Le was a poor young man who taught children to live. Before that, He often came to children’s homes and did his job but, now he had a class on land of a landlord. The landlord didn’t want his children went far to study so he invited him to his mansion built for him a roof. So that, he could stay in there, teach his children and other children.
There had a girl, daughter of the landlord. Her name’s Thi. She was young and beautiful. Just like young girls she didn’t need long time to fall in love with her teacher, kind, having knowledge and of course, handsome. Thi’s good, having innocent heart and so Le replied her love he gave her his love, also. And they both fell in deep love it’s a beautiful love. As young lover couple often did they had swear that was, no thing could separate them though it’s death. It’s enough what they needed was a wedding. But, things were not like what they thought.
Thi’s parent refused bluntly as Le’s parent brought wedding present to their home and asked Thi to be Le’s wife. Then they, mother and father of Thi, forced him to leave their home because they didn’t want any more trouble occurred. A beautiful love suddenly was broken that made any young girl broken-heart. She had no one who could stay by her and listened she spoke the most relative people she had were her mother and her father, not supporting her. Therefore, the broken-heart girl only stayed in her room whole days and cried. Day by day things happened like that and later, she got ill. The illness couldn’t cure by normal medicine only love could cure her but that’s the only thing she was not given. Her illness turned more curiously and at last, she died.
Her father and her mother were very remorseful but it’s too late what they could did was doing a great feast. They put all her daily supplies in coffin, buried with her and as people who wanted to remember the death in long time, they broke her mirror in two, one half was put in coffin and the others was put on her altar.
After he left the landlord’s house, Le came to other province and set a class at there but he still caught things relating to his lover. His heart seemed to be broken in pieces as he heard his lover died. He sank deeply into bad mood spending many days crying and imagining about his lover. And later, he decided that he would never marry with any other. he coldly refused all girls his parent or matchmakers brought to him.
Day by day gone and three years had passed.
One day, he decided to go back home after years leaving. He had to cross his lover’s village on the way to home and when he just stepped on the village it had been dark. Unfortunately, winds started to blow up. That meant a rain was coming. He hurriedly found shelter, running and breaking out some bushes he caught some lamplight ahead. He followed the lamplight, crossed a field then came to a nice small house.
“Knock! Knock! Knock”, he knocked on the door.
Later, a girl who brought an oil lamp opened the door.
“OMG! You are?” he screamed, “How can? I mean you have died”.
The girl was no one but Thi, his lover who had died for three years but now she was standing front his face, talking to him as a normal person.
“I’m still alive.” She said, “still wait for you, here. Hurry up! Come in before it rains. I will talk to you inside”.
“Anyone staying here with you?” he said, having a little doubt.
“Yes. I live with my aunt. But don’t worry she will not prevent us as my parent”, she said happily.
His body trembled for a moment as he heard her said that. He followed her in the house, kept watching around. The house was quite deserted. There was an old woman who was very hard in hearing. Thi let him stay on a chair which stood by a table then she left. Later, she came back with a crowd of people, men and women. The people started catching and slaughtering cattle, making pies, cakes. It seemed they were cooking a feast.
“What are you doing?” he asked his lover.
“Wedding”, she said happily, smiling, “We will marry”.
“What about your parent and your relatives? They will not protest us, right?” he said thoughtfully.
“Yes, we have my aunt, my grandparents. They will participate in our wedding but my parent will not. I think we need to hide them because they will not agree.” She said, “But, don’t think much. We have many neighbors who will join and congrat us”.
Le seemed not to believe in what were happening and Thi felt it. So she led him to bedroom which now was decorated beautifully. They approached her makeup table then she started showing him all things she had used before and there had a comb which was present he gifted her. Of course, Le could realize at one the comb. He seemed to get of something he hesitatingly touched on her. Warm, soft, there was what he felt as he touched on her it meant she’s still alive. Immediately, he got rid of all his doubt, happily talked with her. Short time later, all tables were set. People made their way, sat on their chairs. All of them were in nice clothes happy. Le and Thi now were in red traditional clothes, they were leading to altar to do wedding ceremony. Le could feel smell of incense which filled full of this room on his way. It’s few feet from where they stood to the altar. They keeled and bowed their heads toward the altar twice. Later, they turned to the other. Le could felt his bride her cheeks went red under light of oil lamps. They shyly looked at the other before bowed their heads toward the other and ended the ceremony.
