Ngoc was a young man. He was not intelligent as others. Honestly, he’s rather dull. When his mother and father were alive, they managed him to marry with a girl in this village. After that, they died leaving him and his wife their house with a garden and few fields. His wife didn’t like like he was too dull with her. Therefore, she planned to get married with other. As son as Ngoc’s parent died she left making her way to her parent’s house.
She’s still young and beautiful. So that, a teacher who had his wife died wanted to marry with her. She brought presents to her parent and her parent because of greed received the presents and hurried him to prepare for the wedding. On other side, Ngoc knew that but he couldn’t convince his wife back home. Besides, he was not enough smart to accuse and his relatives was too. Therefore, he ignored it, the complex thing.
Day and day passed no one having kindness helped him. He also didn’t do anything. At last, a neighbor came and informed him.
“Do you know you are about to lose your wife? They will get married in the next two day”, said the neighbor.
“I know”, said Ngoc.
“Why don’t you prevent them?” said the neighbor.
“I don’t know how”, said Ngoc.
“If you don’t know, you have to learn”, said the neighbor, “Set off and learn from others”.
Ngoc woke up early in the next morning. He planned to go and find the way to get smarter. He went but till noon he still didn’t study anything others were busy in their works. Then he went cross a meadow where children were staying on. He approached them.
“Sitting on grass is better than expensive mats”, said a child.
Ngoc repeated the words and tried to remember them. Then he left. He met a man who was trying to catch a mouse. The man fired some straws then blew smoke which spread from the burned straws into a hole. Later, a mouse emerged from the hole but it immediately turned back when it saw a human. The man pointed at the hole and said: “Out then in, thought you will be safe?” Ngoc repeated and remembered the words.
He continued and crossed a field. He saw two men sitting under a tree resting after watering their farm.
“Above drowned, below dried”, said a man.
Ngoc liked the words so he repeated and remembered them.
It had been noon he’s still on his way. He arrived to a river. This time, a wood raft was following water away. An old man standing on the shore looked at the raft and groaned.
“Big trunks follow water can’t be back”.
Ngoc liked the words he repeated and tried to remember.
In afternoon, he was on the way back his home he met two men with red faces go out from restaurant. They were noisy talking to the other.
“We had eaten, we had drunk. Tomorrow, we will meet mandarin early, right?” said one of them.
Ngoc repeated the words and thought that’s enough. He felt hungry and tired so he went toward home, helped himself to have a dinner. Later, he went to bed and repeated all words he had learn then fell in sleep.
Next morning, he wore fine clothes, went to the wedding. There were a lot of people who participating in the wedding. Ngoc made his way in without any saying.
One of people found the way informing to his parent-in-law who seemed not to care about him but they still asked the person to invite him in and saw what he would do. Ngoc went in and suddenly sat down on grass front of the yard.
“Sitting on grass is better than expensive mats”, Ngoc said the first words he had learned.
People in his parent-in-law thought that his saying seemed to be a challenge. They anxiously stood in house, looked out to him and saw his attitude. Ngoc remembered the second words he had learned.
“Out and in, thought you will be safe?” said him, pointing to the people in the house.
People turned scared it’s no longer a challenge but a threat. The teacher, the groom turned anxious he stood up and sat down about dozens of times.
“He’s not a dull”, said the teacher, looking to father of bride, “I think he is planning something.”
“Don’t worry”, said father of bride who had never gave Ngoc any respect, “I’m sure that he don’t dare to make any trouble”. Then he ordered others to invite Ngoc in. Ngoc was set to participate in table which was very poor without wine, meat and fish but Ngoc seemed not to care he enjoyed things on the table.
“See. He don’t even fell ashamed”, said father of bride.
Ngoc remembered the third words while he was eating. He smiled and said:
“Above drowned, below dried.”
This saying seemed to be an implication that he wanted to drink wine. It made the teacher scare.
“He is not dull as people told. Because I believed what the old man said, then now get in big trouble.” He thought, “He will never let me marry with his wife. Gosh, I may lose my current position if I continue.”
Then the teacher made his way to leave, of course he didn’t feel pleasant. Father of bride ran after and then stopped him.
“Wait!” said father of bride, “Stay here. He will not do any thing more”.
When crowd of people was in yard trying to keep the teacher staying, Ngoc picked up his cup of wine and remembered the four words.
“Big trunks follow water can’t be back”, he said.
The teacher was in dilemma not knowing to leave and stay, heard the words.
“He sneers me”, thought the teacher, “I am so foolish to believe he’s a dull”. So he straightly left.
People looked Ngoc by other eyes after they heard him say intellegent sayings. They made their way to treat him well. Ngoc now had been drunk his face turned red. He stood up and found the way to left. When stopped after few steps because he remembered the last words he had learned.
“We have eaten. We have drunk. Tomorrow we will meet mandarin, right?” said him, turning his head back then left.
People seemed frightened. What he had said seemed to give them a sign that he would accuse them to mandarin. They hurriedly asked Ngoc’s wife to follow him. However, father of bride still didn’t think Ngoc would accuse them so he asked a servant to spy him. The servant was Kenh. Kenh ran after Ngoc to his house and watched.
Ngoc went to bed and slept as soon as he went to home. After a long sleep he woke up because of feeling itchy. He disrobed and found louses in his shirt. Kenh was out by the window. He looked in but he only saw back of Ngoc who was bent down looking at something white. “He must be writing a petition” thought Kenh who was forced himself to keep silent to hear anything came out from the room. Suddenly Ngoc caught two louses and yelled:
“Duc and Cai, kill”
Kenh startled Duc and Cai were nothing but his master and mastress’ names. “Well, the names of my master and mistress have been in the petition”, he whispered.
“Beo, kill”, shouted Ngoc again.
Beo was name of the teacher who wanted to marry with his wife.
“Lon, kill” the voice of Ngoc again.
Lon was name of his wife. Kenh still stood ouside patient heard who would be the people having their names in the petition.
Later, Ngoc shouted again.
“Ah! Kenh, kill.”
“Gosh”, Kenh screamed in his head, “Why does he write my name in the petition?”
Hurriedly, he got his feet on ground, ran into house and kneeled on ground at one. He cried.
“Please! Forgive me. I’m only a servant who had no power to decide the wedding. All of the things were plan of my master, mistress and the teacher. Please”, screamed Duc, “Don’t wirte my name in the petition”.
“All right”, said Ngoc coldly, “You go and talk to your master and mistress giving me back my wife”.
Kenh immediately ran back home, told his master and mastress all things he saw. Exactly that’s the things he imagined. Honestly, Duc, Cai, Beo, Lon, Kenh were the names Ngoc named the louses he had caught. They meant male, female, fat, big, lazy louse. Of course, Kenh was not smart to find out that. What he witnessed and was told in daytime had frightened him and when he heard his name he felt frightened most and couldn’t keep calm to consider things.
He said in gasp, when he came back.
“You stop”, he said, “Stop the wedding. Return him his wife. Return the teacher presents. He’s writing a petition”.
The face of people in the family turned white. They all were frightened. Later, mother of his wife told to his husband.
“Oh husband! I don’t want the thing to go to mandarin. It’s so bad. We should make our daughter go back so that we can avoid all of troubles”.
His husband and other people had no choice but to agree. Therefore, Ngoc’s wife came back home and lived with him.
THE END
"Translator: Hung Nguyen"
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