Mother's heart in Xop Nhi village

(Baonghean) - That mother once forgot to eat, forgot to sleep, wandering all over the streets to find her daughter. Then when she heard that her daughter had been tricked and sold and was wandering in a foreign land, she found a way to the other side of the border to meet her with the hope of redeeming her daughter. Ironically, she had to return with empty hands...

At this time, the people of Xop Nhi village, Huu Lap commune (Ky Son) are happy because this year the weather is quite favorable, the corn crop is good. But for the couple Lo Van May (1970) and Lo Thi Binh (1975), that does not mean much. Because their two daughters, Lo Thi Hoc (1995) and Lo Thi On (1997), are living in exile in China. As the days go by, the longing accumulates, causing the mother to suffer from insomnia, both physically and mentally.

Holding her son, who was less than 9 months old, in her arms, Lo Thi Binh told the story in sobs: “My husband and I gave birth to 2 boys and 2 girls. Now our two eldest daughters are wandering in China. I miss them so much, I love them all the time but I don’t know what else to do!” According to Binh, due to difficult family circumstances, Lo Thi Hoc, the eldest daughter, who was in 7th grade, had to drop out of school to help her parents take care of her younger siblings. In mid-2010, an acquaintance invited her, so Hoc decided to follow her to Nam Can commune to work as a waiter and dishwasher for a restaurant. During this time, she came home a few times, then disappeared. After not seeing her daughter for a long time and not being able to contact her by phone, Binh had a bad feeling so she decided to go to Nam Can to look for her. When she arrived at the restaurant, the owner said that her daughter had followed a woman to work at a company, and she didn’t know the exact address. Hearing this news, Ms. Binh half believed, half doubted because she did not understand why Hoc did not say a word to his parents?

Binh and her husband look back at the photo of the family reunion.

Her daughter suddenly disappeared mysteriously, no one saw her anywhere, and she could not contact her. The mother became more and more absent-minded. She went to her brothers and relatives' houses everywhere, near or far, to inquire about news, but no one knew. Then she went up to Nam Can, down to Con Cuong, turned to Quy Hop, Thai Hoa... Wherever there were restaurants and markets, she stopped to ask, but only received head shakes. Alone on her motorbike, Ms. Binh did not remember how many villages she had passed, how many roads she had traveled up and down, how many times she had braved the sun and rain in the hope of finding her first daughter. One time, on a summer afternoon, she crossed Pu Huot slope (Binh Chuan commune - Con Cuong), the sky was sunny, suddenly the clouds gathered and it rained heavily, water poured down on her face, stinging. The wind knocked down trees, thunder and lightning were deafening. The motorbike suddenly wobbled, she fell to the side of the road and lay motionless. The woman's strength was not enough to stand up before the wrath of heaven and earth. The wind still whipped, the rain still poured into her face, the rain mixed with the bitter tears flowing down the face of the unfortunate woman, seeping into the heart, liver, and marrow of the mother who lost her child.

After the storm passed, she was still lying on the side of the road, her whole body was cold, her limbs were limp, her head was burning hot. While she was half awake, Binh saw her daughter come to help her up and lead her away, then she fell into darkness. When she woke up, she found herself lying in a stilt house, surrounded by strangers. The female owner of the house told her that when she returned from the field in the afternoon, she saw her lying motionless on the Pu Huot slope, so she immediately took her home in Tong village for first aid. After waking up, she was offered a delicious bowl of porridge. Another time, Binh was driving her motorbike up Noong De slope to Nam Can border gate when she suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded. Knowing that she could not continue her journey, she was forced to stop the motorbike and stop at a house by the roadside. As soon as she stepped onto the porch, she collapsed and gradually fainted. Knowing that she was fainting from hunger, the owner of the house tried to give her fresh milk. Then she gradually regained consciousness...

After 2 months of running around, with no news of her daughter, Ms. Binh had to return home disappointed. During the day, she wandered in and out like a sleepwalker, not interested in work, not interested in eating. At night, in her fitful sleep, the image of her daughter kept appearing in her mind. Sometimes she saw Hoc as a child, chirping back from class in the afternoon. Sometimes, she saw Hoc carrying luggage home, his face cheerful. Sometimes, his clothes were torn, his face was absent-minded as if he was asking for his mother's help. She called out his name loudly and woke up... Everything returned to the harsh, painful reality. In the long night, facing the truth, facing herself, Ms. Binh could only cry. There were times when she thought her tears would dry up, leaving behind sunken eyes, a lifeless face and a withered body.

