It was a cloudy midday, and Binh and I strolled along the dike towards the house after taking down the roof tiles we’d set up the day before. I excitedly looked at the snakehead fish in the bucket and couldn’t help but say to Binh, “It’s been so long since we caught such a huge snakehead fish! These days, finding a fish this size is incredibly difficult!”
Binh, walking ahead, turned around and chuckled, saying without hesitation, “You eat snakehead fish every day and you’re not tired of it?”
I glared at him, shushing him as if afraid someone would hear. Actually, there was no one around, and even if someone did hear, they wouldn’t have grasped the lewd meaning in his words. Maybe it was my own fault for being so startled.
Because from that day on, Binh and I didn’t miss a single night of “catching” each other’s snakehead fish. Binh even complimented me, saying, “You’re really good at everything you learn. If you hadn’t quit school, you’d be a lawyer now, it’d be so much easier.”
I wondered, “Why a lawyer? I don’t know anything about lawyers!”
Binh replied, “Your mouth is so smooth and flexible when you suck my dick. No one could argue with you as a lawyer!”
smooth and flexible: soft, flexible – figurative meaning: clever, knowing how to choose words
I stifled a laugh and asked, “How do you know no one can argue with you? What if they do?”
He confidently replied, “Then you arrange to meet them, pin them down and suck my dick. Just one minute and thirty seconds and they’ll be satisfied and give in!”
I cursed, “You dog!”
Binh and I walked for a while and finally arrived home. I glanced down at the river and saw my mother sticking her head out into the street, looking towards Binh’s house as if she were waiting for something. Binh and I quickly went out and saw several strangers carrying long logs from Uncle Bay’s side of the river up to the shore, then leaving them in the open space between Uncle Bay’s house and Binh’s house.
Binh clicked his tongue and said, “A few nights ago, I heard the sound of a car stopping abruptly next to our house. I thought it was a thief and planned to beat him up.”
*stopping abruptly: stopping at a location for a short/temporary period of time
I laughed and said, “Let him steal once, and he’ll quit the profession for good.”
Binh added, “Yeah, that’s right. No one from the surrounding villages comes to steal, but he comes to a place where everyone’s life is the most precious thing. It’s only right that he quits the profession.”
My mother chuckled at the two little old men. Binh then asked, “I guess the landowner is coming back and planning to build a house, right Auntie Hai? Or maybe Uncle Bay is building more?”
Many plots of land in this neighborhood are vacant year-round. Like the plot we were talking about, Binh said that since he could see, no one had built anything there. Therefore, many homeless people have drifted here. They erected pillars and built houses on the abandoned land, living in makeshift shelters day by day, secretly hoping the landowners would never return.
Only a few people, like Uncle Bay, Binh’s parents, and my parents, had lived here since the land was first cleared, and thus had land ownership documents. The other landowners had all left this impoverished and desolate place; no one even bothered to buy or sell their ancestral land, because even if they built houses and invited people to live there, they would still disdain this godforsaken place.
My mother, still looking in that direction, replied to Binh: “I don’t know either. You two go ask Uncle Bay. I’ll come over and help.”
I gave my mother the bucket of fish, telling her to braise it with chili for Binh later that afternoon. Then we quickly ran over to eavesdrop. Seeing Uncle Bay also standing by the river looking up, Binh went over and asked: “Uncle Bay, are you planning to build a house?”
Uncle Bay shook his head: “Where would I get the money to build one? The trees are still submerged in the river.”
I looked again and it was true; the pile of wood looked brand new, dry and spotless, definitely not freshly salvaged from the water. Down at the riverbank, a sturdy young man, wearing a straw hat, jumped out of a covered boat and stepped onto the water. His skin was tanned, his arms and legs muscular like a country boy, but seeing his polo shirt and ripped jeans, I immediately knew he wasn’t from the river region. He greeted Uncle Bay with a nod, and conveniently nodded back at us. Uncle Bay then asked, “Are you new here, young man?”
*boat: a type of watercraft
He looked up, appearing mature, around thirty years old. His face looked honest and composed, like someone who had experienced much. He politely replied, “Yes, I’m new here. I heard the owner of this land left a long time ago, is that right, Uncle?” As he spoke, he pointed to the plot of land piled high with wood. His distinctly Southern accent was unmistakable.
