Perhaps fate was kind to me; the harvest season coincided with my time off from the coffee shop. Some days I’d harvest rice, other days thresh it, and still other days carry it. Despite the busyness, I was happy; earning money meant another day of eating instant noodles.
I was sitting eating breakfast, preparing to go to the fields, when I heard Mr. Dau’s motorbike stop right in front of the door. Before he even turned off the engine, he called out, “Minh’s here to visit you, Phuc!”
I jumped at the sound of his name and rushed outside to see. Minh, carrying a huge backpack, was standing at the door, smiling at me.
Mr. Dau said, “Luckily he met me, otherwise he’d probably be stuck at the district market. He met some other motorbike taxi drivers, and when they asked him where he was going, he said your name, and nobody knew.”
I laughed, “Wow, that’s brave! What time did you leave to get here at this hour?”
Minh replied, “I left last night and got back here at three in the morning. There were no motorbike taxis around then, so I slept at the bus station.”
Brother Dau said, “Come inside, I’ll go back to driving.”
My mother came up from the river carrying a basket of freshly prepared fish. When Minh saw her, he politely greeted her, “Auntie Hai, I’m back.”
My mother smiled warmly, “Oh, you’re back? Come in and have a meal with us, and stay for dinner too.”
I said, “He’s just staying here to eat and sleep over, Mom, he’s not going anywhere else, so don’t worry.”
My mother clicked her tongue, “This boy, what kind of friend are you talking about?”
Minh chuckled, “Brother Phuc is right, Auntie Hai. Auntie Hai, can I stay for a few days?”
My mother never chased anyone away, she smiled happily, “Yes, you can stay as long as you want. It’s always more fun with more people around.”
I told Minh to put the things on Sang’s bed, the bed he hadn’t slept on since I moved in. After that, I went back to finish my meal. Minh acted like family, saying, “What are you eating, brother? Let me have some too! I’ve been starving since last night.”
My mother heard this and stopped me, saying, “Are you hungry? Wait a little while, Auntie will cook something else so it tastes better.”
I gave Minh a bowl and chopsticks, saying, “Mom, don’t treat him like a guest, he’ll be embarrassed. Having leftover rice and braised fish like this is precious.”
Minh nodded in confirmation several times before my mother stopped trying to persuade him to sit down and eat the leftovers.
After eating, I pulled my conical hat over my head and grabbed my sickle. Minh didn’t ask any questions, just focused on eating quickly and then ran after me.
After months of not seeing him, he was even paler than before, looking quite different from the people in this region. I led him along the dike to the rice field where we were hired to harvest, asking as we went, “Has that manager been giving you a hard time lately?”
Minh shook his head, “He wouldn’t dare. With Sang’s word, things are different. I bought a thank-you gift for Sang; I’ll give it to him when he gets back.”
I clicked my tongue, “All you ever say is ‘Sang Sang, Sang.’ If I hadn’t told him, would he have known to speak up for you?”
Minh replied, “I haven’t finished yet! You have a gift too!”
I asked, “Where’s the gift?”
Minh grabbed my hand and placed it on his groin, smiling brightly, “Here! It’s all yours!”
Seeing the boy stiffen, I suddenly felt tired.
When we reached the rented rice field, I took off my sandals on the bank and slowly stepped down. Minh didn’t sit still either; he had also brought his sickle earlier and was helping me. I said, “Do you know how to harvest rice, man? If it gets stuck in your stomach and your guts spill out, you won’t have time to get to the hospital!”
Minh scoffed, “You underestimate me. I harvest slowly, but I can do it.”
The early morning was cool and breezy, so I hurried to harvest before the sun got too hot.
Minh and I had harvested more than three-thirds of the rice when Nhi and Lui came out carrying their sickles. From a distance, Nhi ran up, whistling loudly, “Damn, you found a girl to harvest rice with, she’s so hot, Phuc!”
Minh heard the sound and looked up, replying, “This one, brother!”
Nhi laughed, ran up, put his arm around my shoulder, and said, “When did you get back? Are you free tonight? I’ll take you for coffee!”
Lui stood with his hands on his hips on the embankment, saying, “Oh, I’m so bored, everything’s been relaxed.”
