The poor boy's faith

(Baonghean) - When visiting Ngoc Son commune (Thanh Chuong) to ask about Le Van Chien, everyone expressed sympathy and shared the pitiful situation of this 11-year-old boy. His parents divorced and abandoned him when he was only 6 months old. Chien survived thanks to the care and protection of his grandmother. Now that his grandmother is old and weak, every day the boy has to go to the fields to catch crabs and fish for her...

Grandma and I graduallysupport each other

Coming to Hamlet 2B, Ngoc Son Commune, we were enthusiastically guided by the locals to the house of Mrs. Le Thi Huong - Chien's grandmother. At this time, it was almost noon, the summer sun was starting to get harsh. Mrs. Huong's house was only 15 square meters, roofed with cement tiles, the highest point of the roof was about 3 meters. There was nothing valuable in the house, only an old table and bed, and a few dented aluminum pots in the kitchen. Entering that small house, the air was hot and stuffy, and sweat was pouring down. The homeowner said: "From now until 4 pm, we cannot sit in this house, my grandmother and I have to go to the neighbor's house to cool off."

Asked about her grandson in a difficult and unfortunate situation, Mrs. Huong said that Chien had started his summer vacation and was now in the fields or on the banks of the Rao Gang River catching fish and crabs to sell to earn money to cover the daily expenses of the two of them. Then Mrs. Huong's eyes suddenly welled up with tears, her smoky eyes filled with tears. She shared: "It's so pitiful, having a father and a mother is like not having one, at only 6-7 years old, he already has to worry about making a living and food and clothing." According to Mrs. Huong, when Chien was only 6 months old, his parents divorced, each went their separate ways, now both have their own families and have children. Chien was left to be raised by his grandmother. Not to mention the hardships and difficulties of raising a child who is only half a year old...

Le Van Chien's grandmother still remembers clearly the times when her grandson was thirsty for milk, crying for hours. Feeling sorry for him, Mrs. Huong had to carry Chien around the neighborhood to ask for milk. When he was over 1 year old, Chien had to stay home alone. To have food for both of them, Mrs. Huong had to go to the fields every day to glean rice and potatoes. After the harvest, there was nothing left to glean, so she went into the forest to find trees to sell to broom makers. Like that, year after year, she had to worry about "running to make a living", with almost no days off. Mrs. Huong asked someone to make a small crib, and every time she went to work, she carried her grandson in the crib, in case he would crawl around. She went from morning to noon, from noon to afternoon. Every time she came back, she saw that he was exhausted from crying so much. She felt sorry for him, but there was no other way. When Chien was stronger, she let Chien sit in one end of the carrying pole so that they could go to the fields to glean rice and go into the forest to chop trees. Therefore, from a very young age, Chien followed his grandmother through the rain and sun, and soon felt the salty taste of sweat. When he grew up a little, Chien could help his grandmother with daily chores to earn a living.

Feeling heartbroken for her grandson, many nights Mrs. Huong could not sleep. She thought about the future of her unfortunate grandson, if unfortunately something happened and he had to leave this life early, how would Chiến live? Thinking about that, she could not hold back her tears. Then she thought that only education could help Chiến have a bright future? Therefore, when Chiến was 6 years old, she took him to school to register for first grade, even though she knew that life would be much more difficult and arduous. From then on, Chiến went to class one day, and continued to help her with her daily chores. After a sigh, Mrs. Huong continued to confide: “I am 84 years old this year, my life is only counted by months, even by days. But I still hope to live until Chiến grows up, to be his spiritual support...”.

In recent years, Mrs. Huong's health has declined rapidly, her legs often ache, her hands are always numb, so she has no strength to go to the fields to glean rice, or go to the forest to collect trees. Before the age of 10, Chien has become the main laborer, the support of his grandmother when she is over 80 years old. Outside of school hours, Chien is always in the fields to catch crabs and snails to supply to local restaurants. On days with high "income", Chien brings home about 60,000 VND, on days with low income, he only brings home about 20,000 VND. The life of the two grandmother and grandchild continues to pass in hardship, toil and poverty.

Chien's joy before the "spoils of war".

