The Tale of God of Kitchen

Once upon a time, a couple was so poor that they didn’t have any acres of farm-land. Therefore they had to work for others. Although their lives were very difficult, they were still pleased. After working, they used to sit by fireplace and talk tales or sing to each other.
One year, fields had produced rice less than years before. Everyone was not enough rice to eat so they couldn’t hire them. Therefore, they had to go fishing, dig and pick up vegetables to eat. But it didn’t help them much, they still felt hungry. One day, the man said: “Honey, I have to leave. If I still stay at home, we will die”.

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After hearing, the woman insisted to go with him but the man said her:

“I still don’t know where I should go and what I would do. You should stay home, it will easier than going with me. Maybe, I could die by a road or maybe, I will bring money come home. If I don’t come back after three years, I should be remarried. Don’t wait for me more”

The woman burst in sobs and left her husband to leave. After the man left, the woman got a job. Although her masters were not rich, they felt sorry for her state and always helped her get enough food. Day bay day, there years passed, she also had waited her husband come back for three years but he didn’t come back. That time, the master’s wife had died. The master wanted to get married with her but she said: “after three years, my husband didn’t come back that make me think he was died. Therefore, I will have had to live alone for three year”

Other three years passed with no news about her husband. Everyday, she sat front entrance looking up the road and hoped to see her husband but, of course, he had never come back. Her master insisted her.

“Your husband was died or he had been married with another. So that is very difficult to see him back. You should be married with me. I and you will live happily” said the master

“Thank for your estimation but I want to be waiting for another year then I will decide” she said

a year had passed, no news hadn't come and course the woman believed completely that her husband had died so she was married with her master.

Three month later, her old husband came back but he was still poor and really wanted to meet his wife. When he knew his wife was married, he was really sad.

For the others, they were very surprised when they saw him come back especially his wife and her new husband. The woman was embarrassed and didn’t dare show her up but her old husband came and said”

“Oh my dear wife, that is my false. I had gone for long and what you did was really true; now, I only want to see her then I will go away forever.”

Although, his wife insisted and her new husband had tried to return his wife but he did disagree. He didn’t want to ruin their happy. But he also didn’t forget his wife. Becoming confused, he held his head by a rope under a tree at front of village.

The woman was heartbroken because of his dead. Her head was confused. She thought “why I didn’t wait him for a little time; why I didn’t show up when he came back. I am person who had killed him.” The next morning, while anyone was planing to hold a funeral for the poor man, they saw the woman was dead in the lake by the tree. The new husband, after holding funeral for his wife, became insane. Then one day, after sharing his assets he drank poison to die.

When they had died, they came to another world where ghosts live. Whoever was new they was judged by the Death. The Death said: “Why did you kill yourselves? Do you know that is a big crime?”

The old husband said: “My God, because I couldn’t live with my wife and I also couldn’t leave so I thought if I had died my spirit could have lived with her.”

The new husband said: “Although I and she had married for three months but I had loved her very much, I couldn’t live without her so I decided to die for meeting her.”

The the woman’s turn, she said:”I have still loved my old husband very much and I also must admit that I am very grateful my new husband’s love. I was really confused and didn’t know to do anything so I decided to die.”

After hearing, the Death had felt moving. He want all three people was lived together forever. Thinking for seconds, he transformed three into three God who took care of fireplace.

Something about vietnamese culture: god of kitchen or god of the soil, they are a woman and 2 men. each family in Viet Nam always has a God in their kitchen who observe them for a year until Dec, 23rd (lunar calendar) they will fly to heaven and report all good and bad things we had done in that year to the King of heaven and they also talk about what people wish for the King consider. They come back on Dec, 27th for Tet holiday coming. Vietnamese people think that the flame in their kitchen is family-love symbol and the duty of the God of kitchen is keep it light.

THE END

"Translated by Hung Nguyen"

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