping-hooks. However, I will pay you two pecks of rice if you want to sell. You can use such quantity of food within a half month”

The owner smacked his lips while Vien was vacillatingly thinking:

-       But I don’t want to buy it in deed. Eating a pinch of rice can help people from starvation but not gold which can not be even compared with a candy melted in one’s mouth …

Vien actually intended to sell her pair of ear-rings for two pecks of rice. But, Vien was called by Pho Phung’s whispering while she was passing by his hairdresser’s:

-       Mr Kha – Hung’s ex-driver had just sent you Hung’s “provident” amount of 50 dongs which was enough for some bamboo baskets of rice.

Taking a paper money, Vien felt it between happiness and sadness. She received his divorce declaration last month. She talked to herself: “Hung darling! I sympathize with you. You have to save yourself first. I don’t blame you at all …”

… Mrs. Doctor of Letters and Vien’s “economic lives” were stable bit by bit after some first stormy months. They regularly received money from Hung. Specially, a polite student-like person who had ridden on a bicycle from Hanoi stopped at Pho Phung’s barber-shop for cutting hair. He slid 300 dongs wrapped in a newspaper into Pho Phung’s hand after a haircut had been finished. He added:

-       From Mr. Ham in Hanoi. He sends it to his mother. It’s uncomfortable now. The “messenger” will directly meet Lan Vien if it is convenience.

He advised his name as “Thuan Phong” – Ham’s old bean when he was asked by Pho Phung. He rode back Hanoi under the intense sun at noon.

Their mother and daughter lived on regular providences. Frankly speaking, Ham, Hung and everybody couldn’t imagine that their plenty of property in the Stone Farming House was confiscated and swept off fiendishly like that. It was quite cruel when they were left clothes they were wearing only.

Mrs. Doctor of Letters and Lan Vien still had to be “falsely poor and miserable” despite they were in relatively comfortable circumstances, or rather “too rich” even compared with neighborhood due to the provident amount. They kept catching crabs and picking shell-fish, cudweed and sweet potato buds. They kept eating cassava and sweet potatoes in front of everybody whereas ordinary rice was eaten on the sly at night. They still wore the ragged clothes otherwise they would be “wrestled to the ground” and confiscated all their money if they were discovered their rich condition by poor peasants. It was illegal for Landlords to have money. Landowners were creatures which chewed grass and straws and were beaten at any time. Mrs. Doctor of Letters and Lan Vien had to look all around and mind the slovenly children who could take the soil and throw at them or scold them freely whenever they were in the streets. Even so, Lan Vien’s life of virtue was “absolutely secure”. No boys or even their father dared to approach, tease or fall in love with landlord’s daughter otherwise their whole family would receive disaster …

… Small drizzling rain looked like mist. The field was boundless, completely deserted and unpopulated. Everybody was busy with meeting, denouncement and division of real results. They had “lived on” “reform” and there was no need to do anything …

Vien was lonely on the field and the fresh blades of cudweed which still held their white threads in spite of nipping off …

Date …

The late afternoon sun was very yellow. The wooden boat with a hood whose curtains were hanging at both ends got close to the bank of hilly field for corn. Standing on the dyke, Lan Vien nipped in the boundless maize grove after looked all around and minded whether there was anyone else. According to what she was instructed through the clue to a communication Pho Phung, Vien and Phong would meet each other on the hired boat that Saturday afternoon. They couldn’t meet at anywhere else due to the discovery of poor peasants’ informers. Pho Phung didn’t dare to arrange the appointment between Vien and Phung in his house no matter how brave he was. Phong helped Ham in seeing Vien and listening to her story about “landlord’s sentiments” so that he could console and support her spirit as well as provide money and food. Firstly, Pho Phung suggested that Vien would disguise herself as a pennywort seller in District Town market and Phong would be a buyer. However, their fugitive conversation couldn’t long enough to “clearly express” herself and share all the things as it was very easy for poor peasants to uncover their things. Therefore, nothing as secret as a fishing boat whose owner was wandering on the river all year round and he had no land so that he didn’t involve in “agrarian reform” at all. He had no relationship with poor peasants as well. Following their plan, Phong would be waiting for Vien on the boat when Vien cleft her way through the hilly field for corn, stepped on the boat and disappeared behind the curtain hanging at front end of the hood setting above the boat. Fisherman would sail his boat in the middle of the river. He was rowing and spreading a net.

They were both petrified beyond description when they met each other at the first sight. The young lady of “gold branches and jade leaves” was covered by roughly and dirty patched clothes. Her face was very dark due to sweet potato resin and her hair was disheveled despite her eyes were still as bright as stars. Phong was moved to tears. He took her hands with caressing manners.

-       Have a seat. What a pity of you!

Vien hadn’t stopped weeping bitterly all the time. She had never been respected and cosseted for a long time. She had been kept away from everybody and she was hideous as if she was a leprous person. Moreover, she was always suppressed and browbeaten. As a landlord, she had to receive such a persecution punishment. In that period, the enlightened poor peasants appeared to recognize the universal truth: The landowners turn out not to be human beings. They were demons sucking the blood of farmers. And then, Farmers were trampling upon them at farmers’ will and pleasure as though they were earthworms.

-       Ham is heart-broken. However, he can’t meet you and your mom as it’s extremely dangerous – Phong informed – Ham may be sacked out of his organization’s workforce if he is discovered that he still keeps in touch with landlords when he had already “broken off” the relationship. On behalf of Ham, I will contact and encourage you and your mother …

-       Thank you – Looking at Phong’s gentle and chivalrous face, Vien was moved with feelings of friendliness, thankfulness and respectfulness as if the drowning woman was leaning on a stake – To be frank with you, we have been more reassuring since we knew you through the clue to a communication Pho Phung. We have moral support as well as material assistance at least. We are going to starve to death without Ham’s money while so many poor peasants are always in hunger with a bowl of cassava soup a day to keep bodies and souls together. The more they are starveling the more cruel they are and their struggle is more warm-blooded in order to get something which can be put into their mouth. They can rob any edible things on my hands after intimidating me when catching me in the market. Specially, they aren’t going to spare me no matter they may die if they see a peck of rice on my hands as they have the whole children who are starving at home. There is no reason for them to seize landlords’ property that is considered as a legal action.

