Date ….

Standing in the garden of the Stone Farming House, the sounds of gunshots caused by the war rumbling in the short distance could be heard. It was in winter with the cold north-easterly winds in 1947.

The French troops had occupied Hanoi and they were attacking the surroundings including the Stone Farming House which was 30 kilometers long from the bank of the Sword Lake.

Hung was always together with his militia in hardly digging moats, entrenching ramparts in But Nam during the day. All of them had received no wages or even a meal because revolution had no money to pay for them. Nevertheless, they had never minded. But Nam inhabitants considered the works as their own business but not hired labors and that was why they didn’t asked for any compensation.

Lan Vien cooked the meals and carried them to militia’s working place everyday. Doctor of Letters’ wife pointed at the basket of paddy standing in the corner of the house and said: “Report to Vietminh when this basket of paddy runs out. We will stop offering”.

Hung pointed at the house in eastern direction, used the gesture of “the highest boss” whose position was higher than her and informed:

-       There is another one, over there.

She was upset while her hand waved agreement:

-       It’s up to you. Don’t blame me if you are so hungry that you have to bare your teeth.

It was in a state of impatiently anxious suspense to hear the sounds of cannons. Thuan An administrative war-resistance committee had moved from the District centre to Three Goddesses sunken field base which was 10 kilometers long from there. Three Goddesses region was a vast expanse of white and very clean water with endlessly cane-brake. It had been an uncultivated area for a long time. It used to be French-resistance base whose owner was Vang, Head-clerk of district mandarin’s office. People who rambled everywhere had started living there in recent years. They dug the ponds, constructed the foundation of houses and communal subdivision was set up. Even so, it was still a wild place with so many civet cats, foxes, snacks. That was also the lurking-destination for the thieves and robbers who were hunted down. The district chief’s law had never been applied there. There was neither temples for worshipping the gods or goddesses nor earth shrines for making ceremonial offerings. Men and women could be unmarried couples without getting any wedding ceremonies. There were neither festivals nor parties taken place on Tet holidays …

Three Goddesses was then chosen as war resistance “headquarters”.

Leading by tanks and armor-plates, the French troops occupied Thuan An district. The concrete military posts were built to block all the knots of transportations. Perfects took the place of district chiefs. Units of “national soldiers” were recruited. The leader of national faction was named “head of state” and his position was assigned by French. Being national soldiers, they could smoke Co-tap cigarettes, wear yellow khaki clothes and fabric hats which were always clinging to their ears, hang rifles and took their salaries paid by Indochinese currency on which an image of a person carrying a shoulder pole with two loads of coconuts at both ends of it was drawn. Many wayward and impertinent guys who used to absent in “one two one” training applied for soldiery. Vu Hung asked one of them:

-       You used to follow me to the district building for seizing power. How can you work for the enemy?

-       You “seized power” and I joined in your delegation on that day to see whether there was something to take. Before that day, body-guards would whip anybody dared to approach district court till his rear was swelled. Then, I had a chance to come there for robbing and destroying. I had no reason for not going. I rushed into the servant room and stole a rifle. I had put it away because I was afraid that you would confiscate it. I haven’t informed anybody about that up to now. How happy I am. I have gun and a great deal of bullets for shooting birds. I pressed on the breasts of “Head-clerk’s better half of district mandarin’s office” with my hand. I took her to the back of the house which was out of sight and asked her to slip off her shirt. Her soft white breasts were showed and I fingered them at my will and pleasure. She added:

-       I was very happy when my breasts were pressed by “revolutionary person”. Pleased keep feeling them.

-       What an uneducated chap! – Hung gave a dressing-down. Spare your feelings about that case. But now, you have to follow me to do war resistance in Three Goddesses base. You must not be a puppet soldier.

-       I stay in Three Goddesses and have to live on picking up shell-fish and catching the snacks. Being a national warrior, I will never shoot anyone, even you as we are in the same But Nam village and we will not fight each other no mater that they are combating.

Hung called upon the team of militia in But Nam to make a preparation before struggling against French troops when they came there from District Town.

The elderly analyzed:

-       You have several rifles while they have not only cannons but also heavy machine-guns. Can you have enough effort to front? If you deliver some gunshots before withdrawing to Three Goddesses they will come into our village to burn and destroy. They will not spare our lives if we are against them. Well! You should think of the villagers and move to Three Goddesses. We, the old men, will wear deep blue gowns and worshipful hats and display the flags, parasols and incense-tables to make a simulative ceremony in receiving them if they arrive. It’s just a pretense only. We assume to obey them and they won’t burn and destroy our village. We let them set up a “village partisan” puppet soldier team here. They are our descendants so that they will obey us. You and “village partisans” should try to avoid each other. Village partisans will take command of the situation in the daytime and you will be master of the circumstance at night. You are not in confrontation state. You should fight the French guys whose complexion was white and whose noses were long and you have no reasons for combating our people.

Hung was puzzled. Do fighting without scaring of the death. However, what the elderly people said was correct: They will occupy the village, burn and destroy. They will do it out of revenge … Well! It should temporarily “dodge the elephants and it was not ashamed at all”. Let move to Three Goddesses for army building up first, and then “asked their guilty” latter.

The “contest situation of panther’s skin” in which French – puppet soldiers and Vietminh were occupying at the same time was formed in Thuan An in those days. Vietminh and “puppet soldiers – village partisans” were staying in all villages. “Village partisans” was named “Huong Dung” in Vietnamese language. Huong meant village and Dung meant partisan. What a power and reputation name. However, Vietminh showed contempt for them and called them as puppet soldiers while Vietminh was Allies independent Vietnam. It sounded better. In writing, the word Vietminh was abbreviated to V.M. and that was why the puppet warriors “retaliated” by calling them Mussel. The result was draw. In some houses, whole brothers were divided as follow: The elder brother was Vietminh and the younger one was puppet soldier. The puppet soldiers were richer than Vietminh. They swaggeringly carried the rifle on their shoulder and flirted with girls during the day. Lots of women liked them. The French government paid the puppet soldiers rather high salary in comparison with the living cost in the countryside. To be puppet soldiers’ wives, the women would scratch a layer of black paint on their teeth to show their original ones, put on T-shirts and hats decorated with openwork, wind velvet and silk turbans askew, wear golden necklace with My Ky brand name. The images of boorish girls were disappeared. However, it was fearful for them to get married the puppet soldiers as they might be widows if their husbands were gathered to the god when they were fighting and gunshots fired with “crack” sounds.

The puppet soldiers “knew their place”. They didn’t dare to be overweening round the clock but during the day. The clarion voice would be blown on “toh teh … the cow was pulling the cart” from the blockhouse as a signal for calling the puppet soldiers in returning their military post and in giving up the “space” which was their due to Vietminh whenever the sun became yellowish in the early evening. Vietminh was suitable with the night. The daytime belonged to puppet soldiers. The night belonged to Vietminh. The result was draw. At night, Vietminh in the shirts of brownish-back color and bare feet with grenades under their belts who were staying in Three Goddesses, in war of resistance villages and in the underground hideouts behind the enemy lines spread to everywhere. They collected agricultural duty, campaigned for supporting the Resistance and mobilized the puppet soldiers’ parents to advise their offspring to take weapons from the French troops, bring them to revolution and to follow war of resistance camp. Vietminh showed their virtuousness without swaggering or flirting girls although male guerrillas sometimes “committed adultery” with female ones and as the result of that they were heavily made a thorough self-criticism of that made them so scare. Vietminh always did something on some village mayors who were “French’s enthusiastic informers”. If he was “man of sin” he would be bound, pushed into cage and thrown into a river or brought to the field before being strangled to death by two guerillas at two end of the rope. However, Vietminh would never forgive anybody for taking advantages of Vietminh to do it out of revenge in the person of themselves. There were a “rascal” who became a member of Vietminh and stayed in Three Goddesses. He wanted to have But Nam female villager Hoa as his concubine when Hoa had already loved a good-natured and hefty peasant. They had married. The rascal reached But Nam at mid night, pulled the hefty peasant to the fence and cut his head as though he slaughtered a pig. The death penalty had been applied for such a rascal. It was a true story. Nobody could do anything they want despite of the war happening.