Uncle Bay replied, “Yes, the landowner left decades ago. When are you planning to build the house?”
He replied, “If possible, I’ll start this afternoon, Uncle.”
Uncle Bay clicked his tongue, “So urgent? Or maybe we should wait until tomorrow morning, I’ll find some of my apprentices to help.”
Uncle Bay’s sincerity and hospitality moved both me and Binh, but he still firmly shook his head. He pointed to where the men were carrying logs ashore and whispered, “I hired these guys for the whole day, let’s finish it before it’s too late, Uncle.”
Uncle Bay frowned slightly, then chuckled softly, “Damn, building a house and he’s treating it like a toy. I’ll see if I can find someone to help later.”
He nodded and smiled, thanking Uncle Bay, who then hurried upstairs to put away his things. After Uncle Bay left, he turned to ask the two of them…
We asked, “Oh, what are your names? Are you two living with Uncle Bay?”
I shook my head: “My name is Phuc, this guy’s name is Binh. We live nearby, not with Uncle Bay.” After a pause, I couldn’t contain my curiosity and asked, “And what’s your name, and where are you from?”
He replied, “My name is Sang. I used to work as a hired hand in Saigon. Now I’m unemployed and don’t know where else to go, so I came back to this area.”
Hearing the name Saigon, my eyes lit up. In my mind, Saigon was a distant and beautiful dream. Several times while working as a hired hand, I heard my colleagues tell stories about acquaintances who had gone to Saigon. They said it was prosperous and full of opportunities. If you were lucky, you could change your life and escape poverty in a minute.
I was still lost in my daydreams when Binh chimed in, “So, do you know how to herd cows, cut grass, carry rice, or pull a bucket? There’s nothing else to do around here besides those things.”
Hearing him say that, I felt a pang of bitterness for him. It felt like a cold shower on his face. There really was nothing to do here; even the “profit-making” trade had no place.
But he just smiled brightly and calmly replied, “I can do all that. I’m used to doing heavy work in Saigon.”
At that moment, Uncle Bay came out of the house with his bare back and conical hat on his head. He said, “I can’t find anyone to call at this hour, luckily we still have Tam.”
I immediately asked, “Does Tam still have Aunt Tam, Uncle Bay?”
Uncle Bay nodded, “Yes,” while Binh frowned uncomfortably. He knew that if Tam came here, Sen would definitely try to come along.
Binh also called Nhi and Lui, but only got the reply, “I’m out installing pornographic films. Maybe another time.” Lui added, “We don’t even know each other, why are you calling me ‘dad’? Besides, he’s already hired someone to follow him, hasn’t he?”
We shook our heads in exasperation. Ever since they discovered phones and pornographic films, those two have been holed up at the electronics shop. Now, it’s harder to meet them than to meet the president, let alone get them to come over and help out.
I ran back to tell my mother while she was preparing a snakehead fish in the backyard. She said, “Go ask Sang if he’s prepared any offerings for the ceremony.”
People in the countryside believe that every piece of land has a guardian spirit, or perhaps some unseen ancestors. When you first move in, you should make offerings to show respect; a large offering of pigs, cows, chickens, or ducks, or a small meal as a way of introducing yourself.
Binh happened to walk in at that moment and replied to my mother, “Nothing at all, Auntie Hai. Uncle Bay asked me to tell you.”
My mother smiled, “Luckily we have some snakehead fish. We’ll grill three and braise one.” Then, she leaned on her knees, stood up, took off her conical hat from the wall, put it on, and looked towards the gáo tree in the field about twenty meters from our house: “Let me go pick some more water spinach to make a salad, that’ll make a complete meal.”
As my mother was about to leave, Auntie Tam’s voice rang out from outside the door: “Is Nguyet home?” Along with that was a high-pitched voice that gave Binh goosebumps, and Sen called out, “Auntie Hai, are you home?”
My mother hurried back out and saw Auntie Tam and Sen carrying several bags of vegetables. Sen’s eyes lit up when she saw Binh, while Binh looked visibly tired and sighed, “I’ll go help build the house over there.”
