He was handsome, intelligent but blind. When he was born he was like other children but when he grew up, he got sick in one time and then could not see more. However, his eyes still looked normal, clear and no one except his family knew him blind and he wanted people not to know it on purpose. Yes, I mean it’s his secret and he was the person who could protect his secret by saying something reasonable.
One day, some street singers came to his village and performed and he followed his friends going to the show. It’s very crowded in there and he was separated from his friend while people made their way to the show. He and each his friend stayed at other place and so when the show finished each of them had his own way to go back and unfortunately, they forgot him. He had to stayed at there and waited for next morning but that also didn’t help him much because he couldn’t see and no his friend there to help him. Therefore, he was forced to go and it’s not unexpected he lost going into house of a stranger. That time, people in that house were having a party. They invited him to join. Of course, he agreed, willing. People led him to empty seat inside.
When the party was over, he stood up, groped on the wall to find the way out the room.
“What are you doing?” said the owner of the house.
“I just, want to know the length of this house and compare it to my parent’s house”, he said immediately.
“So what’d you find out?” said the owner.
“Your house and my parent’s house have same length”, he said.
It’s not the answer the owner expected but he didn’t felt unhappy because if the boy who was standing there lived in a large house like him, he must be born in wealthy family. So that the owner wanted to be familiar with him he kept him staying and had a family dinner with them. He could refuse that hospitality and so that he stayed. While dinner, he picked up things from vegetables plate set front of him he couldn’t manage to have other things.
“Oh! There, meat and fish and other delicious things. Why don’t you eat them?” said the owner.
“Yes, I know. But, I feel better if I eat vegetables. It’s daily food of my family.” Said him and so that the owner thought he and his family were economical people.
After eating, he went out. He stepped on rake. Immediately, its handle banged on his forehead. He felt really pained he sat down with the rake in his hand. He groped and found out a club next to that. He grabbed the club and started hitting the rake as if it would make him feel better. Unfortunately, the owner crossed.
“What are you doing?” said the owner.
“I fix it”, said him then pretended as if he had done and left the rake.
That gave the owner a thought that he was handyman.
“Born in wealthy family, economical and hard work very few people can have the qualities”, thought the owner, “My daughter should get married with people like him”.
And when he said goodbye and left, the owner whispered by his ear.
“Hey guy! Do you want to marry with my daughter? if you want, I will help you.”
At last, he came home. The first thing he did was hurrying his parent to go and asked the girl to be his wife. Because father of the girl had told him before so that all things went well and only one thing he needed to fear that he had to stay in their home, house of the bride, for a time. No one could replace him.
After one day staying in their home, he had to plow. His mother-in-law drove buffalo to go first, he took the plow after them and so he didn’t get any difficulty. His mother-in-law let him know their fields before she went back home and prepared for lunch. All fields had shores so that he didn’t get much hard to plow that field though sometime, he got pass the shore and plowed fields of others. At noon, his mother-in-law made her way to field calling him back for lunch. She at one screamed as she saw what was front of her eyes.
“Gosh! Why’d you plowed fields of others?”
He didn’t speak for a moment. He replied after that few seconds.
“Our shores are too low mother. I plowed our fields and including fields of others to lumps and make shores higher”, said him.
His mother-in-law thought that’s right and so she didn’t doubt more.
After lunch, he found the way to well cleaning and somehow he fell in that well but he forced himself not to call anyone just staying in there and waiting for others to see him. Few minutes later, his wife went to take water.
“Omg!” screamed his wife, “What are you doing in there?”
“I am cleaning this well, so many mosses”, he said gently.
“Why didn’t you find a ladder?” asked his wife.
“I am hurried so I didn’t think about that”, he said, “You find a ladder and help me up. I am getting tired”.
People seemed not have chance to doubt him. On other side, they admired.