The puppet soldiers – village partisans outwardly looked trigger-happy but they were inward afraid of Vietminh guerillas who were considered as their fathers because Vietminh guerillas liked magicians. They could seize the puppet soldiers at any time.

There was an unspoken agreement between Vietminh and “puppet soldiers – village partisans” in setting up the “non-committal regulation” in the villages. Both sides’ strength was equal and neither of them had ever infringed upon each other. One weighted eight taels and the other was a half kilo. They would be suffered if they opened big attacks. So, it had better for them to find out an “armistice” solution to survive. It meant a “doubled-sided” village mayor was chosen to work for both. He put on a forage-cap, wore khaki-colored military shirt, leaned against a walking-stick and accompanied the puppet soldiers in order to do the “nationally administrative” job during the day. At night, he immediately appeared to be “comrade” in the shirt of a brownish-back color and the rolled-up trousers with a haversack in which a plain verse “the resistance war would be separated into three steps: defending, holding out and making general counter offensive” was prepared for propaganda purpose hanging on his shoulder.

Whenever seeing Vietminh, the village mayor and his “administrative machine” hurriedly informed the puppet soldiers so that they could … avoid and vice versa. Troublesome would be happened if they met. It would be nonsense if they directly met without fighting.

The people stayed with Vietminh at night and received puppet soldiers by day. Village partisan – commanding officer of a post – would be invited some drink in a wedding party in the daytime and some meal-trays would be reserved for “Vietminh” at night. The mentioned “non-committal” regulation had longed for one or two years only because the “unspoken agreement” was broken. Vietminh became stronger, continuously attacked military posts and killed puppet soldiers. Vu Hung was then a commanding officer of armed Resistance services in Thuan An area. He was fearless of nobody and bossed the show by appearing and disappearing. He directly commanded all the post attacks. The enemy’s posts were very primitive with one or two watch-towers as tall as a bamboo tree built by bricks at that time. The troops stayed in the village temple and thus the temple was considered as a “base” which was surrounded by bamboo trees and slender, throne-less and long-sectioned species of bamboo planted into fence. Such a fence will be replaced by barbed wire if there was condition.

The attacks were usually taken place in dark nights. Hung’s “ghostlike” military unit laid siege to the enemy post and mega-phoned:

-       All partisans! Your post is laid siege by Vietminh official “regular” army (they were local people or guerillas in deed). You should lay down your arms and surrender us so that you can return home otherwise the post will be leveled and you will be killed all …

Pank, pank, pank … A burst of gunfire was shooting out from the post … Vietminh army started firing, throwing the grenades and noisily shouting attack sounds at the same time. There were voices of light machine-guns which were in peals, sounds of “grenades which were thrown”, DKZ, noises of rifles which boomed and cracked and “clack thump clack thump” bursts of shotguns which nobody knew the name of the gun but resounded like the sounds of drums beating. Vietminh was so talent. They had a gun which was very pleasant to hear whenever it shot …

In the temple, the puppet soldiers looked like bees whose nest was broken. The blood from the dead body had spread all over the green stones on the veranda floor. The Vietminh troops broke into suddenly. They used hand grenade to wide open the gate of the temple. What a misfortune! The wooden gate can be unlocked by giving a push and it was no worth to use hand grenade at all. Puppet army was always more “pusillanimous” than Vietminh as they took soldiery as their career for having salary but not ideal. Most of Vietminh people were intrepidly calm, painstaking and hard-working. They led an ideal life. They considered the death as light as a feather. The puppet posts often surrendered after a half hour of resisting or even they yielded right after the minutes Vietminh mega-phoned.

Hung used all “guerilla’s treats” to make threats against enemy. He painted the handle of the rice mortar black and arranged cannon-shaped from a far distance. The puppet soldiers standing on the observatory were panic-stricken when seeing such a “huge” weapon whose barrel was sideways pointing directly at their post. They thought that they would be beaten to a pulp if the above mentioned weapon let its bullets out and that it had better for them to surrender in advance. Be “naughtier”, Hung captured hundreds of toads, let them keep pipe tobacco in their mouths and fastened them to the barbed wire entanglement surrounding their post. Toads got drunk on tobacco and their voices sounded like the guerillas’ “coughing” which woke the puppet soldiers up in the quiet and deserted night. The “cough cough” sounds were echoing surroundings at the same time. The enemy was so nervous that they frenziedly sowed the bullets. The more they shot the more coughing they heard. The spiritual terror tactics by “coughing” lasted 15 minutes at least as it was the minimum time for toads getting drunk on tobacco. That was also the time the bullets were scattered and run out. Then, Vietminh guerillas “officially” stormed.

Hung was famous in Thuan An district. Nobody knew who had named him “Grey Tiger in Three Goddesses” as an alias. A mass of French’s trucks were explored on the asphalted road no. 38 due to Grey Tiger’s burying mines. He disguised himself as a woman and mixed with several female guerillas to cast the roles of sellers whose baskets secretly carrying submachine guns. They went to the market. A leader of a post was used to have booze, eat the dog meat, blood pudding mixed with insides of a pig and flirt girls in the market. His staffs “imitated” him by passing by some booths and refusing to pay their meals. Grey Tiger firmly tied up the leader and his gang and publicly escorted them in broad daylight. He and his troops “lay in wait” and even took alive Thuan An “district chief” who was sitting on Jeep car and who was on the way from road no. 38 to Cam Giang station in order to make inspection on the real situation. His struggles were at all costs, death-braving, far-resounding and widely-circulated. The post leaders considered Grey Tiger as “mandarin of justice”.

-       Where is such a “doglike” guy? – They discussed in a widespread and inconclusive way.

-       He used to be a “servant” in the house of Doctor of Letters Nguyen.

-       Where are his parents?

-       Nobody knows.

-       Let’s stop. “Close your mouths by a clip and the lid to put on”. Don’t scold nonsense. He won’t spare you if he hears. All the village mayor, canton chief and great aristocratic family in this area still had to submit Vietminh some amounts by Indochinese currency as a tax-money in support of resistance war. They always wanted to send the money to him, himself in order to be recorded. He visited the villages every night. The great aristocratic family had to obsequiously and humbly offer him steamed glutinous rice, cooked chicken and fresh fruit.

-       He is the same to Great Oldest Uncle in Nha Son in the old days.

-       How he can appear in the house of Doctor of Letters Nguyen. He and Great Oldest Uncle are not blood-relations. He is an adopted man, a “help” only.

-       I imagine that he incarnates Great Oldest Uncle. How marvelous it is! …

… Motor boat was carrying a squad of Europe-Africa soldiers on Thanh Giang River. They strengthened forces in big post Thuan An District Town. An old fisherman who had just caught a big quantity of fish with a net passed by the above mentioned boat. The soldiers called him to sell them the fish without paying any money. The squad of Europe-Africa soldiers hadn’t got anything for lunch yet. The small bamboo craft lay alongside the speed-boat and fish which were carried in a double-bottomed painted basket was lifted up and handed over “mandarins”. The timer trinitrotoluene was placed in the lower bottom. The motor boat had been blasted to pieces and the lifeless bodies of the whole squad of Europe-Africa soldiers had been sunk into the river before the “mandarins” enjoyed their party.

Grey Tiger Vu Hung disguised himself as the fisherman. The story had been kept spreading and that was why Hung was famous. Lan Vien listened to the legends about Hung. She felt as if he was a stranger, an unfamiliar person. Such an “unfamiliar man” had allowed the “non-committal” regulation applied in But Nam forever due to Lan Vien. No attacks happened in But Nam. That was the same to the case of Napoleon. He didn’t invade Poland because his lovely wife Jephsin was Polish. The puppet soldiers there were of “freedom”. They had never been attacked and they “thanked” to Lan Vien.