Sen excitedly exclaimed, “I’ll go too! I’ll go too!”
Auntie Tam, hands on her hips, scolded her, “You’re a girl, you’re going over there while someone else is building a house! Go inside and help Auntie Hai cook, or just go home and leave me alone!”
Sen pouted and felt resentful but didn’t dare say anything. Auntie Tam gave my mother several bags of vegetables, and I glanced at the meat inside and suddenly felt a craving. Here, we eat fish all year round; only on the anniversary of my father’s death do my mother and I dare go to the market to buy meat to make a proper meal for him.
I later went to Sang’s house to help out. I saw the men who had just finished carrying the wood sitting shirtless, panting, while Uncle Bay was busy measuring the wood and the plot of land. The strongest man in the group sat leaning against a pile of wood, puffing on a cigarette, and said to Uncle Bay, “This wood is already cut to the frame, Uncle, we just need to assemble it and nail it down, and we can build it right away.”
Uncle Bay glanced around and knew what he was doing; he was just looking for a suitable spot to dig holes for the pillars. He asked, “Where are you guys from? It seems like there’s nowhere in the market that sells ready-made wood like this.”
Another guy, a bit rounder but with a much sharper face, came over, asked for a cigarette, and said, “We’re from Can Tho. We left at two or three in the morning, arriving in the scorching midday sun.”
Uncle Bay was startled: “That far! And you traveled all night? How much did each of you get?”
Another guy sitting opposite him, without any embarrassment, scratched his groin and replied, “Five hundred thousand dong each, not including the toll!”
I was stunned, and Uncle Bay instinctively turned to look for Sang. Four people, two million dong, plus other expenses, probably two and a half million dong—enough to buy three taels of gold! Perhaps Uncle Bay, like me, felt that Sang must have some kind of secret.
While I was still thinking, Sen trotted over, carrying a huge bucket of ice water. The little girl, breathless, said, “Uncle Bay and the others, have some water. It took me half an hour to get this ice water! Binh, do you want some? I’ll scoop some for you.”
Binh’s face was expressionless; he kicked the bucket without looking.
p: “No need, I can drink it myself.”
An older brother, who had been sitting silently until now, finally spoke up: “Why are you so cold, little brother? I wish someone would offer me a drink, but I can’t even get one!”
Sen smiled, put the bucket down, and replied: “I’ll leave it here, okay? Call me when it’s empty, okay, Binh?”
Hearing Sen’s voice, the children playing on Uncle Bay’s doorstep rushed out and surrounded her. Sen took a small cup and scooped iced tea from the bucket, giving it to each of them. They all gulped it down and exclaimed “Ahhhhh!” because their thirst was quenched. They then dragged Sen away, especially Men. Of the five children in the house, she was the only girl, so she was very happy to see Sen with someone to play with.
As Sen left, the sky began to darken. Uncle Bay looked at the clouds and said: “Let’s hurry up and finish what we’re doing, because it might rain this afternoon.” Then he glanced at me and asked, “Phuc, go down to the dock and tell those two guys to come up and start working early so they can rest early.”
I nodded and ran quickly down to the dock. I saw Tam on the railing talking to Sang. Looking at them laughing and talking, they didn’t seem like strangers. Sang was friendly; even if he met a stranger, he’d strike up a conversation in no time.
I called out loudly, “Come up and build the house, you two!”
Sang looked at me, his smile still lingering from the unfinished conversation, and replied, “Yeah, I’ll change into my shorts first and then come up.”
*shorts: short
Then, he reached for the bag of supplies on the awning, took out a pair of sweatpants, and immediately went under the awning to change. As soon as the jeans slipped down, a pristine white pair of underwear with a large bulge underneath caught my attention. Tam, sitting nearby, seemed a little embarrassed, shyly glancing away. Binh, who was coming down from the bank, happened to see this scene and whispered, “That’s quite a big one.”
I asked him, “How do you know?”
He replied, “Even from up here, you can clearly see the outline of his penis. If you don’t believe me, I’ll go down and ask him to show you.”
I cursed, “Are you crazy? Hey, what kind of pants is he wearing? I can’t find them anywhere in the market.”
