A man had two wives and each wife gave birth to a son, Linh and Lang. Linh was child of the first wife and Lang was child of the other. Linh’s mother died early left him staying with father, the second mother and Lang. Lang was older than Ling five years old and treated Linh as his same mother brother but his mother didn’t thought that she hated Linh.
When Linh grew up, his father let him to study in school because he was son of the first wife while Lang followed his father, worked on their field. Unfortunately, his father died, left assets which were accumulated in three generations, vast field, red roof house with large gardens around, ponds will full of fish. Although the second wife still treated Linh normal as if he was her son but in fact she implicitly planned to harm him to usurp asset because the fate of women, not first wife, and their children just inherited very little.
One day, the second wife requested Lang and Linh to go to market to buy fire-wood. Before they went, she pulled her son in bedroom.
“Find the way to kill him. Forest was appropriate place, wild, having many beasts and besides, you are stronger than him” she whispered, “If he still lives, we will not have anything. Therefore, you, my son have to kill him”.
Lang didn’t want to do that thing but he also didn’t want to refuse her. Therefore, he pretended as if he was glad to do that thing. When Lang and Linh arrived to forest, Lang stopped and confessed.
“Though this time you come back safely, my mother will catch any chance to harm you till you die. Had better you go away. Take this money to care your life. We will meet the other in a day”, said Lang, giving Linh the money he brought to buy fire-wood.
Linh gone, Lang killed a dog then lathered blood on his body. He turned back home said his mother that he had killed Linh. On other side, he talked to neighbors that Linh was brought away by a large tiger. Neighbors didn’t doubt and his mother also believed her planned was success. Therefore, she happily lived without worry.
After leaving, Linh wandered but didn’t know where he should go. At last, he went to his mother’s tomb. He lied face down on the tomb and cried. Later, he fell in sleep. His mother’s soul appeared in a phoenix with huge wings, she warmed him in her wings. When the sun nearly rose, she brought him to an island. She landed, left him on a top of hill. Linh was care where he woke up in strange place with a strange creature. He planned to escaped from the place but the creature front his face suddenly spoke:
“Don’t be scare. I am your mother. Stay here a period of time, I will come to meet you each day”.
Then she turned out a beautiful house with all necessary things and food. Then phoenix flew away. When darkness covered all things, the phoenix came back she brought books to Linh and asked him to continue studying. Days later, the phoenix always appeared in night, flew away at early morning after woke her son up to study.
Though he didn’t know, there were some people who lived in that island and two of them were Ngoc and her maid, staying under the hill. Ngoc was beautiful as a forest flower, still didn’t marry. Her maid was Hong, having same age. They lived together in a house under hill, weaving to live. Recently, they used to hear voice of someone reading book, spreading from top of hill where, according to their knowledge, none lived. Sometime, they still heard phoenix sang. The strange things continued happening and made Ngoc felt curious.
An early morning, Ngoc extinguished the fireplace and made Hong go to hill to ask the student on top of hill for fire. Linh had woken up and intended to learn. Suddenly, he heard someone knocked on the door. He opened the door and saw a young maid.
“Hello! I’m Hong. I stay at the foot of this hill. Could you give me some fire?” said Hong.
“Course”, he said, turned away awhile and back with an oil lamp on his hand. He gave her the oil lamp.
“Uhm—I nearly run out of oil. Could you lend me a little, girl?” he said hesitation.
“Of course! Follow me”, replied Hong at one.
He followed the maid, went to the nice house under hill. He met Ngoc and they became friends. Day bay day, after many times they went to the other’s house and conversed, Ngoc and Linh turned familiar. Then, one day, Ngoc said Linh that she hoped he could come and lived in her house. Linh was glad to do that thing. He came back home, said the phoenix about his intent. The phoenix flew away after she heard her son said. The next night, she turned back with nice clothes, money and treasures. She dropped them front his face then flew away and had never come back again since that time.
A simple wedding was held but full of happiness. Each day, while he was studying, she was weaving. Their life seemed very happy. After five years studying, Linh set off he participated in a contest of the recent king. His effort had response he passed the contest and was ordained to be a mandarin.
According to tradition, a new mandarin would wear his mandarin-clothes, rode on a horse and brought soldiers with him to his hometown where people would praise him. Linh came back his home in drum-beats, crowd of people following him as they saw him. He walked in home without any notification. Lang was very happy when he saw Linh but his mother, on other side, felt very scared. She didn’t have time thinking about the place to hide herself. At last, she went under the bed and kept herself not to make any sound. And when people found her she died and transformed into cricket which always made chirping sounds because of fear.
THE END
"Translator: Hung Nguyen"
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