… The war was more and more furious. Grey Tiger’s troops blockaded all the northeastern streets leading to Hanoi. The national road was broken into small bits because of mine explosion attacking the enemy’s means of conveyance. Grey Tiger asked the villagers for breaking the roads every night. They were laboring and singing:

I haven’t finished sun-drying manioc and paddy

Maize basket is empty and a bulb of cassava cutting was half-done

I am very busy with my children as they are so young

I leave all there to go on inter-provincial highway breaking with my husband

They were asphalted roads and hence it was very difficult to break them. The soil had to be topsy-turvy in order to dig communication trenches and furrow-drains before burying mines so that the enemy’s vehicles would be stopped running. Grey Tiger was very intelligent. He didn’t “break” the dykes because of the existence of flood season and the sunken area Three Goddesses in where Vietminh “headquarters” located and it would be flooded in advance. Instead of breaking the dykes, he had the mounds embanked and the thin bamboo splints weaved around them. The soil was placed in the middle. Thousands of mounds were closely set up along the dykes and they looked like the sepulchers in olden times. Such a system of mounds challenged all means of transportations to overcoming.

Grey Tiger usually disassembled the screw to take the steel ties on the rail-track and the puppet soldiers hadn’t got enough time for being on the beat or the watch. Therefore, the trains were always fallen on their sides due to going off the rails. They were also exploded by mines and smashed. To the enemy, they were “destiny” trains despite of having people shouting to clear the way ahead, protecting behind and moving inch by inch. The speed-boats which were on the way coming to Hanoi were not spared by Hung. He had found out a great courage man on whom he conferred a title “the Valiant man on the river”. He sat in the secret tent covered by grass with a jug of wine on his hand and six packages of roasted soya-cakes hanging on a banana string as his necklace. Breaking the cake to dip into shrimp paste and sipping some drink, the courageous man was waiting for motor boat. Normally, the speed-boat had never appeared till he ate the fifth soya-cake. He detonated a mine which was installed on the surface of the river in advance. The motor boat was beaten to a pulp. He would never leave, look for Grey Tiger and report the successful work of that day to him until the speed-boat had completely sunk and he had finished eating the last soya-cake. The valiant man asked for Grey Tiger’s permit in staying with a big and fat widow who was by her very nature a lover of brave man’s. He would sleep from that afternoon to noon the next day whenever he was asleep. And he had a habit of gripping her thigh which was as big as a banana flower in his arms just like when he clutched the string connecting to the mine on the river. He was sleeping and snoring like a thunder. She could not stand it without covering her ears. Receiving her tender passion, the brave man gained enough power to “take” six packages of roasted soya-cakes, a pack of shrimp paste and a jug of wine from Grey Tiger in order to go into battle on the next afternoon. He kept waiting and eating the fifth soya-cake. Then, he explored the mine …

Doctor of Letters’ wife and Lan Vien would have no way to “seek safety from the war” by moving to Hanoi if they wanted because it was very dangerous. Everybody was likely to die at any minute when they were on any street to Hanoi. However, it was not necessary for them to go anywhere. They would get no troubles if they kept living in the Stone Farming House. To be the leader Grey Tiger’s “sweetheart” and Great Oldest Uncle’s descendants, they scared nothing. Moreover, they were relatives of a “soldier living in North Vietnam” Duc Ham whose faction was Vietminh.

Duc Vinh – “the monk violated religious commandment”- was working for “national puppet” as vice-province chief – a high ranking position in Gia Lam whose small “region” was Thuan An – But Nam.

The only thing made Lan Vien sad was that she was usually in a state of so anxious suspense that she couldn’t sleep when she heard the wailing of the cannon every night. How strange it was! Vien could feel the “heart-to-heart” sounds from the far distance where the cannons were shooting. She stayed up all night. She had had dark rings around the eyes because of the voices of cannons.

Vien remembered a song “Being for our country, we stretch our legs to feel our way and pass by our vague shades to dart forth all night. Imperialists! Shake your body! You are going to reach the date of defeating. The ghost troops were silently encircling and preparing traps in mixing with our shades in the dark”. Vien thought that was Hung’s military unit. Nobody had the images such as all night, the shades, encirclement … but Hung. However, Vien didn’t want to call Hung a ghost but human with well-proportioned, hale and hearty body whose muscles were hard and solid. His face was more handsome and majestic than anyone else. He was Grey Tiger whose name made the people in the whole area trembled with fear. And he was also something of honesty, loveliness, weakness and passion in Vien’s hands.

Vien would like to delete the word “ghost” in the song which should be: “Our troops were silently encircling … in the dark”. The word “ghost” was replaced by the word “our”. Nevertheless, “our troops” was not suitable to apply in the context of all night, vague shades, silently encircling … when the song was sung. It didn’t sound suggestive and good. The ghost troops sounded more impressive and interesting. How wonderful the letters and arts were! By using only one word which might be incorrect, they could bring a remarkable effectiveness. Vien received the feelings about a man Hung who was marvelous and supernatural in the person of the word “ghost” …

One night at the end of the month, Hung’s ghostly military unit paid a visit at the Stone Farming House. The But Nam puppet soldiers seemed to hold their breath in their post. As mentioned above, Hung didn’t attack them. Napoleon had never launched any offensive against Polish and Hung hadn’t carried the war into But Nam but passed by to say some words only.

-       I feel blue – Lan Vien talked to Hung – When will we stop fighting? When will the ammunition and bombs stop using?

-       It is going to come in one day when we win the battle.

-       Our family used to have a peaceful life in crowds but we are now scattering and everyone to their places.

-       We can’t do differently but wait, my dear! Actually, I don’t want to enter the war. What I want is the peace. However, who can give us a peace at the moment except the solution that we have to be a winner and the loser is the opponent. The peace won’t arrive unless the matter of victory or defeat is settled.

-       What will happen if your side lost the battle?

-       Never! We have to succeed or die.

-       Hung! You must not depart from this life.

-       Frankly speaking, I always thought that I had to carry the day whenever I entered the fight. If I was defeated in a war you would know and you would give me the go-by.

-       Oh, no! I will never look down you. It’s OK if you lose this battle and win another one. The thing I concern is that you must have a safe life.

Hung told Lan Vien that he would win, would succeed. But, what life was going on was not the same to what Hung said. However, nobody knew the military condition would be better for one side or another side despite of Grey Tiger’s power and reputation. To cope with the strong influence of “Three Goddesses army delegation” and the danger of missing the right to control all the northeastern streets leading to Hanoi, the French and puppet leaders hurriedly reinforced that region. A combined battalion of Euro-African and national soldiers had arrived there to enlarge Thuan An “military base” where would be considered as a fulcrums for system of village partisans’ posts in that area. The firm bunkers built by cement and steel framework were placed to block all commanding positions at the crossroads. The new “manager” of Thuan An army force was a young military officer who was well schooled in academy. The village mayors gave gifts to the new comer “post mandarin” in crowds. One morning, post mandarin operated to But Nam. He sat on the impressively Jeep car which was running between two trucks: one was in front of it and another was behind it for escorting purpose. The village partisans in But Nam were disposing and bewilderedly welcoming him. They wondered where “post mandarin” went and for what reason. The vans delegation stopped at the gate of the Stone Farming House. The young post mandarin stepped out and walked in. He was in white khaki suite on whose shoulders the bright yellow chevrons with tassels were stuck. He put on his head a Kepi hat hemmed with gold lamé. His leather shoes were black. His handsome face was quick-witted. His feature was gentlemanlike and elegant. He looked like a silk-stocking officer - a Tsar’s guard.

Lan Vien was half believed while he was cheering as if he was a kid:

-       Lan Vien!

-       Brother Vu San! – Vien replied happily.

The whole delegation was struck dumb. She should call him “Dear the Third mandarin!” instead of addressing his real name.

“The Third mandarin” held Lan Vien in his arms:

-       My god! I haven’t seen you for years. You looked unchangingly. You are still young and dreamlike beauty.