Binh, acting knowledgeable, said, “That’s called boxers. Give me a blowjob tonight, and then I’ll take you to buy some.”
Before I could reply, the two men from the boat had gone up to the bridge. Then we all went up to the house and saw the men above assembling the frame and hammering nails. Uncle Bay threw us some shovels and showed each of us a spot to dig.
Actually, even without our help, the four workers could have done it themselves without any problem. The simple earthen house had four walls, only requiring the erection of two side walls, each with three posts. There were nine people working there, so everything was done in a flash.
While Tâm was diligently digging, he called out, “Uncle Bảy, is this hole deep enough?”
Uncle Bảy used his family’s heirloom wooden ruler to check if it was almost right, then signaled them to stop digging. The frame was assembled, and the workers pulled the posts closer to the holes. I, Tâm, and Sang helped lift the tops, while the other two men each held a post. Hearing Uncle Bảy count, “1, 2, 3…”, everyone exerted all their strength to lift the frame, just enough for the posts to fit into the holes.
After erecting the two side walls, the two workers climbed onto the frame to attach the horizontal beams to the roof. One beam, then two, and in less than an hour the roof was finished.
Down below, no one was idle either. Uncle Bảy marked the spot, and the remaining two workers brought in the horizontal bracing bars. Sang and Tam were setting up the door, while Binh and I were working on the back. After a while, everything was finished, but no one noticed that the weather had become much cooler, and the clouds were gathering thicker.
Uncle Bay looked up at the sky and exclaimed, “We’re working so fast, and we’re still running! Bring the leaves up quickly, we’re probably halfway done.”
Without a word, we practically ran. Each of us carried as many leaves as we could. Once we’d brought the remaining materials up from the lower level, Tam and Sang climbed onto the roof with the two workers. With the frame already in place, it was quite sturdy; carrying four people at once was no problem.
Those below used ladders and chairs to pass the leaves up, while those above worked tirelessly to lay them down. Tam was clearly very skillful, threading the strips through the leaves and twisting them like a seasoned craftsman. He worked faster than two people alone.
Sang watched Tâm’s nimble hands and couldn’t help but ask, “Do you often roof houses for your neighbors around here? You look so professional!”
Before Tâm could say anything, Uncle Bảy, who was roofing the house with leaves, answered for him, “You’re so lucky, Tâm is the best roofer around here. He’s building an immortal house today, and luckily he’s free.”
*immortal = sudden death: unexpected, without time to react
*free: idle
After roofing half the house and half of the two side walls, the wind started blowing strongly. Uncle Bảy clicked his tongue, “It’s going to rain. I’ll go gather the things from the backyard and bring them inside.”
As soon as Uncle Bảy left, a light rain began to fall. Being out in the sun in the morning and then drenched in rain in the afternoon was nothing new to us. After ten times of getting soaked in the rain like this, we’d get sick a few times. But since we were adults, even colds and fevers made us worry. Children with colds and fevers could at least rest. Even sick adults have to struggle to earn money.
The clouds grew darker, and the drizzling rain became heavier. The cheek
At this point, only a few holes remained in the roof, about five sheets in total. Tam tried to finish the job even though his shirt was soaked with rainwater. Seeing this, Sang said, “Tam, come down, we’ll continue when the rain stops.”
Tam held the bundle of reeds in his mouth to prevent them from being washed away by the rain, and managed to reply, “You go down first, I’ll be finished soon.”
The two workers on the other side, hearing the thunder rumbling, quickly climbed down first. The torrential rain made the water sting their eyes, and the sky darkened, forcing everyone to grope around in the shadows.
Uncle Bay came out of the house carrying a light bulb and, seeing the two men still on the roof enduring the rain, shouted, “Come down, you little brats!”
The roof on this side was finally finished, and Tâm and Sang finally climbed down, both wearing only shorts. The rainwater soaked their clothes, clinging to their skin and exposing areas usually well-hidden.
Bình and I had just finished assembling the makeshift bed frame and round table that every house has, so we sat down to rest. The earthen floor was wet from the rain, and nowhere was suitable to sit. The workers leaned against the pillars, lighting cigarettes to warm themselves. Uncle Bảy hung a light bulb on the crossbeam and said loudly to Sang, “If you haven’t had time to buy a new one, use this one for now. Tomorrow when it’s dry, I’ll run the electrical wire over for you.”
