Sow faith, reap happiness

(Baonghean) - An unfortunate fate made Ms. Vuong Thi Than's life full of darkness and gray with difficulties and hardships, but because she dared to accept her circumstances, she overcame many difficulties to sow the seeds of happiness for the future.

I call Ms. Than a “steel” woman because no matter how difficult the situation is, she is always the pillar of support in the family. She not only tries to take care of and shoulder all the work in the house, but she is also the one who inspires hope for everyone to try together, even though it is only a fragile hope.

"Distorted" love story

One day in late June, the dry Foehn winds carrying the salty taste of the sea continuously blew into the faces of passersby. Winding through the lush green fields in the tillering stage, my friend took me to Mrs. Pham Thi Bai’s house in Hamlet 11, Dien Lien Commune (Dien Chau) to hear about people who dared to accept their circumstances and overcome difficulties.

Ms. Vuong Thi Than with her mother-in-law and two sisters with congenital intellectual disabilities. Photo: Nhu Suong

In a small, old house filled with bags of unsold rice, Mrs. Bai’s only daughter-in-law, Ms. Vuong Thi Than (born in 1980), quickly put away her hoe in the corner of the yard and invited guests in. She was small but looked healthy and agile; her dark skin and thin face with high cheekbones further revealed the hardships and difficulties she was enduring in life.

Ms. Than was born into a poor family on Truong Ven slope in Dien Lam commune (Dien Chau). She had many siblings, and her only occupation was farming, so she had to work hard in the fields early on. Because of that, she had the gentleness, gentleness, and diligence of a girl from the rice fields. Growing up and becoming a young woman, she was noticed by a few people in the village who secretly loved her. However, due to difficult family circumstances, she was forced to temporarily put aside her search for personal happiness to help her parents earn money to raise her younger siblings.

In the countryside, apart from working for hire during the harvest season for a few days or ten days, there is almost no permanent work. Therefore, she often goes to neighboring communes to work for hire. In places too far from home, she stays with the employer until the harvest season is over. Fate brought her to meet a man named Ho Xuan Tho (born in 1975) in the remote Dien Lien area.

“When I met him, it was also the first time I set foot in Dien Lien. Although we lived in the same district, the distance from my house to his was nearly ten kilometers, so when I went to work for hire, I had to stay at the employer's house to finish the season. At that time, I also heard that he had a brain disease so he was not as clear-headed and clever as other people, but until we met, the things I imagined in my head were far from reality. Sometimes he was awake, sometimes he was unconscious, sometimes he spoke very cleverly but sometimes he spoke like a stupid child... However, perhaps because of a predestined relationship from a previous life, just that one chance meeting made me feel sorry for him and want to help him,” Ms. Than recounted.

Once, twice, three, four, five times,... the two met and shared and talked, and their feelings gradually grew. Despite her relatives' efforts to prevent and forbid, and the villagers' gossip, that love at first sight burned even more intensely. After many storms, both families finally accepted her and Tho to be together.

Sow faith to reap happiness

Although she had mentally prepared herself for the difficulties she had to accept, on the day she became a daughter-in-law, Ms. Than was still shocked and worried. In the family, besides Mr. Tho, there were two older sisters, Ho Thi Ha (born in 1966) and Ho Thi Phuong (born in 1971), who also suffered from congenital mental retardation, always naive and foolish like a child. Her husband's parents were now old and weak, so the burden of the family depended on her. The difficult situation, one person working, four or five people eating, made her even more miserable. But then, with the care and encouragement of her parents and relatives on her husband's side, she accepted her fate and tried to work hard.

Mrs. Pham Thi Bai - Ms. Than's mother-in-law, although over 80 years old this year, still does housework so that Ms. Than can focus on farming. Photo: Nhu Suong

“My parents-in-law love me very much! They treat me like their own child. When I go to work, my parents stay home to help with the housework, prepare meals and wait for me to come home. Many days I work late but they still wait for me to eat. When I was pregnant and gave birth, she worried a lot, afraid that I wouldn’t eat enough... So no matter how hard it is, I accept my role as a daughter-in-law. I try to work hard every day to take care of the family,” Ms. Than confided.

Despite the hardships and difficulties, thanks to the care of her husband's family and the fact that she has three lovely, well-behaved children, Ho Thi Thuong (born in 2002), Ho Thi Huong (born in 2009) and Ho Van Giap (born in 2014), Ms. Than has more motivation to try. Her husband's family only has a few fields of rice, just enough to eat, so she boldly took on land from the villagers to work on. That's why every crop, except for the rice for the whole family to eat during the season and a part for raising livestock, she also has extra income from selling rice. The children are growing up and needing expenses. Determined not to let them be inferior to their friends, she takes advantage of the opportunity to work for hire in all the villages to earn money to take care of the three children.

Perhaps because God was teasing her already unfortunate fate, once again, pain struck this strong woman. In February 2017, Tho's mental illness took a turn for the worse and just a few days later, he quietly left his wife and children. She had been able to bear the material hardships for many years, but now, the only spiritual support was gone, causing her immense pain. The love between husband and wife was so short, only measured in the palm of one's hand.

Although they are nearly 50 years old, their two daughters are still like three-year-old children. Every day, Mrs. Bai still has to take care of them little by little. Photo: Nhu Suong

The tears that flowed had to be held back, feeling sorry for her young children, her old and weak mother and her two naive sisters-in-law who “could not grow up”, she wrapped up her pain to continue living. Confiding about the long days ahead, Ms. Than said: “Because of my unlucky fate, I cannot enjoy complete happiness like others, but no matter what happens, I still have to live on. Because my children need their mother, need love and protection.

For that reason, I need to be stronger. Even though life is difficult, hard and I have to support 6 people, "God creates elephants, and God creates grass", no one is cut off from life. Now, my children will be the source of motivation for me to try. And as long as they are good and study well, even if I have to sacrifice myself, I am ready" - Ms. Than shared with all her optimism.

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