-       I’ve heard that there is a “new post mandarin” working in Thuan An. Do you appear to be that chief?

-       You are correct! It’s me!

-       How about Le Diem?

-       She is still “sucking” her mom on Hang Dao Street. She asked me to visit you and bring a bottle of Oclonier flowery perfume to you whenever arriving Thuan An.

Vu San took the bottle of perfume out of his pocket and applied it on Lan Vien’s hair with caressing manners just like a brother and a younger sister …

… It was in Dong Khanh female school in 1944. Lan Vien and Le Diem were closed friends. They were the most beautiful girls in the school and they were equally … bad learners. The French grammar was quite difficult. Arithmetic was very arduous to study. None of them could put anything in their heads.

-       Be buds, you should practice household arts and study a lot of letters for what. – Le Diem’s mother said – Diem! You stay at home and mind my silk store before getting married. Let the high-school students, venal mandarins, government clerks learn. There’s no need for women to study. Vien! You should return your Stone Farming House, be a young lady of your mom Doctor of Letters’ wife and younger sister of term for a mandarin, wait for a marriage of “similarity of social background between bride and bridegroom’s families” so that you can run a household effectively, have some sons who can maintain the continuity of their “famous and noble family line” and worship their family temple. Keep studying, you are both going to have lumpy pimples on your faces and you will have protruding eyes which looked like gecko’s ones …

Vu San – Le Diem’s elder brother had already passed Albert Sarraut high-school finals at that moment. He was revising for his Indochinese Medical University entrance exam. Three of them were “the most romantic people in Hanoi”. Riding on three Stecklin bicycles, they had a sight seeing around West Lake in white sporting shorts. The “images” of buds whose thighs were spotless and powder-like attracted everybody’s eyes. Lan Vien and Le Diem remained cold and didn’t pay any attention to the passers-by’s contemplativeness. The two “bad learners” smiled and chattered like the birds. The three brother and sisters hired a Britesuar boat and sailed on the West Lake. They danced the waltz. Vu San fondly embraced Lan Vien in his arms. They swung their body and felt the dreamily smooth melody. The sweet smell of their youth complexion delightedly pervaded each other. Lan Vien was still a “baby” who was too young to understand the love. Nobody dared to talk about love. How nice their “brotherhood” was. Life had changed from peace to war. Vu San couldn’t manage to join in Medical school. He “was encouraged” to study in Indochinese military training school and started his warfare life. Lan Vien came back the Stone Farming House …

For the rapidly past few years, they met at that day and were sitting on the stepping-stones under the shadow of century-old sesame in the garden right at where Vu Hung sat some days before.

-       How sad I am when you cannonade to somewhere every night.

-       I can’t do different. I will be shot if I don’t shot them.

-       When will the war go to an end? – Lan Vien unintentionally made exactly same question which she used to ask Vu Hung.

-       I don’t know.

-       Are you married?

-       Yes, I am. I am the unique son in my family. My mother asked me to get married so that she can have paternal grandchild. She is scared of the war while I am taking part in the battle. Nobody knows what will happen. She needs the kid for maintaining the continuity of our family line and worshiping our family temple.

-       Who is your wife?

-       You don’t know her. Her name is Ha Trang. She was your Dong Khanh schoolmate. She was now hardly taking care of out store.

-       Is she beautiful?

-       No, she isn’t. She isn’t as nice as you.

-       Is Le Diem married?

-       No, she isn’t. She is the same to you. Nobody knows her marriage status.

-       You would like to be a soldier, wouldn’t you? – Vien raised a question.

-       No! Not at all. Frankly speaking, I feel quite fear. I have to do my job as a destiny. As a commanding officer of a post, I always “leave” fighting works for the French, my second-in-command, the First or the Second mandarins. On the contrary, I have to queen it over them, to dress as though I am a “marshal” with ferocious manners and to perform a warlike way of speaking … My heart beats appeared whenever I hear the Vietminh’s gunshots. I let the cannons sporadically shoot to replace the “retreat” of the old days. I will be OK if our cannons are fired.

-       But I feel plaintive.

-       I wouldn’t really like to be a doctor if I followed medical branch. I am a poltroon. The darkness will appear in front of my eyes whenever I see the blood.

-       If so, why did you attend military training school?

-       I don’t know. How strange it is. I was forced to be there as if it was arranged by the God. I couldn’t do different. I will be put into prison due to the reason of evading the national responsibility if I leave them. I only want to be a dreamy knight of the brush in deed. I will draw the romantic girls, the landscapes in autumn season. Do you still remember that I had collected paintings whose painters were Leona de Vincy, Raphaen, Levitan … and hung them on all corners of the walls?

-       Oh, yes. I haven’t recognized it up to now. There were always oil-paint and pastel in your house. One time, you forced me and Le Diem to be your sisters for your drawing but you had already torn it due to the ugliness. Le Diem kept laughing at you as “a half-baked painter”.

-       I like paintings despite of it. My parents didn’t allow me to be a student in Indochinese Fine Arts School. They said that I would be starved to death if I was a painter who couldn’t compare with a Doctor and thus they asked me to apply for Medical school. I had right away failed the university entrance exam. And now I am in such an uncomfortable emotional state …

-       Why didn’t you inform me before you got married?

-       What should I inform you?

-       I don’t know.

-       Oh, yes! Even in that aspect, I didn’t know as well. I simply got married and it was arranged by my mother. I happily accepted it and remained unruffled.

-       Didn’t Le Diem remind you? – Lan Vien asked with a sulky voice.

-       Her mind was also put in somewhere. She didn’t say anything.

-       You forgot me! – Vien’s eyes were wet with tears.

San raised his hand and dry her limpid drop of tear on Vien’s cheek.

-       I wish we were back the date that we were on the Britesuar boat and were sailing on the West Lake. Everything will be restarted.

-       Everything has already been interrupted. You know …

-       I’ve heard that the General of the army, Grey Tiger – Vu Hung loves you, doesn’t he?

-       I don’t know.

-       It seems that I had totally forgotten me since the date you said goodbye to Dong Khanh School and came back the Stone Farming House. – It was Vu San’s turn in complaining Vien.

Vien started. Was it correct? Did the “servant” Vu Hung of that day have anything so special that Vien “slipped from her memory” everything in Hanoi? Which extraordinarily supernatural force did Vu Hung have? It was very difficult to explain. She had never wished to leave the Stone Farming House up to that moment no matter the times of chaos. All of those were for Vu Hung. So, she shouldn’t blame anyone. Lan Vien dried her last drop of tear on her cheek by herself and her lips turned red when she said:

-       Well! Everything was predestined. It’s time for you to care of yourself – She repeated the sentence which she had talked to Hung …

The Third mandarin’s “operation” was ended in the early noon. The armed truck delegation noisily turned back District Town base. In the Stone Farming House, Lan Vien stood on the rocky bridge where the small limpid brook ran. She waved to them …

Date …

The war complexion was always changed for the better or the worse to each faction. The present of Vu San, soldiers and weapons had strengthened puppet side in Thuan An big post and made them overpowered Vietminh for a year before the situation was turned round. It seemed that the puppet camp was lost everywhere in the country and hence it was the same there. One night in December, Thuan An post was attacked beside the appearance of the north-easterly winds which were delivered the downheartedly muffled sounds. The regular troops were the main force coordinated by Grey Tiger local force whose leader was used to tell a lie about the present of regular army. That time, The Vietminh regular troops were at war. That was a fierce battle. The fire raged sky-high. The sounds of gunshots were peals “in unison”. Armed forces had used hand grenades to break the fence built by barbed wire before throwing themselves forwards. They attacked directly. They threw in the enemy’s faces. They disposed the troops in the battle formation. All were methodical actions but not guerilla treats such as “the handles of rice mortars” which were imitation cannons, “toads kept tobacco in their mouths before continuously coughing” – Three Goddesses “brigade’s” product. The number of casualties from both sides was rather big. An abundance of corpses were displayed just like the falling thatches. The blood spread all over the ground under the light of rocket. The enemy’s light machine-guns obliquely shot its bullets in sparrow’s stretching wing shape. The Vietminh attack waves took turn to collapse. Vietminh’s DKZ poured out their bullets like hails. Vietminh’s “suicide” soldiers were hardly able to drag their legs along to bunkers under the support of strong fire-power. Alive people were substituted for the dead ones. Hand grenades were thrown into the loop-hole behind bunkers and thus the light machine-guns stopped working. A group of spearhead whose leader was Hung suddenly broke into Vu San’s headquarters. Thuan An post was reduced to rubbish of firecracker after three hours of violently exchanging fire. Vu San surrendered.