*bed frame: bed frame
Sang said profusely, “Thank you, Uncle Bảy!”
Then Uncle Bảy went back home to look after the children. Taking advantage of the light, the workers continued their work below. On the roof next to Binh’s house, there were still two unfinished holes, and the rain was still pouring down. Seeing this, Tam ran over, put on his conical hat, and stood in the rain to work. Sang quickly pulled Tam away, saying, “Work when the rain stops, you’ll get sick!”
With each person lending a hand, the house was quickly covered with leaves, leaving only the front and back windows open to prevent the two leaky spots from becoming stuffy.
Tam and Sang then sat down on the bed. Sang lay down and sighed in relief, not bothering to notice the large bulge under his pants. His wet pants clung to his skin, making his erect penis clearly visible to those sitting nearby under the dim light, the head pointing upwards, the thick, long shaft visible beneath the soaking wet fabric.
The heavens did not disappoint them; after a while, the rain stopped completely. It was now past five in the afternoon, the sky was darkening but gradually brightening after the rain. The workers quickly climbed back onto the roof to finish the remaining work. Once finished, the four of them quickly cleaned up and rushed down to the boat.
My mother and Aunt Tam carried a tray full of food from the house. Aunt Tam called out loudly as she went: “Hey, hey, aren’t you going to stay for dinner before you leave?”
The worker, with a cigarette in his mouth, looked up and replied: “No, thank you, we’re going home to eat with our wives, they’re waiting for us, poor thing!”
Aunt Tam chuckled as she saw them off: “Well, have a safe journey!”
The engine sputtered on the river, and the boat began to sail downstream towards the main river. Aunt Tam and my mother carried the food into the house, almost filling the round table. Uncle Bay, who had just arrived, looked at the table full of food and exclaimed: “This much food would probably take the whole village to finish, Aunt Tam!”
Aunt Tam said: “I was planning to cook for the workers too, but they all left!”
Hearing the lively laughter and conversation, Sen led the children out of the house. As soon as we met, Mrs. Tam exclaimed, “What a lazy girl! She hasn’t even helped with anything yet and she’s already run off to play!”
Thang, who was guarding Sen, spoke up in her defense: “It was raining heavily earlier, Sen was over here watching over us for Uncle Bay, Mrs. Tam!”
Mrs. Tam knew perfectly well that the sisters were only good at covering for each other, so she didn’t bother to expose them. She just said, “You and Tam go to Aunt Hai’s house and bring some chairs over here.”
Uncle Bay said, “Why go so far? I have a little one here. Go inside and get them, you two.”
Binh also said, “Let me go inside and get some more. Phuc, come with me!”
As Binh and I went inside, we heard Mrs. Tam saying, “Okay, let’s hurry up and offer the sacrifices first, we’re going to be late!”
When Binh and I carried the chairs out, we saw my mother place the incense stick holder in the middle of the table, light three incense sticks, and give them to Sang. Sang prayed a few perfunctory prayers and then placed the incense sticks in the holder. Uncle Bay and Sang were sitting on chairs while my mother and Aunt Tam sat on the wooden platform. Uncle Bay nudged Sang’s shoulder and introduced them: “This is Aunt Hai Nguyet, Phuc’s mother. And this is Aunt Tam, the mother of Tam and Ut Sen.”
Aunt Tam sat with one leg propped up on the edge of the platform, laughing and saying, “Oh my goodness, you don’t need to introduce me. I’m the one who brought him here to build this house!”
Uncle Bay looked a little surprised and asked, “So he’s your nephew?”
Aunt Tam replied, “No, he’s the nephew of an acquaintance, Mr. Tu Tan, Uncle Bay. A long time ago, he went to live in Saigon. He came back to the countryside recently and conveniently left this little boy here.”
Uncle Bay asked further, “Don’t you have a place for him outside that you had to bring him all the way here?”
Mrs. Tam replied, “Yes, there is, but the landowner only left a year or two ago. The owner of this particular plot has been gone for almost twenty years, that’s why I told him to come and live here!”
Uncle Bay then turned to Sang and asked, “So where are you originally from, son? Are you from around here?”