Few days later, his wife’s absent. His mother-in-law cooked and brought for him a plate of rice.She left the plate on tray and went back kitchen to cook others. He still didn’t find the way to stay by the tray while their dog, because it didn’t see any one there, ran to and cleaned whole the plate of rice. When his mother-in-law went back again and saw the empty plate. Hurriedly, she said:
“You have eaten all. Do you want more?”
“That’s enough, mother”, he said gently though he was very hungry.
Another time his wife’s absent and his mother-in-law one more time brought him a plate of rice. While she left back to kitchen, he because didn’t want things happened as the previous time, sat by the tray immediately and kept the plate away from the dog. Later, his mother-in-law went back and brought others to him. He slapped his mother-in-law painfully while she was setting the things because he thought she was the dog again. She screamed because of pain and so he knew he did make a mistake. He kept silent.
“What’s going on?” his wife came back in time.
His mother-in-law said her that thing and she also screamed. That time, he started saying, thoughtful.
“You all know only wife is allowed to cook food for her husband. The first time you cooked me a plate of rice, I had ignored but this time I can not pretend as if I don’t know that. I am sorry mother. It is reluctant I have to do that”.
His wife and his mother stopped angry while his father-in-law gave him praises after heard he said that.
One day, his father asked him to follow others to go to forest, cut a tree and made a plow-handle. He followed woodcutter to forest but it’s not easy he would hit on trees if he walked out the path.
“Do you felt bored”, he said, “Why don’t we sing and have more fun?”
People started singing. He could hear them and so he walked in the crowd of people, followed them into forest. People came to where they needed and started to cut down trees, he also had his own tree. When all of them had fallen the trees, peeled them and were ready to leave but he didn’t know how to bring his tree back home. He hugged his belly and started screaming as if he felt very very pained. At one people dropped their trunks down, ran toward him. They massaged his body for a time but he seemed not relieved. Having no choice they helped him go to an empty hut in forest, left him there then turned back home with their trunks.
Next morning, two people rode cross the place and heard him groaning. They approached the hut and asked:
“Why do you lie here alone?”
“Thank god, you are here!” he said, “I’m making a plow-handle from the trunk but suddenly my stomach ached. Gosh!” he groaned, “My master will not me a coin if I can not finish it in this day.”
“Do you need any help?” said the people.
“Yes. I am very grateful if you can help me make a plow-handle”, he said.
The people helped him do that and then they left. Later, his wife brought the lunch to him. She didn’t speak and of course he couldn’t feel her.
“What’s wrong with your eyes or you don’t love me anymore?” said her wife after stayed by him.
“I see you. I admit”, he said, “but I just finished that plow-handle and was enjoying it so I seem not to pay much attention to you. I’m really sorry about that honey”.
One more time, his wife got rid of all suspicion after heard he said. They brought the plow-handle together.
Short time later, that’s his father-in-law’s birthday. They held a party and invited relatives in. He sat on one of the tables there had only few dishes but he didn’t know to pick what because nothing happened if he could pick up things in the dishes but if he couldn’t it would be a trouble. He thought a little and then.
“Why don’t we mix there dishes. I think they will be more delicious. Besides, we can divide each person a part so that we can enjoyed whole this meal in our own bowl”, said him.
People thought that’s good idea so they did and later, each of them had a big bowl. He had his bowl and started enjoying it. Unfortunately, there had a big piece of meat it’s very tough and very very difficult to chew. He swallowed it but it stuck in his throat. He tried to swallow it again and again. It’s not easy that made his tears dropped down from his eyes. It’s about ten minutes he struggled with that piece of meat. At last, he got the meat down. Very difficult but because of that his eyes seemed to get again the light he now could see again. And the first thing he wanted to know that was what his wife looked life. He found the way to go in home but those were crowd of women and he didn’t know exactly who his wife was. In sight he caught an idea he approached the women and pretended as if he’s too drunk. He touched on any woman in his way. His wife, of course, was there she saw that thing and turned jealous. Hurriedly, she sprinted to him and led him to their bedroom.
THE END
"Translator: Hung Nguyen"
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