While people were enjoying the party, he and she found the way to their wedding room. At there, they had a table with dishes on it which was prepared for them. They sat on that. She quietly enjoyed the dishes while he because of hunger farstly helped himself have dishes in his bowl. It’s very quiet at night when all of people had left, they were on bed lying and talking. Le told her poems which expressed his feeling when they separated.
“Are you happy marrying with me?” she asked.
“Yes, I am”, he replied, “but I will feel happier if we have your parent’s agreement”.
She’s quiet choosing not to reply and he also understood her thought so he didn’t ask her more. Later, she looked at him and shyly she said:
“Uhm—I want to ask you a question.”
“What do you want?” he said.
“Will you still love me though, whatever happens”, she said.
“Yes I will”, said he surely, “by all of my heart.”
She happily hugged him and later, they slept.
The next morning, Le woke up but what he saw now were not his wedding room, the nice house and his wife there was only a beautiful tomb. Yes, he had gone in ghost village and met his lover at there. He still felt full and the smell of incense still on his clothes. Although, he didn’t feel scared, he found the way to his home. He spent few days staying at home then set off he went to southern provinces and continued his job teaching.
It’s so fast a year passed and Tet holiday came but he got ill and couldn’t come back home. Therefore, he stayed at there and continued teaching till the next May. That time he got well again and wanted to go back home. He remembered Thi and wanted to meet her. Consequently, he packed up his luggage and made his way to home. As the before time he had to cross his lover’s village. It seemed somebody led him, his feet automatically walked on the road which led to the place he and his lover got married and that time it’s dark as the before time. He knocked on the door and she appeared after the door with a baby in her arms.
“You are late”, she said. He could feel a little anger in her voice. Of course it’s not much but enough for him to feel it.
“Who is this?” he asked while they were walking in.
“He is your son. Look! He and you look as two drops, very similar”, she said happily, showing him the child.
Under lamplight he felt his wife got more beautiful than the last time but seemed weaker he skin turned white. The child differed he’s chubby and healthy.
“Try to teach him. He will get more success than you”, she said, looking at him.
After the dinner they wen to bed.
“It’s not good if we meet again. You are human but I’m not”, she admitted, “Our son is like you a human being so you will take care off him.” She picked up a part off mirror, “Don’t worry about money my parent will not refuse if they know he is their grandchild. You should hold this piece of broken mirror”, she gave him the one haft of mirror, “if our cry, give him this mirror he will stop.”
They fell in sleep after that and the next morning when Le woke up, all things happened like the previous time he was lying on his lover’s tomb, of course with a child, his son and a half of mirror.
He followed his lover’s words finding the way to house of the landlord but he scared that the landlord couple wouldn’t accept the child so he came and asked them to help him open a class. The landlord couple agreed they treated him well. The class was opened children came to study more crowdedly each passing day that helped him had more and more money. His life turned easier. The landlord couple seemed very kind helping him take care of his son without asking any wage. They had much happy when they played with the child and the child’s also happy when he was pampered. Only one thing they couldn’t replace Le to do that was stopping the child to cry. No one could do that but Le. They only needed to give Le the crying-child, the child would stop crying at one. Always it happened that made the landlord couple and others felt curious. One day, the landlord hid himself and watched he wanted to know how Le stopped his son crying. It’s not difficult for him to discover the piece of broken mirror which was on Le’s hand.
“God! You stole my daughter’s piece of mirror?” screamed the landlord, held Le’s hand after sprinted toward him.
“No, I didn’t”, said Le then explained to others that it’s only one gift his wife gave him before she vanished. People found the way to altar of landlord’s daughter they found the half mirror was still there. They brought two pieces and compared they were two half of a mirror. They matched them up and they immediately changed into a mirror as if it had never been broken. People were super surprised they asked him for a explanation.
He had no choice but to say them the truth. After that they happily got him as their son-in-law and the child, of course, their grandchild. Le didn’t get married with any other he lived alone and took care of his son. His son grew up and became a mandarin as his mother had said.
THE END
"Translator: Hung Nguyen"
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