The shadow of San who was escorted with a stoop was silhouetted against the glow of a fire caused by gasoline drums which went up in flames.

-       Give him a stroke of bayonet. – A warrior shouted.

Hung left his bayonet out and glared when he reminded:

-       Anybody who breaks the prisoner of war policy will be punished in accordance with the army ordinances.

Hung had to personally fasten San and lead him because he could not believe in his staffs who were members of the Three Goddesses “brigade” and who didn’t care of “military justice”.

The morning was just dawning. The theatre of war was lying about in disorder and in the way. The Vietminh wounded soldiers were loaded on the trucks which had just been confiscated and were going to carry them to their war zone. The killed soldiers were buried by militia. The dead bodies of puppet soldiers, French and black Moroccan were piled on the ground and were waiting for the help from local people. Each member of “the Three Goddesses brigade” had a few war-booty rifles hanging on his shoulder. The boxes of milk, sugar, medicine and military equipments were equally divided among “regular” and local soldiers. The delegation abounded with prisoners of war “operating” through But Nam direction to reach “unoccupied zone” destination where was Vietminh’s base over the river. They would stay in “re-education camp” in Thai Nguyen. All of them were bound. It was quite hard to find enough rope … Lan Vien rushed to the head of the village. The image of San who was all tattered and torn, loafed about the street with the blood stuck on his face and whose hands were tightly bound together behind his back by a rope. Vu Hung was escorting him in the back with a submachine gun on his shoulder. It was difficult to describe the feelings happened in Vien’s mind. She would like to cry but she was so scared that she couldn’t.

-       Brother Hung! – She got closed to him while her broken-hearted glint stuck to San without saying a word.

Hung laid his hand on Vien’s shoulder, set his eyes in front of her face and looked her straight in the eyes:

-       I understand what you want to say. Set your mind at rest!

-       How extremely terrible the circumstances are induced by life! San is Le Diem’s elder brother. She is my closed friend. He just wants to be a knight of the brush or a doctor at the most but not an officer. How the life is changed and forced him to fall into this situation. Please consider to help him at your rank. War is your work. I don’t know anything as a girl. The only thing I know is that you are kind men who I respect and love. I don’t want you all unhappiness.

-       I have already known all the things. I am not only a “Grey Tiger” but a reasonable and sentimental person as well. I am a Tiger if I meet the evil-doers but not common people. I am a Tiger in the war framework but not the normal life.

-       San has followed “the war framework” as a commanding officer of a post but he is not a man of sin. He hasn’t done anything wrong with our inhabitants. I don’t know about “the war relationship” but I know that he is a good person in “the relationship between human beings”.

-       As soldiers in opposite fronts, they have to gather up their mind and strength to annihilate their adversaries whenever they engage in battle. However, they will be behaved in the circle of “unselfishness between people” when they are “defeatists”. Set your mind at rest! Revolution has its own policy on humanity and large-hearted treatment with prisoner of war. Many of my companions in arms are killed in this combat. How hurtful I am! I can’t blame Vu San because he is in “the war framework” which has to run like that … otherwise it isn’t called the war …

Vien burst out crying and sobbed violently when the shapes of Hung and Vu San were out-of-the-way …

Meeting Vien after half a year, Hung whispered in her ear:

-       San was free. In another way, he had escaped from our reformatory in Thai Nguyen. I had mentioned San’s “positive factors” when I prepared his prison-file so that he could be arranged to stay in “minor offence camp” where the prisoners weren’t carefully detained and had to plant cassavas on the hill everyday. Taking the advantage of French planes releasing bombs on stockade area and everybody running away helter-skelter, San fled. I believe that he will never join in the enemy’s ranks when he is in Hanoi.

Vien embraced Hung and said:

-       You are typically magnanimous hero.  No words can describe my thankfulness towards you. Your action proved how much you love me! To the other people, they will take this chance to kill San and satisfy their insular hate. I and San anyway had had a time when we were quite closed “fraternity”. We had had the brotherhood at the age which made our way in the world beside “a little bit romanticism borrowed” from love. Nevertheless, you saved San due to my wish …

Date …

The war was going to be in its final stages. The puppet faction couldn’t have enough power to reset its base after the great post Thuan An was leveled. The village partisan’s military posts were automatically come apart as they lost their sheet-anchor. Some of them brought their rifles and enlisted as soldiers in Vietminh army. The rest of them stayed at home to do their own business or do farming as previously when they hadn’t served in the army.

The “headquarters” Three Goddesses of Vietminh army force was then overjoyed when proudly walked on the asphalted road no. 38 in broad daylight after several years of eating shell-fish and frogs, sleeping at the same place with water-snakes and bloodsuckers, wading so much that their four limbs had a pale complexion, being scratched on the faces by reed. Vietminh cadres in clothes of a brownish-black color with haversacks hanging on their shoulders and face-flannels on which flower images were printed appeared in great number.

Vu Hung and his “body-guards squad” had often stayed in the Stone Farming House for weeks.

But Nam was called “free zone” and considered as Vietminh’s base. The chairman of But Nam Administrative Resistance Committee officially “opened” his office in “But Nam club-house”.

The successfulness hadn’t presented all over the country but there. And Vu Hung who was the most prestigious person in that area was called the name everyday.

-       I think you should marry. You both have loved for years. Previously, we had to struggle and mixed revolutionary soldiers up with puppet ones. But now, we are contemporary the same side. – Mrs. Doctor of Letters asked Hung and Lan Vien – You are both advanced in years. What are you waiting for?

Mrs Doctor of Letters had no hesitation in speaking like that. To be fair, it was quite strange. She “persuaded” and give her offspring in marriage with her “servant” without exacting any wedding-presents although her daughter was “gold branches, jade leaves”. Normally, the bridegroom’s family had to propose marriage, ask somebody to do act as matchmakers, present the family’s finance with gifts on festivities and pay a plighting visit and so on whenever the girls got married. The bride’s family kept “thinking the bridegroom’s family beneath their dignity” before accepting. Nobody heard that a stake was looking for a buffalo but buffalo was looking for its stake. But then, how talent revolution was! They can completely change all the concepts. Mrs. Doctor of Letters – the bride’s family actively “raises the matter”. She advised Vien:

-       You are not a kid. Boys and girls are so free that they obey no principle under the age of “equality between men and women”. You have to marry anyway. You should finish that purpose. You shouldn’t be fastidious. Let you ask everybody in this Thuan An area which person is better than Hung. He is the number one. You can’t find any second person as good as him although you travel all over the world. You both had lived in the same house and become attached to each other since you were lads. The previous relationship was “owner and help” but the “owner” now has to depend on “servant”. Nobody knows how devastated this house was without him in trouble period and whether your brother Vinh even was OK in the event of seizing power in 1945 without his protection. Your brother was so afraid that he had to leave his house and hide himself in pagoda as a monk. He had never presented at our home since then. He said that he is now a high-ranking mandarin in somewhere. Even so, he also hasn’t dared to be in the Stone Farming House because Vietminh will kill him. He deserves all the credit. Your second brother is as a student. He has worried unfounded works but not our house’s ones. He has stayed in North Vietnam for many years and has never visited the Stone Farming House. Steamed glutinous rice and boiled bean were mingled. Revolutionary soldiers were mixed up with puppet ones. He fore sure would be arrested by village partisans. Nobody can boss the show with fearlessness but Hung. Nobody dares to do anything with him …

Mrs. Doctor of Letters well knew they had been in love for long. The longer time passed by the more they loved although they still observed their gap of duty. Her daughter was of course virtue and a person with good family breeding. And that boy Hung was quite righteous as well. Nothing had happened no matter how many times they had chances to stay side by side. If he was another man, women would be nothing to him as a powerful “shogun Grey Tiger”. Nobody could prevent him from getting her daughter with child. For example, Great Oldest Uncle in her family, he assaulted sexually a girl in the middle of the stream without any indulgence. Hung’s impressiveness wasn’t less than Great Oldest Uncle’s one. Even so, he still obeyed the “principle”.