-       Does your ex-husband Vu Hung dare to contact you?

-       I’ve heard that he had already married a major poor peasant. He was going to die without divorcing me and getting married her. However, he monthly provides me enough to live through Pho Phung liaison point. He doesn’t dare to send big amount at one time because of the plundering from poor peasants if they know …

Phong made a light touch on Vien’s shoulder like an elder brother who was fondling his younger sister. That caused Vien happy with a light heart.

-       Who are you? – Vien hadn’t recognized till then – Why do you appear to be our “saver from misfortune”? Don’t you scare of keeping in touch with landlords? You know! That’s a mortal sin …

-       My father is a “big landlord” who is one hundred thousands times richer than your family. However, he is in South Vietnam. We are of the same situation. I’m not afraid because I’m an assembly Southerner and I’m staying here according to revolution’s requirement. Nobody dares to do anything on me …

-       Thanks a lot!

-       Don’t talk about favor. Nobody can be called human beings if he doesn’t help another people when they come to a head.

-       How can poor peasants feel a vindictive hatred for us like that? Let them own our fields. I didn’t have any further information. Why they have to “exterminate” us to the every root.

Phong breathed a sigh:

-       That is called life! The poor people hate the rich. They will rise in revolt against the rich if they have a chance …

-       We used to well treated them when they were our labors and share croppers. We had unexpected that they could change their attitudes. They were untruthful and fabricated all sorts of guilty directed against my mummy. What a pity! She worships Buddha. She has never dared to kill any creatures even an ant. She had done nothing on anybody but they had denounced her as though she was a “female demon who used to suck the blood of farmers”.

-       You know! Providence has eyes! Ghost soldiers are appearing and trampling on our lives. The ghost soldiers themselves are attacking revolution and just resistance war. Revolution and resistance war are determined to eliminate the ghost soldiers. We have been imitating the “agrarian reform” in foreign country and we have mechanically applied it in our country or we are forced to do like that by foreigners even. I believe in our supreme leader’s perspicacity … It is sure to do the adjustment.

A part of the ranks who have contributed to the successfulness of revolution and resistance war in all levels of government from grassroots level to central one has been hurt by the reform. It is determined to recognize this mistake. You and your mother should be confident and don’t be despondent …

-       A lot of landlords garroted themselves due to dishonor. The whole village has been in a whirl of injustice cases. People dropped like flies because of death sentences. That caused a tense atmosphere in life just like an oven. People like ants which are crawling in a pig-iron pan are panic-stricken, hopeless and go mad. Everybody is so scared that their faces turn pale or they lose their senses. They have to look at the Team or major poor peasants’ faces before doing anything. The strangest thing is that lots of people who used to be good-natured and very decent become old harries. They wrongly aired their grievances without being ashamed when talking. They invented guilty for other people and thus death sentences were announced. There was a ridiculous and anguished story as follow: The Watchman Cung who had only some perches of field, a tile-roofed house and a jackfruit Vong yielding plenty of fruit was assumed to be rich man. He kept thinking of being free from hardship and he had unexpectedly received trouble due to such a jackfruit which bore so delicious fruits that poor peasant Nguyen Van Chuot had surreptitiously picked up it at midnight. Discovering, Cung chased and shouted “the thief, thief”. Cung had no evident as Chuot had escaped together with a jackfruit. Cung was accused of concocting a thievish story in order to raise puzzlement and cause the loss of order and security by reform Team the next day. What the Team said was correct because a lot of people now dare not to collect an object that somebody has dropped in deed. They are afraid of a foe whereas such the object is worth nothing. Big oaks from little acorns grow. People are now ready to exaggerate from a thing as small as a grain of paddy to an issue as big as a temple. With such a village, Cung dared to call out about thief at midnight and thus it was reasonable to accuse him of intentionally sabotaging agrarian reform. Getting such an opportunity, Chuot created a story: Watchman Cung used to frequently gather together with his accomplices in “nationalist party” in hilly field for corn to discuss the way how to undermine revolution and Vietminh. The Team ranked Watchman Cung among reactionaries, village elders and he had to present at poor peasant court and receive a 10-year imprisonment … Such a sentence wouldn’t be launched if there was no story about delicious jackfruit Vong which Chuot had stolen that day …

-       Poor peasants avoid us like the plague and we treat them the same. We don’t drag out or collide with any person. We don’t get in touch with anybody but stand our ground to keep our body safety.

The boat was bobbing on the river. The roar of afternoon wind was blowing at the head of the boat. Vien was sitting by Phong. She felt happy with a light heart after experiencing the warm minutes of being consoled.

-       You are a cadre like Ham brother, aren’t you?

-       I’m a painter. I will draw a picture in which there is a green river, a small boat and you … on golden sun background of this afternoon. Sure! In my picture, you are a beautiful woman with pinky-white cheeks whose complexion won’t be smeared by sweet potatoes resin and turned dirty black.

-       Beauty is now the death. My whole body is also smeared by sweet potatoes resin and turned pitch-black.

Vien pulled her legs of trousers showing her delicate but dirty legs.

-       You are rather intelligent with your effectively defensive measures.

The boat kept sailing all the way to a far distance. Vien wished it wouldn’t return and land on the bank … Both were hesitant all the time and then they parted …