"Oh, Mom,...!"

(Baonghean) - We've just made a new discovery, Mr. Chắt!

- Did you discover that part, in the field of histology, Ms. Nhieu?

- The field of literature, specifically folk songs and proverbs.

- Specifically…?

- A literary critic has recently discovered that the folk verse "Oh gourd, have pity on the squash/Though they are of different kinds, they share the same vine" has a new meaning, quite different from the meaning that people have traditionally understood.

- Tell me more, otherwise I still won't understand!

- It's simple. For a long time, people thought that folk verse advised everyone to love one another because, after all, we are all descendants of Lac and Hong. But new discoveries reveal that the verse has another message as well.

- What's the message?

- With that saying, the ancients weren't just conveying a message between ordinary people, but the main point was…

- What is it?

- The message intended for those in positions of power in the public court is that, although different—one side being officials with high authority and the other the common people—they are all citizens of Vietnam, living together on the same S-shaped landmass. Therefore, officials must show compassion for the people. Hence, the folk verse has a pleading and urgent tone, mixed with a hint of supplication: "Oh gourd, have pity on the squash!"

- Yeah, that makes sense. It must be between the upper and lower classes that such pleas and requests occur.

As ordinary people like you and I, we naturally learn to love each other; there's no need to beg like in that folk song. But why did you suddenly bring this up today?

- Nothing happens naturally, Uncle Chắt. Everything has a reason. The reason I'm bringing this up is because yesterday I read in the newspaper that an economic expert, speaking at an international conference on our country's economy, said, "Currently, administrative procedures in Vietnam are extremely complex and cumbersome; every level of government has the power to create difficulties for businesses. Even taxes and fees in Vietnam are excessive; for example, one egg has to bear 14 types of taxes and fees; one pig is subject to 51 types of taxes and fees. Who can bear such taxes and fees?" That's why I...

- I'm borrowing that story, that folk song, to send a message, to call for...

- Uncle Chắt is right, I just want to cry out in a heartfelt voice, "Oh gourd, have pity on the pumpkin! Though we are of different kinds, we grow on the same vine!"

Confidant