Vu Hung and Lan Vien’s wedding was celebrated under the style of “the new Life” in Resistance zone. That was only a “meeting” organized on the yard of the Stone Farming House. Soldiers and militia sang songs. They drank green tea and ate sweets. Hung didn’t allow preparing any banquets. Nothing was prepared for eating or drinking. Hung and Vien sat at honor table under the slogan “Enjoy a new happy marriage without neglecting the duty”.

Hung promised in his speech to contribute his fighting in the whole country’s coming general counter offensive in order to succeed in the war.

The chairman of But Nam “Administrative Resistance Committee” took a seal out of his pocket and stamped on the handwriting paper which stated: the government certifies that you are husband and wife from now on.

Late at night, their “New life” wedding was illuminate by clear moon light which witnessed their beautiful love.

“Boudoir” was in the “Western architecture building” under the shadow of canarium forest. They were lying right on the bed on which spousal couple Vinh used to lie. Hung joked on nuptial night:

-       Hi, my dear “owner”. This “servant” has loved you since your breasts were as small as top cut of areca-nuts. I have to wait from that time until now.

I lived through a war. It’s lucky of me to keep a head on my neck so that I can slip it in your silky and white breasts today.

Vien played a joke on him:

-       “Owner” has also loved the “servant” since the time you made and flied kites that caused ow ow funny sounds all night.

-       How many “romantic friendships” did you have when you studied in Dong Khanh School in Hanoi? How was your emotion towards Vu San?

-       I knew nothing as I had the mind of a child. I have to wait for the correct time so that I can grow up “according to the developing of Resistance” and I have known what the true love is.

-       If our Vietminh was a loser, we lost the territory, we sustained a complete defeat and the puppet side was a winner, they owned Thuan An, our wedding would never been happened. Actually, I have struggled without getting tired because I am not only for the general ideal which is our country and our people but also for the purpose of “I must be a winner” so that I can marry you. Country and people are on the high sky while you are always in front of me and you urge me. I may not be “shogun Grey Tiger” without your present.

-       I have seen your “benevolence” and I can give credence to you after you saved Vu San. If you were so cruel that you killed Vu San at that moment I would be nervous of you.

-       We are spousal due to destiny. The event that Mr. Doctor of Letters Nguyen brought me with him to the Stone Farming House was not something got by accident. However, we have to accept that we couldn’t be husband and wife without the present of revolution and Resistance. You are “young lady”. You should be married off to some great aristocratic men who were “suitable alliance”.

-       Revolution has upset all the situations. You are in higher position.

Vien and Hung giggled. They had a sleepless night …

Date …

A long video clip set the scene happened in the context of the year 1954 in the film named “The family’s chronicle” Nguyen Duc had a lot of events. I was a bit old enough to understand and remember many details at that year …

The short heavy rains took turn to alternately perform with the intense sun in July. “The rains under the shadow of the clouds” were sometimes happened. A small group of clouds was in the middle of a large area of sun. Raindrops appeared under the sparkling sunlight. The sun and the rain mingled. It looked anxious and so did the state of mind of our family’s members.

Genève convention was signed. Vietminh was a winner. Vietminh’s territory was defined by the boundary from the seventeenth parallel of latitude to the north (North region). The territory of “National” faction which was disdainfully called “puppet side” by Vietminh was defined by the boundary from the seventeenth parallel of latitude to the south (South region).

Genève agreement which was taken place in some distant areas named Switzerland with the presents of Soviet Union’s, China’s and France’s representatives decided to divide Vietnam country into two regions just like the period that the Trinhs and the Nguyens were conflicting. The news arrived “Hoang Lan villa” stated that my father Ham was one of members of Vietnam delegation participated in Genève convention. He used to be one of members of Vietnam delegation participated in Da Lat preparatory conference. I proudly told Lu:

-       My father’s title is “higher” than your daddy whose position is the “puppet” vice province chief working for puppet government – I and Lu both were studying French and we could read Vietnam and French newspaper so that we could comprehend everything.

-       Your dad must have been a “secretary” or “petty staff” in the delegation only. What Vietminh needs is a person who is the master of French language with luxurious carriage in order to prepare “documents” in an international conference whose negotiable content was decided by Vietminh high-ranking officers.

The result of the meeting will be determined by the gentlemen such as Stalin from Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Mao Trach Dong from Communist China, Eisenhower from United State, Dalier from France, Molotop, Chu An Lai, Daladier, Mendès France …

-       You see! Our Vietnamese country turns out to be capital important. We are cared by the whole world.

-       That is a nice mess in deed. To our country’s work, it should be settled and agreed by our Vietnamese people only.

-       But the whole world is an “international chess” now. The “deserted areas” and “isolated islands” of the old days which stood aloof will no longer exist.

-       And we are now unlucky because of that.

Uncle Vinh asked his “driver” to pick up his mom and Mrs. Lan Vien from the Stone Farming House to Hanoi. The roads which used to be broken because the mines were densely installed and on which the travelers could be killed at any time were well traffic after ceasing hostilities. The Stone Farming House and Hanoi had been separated for years as though they belonged to two different worlds despite of the distance of 30 kilometers. “The mandarin” Duc Vinh – Vice province chief had never returned his hometown as he would be beheaded by Vietminh. How clever he was! The Vietnamese and French mandarins such as The Second, The Third and The Four officers were in charge of fighting and the vice province chief worked in his office in Gia Lam town where was bounded by Hanoi and was raised to province – a higher level. Uncle Vinh’s life was after all a “fugitive” person. It was clear that he had secluded himself from the world by becoming a monk. However, he was also considered as a runaway when he received the “puppet” position during the period of being “a term for a mandarin” in the government machine of Vietnamese dynasty. All his works were controlled by French officers. He did nothing but nonsense trials submitted by yokels or uncouth people living in the villages. They scrambled for a cult-portion field. They fought and exchanged angry words because they belonged to the two conflictive Macs. They struggled for “cooked ears of pigs and heads of chicken” in the temple … He couldn’t do anything which was significant actions. He was more puppet-headed when he took the title “Vice Province chief”. His higher rank was “Head of state” – the French’s “Great puppet leader”. “Vice Province chief” Duc Vinh who applied brilliantine on his shiny hair and was in black lounge suit sat on his “backside of the duck-like” car “minnopxankako” and run around the township to show his “national” land possessiveness. Anybody who had babies could receive their children’s birth certificates at his national ward or hamlet committees because Vietminh was in a far distance area …

… There was something strange when Mrs. Lan Vien presented in Hoang Lan villa. It had been for years. She looked fatter. Her face was more rotund. However, she seemed to be “ashamed” as if she was married without any wedding party. That was the most extraordinary. My mom and uncle Nhu (Mrs. Vinh) kept gazing at her. My mother was a teacher in Children private school located on Quan Thanh Street. She had emaciated frame because of leaving her husband. The pleasure that she was going to meet her better half who came from North Vietnam was just like a ready-to-fade flower which was verdant after being watered. She was now the proudest, the most authoritative and power person as she was Vietminh “high ranking cadre’s wife”. Her influence wasn’t less than Lan Vien’s – “shogun Grey Tiger’s spouse”. The person who looked like the rice paper dipped in water or a deflated balloon was no one else but uncle Nhu as she was a member of “losers” who were going to flee …

My mum recalled the date she married Duc Ham - the student in Albert Sarraut School. They had loved for two years. She was a weakly young lady – A Dong Khanh schoolgirl. He was a chivalrous schoolboy. Mrs. Doctor of Letters went as far as Nam town (Nam Dinh) to give many ceremonies. A poor Bachelor who stayed at the same Hang Nau Street with Tu Xuong of the old days in Nam town loved reading Tu Xuong’s extravagant poems though his family customs and practices were well education, scholar’s tradition and a clean fast which was better than a dirty breakfast. He stinted himself in money and save every penny so that he could let his daughter go to Hanoi for getting a few words and their meanings. Actually, he was very happy when his female offspring could marry a husband with a great aristocratic family.