Minh asked, “What’s relaxed, brother?” I replied, “That hammock outside the coffee shop, you know. People lie in it so much it’s all stretched out.”
After a few more casual remarks, the two of us jumped into the next rice field to harvest. Very quickly, half the field was full of small mounds of rice scattered everywhere. By then, the sun was getting hot, so we stopped working and went inside to eat and regain our strength.
Minh crawled onto the bank, mud clinging to his neck. But the patches of black mud only made his pale skin stand out even more.
Before going home, he and I immersed ourselves in the canal next to the rice field dike. Without anyone needing to initiate it, Minh and I just stood in the water, holding each other’s penises and stroking them. I was about to dive down to suck Minh’s penis when a familiar figure jumped in from the bank.
Minh and I quickly separated, just in time as Nhi and Lui surfaced from the water.
The whole group was shirtless, soaking in the water, their shirts and hats left on the dike. Minh looked like a lump of dough among lumps of coal; under the clear water, his skin appeared even whiter.
Nhi wondered, “Hey, Minh is so pale, I wonder if his penis is white too?”
Minh replied, “Do you want to see? I’ll show you.”
Minh boldly took off his pants and held them up in front of her, then… The man floated on the surface of the water. Lùi and I took advantage of the situation and used our hands to lift his buttocks, causing his naked body to float on the water’s surface.
[Floating: the act of lying on one’s back, trying to stay afloat]
Minh let out a yelp and then submerged back into the water. Even those few short seconds were enough for us to admire his bright red glans and pinkish-white penis. Nhí clicked his tongue: “Damn, a dick and balls this big, it’s a waste he’s not a prostitute.”
Just then, a boat approached from afar. A man in white silk stood in the middle, his hands clasped behind his back, gazing into the distance. Two men were rowing at either end of the boat; even from afar, I recognized them as Tâm and Bình.
The boat slowly stopped and pulled ashore. Tâm quickly tied the rope and said to the man in the middle: “Come ashore, young man.”
It turned out to be Uncle Tư Tài, probably the most handsome and scholarly of the whole group of brothers. Uncle Tư didn’t rush up, instead he glanced over at where we were bathing and asked, “Whose son is this? I’ve never seen him before. Is he from around here? His skin is so fair!”
Tâm looked at Bình, and both shook their heads, indicating they didn’t know. I finally spoke up, “He’s my friend, Uncle. He works at Aunt Ba’s factory in Can Tho, and he’s been homesick lately, so he came back to visit.”
Uncle Tư nodded, “Yes, no wonder you found him so strange.”
Uncle Tư’s scrutinizing gaze swept over Minh, staring intently without blinking. Seeing this, I said, “Come on, hurry up and get some food. We still have to finish harvesting this afternoon to get paid.”
So we scrambled up the embankment, but as soon as Minh stood out of the water, he yelled, “Brother Nhí, give me back my pants!” I forgot, he hadn’t put his pants back on yet after taking them off. Whether it was good luck or bad luck, Uncle Tư saw that embarrassing moment.
Minh put his pants back on and crawled up, the wet pants clinging to his skin, making his round, plump buttocks sway in front of everyone. We carried our things ahead, and Nhí said, “Hey, damn, don’t you guys think it’s weird? Uncle Tư was looking at Minh and I felt scared for him.”
Lùi winked at me and pretended to reassure me, “It’s probably nothing, he’s just too pale, he found it strange and was looking closely.”
Minh wondered, “Is that Uncle Tư’s younger brother? But why does he have to come into this field?”
Lùi replied, “He’s checking on the fields and rice to report back to the old folks. He only comes out once a harvest season.”
Putting aside Uncle Tư for now, Minh and I went back to get something to eat to fill our stomachs. I lifted the food cover and exclaimed loudly, “Oh my goodness… Is there roast pork today, Mom?”
My mother, sitting splitting bamboo in front of the house, smiled and replied, “Minh is so lucky. You two were only gone for a little while and Auntie Tam stopped by and gave you a piece of roast pork. There’s some vermicelli too; slice some cucumber and mix it in, you two.”
I looked inside the cover and saw a huge piece of roast pork. I asked, “Why did Auntie Tam give you so much, Mom?”
My mother said, “Oh, I almost forgot, that piece was for Binh, but he’s not home. You can go to the shrimp farm this afternoon and give it to him.”