Mrs. Huong and the guests were sitting and chatting in front of the porch, when suddenly Chien ran from the gate into the yard and said happily, “Today, we caught a lot, ma’am! There are a lot of crabs and fish!”. Suddenly realizing the presence of a stranger, the boy greeted politely. Only then did we get a clearer look at the boy. His body was small compared to his age, his limbs were skinny, his skin was dark because he had been exposed to the scorching sun all day. But the most impressive thing was his agility and liveliness; his eyes radiated the bright light of determination and faith in life. Following Chien to the well to witness with our own eyes, we truly admired the boy’s talent for catching crabs and fish. Chien “bragged”: “Today the sun is so strong, crabs are racing to the shore to avoid the sun, fish are also racing to the surface to breathe so I caught more than usual. I caught only big crabs and perch, so it’s easier to sell. With this amount, I can probably get about 70,000-80,000, uncle!”. While talking, the boy looked for a shady place to put the crab and fish pots.

My wish...

We followed Chien out to the bamboo bushes in the backyard to sit and enjoy the cool breeze. After a moment of hesitation and shyness, the boy began to talk openly and intimately. In his mind, his grandmother was the best person in the world. Her life had been full of hardships, and at the end of her life, she had to open her arms to take care of her unfortunate grandchild. She worked hard day and night, her back bent to earn a living to feed her grandchild. Chien loved her very much, at first he decided not to go to school, he just wanted to stay home to help her earn a living. Knowing his intention, his grandmother was very sad, many times he saw her sitting quietly crying alone. Chien did not want his grandmother to cry because of him, so he decided to register for first grade. Feeling sorry for her hard work, every time school ended, he ran home quickly to help her with the work. In her old age, her strength often decreased very quickly. Then came the time when Chien's grandmother no longer had enough strength to go to the fields to earn a living to feed her grandchild every day. At this time, the boy began to realize that he had to overcome himself to be the support for his grandmother in the last years of her life. From then on, people in Ngoc Son commune often saw Chien struggling in the fields and on the banks of Rao Gang River.

When they became closer, the boy Le Van Chien told more about his hardships and difficulties. It is worth mentioning that Chien told them innocently, carefreely, not knowing that those were the deprivations and disadvantages he himself had to endure. People often hesitate to go out in the hot sun, but for Chien, the hotter the sun, the more crabs and fish he caught. Soaking his feet in the hot midday field, Chien always thought of his grandmother, hoping that many crabs and fish would float up so he could catch them and sell them for more money, so that his grandmother could buy her shirt, which had been torn for a long time. There were summer afternoons in the countryside fields, when the children in the village often came out to play happily. The fields after the harvest were the ideal place to fly kites and play soccer. Looking at the colorful kites flying in the air, in the cool breeze, Chien longed to join in the fun with his friends, wanted to hold the string to control the kites. Sometimes, he wanted to run after the round ball with his friends, cheering for beautiful shots. Then, suddenly remembering that the basket was still smaller than usual, he probably wouldn't get much if he brought it home to sell, so he had to put aside his wishes... He quietly followed each rice field to catch crabs, not far away the cheers of his friends still echoed...

Le Van Chien at his desk.

What is even more admirable is that despite his difficult life, deprivation and many disadvantages, Le Van Chien still achieved quite high results in his studies. On the wall of his house, Chien hung all kinds of certificates of merit for his academic achievements. Talking to us, teacher Le Thi Hong Hanh - Principal of Ngoc Son Primary School confided: "Knowing Chien's situation, the homeroom teacher and the school's Board of Directors always gave him special attention. Everyone loves Chien because he knows how to overcome his circumstances, always strives to improve in his studies, and is obedient and polite. In 5 years of primary school, almost every year he achieved the title of excellent student or advanced student."

Now, the grandmother and grandchild are no longer alone on the path towards the future. Because, knowing Chien's situation, kind-hearted people have come to share and support. Among them, the Thanh Chuong Association in Germany sent more than 10 million VND to support. This amount of money is being kept by the school to help Chien cover his studies in the following years. Someone in Hue City contacted and invited the grandmother and grandchild to live with their family, but Mrs. Huong could not leave her homeland. In particular, a kind-hearted person in Vinh City decided to support Mrs. Huong with 500,000 VND per month until she passed away. Along with the care and help of the government and local organizations, the life of the grandmother and grandchild has become less difficult and arduous.

Saying goodbye to Le Van Chien, we asked quietly: "What do you wish for most now?", the boy answered: "I hope my grandmother will be healthy and live long, and that in the future I will work to earn more money to buy her delicious food and nice clothes. Because of me, her life has been more difficult and deprived...". After saying that, the boy's eyes seemed to shine brightly...

Cong Kien