They had the wedding “blaring” in Nam town. Most of inhabitants crowded to have a look …

Well! How proudly they were! …

It was quite the reverse. Mrs. Lan Vien had married “silently” and nobody knew the date and the place where the wedding was taken place. It was said that they did nothing but sang some songs beside the slogan “Enjoy a new happy marriage without neglecting the duty” …

Uncle Nhu also recalled the date she married Duc Vinh – the student in Law department. She was the scholar Thao’s daughter with a great aristocratic family in Gia Binh. Their house had tens of hectares of fields and tens of buffaloes and cows. She had a bewitching beauty. She knew Vietnamese language and some Han scripts which she had learned from her father since she was a kid. She was a person of great “worth”. No men in Gia Binh could match her but the scholar Duc Vinh. He had to bring “three cows and nine buffaloes” and three days of having sumptuous parties as wedding offerings in order to have Miss Nhu staying in the Stone Farming House …

Well! How proudly they were! …

Mrs. Nhu smiled when she remarked:

-       I know you “had been in love with” Hung for a long time. Vietminh is a winner. Hung is in higher position. However, you should ask him to celebrate a sumptuous wedding in which the soldiers holding rifles stood in two rows and welcomed you because he is a big boss.

-       Vietminh living in “Three Goddesses” had nothing to eat but swampy products such as snails, toads, bull-frogs and fish. How he could prepare a brilliant nuptials. – Lan Vien laughed when she replied.

-       Don’t “pick to pieces” shortcomings in others’ private life. – Mrs. Doctor of Letters gave a good dressing-down to her two daughters-in-law.  – Things were applied differently in each era. That was the age of revolution. I was so scared of “ostentation” in the wedding ceremony in the olden time in deed. My god! Ones could go into liquidation due to marriage which made them utterly exhausted caused by “attendance” … like the time when I and your dad got married … She couldn’t help avoiding her “reminiscence” …

The chapters of her happy and sad recollection started when the little girl Ngan (her name) was 13 years old. She was the daughter of Bachelor Mai whose title was District education officer in Son Nam. She stood on the street and waited for Doctor of Letters Duc Nguyen who was living in junior bachelor Sand’s house in her neighbor village on his date of “returning home to pay thanks to ancestors after achieving academic honors”. The loudspeaker was used to remind everybody to give way. The soldiers working for the court wore the blue and red shirts, yellow belts, soldiers’ conical hats and held primary five colors flags on their hands. The plate “Benevolence for your achieving academic honors” was red lacquer trimmed with gold. The new graduate’s palanquin was covered by red parasol whose canopy was green. The Doctor of Letters was very young. It seemed that he was 16 and he was an excellently infant prodigy.

The people on both sides of the roads were cheering at the new graduate just like the scene of “Ashamed girls with pink cheeks standing on the roadside which planted flowers as high as their waists were competing to see the face of the man in green dress”. The kid Ngan also elbowed others out in a crowd in order to get closed to the palanquin and clearly caught sight of the Doctor of Letters mandarin. She didn’t remember how she could marry him as she hadn’t reached the age of puberty. Living in junior bachelor Sand’s house for some months only, her figure was put on flesh after her first period and it seemed that her weight could be counted by day.

How glorious she was as she could be the term for a mandarin’s wife when she was only a lad! However, what an unexpected life she had! She had to be a sauce fish seller in District Town when she was a “District chief’s wife” and her husband invented a job called … shaver. All the things looked like jokes made her become a widow when she was still young. She kept her virginity and put her better half’s “family operation” on her shoulders. Life had changed extraordinarily. Both her first and second sons left behind no traces whatsoever and no one could help her but a “servant”. Her vast fields and palaces in the Stone Farming House made her stay there.

It was time for her to leave her first son forever. He would no longer stay in the North of Vietnam anymore. He had to move to the South where was so far away. His “national” faction was losers who had to leave their hometown.

-       Can you go with me? We will live in Sai Gon. – Duc Vinh suggested.

-       I go for what. Who will worship our ancestors and mind the house as well as our fields and garden?

-       You will be unhappy if you stay here.

-       I had already been in such an unhappy. I am a widow. My son is living apart. I experienced the troubled times. How much more sorrows should I spend?

-       I won’t set my mind at rest if I go and you stay here.

-       Don’t worry. I have Ham, Lan Vien and Hung.

-       Can you stay here in the North of Vietnam? We have Vietminh relatives such as Ham and Hung. Don’t scare like that! – My mother advised. She said on behalf of the winners who were going to take over a capital and control the government in the North. She belonged to the “host of present situation” faction.

-       Huh! You will be put into prison forever if you stay here. – Mrs Doctor of Letters dragged a half-smile out of her lips. Her lucid opinion confirmed by nature – Well! You go ahead.

-       Brother Vinh! You must go! – Lan Vien talked – Bring your wife and your child with you. Lu! You are the eldest son of Doctor of Letters’ eldest son. You have to think of your origin in the Stone Farming House when you grow up and whenever you are. Now, I and your uncle-in-law Hung will replace you in fulfilling your scope of “the eldest son of Doctor of Letters’ eldest son”.

What a melancholy departure! They would leave each other forever without waiting for the meeting date. They all had a premonition like that. They used to leave apart but the distance was only 30 kilometers from Hanoi to the Stone Farming House in But Nam. They had tried to stand until the trouble times were over. And now, they were going to face the very far distance between the South and the North of Vietnam.

-       We are going to live in the poor people’s time while we are the rich one. The starving people always hate the ones who have high living conditions. They have a cordial dislike for us. They have to bear their feelings and if they have chances they will revenge … I keep worrying for you, mom! – Uncle Vinh expressed his idea.

-       I’m afraid of nothing. Nobody does anything with such an old woman … I have Ham and Hung who are “high-ranking officers” working for Vietminh anyway.

Uncle Vinh hurriedly made a preparation. He wrapped up neatly all his clothes with several lounge suits in his suitcase and he certainly leave all his things. His trunk-like car “minnopxankako” was sold at a very cheap price. Nobody had enough effort to run a car in new time as they hadn’t got any petrol at all. He was going to depart and leave Hoang Lan villa as well as all his assets in the Stone Farming House. He was going to live in strange land without having anything in his hands. He had led an unregretful life till then because of not providing about the future. He had built up neither silver nor gold in his belt. He used to be District chief and vice governor of a province that were high sky positions but he had spent all his salary for his “mandarin’s family customs and practices”. Moreover, Mr. Vinh had ostentatiously invested in construction works and thus he didn’t much save money during the last some years. He had never been afraid of penuriousness because he always lived in comfortable conditions. He had never worried as he relied on his property and he had never expected the date he had to leave everything and set out without having anything in hand. He was nothing but penniless person.

Everybody in the house saw Mr. Vinh’s family to Gia Lam airport which was destitute with the superannuated Dakota planes. They were hurriedly taking off and landing on the airport in panicky ways.

The customers’ names were sonorously spoken on the megaphone. The passengers showed their tickets and crept into such a frail plane which was going to fly high and far in the air. It was true when we said that they laid their fates on the sky. Duc Vinh had never remembered what his younger brother said when he was expelled from school with a start until then. It was the situation …

-       Goodbye! My mom! – Mr. Vinh’s eyes were wet with tears.