I said, “I just saw him with Uncle Tu in the shrimp farm. I’ll quickly take it out, it’ll save me the trouble.”
After finishing the meal, Minh and I grabbed the piece of roast pork and ran back into the shrimp farm. Seeing the boat still anchored there, Minh and I breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, Uncle Tư, Bình, and Tâm came out. Seeing him, we immediately stepped aside to let him get into the boat. Suddenly, he stopped right next to us and asked, “Why are you so scared seeing me? I’m not going to eat you guys!”
We didn’t answer, just smiled and that was it. Minh gave me the bag of roasted pork, and I gave it to Bình and Tâm, saying, “Aunt Tám sent this for you two…”
I hadn’t finished my sentence when I heard a scream from behind, followed by the sound of someone falling into the water. I looked back in panic and saw Uncle Tư standing on the bank, his face pale, while Minh, for some reason, was bobbing up and down in the river.
Tâm and Bình exclaimed in alarm, “Are you alright, Uncle?”
I panicked too, “What’s wrong, Minh?”
Before Minh could answer, the other man spoke up for him: “You just slipped and fell, luckily Minh pulled you back. But he pulled so hard that you lost your balance and fell into the river.”
I said, “Luckily you’re alright!”
Uncle Tư nodded: “Yes, you’re alright, but poor Minh got soaked because of you. Why don’t you come with me to the shrimp farm? I’ll give you a few kilos of shrimp as a thank you.”
Hearing about a few kilos of shrimp made me hungry, but Minh understood the hidden meaning in his words. He shook his head vigorously: “No, thank you, Uncle…”
Uncle Tư insisted: “That won’t do. I’d be very embarrassed if you did that. I’ve always been grateful for a favor. If you do that, I’ll be terribly embarrassed. And if it reaches Uncle and Aunt Ba, it would be even worse.”
With that one sentence, all five understood. If Minh doesn’t go with you on this trip, it seems his business in Can Tho will be in trouble.
I said, “We’ll just go to the shrimp farm to get some shrimp from you and then come back, right? Because this guy is a terrible drinker; one can of beer is enough to get him drunk. If he causes trouble there, it’ll be a real problem.” “Hey, kid.”
Uncle Tư waved his hand: “You hate beer too, you only drink soda and iced tea. Just come in, take a look around, then go home, what’s there to lose?”
Finally, Minh had to climb into the boat with Uncle Tư to return to the shrimp farm. I just hoped that when he returned, he would only bring back shrimp, not a few tadpoles.
I rushed down to the rice field to finish harvesting, and only when dusk fell did I realize that Minh hadn’t come home yet. Perhaps this trip was “more bad than good,” a handsome guy like him really encounters lechers everywhere he goes, either old or young.
I went home a while before Minh trudged in. Hearing the loud roar of the car leaving, I recognized it as Uncle Tư’s car.
I teased him: “Lucky you, Uncle Tư personally gave you a ride home!”
Minh placed the heavy sack of shrimp down on the ground; I thought to myself it must have been at least ten kilograms.
After showering that evening, he told me everything. Even though he knew Tư had feelings for him, he couldn’t avoid them.
As soon as we entered the shrimp farm, Bình warned me: “Later, if he gives you canned water, drink it, but don’t drink the glass of water he prepared, okay? And iced water is fine too, drink that too.”
Binh also said he had fallen for this trick before. The glass of water that Uncle Tu brought almost always contained an aphrodisiac. And Uncle Tu had his rich friends buy it for him; you couldn’t find it anywhere in the country, so even if he told anyone, no one would believe it existed.
Minh listened to Binh’s advice. Uncle Tu offered him anything other than canned soda, but Minh refused. Then Uncle Tu enthusiastically grilled and steamed a whole kilogram of shrimp for him. Seeing Minh hesitate, Uncle Tu even peeled a few shrimp to “show him.” After a while, seeing nothing unusual, Minh dared to sit down and eat.
But as soon as he finished eating, before he could even digest it, he felt an unusual burning sensation all over his body. He turned towards the door wanting to run out, but Uncle Tu locked it tightly with a padlock.
Uncle Tu pressed close to Minh, his hand grabbing his genitals and massaging them, whispering lewdly: “You’ve made me infatuated with you, and now you’re thinking of running away? No way! Comply with me, I love you!”
