By PHAN DUC NAM

To Uncle Lam Tuyen Tinh.

Mr Tinh, sitting cross-legged next to the village head, Lo Son, turned to me and Hung and said, "The people here speak Vietnamese very well, so please feel free to speak with them."

The village head nodded, saying, "You two young cadres should feel at home here. Is this your first visit to our village?"

Hung and I nodded. The village head handed a jug of wine to me, "You should drink while you’re up here. In the mountains, alcohol is as abundant as stream water."

Hung took some photos as a keepsake and gently kicked my back. Yes, it was not as much fun to be here with the elders when the mountain girls’ laughter was ringing through their ears.

I had to be careful around Mr Tinh because he knew how strongly I felt for his daughter Hong...

***

The village festival.

The orange flame was dancing in the middle of the village schoolyard, rising ten metres high. The elders sat in the inner circle with full trays of meat, bottles of alcohol and piles of fruit and sticky rice arranged before them. The young people sat in the outer circle. All of them were wearing their best clothes, adorned with silver bracelets and other colourful jewellry.

Old man Tinh was in a grey suit with a felt scarf round his neck and a pipe in his mouth. He rolled his eyes at me and Hung because we were dressed in the traditional, black Thai clothing.

The village head Lo Son stood up slowly, clapped his hands and spoke solemnly in the Thai ethnic minority language and the villagers clapped. Then he continued in Vietnamese:

"Dear old men and women,

"Dear cadres and villagers....

"Tonight our village welcomes mother Moon to celebrate our maize and rice bumper crop. We are pleased with the village girls who have found suitable men and with the village boys who have married good wives. There are also three cadres from the province here to share in our happiness. Now unmarried boys and girls get ready to appear in the yard. Mr Tinh, read some poems for us!"

Old man Tinh walked in front of the circle, speaking Thai and then turning to me and Hung, he spoke in Vietnamese, "I’ve read poems many times, so tonight you two should give a performance. You both sing very well!"

Applause was heard all around, making both of us tremble from stage fright, even though we like to sing very much.

Two young Thai people walked up to offer us musical instruments, amid the sound of hand clapping and drums.

I knew I could play the instrument well.

I took the guitar, tuned the strings and then started strumming it... Hung began singing a love song that sent the girls into a trance. "Spring has come to me... Yes, dear, do sing together with me...." Hung was such a flirt. He had a camera in his hand and all the girls rushed around him, "Take a picture with me, please!"

Hung, like me, was a ladies man.

I sang the Mountain Girl Song and then The Declaration of Love in Spring to win the hearts of the mountain girls. Old man Tinh seemed so proud.

More than ten Thai girls walked out onto the yard, their hair rolled quite low without pieu turbans. This hairstyle signified they were still unmarried.

In the afternoon Mr Tinh said to us:

"Don’t get drunk. If you’re pressured, please pretend to be drunk or else you’ll be lured by the girls. Understand that the Thai girls know how to charm men."

I was a little worried, but on the other hand I wanted to try it.

The girls were walking towards the boys, their eyes fired with love, their cheeks turned crimson. They walked hand in hand towards us. Suddenly one of them rushed towards me and opened her hands. I was still at a loss when another girl took my arm. Hung was also drawn into the circle.

"What’s your name?

"My name is Lo Phi Sa."

"Phi Sa! What a beautiful name!"

"I’m the granddaughter of the village head."

After the hand-in-hand circle dancing, Phi Sa shyly took me to the yard and taught me how to dance the sap and xoe traditional dances of the Thai. The dancing party lasted until late at night. We sat together, singing and drinking alcohol. The girl dancing with Hung was also very beautiful, strong and nearly 1.7m tall. I glanced at Mr Tinh and fortunately he was already dead drunk.

I was also a little drunk because of the jugs of alcohol mixed with buffalo blood. Phi Sa poured the alcohol and drank a little bit and then she put the jug to my lips. So how could I refuse it? I linked my arm with hers and leaned my head against her shoulder. Her eyes were sparkling as the wine and her lips were like the ripe apricots on the trees.

The boys were drunk and the girls asked them to drink more and more.

I was still drunk the next afternoon when I woke up. I looked around in surprise. Who had changed my clothes? Oh, God! What the hell did I do? I got so drunk! Did I vomit or embarrass myself?

I looked at the new face towel in the clean washbasin and then at the bowl of rice soup...

Now I could vaguely remember it. Someone had cleaned my face and fed me soup.

Phi Sa walked into the room, her face beaming, looking a little shy.

"Please have more soup. I’ve added a lot of onion."

I was so moved that no sooner had I said "Thank you" when I realised she was only eating a few popcorns so I would have enough soup. But I felt I could not eat anything without her.

"Please have some soup with me!"

She nodded, yet she only ate a few spoonfuls.

"I prefer eating popcorn."

Phi Sa’s entire family was waiting for me in the living room. Mr Tinh was also there. Phi Sa’s father said, "Please have some tea to help with your hangover, then I have something to speak to you about."

Still unsure of what was happening, I had to say "Yes"...

