Rare in-law relationship between two old ladies

Two in-laws living together for decades under the same roof, as close as real sisters, is a famous and rare story in hamlet 6, Hanh Lam commune (Thanh Chuong).

The two elderly people mentioned here are Nguyen Thi Que (84 years old, originally from Hanh Lam commune, Thanh Chuong district) and Tran Thi Long (74 years old, originally from Phong Thinh commune, Thanh Chuong district).

For the past 24 years, in-laws Nguyen Thi Que (right) and Tran Thi Long have lived together in harmony under one roof.

Mrs. Que's husband died when she was 47 years old, leaving her to raise four children alone. All of her daughters married men in the same commune.

Mr. Long used to be a fisherman on the Giang River. He has 5 children, 1 girl and 1 boy living in Nha Trang. The remaining 3 boys all live in Hanh Lam commune.

When Que's daughter, Nguyen Thi Hoa (born in 1968), married Long's son, Nguyen Van Son (born in 1967), less than 6 months later, Long's husband passed away (in 1991). Mr. Son came to live with Que's family, while Long lived alone in a small boat on the Giang River. After many visits to his in-laws at the riverbank, Que sympathized with Long's situation, so he invited Long to live in his house.

Recalling the old story, Mr. Que said: “Seeing Mrs. Long living alone on the boat, miserable, especially at night, when there was a flood, I asked Mrs. Long to come and live with us. I told Mrs. Long: “If our children and he live separately, then you and I will live together for fun.” After much hesitation, Mr. Long finally agreed to pack up and move in with his son, daughter-in-law and in-laws. For the past 24 years, the two in-laws in the same situation have lived together, eaten together, and lived under the same roof.

Mr. Que is 10 years older than Mr. Long. One is a farmer, the other is a fisherman. They are in-laws, but they live together like sisters: they eat at the same table, sleep in the same bed, enjoy chewing betel and often confide in each other. There have never been any conflicts or arguments.

In July 2015, while in Hanoi taking care of Mr. Long, Mr. Que immediately returned home to take care of him when he heard that Mr. Long had a stroke. After more than a year of being bedridden, Mr. Long's health has gradually recovered, but he still has difficulty walking and holding things. Mr. Que helps him with almost all daily activities (eating, bathing, etc.).

On October 7, Mr. Long fell and broke his arm, had to go to the hospital to get a cast, his health declined sharply, but Mr. Que still took care of him enthusiastically and thoughtfully, from rice porridge, medicine to betel and areca nuts... Mr. Que shared: "When we are healthy, we live happily together, when we are sick, we must still live like that, to fulfill our duty and love."

In normal times as well as in times of illness, the two are always as close as two sisters.

Mr. Son - Mr. Long's son said: "For decades, the two mothers have lived peacefully with the family, treating their son-in-law as their son, and their daughter-in-law as their daughter. Every day, the children go to work and school, and the mothers take care of all the housework. My husband and I are very happy to have two mothers living together in harmony, solidarity, and always thinking about their children and grandchildren."

People in hamlet 6 in particular and Hanh Lam commune in general, when mentioning the two elders, everyone admires them. A neighbor of the elders said: "I have been everywhere, but I have never seen where the in-laws live together so closely. Whenever there is an event in the hamlet, the two ladies join in, the villagers joke "The two sisters have arrived".

Huy Thu