It seemed hopeless, but one day an acquaintance provided important information: Hoc had been tricked and sold to China by a woman in Don Phuc commune (Con Cuong). Ms. Binh went to Con Cuong to meet the person who had cruelly tricked and sold her child. At first, this person denied it, claiming that he had nothing to do with it. She threatened to report to the police and sue the trafficker, only then did he admit his guilt. This person said that Hoc had gotten married and had a happy life there, and that his family should not worry about anything. The unfortunate mother pretended to believe him and asked to go with her to China to see her child and witness what she had just heard. The trafficker agreed to take her there and promised to complete the necessary procedures before leaving. When she returned home, Ms. Binh managed to raise nearly 1 million VND to cover travel expenses the next day. As scheduled, the two of them set off together for Mong Cai Border Gate (Quang Ninh). From here, they continued to take a bus for a day, a night, and a morning to reach Hoc's place. Mother and son met, hugged each other and sobbed. Tears of longing and resentment flowed endlessly. Hoc told his mother that he had gotten married, missed home, missed his parents and siblings, but could not go back because he did not have any money.

At this time, the money she brought for travel expenses was gone, Ms. Binh decided to work for hire until she had enough money to take her child home. She accepted an offer to work for a local person on the farm. The distance from home to the farm took several days on foot. Her daily work was planting corn, weeding and harvesting crops. Working hard during the day, sleeping at night in a camp, she was filled with mixed feelings. She felt sorry for her daughter alone in a foreign land, not knowing anyone, not having a penny in hand, having to be the wife of a man she did not love. Then she felt heartbroken when she remembered her village, her hometown - where her husband was holding her hand and her two children were waiting with tired eyes. Feeling sorry for her husband and children, tears flowed all night, her heart was torn between many unfair things... Working for hire for about 2 months, when she had a certain amount of money, Ms. Binh found a way back to where her daughter lived. On the way, she imagined the scene of the two of them going through Mong Cai Border Gate to return home. When she got home, her husband and children would rush out to welcome her in the joy of reunion. Then her brothers, relatives, and villagers would come to share the joy. However, when she arrived, she received news that her daughter had been sold to another place. The ground beneath her feet seemed to sink, and she collapsed in a foreign land... When she regained consciousness, she decided to return home, because her husband and children were waiting for her at home.

The whole family was sad like a funeral, no one wanted to say even a word. The pain of losing her child and the hardships and dangers on the journey to find her had made Binh almost callous. As for May, the longing and torment made him sullen. At times like that, he turned to alcohol to forget everything. But after drinking, the pain penetrated his heart and soul, he cried like a child. It seemed as if the pain and resentment that had been pent up for so long now burst out with each sob. On, Hoc's younger brother, also missed his sister very much. He often asked his mother about life on the other side of the border, where his sister was wandering. Then, more than a year ago, On asked his parents to go to Muong Xen to visit his friend for a few days. A few days later, he called to say that because he missed his sister, On would go there to find her. The pain of Binh and her husband was compounded when their second daughter, not yet 17 years old, followed her sister's footsteps to a foreign country. Not long after, On called to say that she had found her sister, and that On had also gotten married there. The two sisters missed home, their parents and siblings very much, but could not return. Because they had no money, and their husband's family had not yet allowed them to return. From then on, Hoc and On occasionally called to ask about their parents. The first thing they often said was: "Mom and Dad! I miss home so much!" At times like that, Binh burst into tears, almost unable to say a word.

The 9-month-old baby cried out in thirst for milk, so Ms. Binh went into the kitchen to get some porridge to feed him. She said: "He has a heart disease now, and his body is weak, so he has very little milk. This baby has had to eat porridge since birth." During the whole time listening to Ms. Binh talk about her children, Mr. May walked around absent-mindedly like a shadow. He reached up to the bamboo screen of the house to get a photo and showed it to us. It was a family photo (Mr. May, his wife, Ms. Binh, Hoc, On and the third son). Everyone was holding hands and their faces were radiant with happiness. Looking at the photo, the sadness and longing in the eyes and on the faces of the father and mother became more profound. The youngest son, who was not yet in this world, was now also staring at the photo. After a moment of silence, Ms. Binh shared: “Every time we miss our children, my husband and I take out the photos to look at them to ease our longing. Luckily, we took this photo that day, otherwise I don’t know what would have happened. I don’t know if the family will ever be reunited like that again.”

Leaving Xop Nhi, we are still haunted by the sunken, soulless eyes and the dark, sad faces of Binh and her husband. And it is known that in this remote area, Binh's family's situation is not unique. Because in the villages here, the situation of women and girls being tricked and sold to China is no longer rare. It has become a painful problem, causing disruption to economic and social life and destroying the happiness of many families. Who knows when this situation will end?

Article and photos: TBritish Street