"Please have some tea, do have some more. Do you smoke? No? That’s very good. Today my family is very happy because my Phi Sa has caught you, a government worker, to become her husband. I think you also love her because you followed her home. Tonight you’re allowed to sleep in the same room with her. I invited Mr Tinh here to discuss the wedding celebration. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Do have some more tea."

I looked at Mr Tinh, trembling.

Mr Tinh looking me right in the eyes and then said slowly, "I’m very glad these two young cadres have chosen gentle wives who are from here. Their unions will help foster the brotherly friendship among the different ethnicities. I’ve asked permission from the village elder to go home to tell their families tomorrow. I’ll go back to the office to share the good news and they will send representatives to attend the wedding in order to make it more ceremonious." Phi Sa’s father stood up to shake hands with Mr Tinh, "What you say is always right. The wedding will be celebrated tomorrow afternoon, so please be back soon."

Mr Tinh said good-bye to Phi Sa’s family and then shook hands with me, "You and Hung stay here!"

He handed us both a piece of paper.

Later, when I was all alone I opened the piece of paper and it read, "I’ll be back to find a way to get you out of this. If anything out of the ordinary happens, run to the highest pine tree and someone will be there to take you home.

But if you want to stay here, just keep sleeping with her."

***

Phi Sa’s room was at the end of the village. It was decorated with many pictures, as well as branches of orchids. This was the most beautiful room reserved for the bride and groom.

I got drunk last night and now I’m drunk again.

I sat down on the thick mattress looking confused. Phi Sa was shyly unrolling a large blanket. The blanket was a piece of art. It was nearly four square metres large, embroidered with mountains, hamlets and villages, streams and undulating terraced fields. It told the story of the lives of young girls and boys in the mountains, dancing and singing or pounding rice in the moonlit night. The most striking feature of the blanket was a pair of flying Phi birds. According to the legend of Ede, Thai and Muong ethinic minority groups, the Phi bird symbolises love and faithfulness. The birds’ eyes were opened wide and their tails were brightly coloured. I suddenly realised that Phi Sa’s eyes look just like the beautiful birds’ eyes. She was blinking her eyes, looking at me and she pinned her hair with a bird feather.

"How beautiful you are!" I said.

Then I started to ask her about the festivals and rituals in the area.

"Tonight it’s me who has a lot to learn from you," I said to her. Phi Sa lowered her head shyly.

Out of the blue, there was a knock right under where we were sitting and I jumped. Phi Sa laughed, calming me down, "Don’t be scared. It’s just the village boys teasing us."

"Why?" I asked.

Phi Sa explained, "Unmarried Thai girls often get those knocks from young men who want to ask permission to talk with us. If the girl agrees, she will ask the family’s permission to allow them to sleep together. But only to talk like you and I are doing now."

Then I was bold enough to ask her, "But....if the boy.... wants to go further....?"

Phi Sa’s face turned red.

"If the girl does not agree, she will shout and immediately the family will rush into the room and the villagers will come, the young man will pay a fine of a jar of alcohol and cattle. If he fights back, he will be given a good beating."

I was thinking there might be a chance that I would get beaten.

Having remembered the Mr Tinh’s words, I pretended to hold my head and started to complain.

"I’m still so drunk!"

Phi Sa nodded her head.

"Yes, I know. Please sleep first."

I lay down obediently on the soft mattress and closed my eyes.

Only a minute later, I half opened my eyes and saw Phi Sa watching me in the dim light.

A moment later, having thought for sure that I was already sound asleep, Phi Sa tiptoed over and laid down on the edge of the mattress without making any noise.

Almost instantly, I heard her small, even breaths. I took a closer look at her face. She had a small, straight nose and a gentle face. She had completely believed the story about being drunk.

I started to think about embracing her. Do I love her? What about my future, career, family? Yes, Phi Sa is young and beautiful, but she has never lived in a city like Hong... And Hong is also beautiful. She is even the daughter of my boss, which promises a bright future.

And then I thought I was an idiot for calculating the pros and cons of love! I didn’t think I was worthy of the pure love of this mountain girl.

I found it so difficult to get a wink of sleep when lying beside a girl like this. So my mind was wandering and I started to think about my escape, but then I was nervous Phi Sa would shout. I also knew that she loved me.

No, I thought to myself, I must not take advantage of the situation. Do I love her? The one thing I know for sure is that she loves me with all of her heart. She loves me without any calculations or hesitation.

The cock was crowing, announcing it was already midnight. Yet, I could not fall asleep.

I slowly moved to one side and Phi Sa suddenly sat up, looking at me with her eyes wide open. I closed my eyes and lay still and then I felt the mattress move slightly. I opened my eyes and saw Phi Sa walking out.

I smiled with regret. Then I finally fell asleep and didn’t wake up again until daybreak.

***

Hung visited me with his would-be wife behind him.

While the two girls were chattering with each other, Hung took my hands and asked, "When does Mr Tinh go up here?"

"I don’t know."

"What about you now?"

"No, nothing happening.... What about you?" I smiled.

Hung looked gloomy, glancing at the girl behind him, "She’s afraid I will escape."

