My daughter is married in the city, she has just been born for less than a month. In the countryside, I had to sell all the pigs and chickens, scoop up all the money in the jars, walk on the road and carry gifts, just hoping to visit my grandchildren. But as soon as he arrived at the door, the family pouted, saying a sentence like a knife. I took the raw chicken and threw it straight in the middle of the house and declared…

I remember that morning it was raining heavily, the whole village went to the field, and I was the only one who tied the chicken cage and egg bag to the bicycle. My daughter – she gave birth to her first child at Hanoi Hospital, went to her husband’s house in a high-rise apartment complex and I couldn’t even read her name.

I sold all the 3 pigs, added the newly hatched chickens to get some money for the long distance, the rest bought a few pounds of meat, a few gifts from the countryside, wrapped each thing carefully to bring to the family and gave money to my grandson to buy milk diapers.

Riding the car for 5 hours, I still had to change two trips, when I got to the place, my body was shaking like a civet, my legs were tired. As soon as she knocked on the door, her mother-in-law opened it, looking from head to toe, her eyes were as cold as ice:

– “What are you so cunning about? There is no shortage of chicken and eggs here. It’s so rural!”

I was stunned.

My daughter hugged her and walked out, her eyes were red and her face was happy. But before I had time to help, Mrs. Tong Jia pouted and said softly, but I could hear it clearly:

– “What do you think, but the countryside is still the countryside. Every daughter who gets married in the city can think of luxury right away.”

My blood was burning all over my face. I looked at her, head to toe, and then without a word, picked up the live chicken in the cage, threw it straight into the middle of the house—the chicken was flying, the eggs were crackling, and then I stood up straight, my voice as solid as a nail:

– “I’m from my hometown. But I don’t sell my self-esteem cheaply. With little heart, she criticizes, she holds on to contempt. As for the money I brought, I left it to my daughter and granddaughter – not to buy your family’s contempt!”

After speaking, I pulled my daughter’s hand, put the bag of money in her hand, and turned to walk away.

When I got to the stairs, I heard her call:
“Oh, uncle, don’t be angry, I’m just kidding…”

But I didn’t turn around. Those “hometown” sounds, maybe she said it in her mouth, but I have heard it all my life.