Simple happiness of the "tiny" couple

"The little guy" from the seaside

Putting down his luggage after returning from the South, Dau Van Quy in Hamlet 2, Dien Hai Commune (Dien Chau) hugged his little daughter and kissed her forehead, eyes, and cheeks. Only 2 years old, little Nhu Quynh seemed to have felt the warmth of fatherly love, she used her tiny hand to rub the head, forehead, and short fingers of her father who had just returned from working far away. Everyone who witnessed that scene shed tears.

As soon as he was born, Dau Van Quy had to suffer from the pain of being disabled because his arms and legs were shorter than normal, his fingers and toes were curled up and crossed over each other, and his body was small. Photo: Cong Kien

Quy’s life is a long story, filled with pain and unhappiness, but also joy and happiness. As he confided: “There were times when I fell into pessimism, even despair. But then, with my determination, I found joy and happiness, even though life still had many challenges waiting for me.”

Born in 1992, Dau Van Quy's legs and arms showed signs of abnormality as soon as he was born, with short, crossed fingers. As he grew older, the signs of deformity became more and more obvious, making Mr. Dau Quang Hanh and his wife Pham Thi Huynh sad and worried.

Quy's greatest happiness was meeting Ngo Thi Cam Giang - a girl from Long An who fell in love with him and agreed to marry him. Photo: Cong Kien

Although Quy's hands and feet were congenitally deformed, his brain developed normally, and he was even quite agile in exploring and understanding the world around him. When he was old enough, his parents taught him to move around with his crippled legs; when he grew up, he practiced working with his tiny hands with very short fingers.

It must be said that it was a great effort from Quy and his family, because the training process was so painful and difficult, there were times when he thought he had to give up. Especially later, when Quy was able to go to school to learn to read and write, his parents had to take turns taking him to and from school every day, practicing how to hold a pen and write each stroke.

The happiness of Quy and Giang on their wedding day in early 2016. Photo: NVCC

When he reached adulthood, not wanting his parents to suffer and be sad because of him, Dau Van Quy decided to follow a charity group to work as a ballpoint pen seller. The disabled feet of the young man from Nghe An have left their mark all over the Southern region, from bustling cities to peaceful villages. Making a living is very hard and tiring, but it helps Quy realize the good things in life, especially the feelings between people.

Happiness blooms

One time at the end of 2015, on his way to sell pens, Quy stopped at a restaurant in Ben Luc town (Long An) for lunch. Seeing the boy with a "tiny" body, deformed limbs, and carrying a bag of things, a girl serving at the restaurant kindly asked and shared. When she understood the situation, Ngo Thi Cam Giang (born 1994) - the girl at the restaurant admired the determination of the young man from Nghe An even more.

Then, as if by fate, Giang called a friend and somehow got the wrong number from Quy. After a moment of awkwardness, the two made an appointment to meet, and neither of them could have expected this reunion. From then on, Quy and Giang kept in touch with each other. Knowing that Giang was busy, Quy often took the opportunity to go to the restaurant to meet and share his feelings.

Quy and Giang's love has blossomed with the birth of baby Nhu Quynh. Photo: Cong Kien

“After a few days away from home and not being able to stop by Giang’s restaurant, I suddenly felt like there was a fire burning in my heart” – Quy confided. The Western girl could not hide her feelings: “After a few days, not seeing him come over for dinner, I was worried, afraid that he was sick or something happened while he was away”. That is, between them, the flame of love was kindled, two hearts turned towards each other and beat together.

At some point, Giang and Quy realized they could not live without each other and decided to build their happiness together. However, when Giang brought her lover home, her parents and siblings strongly opposed it, even Giang's mother declared that she was ready to disown her son. Because Giang's family could not accept a son-in-law with a tiny body and disability while their daughter was completely healthy and whole.

But love has its own reasons, Giang said: "I cannot live without him, please agree, from now on, whether life is happy or miserable, I will accept it and not complain!" At this point, Giang's parents had to agree, even though their hearts were still in turmoil.

Quy and Giang's wedding took place in early 2016, an event that caused a stir in the entire Dien Hai fishing village. That day, most of the people in the commune temporarily put aside their work to attend the wedding, partly out of curiosity, partly to witness the happy moment of the "tiny" guy and his wife from the far West. Quy confided: "On the wedding day, there were times when I still thought I was dreaming, because only in dreams do I dare to think it's real."

Giang's biggest wish is to save up some capital to open a grocery store, so that the couple can work together and not have to live apart. Photo: Cong Kien

Up to now, their love has come to fruition, blossoming, baby Dau Thi Nhu Quynh is almost 2 years old and healthy and intelligent. Currently, Quy continues to sell ballpoint pens, his disabled legs continue to roam all over the Southern roads to earn a living, earn money to support his wife and children. Meanwhile, Giang stays home to raise the children, every day boils corn and potatoes and then sells them to tourists at Hon Cau tourist area (Dien Hai).

Although their income is unstable and they live thousands of kilometers apart, Quy and Giang always think of each other, their home and their little daughter. Giang confided: "My husband and I's wish right now is to have a little capital to open a grocery store, so that we can work together and not have to live apart..."