Sang
Smiling, he replied, “I don’t know either, Uncle. I’m an orphan. My parents abandoned me at an orphanage in Saigon. Then Uncle Tư saw me selling lottery tickets and felt sorry for me, so he introduced me to various jobs. Now it’s so hard to find work up there, so I came back here to make a living.”
[up there]
Hearing the word “orphan,” Bình instinctively glanced at Sang. The house seemed to fall silent, only the laughter of Uncle Bảy’s children could be heard outside. The hardship of growing up alone was probably understood by everyone in the family, but being from the countryside with little education, they didn’t know how to express it properly.
Uncle Bảy hid his sorrow, patted Sang on the shoulder and said, “Yes, when I find out where you can find work, I’ll tell you to go. Or you can raise water hyacinths like me, that’s much better!”
Sang nodded and smiled, showing his deep gratitude. My mother and Aunt Tam were silent for a moment, their eyes filled with sympathy for the young man before them.
Actually, there had been many migrants coming here before. Aunt Tam and Uncle Bay had helped them build houses and perform rituals so often that it had become a habit. But those people were either families or couples; none of them were alone, without family or friends like Sang.
After a few more words, the incense on the table gradually burned out. Aunt Tam smiled brightly, regaining her composure, and said, “Normally, they perform the rituals before building the house, but it was too rushed and they couldn’t finish in time. Let’s just consider it a housewarming party and a feast at the same time.”
My mother looked out into the yard and called, “Sen and the children, come eat!”
The adults sat down at the table, while the children were seated on the benches. Uncle Bay cautioned, “Eat properly, don’t spill anything. Otherwise, you’ll be eating maggots later!”
The whole family chuckled involuntarily. People in the countryside often threaten children to make them eat well, saying that every grain of rice they drop will turn into a wriggling maggot. Later, when they return to dust, they will have to eat all those maggots; if they don’t, they’ll be beaten by demons, or even thrown into a pan of boiling oil.
And only children are afraid of that, adults aren’t. Not because adults know that death is the end, but because sometimes their lives are so incredibly difficult that eating maggots is nothing compared to that.
Uncle Bay didn’t forget to bring a bottle of liquor to liven things up. He poured each of us a glass, saying, “Drink up to warm yourselves up.”
Uncle Bay lightly lifted his glass, swiped it across his lips, and finished it all. I held my breath and swallowed. It did warm us up, but it also came with a burning sensation in my throat, a bitter taste on my tongue, and the strong smell of alcohol rushing to my brain. I shuddered and put the glass back on the table. Sang praised, “This wine is delicious, Uncle! The wine I drank in Saigon was awful!”
Uncle Bay poured more, and I quickly hid my glass, saying, “Just one glass for fun, Uncle!”
Uncle Bay laughed and said, “This wine was given to me by a friend of mine; it’s very precious, that’s why I’m offering it to you guys. This guy has something good but doesn’t know how to appreciate it, let him go without!”
As the wine flowed, so did the conversation. Uncle Bay and Sang talked about one thing after another. Binh and Tam also had a couple more drinks and then stopped, watching the two of them toast like long-lost relatives. By the time the younger guys on the other side finished eating, the conversation here was only half over.
Aunt Tam and my mother quickly cleared the dishes after the meal. Before taking them to wash, Aunt Tam said, “If Tam gets drunk, you stay here, son. Your mother and your sister will go home first. Take the food back for your father, otherwise he’ll complain if he comes home with nothing to eat.”
Tam nodded, not knowing if he heard or not. Uncle Bay quickly replied, “Auntie, you go ahead. I’ll keep an eye on him!”
As Aunt Tam and my mother took the dishes to wash them, Uncle Bay whispered, “Whoever is still sober should keep an eye on him for me. I’m worried about myself, let alone him!”
The liquor was strong, which is why Uncle Bay called it precious. Even the most heavy drinkers would be “tipped out” after about ten glasses. The three drinking buddies sat chatting for a while longer, and the crickets around the house chirped in response. Uncle Bay looked outside and saw the moon was high in the sky. He leaned on the table to gather his strength and stood up, saying, “Okay, let’s rest, guys. I need to go put the kids to bed. Come over tomorrow when you’re free to have another drink with me!”
