Money

"It is true that the mandarin has a reputation

Riding a horse alone without having to hold on to anyone

You praise that he is talented.

Give the shirt with two coins

When fighting, run first.

Charge into the battle, take off the enemy's loincloth..."

As a habit, I don’t remember when it started, but every day, my cousin, whom my family calls little Mit, keeps hopping and reciting the above folk songs. There would be no reason to waste your time if this morning Mit hadn’t suddenly gotten excited and “hit me straight in the middle” with a set of questions, “Uncle, why do you already have “two coins” and still rush into a “money battle”?” Before I could calm down from the awkward question, the little girl added, “Between “two coins” and a “money battle”, which one has more money?”. My dear, each word “money” above has a different meaning, but how different it is, let me breathe.

While temporarily postponing the difficult task of explaining to my niece, the author would like to take the opportunity to chat with readers about some short-sighted thoughts surrounding the word "money". According to Sino-Vietnamese, money means ahead, and in pure Vietnamese, money is a noun that refers to a common means used as a unit of equivalent value in payment. Not everyone has the same concept of value and meaning of money. Is money a means or a purpose? What is money that people rush to sell their time to earn money and then use money to kill time? What is the crime of money that people say "Money is bad", "money is silver"? What is money that makes someone panic and exclaim "If you love without money, you will eat dirt?" What is money that when they are completely wrong, people still brag and blame it on the two words... precedent?

In the past few days, after the press headlined a statement by a beauty about her relationship with her new fiancée that "He came to me with nothing", netizens were in an uproar. How could there not be an uproar when the spokesperson was a beautiful singer who had been a "Miss Businesswoman" and then a "Queen of Diamonds", and her husband was none other than a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Finance. People were noisy and even many people were sarcastic as if the phrase "empty-handed" was a copyright of the poor and was being used. I think there is no need to express condolences to that beautiful businesswoman if the words "empty-handed" that she just said were a sincere expression. It is not a luxury to the point of being wasteful, if there is no pride, there is no need to be sad. A Deputy Minister, and a Deputy Minister of a very "important" ministry, "empty-handed" is nothing more precious than nothing. It is easy to understand, he is a clean person. Affirming that he is “empty-handed” is not much different from declaring that he is not embezzled, not corrupt, not taking advantage of his position for personal gain. Sorry to those who are throwing stones at the minority, have you researched, or are you still “better to miss than to miss” like always? Why don’t we slow down to hear where it comes from, the hand or the brain? The heart or the mind? If he is truly “empty-handed”, then what, it is ten thousand times more valuable, even a million times more valuable than if he had a lot of money! He is talented, of course. He is also innocent, so his future is still wide open. That is a blessing, don’t be sad, don’t be sarcastic, or in the language of the internet community, don’t be jealous, but open your heart to congratulate her. Let’s assume the opposite situation, you are not “empty-handed”, meaning you also have this mansion or that mansion, this project or that project, a “backyard”, and you also explain like you also “sell brooms” and “drive motorbike taxis”, then alas, my condolences to you. Ahead of course is the sky, but it will be a gloomy sky, and not excluding a furnace mouth and a strong declaration of “no forbidden zones” waiting.

“He is empty-handed” is an affirmation, not a lament. It is wonderful, if he is “empty-handed”, why don’t we kindle a little joy and happiness for you, your family, and the perfect future that they have the right to look forward to. From a certain perspective, the fact that he is “empty-handed” is also fortunate, a joy, a hope for the community, he is a public servant. So let’s ask the question, why are people so upset after your statement? Sir, it is because of trust. In the subconscious formed on the foundation of suspicion, a part of the default thought is that being an “official” does not have the right to be… empty-handed! The sad thing is that trust - the most basic value of human beings to human beings, is sometimes, somewhere pushed back to zero on the graph. It is not only sad for the beautiful singer mentioned above but also sad for a part of society. When people doubt everything, what reason is there for them to believe what you say. It is not only sad, it is really scary. Money is so important, but lack of money is not the final fate, but lack of confidence, we will be "empty-handed". From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate your un-evasive statement. You have used the most direct way to "fight" with the lingering and dissatisfied views. Thank you, money is not everything, "Love without money is like eating dirt" is a ridiculous, frivolous, super-pragmatic, shameless statement.

Greed for money can sometimes lead us to madness. The gambling case of Phan Sao Nam and his protection group: when searched in Quang Ninh, the 7-seat car of the prosecution agency could not carry all the money and had to hire a truck to move the money. In Ho Chi Minh City, the investigation agency also had to use a counting machine from 10 pm to 4:30 am to finish, the investigation force had to use 4 trucks to move the evidence. That money, just hearing about it makes you shudder.

“Money doesn’t buy you happiness, but it makes poverty more bearable.” Knowing that, there are still many people who consider money above all else. Many people are willing to give up everything, even be cruel, to have money. “Psychics” use fake animal bones to scam martyrs’ relatives, for money! Kill their own mothers and put them in water jars, also for money. Brokers take pregnant women to sell their fetuses abroad, also for money. Money makes people poor and miserable, money makes people cruel and brutal, money makes people diligent but money also makes people lazy. There are people who only stop thinking about appropriating money when they spend the money of the underworld!

These days, netizens have been frowning when the wife of a minister "swiped" her husband's VIP card to send a car with license plate 80 to the foot of the elevator to pick her up to show off! According to the very literary explanation of the person involved, this was an "accident". The general idea is that the office department felt sorry for her husband who worked hard all year round, so they secretly wrote an official dispatch to send a car to the airport to pick up the "big rear". Right and wrong have been clear for two years. The boss has issued a public apology. However, the office department has not been "punished" for confusing the official car with the village sticky rice dish. This incident has nothing to do with material things, it is simply a way of expressing affection through a cultural reference system... flattery! Netizens are guessing who would dare to "trick" the boss, especially when it comes to touching the "wife". Feelings have nothing to do with money, but it also doesn't need to behead her and report later! Being an official is so hard, being clean and honest is not enough. Surrounding each mandarin are brothers, family, and even private secretaries. Their every move is subject to the strict supervision of public opinion. “It is true that mandarins have a reputation/ Riding alone, without having to rely on anyone”./.