The life pages of a book-writing maid

(Baonghean) - Her desire to be a mother was extinguished, the after-effects of Agent Orange made it impossible for her to have children, and then illness tormented her. Her husband, her only support during the difficult years, also left her. The Truong Son veteran was forced to work as a maid to earn money to support her elderly mother, to support her three grandchildren's education, and to support herself. Every night, she stayed up late writing books...

The bitter road of life

I held in my hand the work Miracle Medicine by Ms. Nguyen Thi Thin, a veteran of Truong Son, a poor maid who thought for many years she had buried her life in a winding path leading to a deserted hillside in Van Son commune, Do Luong district, now suddenly became a "famous" person. After the jumble of worries, the pains condensed into words, it is a life of ups and downs of a woman who had suffered many losses in life but had extraordinary willpower and a rich spirit of sacrifice.

Life has drawn many paths and forks in front of her, allowing her to choose her own journey and destination, but ironically, every time she stood at a crossroads, every time she touched the finish line, she felt disappointed and broken. The fall from the bike in the middle of Truong Dong slope in 1977; it seemed to be a fall of fate, breaking the burning dream of taking the entrance exam to the Literature Department of the University of General of the country girl. “That year, after studying for the exam in Tan Ky district, I returned home and around June I cycled past Truong Dong to Lat town to get my exam card. Halfway up the slope, the bike suddenly broke its brakes, plunged down the mountainside, my head hit a rock, and I fainted. A few weeks later, I lost my memory, had to give up the exam and from there ended my career of studying!”, Ms. Thin said.

Born in 1953, she had to drop out of school in grade 9 because her family was poor. Before planning to take the university entrance exam, Nguyen Thi Thin spent 4 years in the army (1971-1974) at the Military Post Company, under the General Staff of the 59th Truong Son Group. Ms. Thin continued: “During the 4 years in the army, the nature of the military post job made it impossible for me to take a day off to visit home. Letters, documents, and papers were sent back and forth like a shuttle, four years is a long time but also very fast!” After being discharged from the army, the female veteran of Truong Son was assigned to work as a worker at the Viet Tri Textile Factory (Vinh Phu). Having a weak heart and unable to operate machines, she returned home a short time later. Having lost her dream of studying after the accident in Truong Dong, she applied to work as a worker at the An Ngai Farm. When her younger brother and sister grew up, they had to leave home to go to the South to find work. Ms. Thin returned to Van Son (Do Luong) to take care of her mother, burying her life in a remote hill.

After many years of illness, her old mother suddenly recovered. Nguyen Thi Thin left her hometown by train to Hai Phong City, with the small wish of asking her relative, Thang, to find her a job to support herself. As soon as she arrived in the port city, she sadly received the news that her uncle had cancer and was being treated in the hospital. The child was still young, Thang's wife was busy with work, so she could not spend all her time taking care of her husband. Thin had to go to the hospital to take her sister-in-law's place to take care of him. A few months later, Thang passed away. Thin attended his funeral and then sadly packed her bags and returned to her hometown. The journey home was pitiful, the tears of a girl who had already passed away quietly soaked her shirt.

At the age of 30, her friends were married and had children, but she was still alone. "Many nights, looking at my reflection, I cried!", her voice was sad. A construction worker, from Hue, working on a project in Do Luong, married Thin. But unfortunately, after getting married, she suddenly fell ill. Four years in the army, rolling around in the Truong Son forest, she was infected with Agent Orange. The toxic chemicals began to destroy her body, causing her to have frequent body aches, blood clotting problems, and infertility. Going to the hospital, dragging herself from Do Luong Hospital to the Provincial General Hospital (Vinh City), still could not cure her. On top of that, some gossipers spread rumors that she had leukemia, making her miserable, and her husband shunned her. For a long time, he left her forever, not caring about his wife who was suffering from Agent Orange, unable to give birth to a child. But somehow, her husband came back. But not long after their reunion, disaster struck. Ms. Thin's husband fell from scaffolding while building a house in the mountainous district of Tan Ky and died.

She has long since given up hope of studying. She has lost a benefactor who could have helped her change her destiny. She has waited and been disappointed. She has had fleeting happiness, but her life in her previous life has been one of constant, endless suffering. “Before getting married, I almost crossed the river with a former law student. He agreed. But his parents did not agree. The reason was that I had no job and my family was very poor. In the end, we had to break up!”, Ms. Thin said in tears.

Maid writes book

After much struggle, Ms. Thin finally received the Agent Orange allowance. 1,800,000 VND per month, plus a few hundred VND in old age support that her mother received, she and her children were able to get by. Looking at the shabby tiled roof and dilapidated house, I asked if her family was considered a poor household. Ms. Thin shook her head: "Before, we were, but recently we are no longer eligible for the poor household status. My family's poor household standard was suddenly cut, they said it was for someone else!" I discussed this with Mr. Nguyen Thanh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Do Luong district. Mr. Thanh said, "I will have it checked again."

Ms. Thin and her grandson

Nguyen Xuan Hong, sister Thin's younger brother, gave birth to 3 children. Her husband was a pine resin worker, his wife was a maid, and Hong's children lived in her house. To share the burden with her mother and younger siblings, Nguyen Thi Thin packed her bags and traveled to Vinh, Hanoi, Hai Phong, and Saigon to work as a maid. At the end of the month, when she received her salary, Ms. Thin and her sister-in-law sent it back to raise 3 children.

The more difficult it is, the more Nguyen Xuan Phuc - Hong's first son tries to study. Phuc was admitted to the University of Transport, Faculty of Construction, and is in his second year; Phuc's younger brother, Nguyen Xuan Duc, is in grade 12 at Do Luong I High School. Working as a maid to support his mother and himself is "a common thing in the district". But working as a maid to earn money to support his grandchildren's education, perhaps only Ms. Nguyen Thi Thin, a former Truong Son soldier, can do it?! "I consider my grandchildren as my own children. If I cannot go to university, I will strive with my younger brother and sister-in-law to raise my grandchildren to fulfill my dream. Taking on the hardship so that everyone can have a lighter burden, I feel at peace!", Ms. Thin said.

Fond of reading, Nguyen Thi Thin could stay up all night every time she borrowed a book. During the day, she helped the homeowner look after the children, cook, and do the laundry, and at night, in her small attic, Nguyen Thi Thin would light up the lamp to write short stories. “It’s harder than plowing, uncle!”, Ms. Thin humorously said.

The Miracle Medicine, Writers Association Publishing House, 2013

Her first work, The Miracle Medicine, which consists of 6 short stories, was conceived and published with great difficulty. “Every penny I earned as a maid, I sent home to raise my grandchildren. After finishing the stories, I had no money to print the books, so I had to save up for a long time!”, the author of the collection of short stories said. When she had enough money, she asked her nephew to ride her bicycle to Minh Thang Bookstore (Lang Street, Hanoi) to sign a book printing contract.

Sixty years old, the maid who wrote the book said, she longed for a lullaby for her baby!

Quang Long