Mrs. Doctors of Letters had a firm attitude herself when relying:

-       OK! Go! Everything is waiting for you …

I and Lu stood hand in hand

-       Remember to send me “post cards”!

-       Well! Goodbye!

My mother and Mrs. Nhu embraced each others without wishing to leave. They had been sisters-in-law for years. Mr. Vinh kept the whole family during the last several years. What a relationship full of deep affection! My mom’s teaching in the private school brought her fun only. Everybody had their own destinies. It was time for Mrs. Nhu to go …

-       Send my words to Mr. Ham – Mrs. Nhu said.

Mrs. Lan Vien held Lu in her arms. He was as tall as her. She fondled his hair as if he was a three-year-old kid.

-       You resemble our paternal grandfather most. My dear! Do well in school and be a good person!

Our paternal grandmother’s eyes wet with tears when the three figures of them was out of the door of the plane and she burst into tears when the plane started wailing and took off. My mama, Mrs. Vien and I cried accordingly. Our whole family sadly looked at the plane whose shape was smaller and smaller and then disappeared in the sky.

All of us returned the house no. 15 Bis Quan Thanh Street. It seemed to be very large with many dead leaves scattering on the veranda floor. The melancholy had an image of the afternoon sun in an uncultivated garden. However, it was the same to a dull cloud which was dilute when the winds arrived and the sun appeared. It would be replaced by an excitedly pink cloud.

I stood on the terrace and clapped my eyes on the sky. It was right that the clouds were painting masterpieces which performed many topics such as the essence of the life, the philosophy of the union and the dismiss, the change, color and colorlessness, nothingness, real and virtual objects, reality and romanticism, sensibleness and non-sensibleness, the multiform of life, the destiny, the law and the chance, atrociousness and dreaminess …

The huge painting work which described all aspects of life covered our heads: the sky and the clouds.

Each subject appeared and disappeared and we could read and feel it. What was the meaning of a lonely cloud which was blown by the winds and was going to be scattered? How about the soft white cloud which was rambling on the blue limpid sky? Which topic was the pink curl cloud which was bigger and bigger? What was the subject of the clouds which were covering the eye of day and how about the cloud set up around the moon?

The God felt pity for conscienceless people. He always every minutes and every second drew the cloud paintings with a very clear purpose as though they were slogans hanging on everybody’s head so that they could read them. Nevertheless, the human beings kept showing their unintentional attitude …

I felt under the weather because of the autumn winds. The ylang ylang leaves were fluttering. An ylang ylang flower dropped on my shoulder. Something like the agitated emotion was overwhelming my mind. My father was going to come back …

Date …

The sparkling autumn sun was apricot yellow. The sky was very blue. The landscape seemed to be changed. It looked brand-new. Duc Ham with the hat which was made by bamboo splints, was covered by fabric and was stuck by a yellow bronze star on his head was walking at the end of the troops. He was working “as” a superexcellent journalist who went together with the soldiers in order to take over the capital. He had to witness and record the historical minutes which were truthfulness, significance and sacredness. It seemed that nobody could write the French articles (original copy) and translate them into English as to supplying Ruerter and some other international newspapers. His “communicate information and foreign affairs” skill had been spontaneously developed since he was a freelance in Clementy’s editorial office. He had set up his relationship. He became “well-known” correspondent in the early period of nationwide resistance war. When he stayed in the North of Vietnam he was assigned many jobs such as listening to international channels before rendering the important news and submitting them to his leaders; composing documents for negotiating with foreign affairs, writing articles and news-letters in French language and sending them to the agencies of international communicate information; joining in the delegation which attended Geneve Convention; beside being in charge of taking cared of all the texts and statements, he was also appointed to work with Western News Agencies so that they could inform the truthful news about the resistance war in Vietnam, the Vietnamese people’s wishes and thus they could support Vietnam.

It was correct to call his career as “capital important” and it was also correct to cal it as “subordination or clerk”. He wasn’t a boss in any life-line organizations in the resistance war. He could take one work in a certain day and another work in the other day. He was able to be sent on temporary assignment to somewhere in order to help several unusually international delegations which started their business trips to Soviet Union, China, Poland … when the border between Vietnam and China was cleared and Vietnam Resistance government was recognized by nations in socialist faction …

“The ceremony troops” in which Ham was a member was coming from suburb. They aimed at Quan Ngua, passed by Quan Thanh, Dong Xuan, Hang Ngang, Hang Dao, the Bank of the Sword Lake …

They met the old streets after many years of leaving far away. The houses of tiled roofs grown with moss, yellow-wash walls and friendly villa window-panes seemed to recognize their old acquaintances. The song of triumph was performed by the soldiers who were marching with stamping noises. The rows of very blue trees were moaning and harmonizing with the noises caused by the people who were crowding both sides of the roads and weaving flags and flowers. On the date of departure, Duc Ham silently and unobtrusively walked under the Long Bien Bridge and threw a bunch of keys used to open all the doors of Hoang Lan villa into the Red River. On the date of returning, “the chivalrous shirt was faded by long-march dust” and “the Turtle Tower seemed to be happy under the rain”. He sometimes detached himself from the line in order to take pictures although he would rather like to queue up for “stepping in his staffs” so that he could receive bunches of flowers from the girls. When he photographed he would look like a member of “organization department” but not “the returning soldier”.

The troops passed by the villa located in 15 Bis Quan Thanh. Ylang ylang flowers were apricot yellow and their familiar perfume pervaded Ham’s nose. The gate was tightly locked. The sunshine covered the veranda floor. Everybody might be at the Bank of Sword Lake and wait for Ham as they were advised that Ham would march past there.

Ham weaved the villa without stopping. He kept following the other soldiers. His fabric shoes were worn out because of his walking on Resistance streets as well as his returning steps after years of “dreaming of Hanoi –a nice feature” …

Ham had already passed Hang Ngang, Hang Dao … - the ancient streets with the small heaving houses which bore the past souls of the old days. The golden light had shined and the moss had developed since the previous century. The historical witnesses – the houses whose tops were faded through years faced the winds and dews. They seemed to “realize” Ham as their old acquaintance who used to be the student in Albert Sarraut School and who was gentlemanlike, talent, romantic with a pure ideal. He came back from the forests and the mountains which were covered by red dust during the war. He used to eat buttery taste canariums and bitter bamboo sprouts. His face was weather-beaten and his hair was dyed the color of gun-smoke …

The troops went past the gate of Ngoc Son temple.

-       Brother Ham! – The loud cheers resounded from the Quill Tower on the road side. He kept amazing despite he had already imagined the situation in advance. Mrs. Doctor of Letters, Thuc (Ham’s better half), Lan Vien and his little lad Trung were rushing towards Ham and clung on to him. They were all repeatedly dusted with flowers. The scenes of receiving relatives like that were happened along the streets.

Ham detached himself from the army and embraced each person. He felt his mom’s white and very clean hair, the familiar perfume of his wife’s complexion, his younger sister’s beauty and the love he set for his son.

His relatives wept bitterly. The tears dropped like the rains in fall and Ham cried as well.

As a “journalist”, Ham accompanied the ranks of the army and thus he within his duty didn’t need to follow them in entering into the ancient stronghold area and attending “the hoist of the victor flag” ceremony in the Mangin* station. (*: The old name of current Army station)

Ham held Trung’s hand and went together with everybody around the Bank of Sword Lake. Thuc and Vien wore the peach-colored long dresses. Mrs. Doctor of Letters was in dregs of betel-colored long dress. Ham’s green army uniform recalled the romantic warfare image. How lovely the Sword Lake and the Turtle Tower were! It was nearly eight years of leaving apart. The vague wrinkles had appeared round Thuc’s very blue and limpid eyes. What was Duc Vinh doing in Sai Gon? We were born at the same place but we had to follow two different “stream flows” and we were more and more far apart …

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