I was about to burst out laughing.

Hung continued, "If Mr Tinh does not get here in time, everything will be ruined for me."

In all honesty, I half wished that Mr Tinh would come and the other half of me did not want him to show up. I left it to fate.

It was already noon, but Mr Tinh was yet to be seen. It was nearly time to organise the wedding. Mr Tinh was still not back by the afternoon. The village head Lo Son was very worried.

"Maybe he is very busy. So let’s continue with our work now. If they come and take photos, even better."

Shortly before sundown, an explosion was heard and then a chain of quieter explosions and a barrage of gunfire were heard.

"Bandits! Bandits!" people shouted.

All the villagers ran around in fear. The women and children cried.

I was also frightened but after a few minutes of confusion, I suddenly realised it was probably Mr Tinh: If anything out of the ordinary happens, run to the highest pine tree.

Then I jumped up and started running for my life. I found the road and headed towards the highest pine tree.

I saw the figure of Mr Tinh standing by the Jeep and waving his hands to me. I was so relieved.

"Where is Hung?" Mr Tinh asked and I shook my head, breathing very hard.

"I don’t know."

"Hmm! What a girl crazy guy! Let’s give him a little more time."

A few minutes later, Mr Tinh looked at his watch and said, "Let’s go or else we’ll get caught. The others will have to get out on their own."

On the way home, Mr Tinh told me, "I went to meet the district’s officials and they said they could not help because the king’s law must recede before the village’s rule. Some of them even suggested you would not want to come back home. I drove to the province and fortunately I have a nephew on my wife’s side who works as an army officer in the provincial capital. So he made a plan and sent his friends to stage a fake battle against the bandits. Then we could take advantage of the chaos to save you. You must keep it top secret or we’ll lose the locals’ trust. I thought it over and over again before making this decision. We cannot follow their old customs all the time. We had to find a way out of it. You and I have to stay away from this area for a long time."

The rumour that Hung and I were captured and had to be grooms of the Thai people spread throughout the office. I knew that I could not hide it so I told my girlfriend Hong, but she did not believe it. She said, "A boy and girl slept together without doing anything, who could believe it?"

Partly because of what happened, Hong and I could not become husband and wife. Mr Tinh seemed to regret it. But Hong and I did not feel too sad, maybe because our love was not strong enough.

Two years later, I finally heard from Hung again when he showed up at the office one day. He looked fit. I was overjoyed and embraced him.

"Damn you! What happened? Have you settled down there for good?"

He grinned, "What could I do? I heard the explosions that day and I also wanted to leave, but as you know she grabbed me so tightly."

Everyone laughed hysterically.

After that Hung sold 100kg of coffee and treated all of us to beer. Then he said slowly, "It’s fate! A wanderer as I am, I am now kept in that corner of forest. Not only my wife, but also the whole village, have kept an eye on me. I tried to run away several times, but I failed. They did not beat me. They only penalised me by asking me to drink alcohol and then embrace my wife. Then I had a son. In the end, I thought it was best to settle into a life there. My wife is good. She works hard all day. I am always pampered by my parents-in-law. My father-in-law even bought me a Minsk motorcycle so that I could carry my wife anywhere we wanted. Every morning I carry coffee to the district market for grinding. The owner of the coffee house helped me open a coffee grinding shop right in my house. So I collect all the coffee in the hamlet and village and do the grinding for money.

"With the grinding machine, I could buy a generator for my own use and for the villagers that could bring electricity to the whole area. Sometimes I organise films or singing performances for the village. My house has become the cultural centre. I even saved enough money to buy this brand new Honda Dream motorbike as a gift for my wife."

We opened our mouths in surprise. Hung came to a conclusion, "I’m the king up there and I might become the head of the village one day. Oh, I’m just joking, but I have good opportunities and I try to take advantage of them so I can save money and move back here. My wife would like to move here too. I’m glad to be here drinking with you."

I nodded my head, clinking glasses with him.

Late at night when only I and Hung were left, I asked him, "What about Phi Sa?"

He looked at me.

"I was waiting for this minute to tell you. What a pity for Phi Sa! What a pity for her!"

"What? Tell me now!"

"After you ran away, Phi Sa cried for many nights with the bundle of your clothes in her lap, asking me to take her to look for you. I told her that you were probably captured by the bandits with the aim of trying to convince her that you were not foolish enough to run away from such a beautiful girl like her."

"But she did leave the village to look for you every couple of months. And each time she came back she looked tattered and so sad! Many village boys knew that she had caught a husband, and they still wondered if she had slept with you or not. Yet, in spite of all of this, the young men still proposed to her, but she refused all of them. She kept waiting for you. After half a year, she ran away and has yet to return."

I wanted to cry.

"Someone said Phi Sa had jumped into the stream. Some others said she had gone to work on a construction site, or joined a Young Volunteers’ Brigade. But I think she has gone to look for you. Now stop drinking, Tuan! You’re drunk! Wipe your tears you weak, flabby artist."

Yes, I was crying.

Phi birds flying to look for each other will sooner or later return.

Translated by MANH CHUONG