Simple happiness

(Baonghean.vn) - They - one is a soldier from Uncle Ho's army in Nghe An, the other is a teacher of the ancient Quan Ho region on the Cau River (Bac Giang). A fateful encounter brought two people from two strange lands together in very special circumstances. Their love story is as beautiful as the love song of a soldier from that day.

The fateful encounter

During a business trip to Nghia Dan district (Nghe An), I happened to meet a very special family, the husband is a 1/4th grade seriously wounded soldier and his wife is a girl from the remote countryside of Bac Giang. That is the couple of war veteran Hoang Cong Thai - Duong Thi Dung in Dong Nap hamlet, Nghia Hoi commune, Nghia Dan district (Nghe An).

Their marriage came as if it were arranged by fate. Mr. Thai was a soldier who participated in the border war and was seriously injured, almost blind in both eyes. He was transferred to Bac Ninh for treatment, and it was here that the two met and later became husband and wife. “At that time, Mrs. Dung’s younger brother was also seriously injured, lost all four limbs and was blind in both eyes. She came to take care of her younger brother, then saw me lying in treatment alone, without any relatives to take care of me, so she encouraged me and confided in me a lot. From there, we got to know each other and fell in love without realizing it,” Mr. Thai recalled.

At that time, Mr. Hoang Cong Thai was completely blinded by grenade fragments in both eyes. For many years, he was transferred from one hospital to another in the hope of regaining his sight. “One day, while I was being treated at the 108 Military Hospital, my eyes suddenly saw a glimmer of light. I stood up and followed the light, then got lost in the hospital. Luckily, a doctor found me and brought me back to my hospital bed. But thanks to that day, I knew that my eyes still had hope of recovering if I tried to treat them.” Mr. Thai recalled the rare moment he saw light after his injury.

Leaving the hospital with a 92% disability, Mr. Thai was sent to the Nghe Tinh War Invalids Nursing Home in Nghi Phong Commune, Nghi Loc District (Nghe An). Over the years, going from one hospital to another with severe disabilities, he said, there were times when he thought he could not overcome reality, but thinking about his wife's promise and letters of encouragement gave him more strength to fight his disability.

And then one day, happiness smiled on them, Mr. Thai's disability improved, the vision in one eye recovered to 1/10. Without waiting any longer, he told his family and began his journey to the North to ask for his wife's hand in marriage. Love took them through many difficulties and obstacles of geographical distance, differences in customs and habits, and even the pain of disability, and then one day in 1981, the wedding of the veteran who had endured the hardships of the frontier and the beautiful, gentle teacher of the ancient quan ho region was held simply but filled with happiness.

After the wedding, they stayed in Bac Giang - the wife's hometown - for a while, then moved back to his hometown in Nghia Hoi until now. "Back home, I continued to receive treatment at Nghi Phong camp for several years. Seeing that it was difficult to travel and inconvenient to take care of her, in 1985 she insisted on "forcing" me to stay home to recuperate, and has been my special nurse ever since!", Mr. Thai's eyes sparkled with joy as he told us about the unforgettable memories of the two of them.

Simple happiness

The joy of the couple in the early days passed quickly, replaced by a life of hardship. He was a war invalid, in poor health and unable to do any work, the whole family depended on a few fields. Mrs. Dung recalled with emotion the time when she first became a daughter-in-law in Nghe An, her life was extremely deprived and difficult, especially her own obstacles when having to face so many differences. Even the language was different. She said that at those times she could not help but feel sorry for herself, but "he was very clever!", always whispering, sharing and encouraging her. Mr. Thai recalled: "Every time I went to the fields to plant, my wound would relapse. But, out of pity for my wife, I joined in the fields to help her. No matter how big or heavy the job, I just gritted my teeth and worked hard until I was in pain and had to rest. There were many days when I was sick and bedridden for a whole month, she stayed up all night, worrying about every pill of medicine, every spoonful of porridge!" Their life passed simply and peacefully in such deep love.

Mr. Thai and Mrs. Dung confided to reporters about unforgettable memories.

During the conversation with us, Mr. Thai and Mrs. Dung always repeated that in their marriage, love is the most important thing, without love, they would never have overcome such difficulties and challenges. And after many difficulties, happiness finally blossomed, and three lovely children were born one after another. The young man from Nghe An and the charming girl from Quan Ho have now become grandparents. “Now, my wife and I spend our living expenses on my severely disabled soldier allowance of 3.2 million VND/month. My grandmother who takes care of me also receives an allowance of nearly 800,000 VND/month. That's stable and happy!”, Mr. Thai gently shared.

Their love story became even more beautiful when I learned from my grandparents that before him, she had a husband who was a martyr who died in 1975. Mr. Thai confided: “Coming together is true love, it is fate. With her previous husband, I always considered him my brother, his family is also my family, my children are also his children. Every time we return to Bac Giang, my husband and I visit his family to fulfill our love and gratitude.”

A few years ago, he also supported her wholeheartedly in finding and bringing her deceased husband's remains back to his hometown. "In 2011, my family asked to move his altar to Nghe An for convenience in offering incense. Hanh (Hoang Cong Hanh, the eldest son of Mr. Thai and Mrs. Dung) held a ceremony to ask to be his son, the eldest grandson of his entire family in Bac Giang," said Mr. Thai.

Every day, the life of Mr. Thai and Mrs. Dung's family still passes simply and peacefully like many other families in Phu Quy land. With the sweet Quan Ho singing voice of a Northerner, she has become an active member of the Literature and Arts Club of Nghia Dan district. He still does the housework for her whenever she is busy with performances and stage lights. Because as he confided: "Marrying a husband far from home is very disadvantageous! If I don't love him, who else will?"./.

Thanh Duy