1.
In the days before Tet, the happiest place, the place that holds the most memories and affection is the train station and bus station. Although everyone is in a hurry to finish the work of the year. There are people who have completed their goals, now getting on the train, getting on the bus to return to their warm home - where there is father, mother, brothers and sisters. There is a small winding road that is still muddy every time it rains. Near the end of the road is a fence that is trimmed square by father leading to the yard that mother sweeps away fallen leaves every morning... There are people who finish the year working late, just have time to run to the station, quickly buy a ticket, get on the train and imagine the pot of banh chung that their parents are cooking in the front yard. At that time, just thinking about the smell of firewood smoke mixed with the cold winter air can make them tear up.
2.
Although crowded, with people staying and leaving reluctantly, with both smiles and tears, the airport before Tet only brings a sense of urgency. The haste at the train station and bus station is still part of a slow pace of life, so it makes people feel more sad. Whether there is someone to see you off or not, once you get to the airport, you only think about going to the check-in counter, going through the security check area and entering the waiting room to board the plane. Passing through the security gate, each person is alone with the flight ahead, unable to see the people staying behind like when standing on the train station or bus station, which gradually moves away as the train or bus moves... When flying, only when you are settled in the waiting row in front of the boarding gate, sitting there for an hour, can you calm down and let the nostalgia and memories flood back. But that's it, whether living slowly or racing against time, when on a journey, everyone wishes for - the journey to the place of birth to celebrate Tet.
3.
When Tet comes, in addition to the merchants' trips, peach blossoms and yellow apricot blossoms also follow the children who work far from home back to their hometowns for Tet. Some people, on the 27th of Tet, would buy a La Ca peach branch, find a plastic bottle to put it in, wrap a thin wet towel around the branch to bring back to their hometowns in the Central region. The first year they brought peach branches back to their hometowns on the North-South train, some people took the peach branches to the restroom every half day to spray water. The train stopped at their hometown station, and the train staff helped the passengers to safely bring the peach branches down. Not disappointing the passengers, the peach blossoms bloomed on the round canopy, dyeing a corner of the house pink. That Tet, the house was already crowded with guests because of children who had returned from working far away, friends visiting each other, and even more crowded because of old people with canes coming to see the peach blossoms. Many people saw peach blossoms for the first time and had to touch them to see if they were real or fake...
Now, peach blossoms are available at the town flower market when Tet comes. But buying a peach blossom branch to display on Tet is still not easy, because the money to buy a peach blossom branch can buy more farming tools to go to the fields after Tet. However, there are years when people who work far away do not return home for Tet to earn extra money for overtime during the holidays in the city because the daily wage is higher, they try to buy a small peach blossom branch, bring it home to put in the corner of the house to feel the arrival of Spring.
(Posted on the special edition of Labor Weekend Spring At Ty)