Without waiting for a reply, he fumbled with his green flip-flops and staggered off. He could get drunk to the point of forgetting everything, but he never forgot the kids at home.
Binh also said, “Okay, we’re going to bed too. Sang, please keep an eye on Tam for us.”
Sang, though his eyes were almost drooping, managed to reply, “Yes, thank you for helping me. I’ll repay you later. Leave Tam to me.”
Binh pulled me along to his house next door. I nervously asked, “Hey, are you really going to leave Tam to Sang?”
After closing the door, Binh said, “Didn’t you hear what they were talking about? Sang has been staying at Mrs. Tam’s house for a whole week; he’s actually closer to Tam than you and I are.”
I thought he was right, but then I realized something was wrong. What was I doing in Binh’s house at this hour?
Just as I noticed something unusual, Binh dragged me away.
He clung to me tightly on the bed. He wasn’t wearing a single piece of clothing. His penis pressed against my stomach, burning hot, like a red-hot iron. I also became hard, a huge lump forming under my pants.
[clung tightly: hugged tightly]
Binh pushed me down, slipped his hand into my pants, and pulled out my penis. He quickly grabbed it, licked the head with his tongue, and gently poked and prodded at the urethral opening. I jumped slightly in pleasure, and the head of my penis started to leak lubricant.
Binh started sucking as usual, the slurping sounds echoing incessantly. Suddenly, I noticed that the lights in Sang’s house were off, because the few rays of light that had been shining through the hole in Binh’s wall through his window had disappeared. Perhaps he had gone to bed after a long, exhausting day.
Binh, slightly intoxicated, sucked with incredible intensity. I couldn’t help but moan a few times. He immediately shoved his finger in my mouth, saying, “Shhh, damn it, there’s someone next to us today, you’re moaning too loudly, they’ll hear!”
I was truly absent-minded, it was all just uncontrolled pleasure. Then Binh continued sucking, his greedy finger, still wet with saliva, shoved into my ass. He gently rubbed around my anus; I felt a little aroused but gritted my teeth and endured it.
Suddenly, Binh stopped sucking, lifted his head and said irritably, “Damn it, I already moaned, why are you moaning so much? And even louder than before!”
I retorted, “Are you crazy? When did I ever moan, damn it?”
After I finished speaking, both of us fell silent and listened. Indeed, there was a frantic moaning sound coming from somewhere… “Mmm… Mmm… So good… So good…”
I didn’t moan, Binh didn’t moan, so it could only be…
Binh and I jumped up, hastily shoving our pants in without even bothering to put on underwear. The two of us crept cautiously to the side, slowly stepping out to avoid making any noise.
Binh went first, I followed, groping our way towards the source of the sexually charged sounds. And of course, it was none other than our new neighbor’s newly built house.
It seemed Sang was drunk from his drinking earlier, as he hadn’t even bothered to close the side window. Binh and I each hid to one side, peeking inside. It was pitch black inside, only the makeshift cot we’d assembled earlier was dimly lit by moonlight streaming through the front window.
On that cot, two men were naked. One lay underneath with his enormous penis erect. The other was squatting on top, lifting his buttocks and lowering them onto that penis. Both men’s faces in the dim light showed immense satisfaction. Moans of carnal desire filled the house.
I couldn’t believe men could have sex like that. Even though Binh had shown it to me many times on his phone, at this moment I still involuntarily widened my eyes and gaped. My anus felt a strange tingling and twitching involuntarily. If it were me, I don’t know if I would have the courage to shove a huge dick like Sang’s into me like Tam was doing.
While I was still thinking, Binh reached over and grabbed my erect penis in my pants, squeezing it. We both pulled our pants down to our knees, grabbed each other’s dicks, and masturbated while watching the live stream.
Binh whispered in my ear, “Damn, this is a thousand times more arousing than watching porn on the phone!”
Inside, Tam, after a while of thrusting, seemed tired. He leaned forward, supporting himself with his hands, his knees bent on the bed, and slightly lifted his buttocks. Sang then placed his hands on the bed, tensing his muscles until veins bulged, and began thrusting his hips faster, making his dick go in and out of Tam’s anus. The bed creaked and groaned.
