The shop owner in her 50s, wrapping a scarf and covering her head with a small flower cloth, always holding a hand and shouting, "Rolling many onions, no noodles, my child!". The restaurant has no name, there is only an old "Bhoa Pho" sign, but it is crowded with customers every morning.
They eat not only for the delicious pho but also for the air - the air that blends the scent of hot fried dough sticks, the sound of spoons hitting the bowl and everyday stories.
This morning, he sat next to an old man in his 70s, in an old white shirt, trembling with a knife but still trying to remove the fat waffle. He told the person in front - a young driver of technology - that he used to work in a newspaper printing workshop, waking up at 3am every day.
"At that time, pho was not as delicious as it is now, but every bowl of pho is made with beef, the restaurant owner goes around and sprinkles moreanh mi" - he laughed enthusiastically. The motorbike taxi driver said that yesterday he met a customer who "bombed" him, running all day and earning exactly 45 thousand, and was wondering whether to change jobs or not. But this morning with a bowl of pho like this, I feel somewhat comforted, he said, then bowed his head, pouring in the brimming water.
Behind him, two students discussed the teacher's "photo problem as a puzzle solving", while another student reported a story about breaking up with her boyfriend because "he texted without hiding his emotions anymore". A few vs vs. stories, but hearing the smoke in the middle of the pot of broth, I suddenly felt a light trap. Life, after all, is just a series of small, broken emotions like that.
He used to be the type of person who was always in a hurry, eating quickly with a loaf of bread or steaming sticky rice, drinking a cup of coffee quickly and then getting into work. But in recent months, he has started to practice more slowly.
Today, when he reached the last spoon of the broth, he did not rush to get up.
Living is not only to complete the list of tasks, but also to sit down one morning, eat a bowl of pho, listen to a few small things, and feel a lot of life when it is as sweet as the broth simmered from bone all night.
Enjoy life, sometimes it starts with such a simple thing.