Sang thrust his penis in and out like a sewing machine, and Tam moaned as if crying: “Mmm… Mmm… It feels so good, honey… Honey, it’s too fast… Mmm… Honey… Honey…”
After a while, feeling a little tired, Sang pulled Tam down to lie on his back. At this point, I noticed that Tam’s penis had remained erect all this time, even though it hadn’t retracted or shrunk like some men I’ve seen in movies when they’re “being penetrated.”
Sang wrapped one arm around Tam’s chest and the other hand around his erect penis, continuing to thrust in and out. This time the speed was slower, but Tam didn’t seem to lose any of his pleasure. Sang also had the strength to groan.
Sang thrust a few times, then deliberately pulled his penis almost completely out, and then left it there without doing anything. Unexpectedly, Tam stirred, moaning and begging, “Put it in, brother… I’m so horny… Put your dick in my hole, brother…”
Sang repeated this several times, making me curious about the feeling. Could doing this be so pleasurable and intoxicating that one would beg to satisfy oneself?
Before I could finish thinking, Sang let go of Tam and got off the bed. Binh and I panicked and quickly crouched down, hiding in the darkness. But very quickly, the sounds of bodies returned, and we slowly peeked out.
Sang was standing under the bed, his back to us. We could see Tam’s legs resting on Sang’s shoulders, while Sang thrust his hips relentlessly. The speed of his thrusting was much faster than before; perhaps his arousal had just reached its peak. This was followed by moans that were somewhat over the top.
Sang questioned Tam’s control.
Seeing this, Sang leaned forward and kissed Tam, muffled her moans by more than half. However, the speed of his thrusting didn’t decrease at all; Sang’s leg muscles tensed up. His plump, round buttocks swayed before our eyes, making Binh almost drool with desire.
After a fierce session, Sang jumped back onto the bed. He braced himself in a push-up position, his penis deeply embedded in Tam’s anus. Tam remained the same, her legs wrapped around Sang’s neck, but it seemed her small anus was about to give out.
Sang transformed into a beast, his moans mingling with growls. He thrust his penis into her anus mercilessly, muttering, “Are you enjoying it, you dick-craving slut? Huh? Huh?”
Tam moaned softly, seemingly oblivious to everything around her, her voice a whimper like a cry, whether from pleasure or pain was unclear. Sang, hearing this, became even more frenzied, pushing his penis in deeper, thrusting it in repeatedly.
Sang cursed again: “Damn you, you slut, you can swallow a dick this big. Eat until your pussy is torn apart, you dick-obsessed whore!”
Tâm weakly resisted, whispering pleadingly: “Um… Honey… Stop… Your dick is too big… Too hard… Ah… Honey…”
Sang became even more aroused: “Stop? Stop, you whore? If I stop, how can I ejaculate into your pussy and fertilize you, you slut? Stop… Stop…”
Each “Stop” was accompanied by the base of his dick touching the edge of her anus. Tâm writhed and moaned, while Sang, despite his defiant appearance, was also about to lose control.
Having no other choice, Tâm could only use her strength to clench her anus tightly, making it grip his dick. Sang was indeed taken by surprise, whispering: “Don’t clench… Um… Don’t clench… It feels so good… Ah… Damn, I can’t control myself… Ah… Ah…”
As soon as he finished speaking, I saw his whole body tremble with a long moan. His penis twitched, pumping semen repeatedly into her anus. One wave, two waves… up to a dozen waves before stopping. He didn’t pull his penis out, even thrusting it in and leaving it inside. Semen spilled over the edges, dripped onto the headboard, and then onto the floor.
Tam, while his erect penis was still inside her anus, masturbated a few times before also releasing himself. His semen shot quite far, whizzing past her head and splattering all over the headboard.
Both of them lay there panting, and so did Binh and I outside. During their climax, Binh and I had ejaculated onto the walls of the house in waves, but the sounds of lust inside were so loud that they drowned out the sound of semen falling on the leaves.
At this point, we realized we had been mosquito bait all this time. We scrambled back inside the house, still cautiously.
But the important thing is that today I’m confirming something else: men can indeed have sex with each other!