Constantly being fondled, Minh couldn’t control himself and wrestled him to the floor. He tore off his pants and thrust his fully erect penis into him like a sewing machine. He moaned like a female dog in heat. Minh didn’t hesitate to slap his butt hard, making him gasp with pleasure.
At that time, most of the workers outside were fast asleep, and no one paid attention to the moans echoing in the shack in the middle of the field. In his ragged breaths, he sobbed, “It feels so good, Minh… Never… I… I’ve felt this good in my asshole… Mmm… More, Minh… Faster… Faster, Minh…”
Minh pulled his hips up, playing with him in a kneeling position with his hands on his hips like a female dog. He writhed in pleasure with each thrust, his mouth unable to close as he continuously inhaled and exhaled his lustful breaths. After a while, Minh had him lift his legs onto his neck, and then he thrust his penis in again. He thrust into him and gave him a good blowjob, making him feel incredibly aroused.
Overwhelmed with stimulation, he lasted a few more minutes before ejaculating profusely, spraying semen all over the wooden floor of the hut. Minh also tensed his body, thrusting deeply with each final stroke, the base of his penis touching the opening as he ejaculated deep inside.
He screamed loudly from this intense lovemaking, so much so that Minh had to cover his mouth with a cloth.
After it was over, neither of them had any strength left. They lay sprawled on the floor and fell asleep, only waking up in the afternoon. Then, waiting until dusk when there was less attention, he kindly took him home in his car.
I prayed he wouldn’t bring any sperm home, and yes, that’s true, but I forgot to pray he wouldn’t leave any sperm behind.
We had planned to have a night of “rekindling old memories” tonight. But now he was exhausted, not simply from the sex. Minh said, “That drug is very strong, once it enters my body…” “He was as energetic as a bull, but afterwards he was exhausted to the point of death.”
Minh recounted it quickly, but the whole process of him playing with Uncle Tư lasted over an hour.
I wondered, “But when did he give you the drug?”
Minh thought for a moment and said, “Did he mix it into the salt dip before eating the shrimp?” Ah, that’s right, at first when he ate, I saw he didn’t dip it in salt, and he told me that eating it plain like that was how you could really appreciate the sweetness of the shrimp meat.”
I patted his head lightly: “Well, consider it bad luck, but anyway, he’s young and handsome, and a rich young master…”
Minh sighed: “I only regret not being able to have sex with you tonight!”
I playfully hit his head: “Go to sleep, we’ll make it up to you tomorrow!”
On the thatched roof, the sound of raindrops pattered. I chuckled happily: “It’s going to rain heavily soon, it’ll be cool tonight, I’ll sleep soundly.”
I closed my eyes and let my mind wander with the sound of the rain. It only rains occasionally in my hometown this season, but when it does rain, it drizzles all night and continues until dawn.
I dozed off for a while, I don’t know how long, but I was startled awake by the rumbling thunder outside. I checked my phone and it showed two o’clock in the morning. The thunder and lightning were deafening, and the rain was getting heavier. But even after the thunder stopped, I still heard another sound that lingered persistently.
“Mom… Mom, Mom… Mom… Mom, Mom…”
I jumped up in fright. My sobbing woke Minh, who was lying next to me. The heart-wrenching cries in the pouring rain were even more agonizing as they mingled with my own tears…
But it was two in the morning… Who would still be out on the street calling out, “Mom…”?
“Mom… Mom…”
Suddenly, a panicked voice shouted, cutting through the storm: “Oh my God, Hanh… It’s Mom… Come inside…”
I thought I’d misheard, but I couldn’t help but throw open the door and run out. In the rain, my mother took off her hat and covered her daughter, who was sitting slumped on the street, exhausted. She hadn’t even had time to put on her raincoat when she heard the heart-wrenching cries echoing in the dead of night.
I ran upstairs, where Hanh was still in tears. My mother, worried about her, asked, “How did you end up like this? Tell me… Tell me…”
Hanh couldn’t say a word, only buried her face in my mother’s shoulder and sobbed uncontrollably. My sister’s voice was like that of someone delirious: “I’ve sinned against you, Mom… I’m sorry, Mom… Please forgive me, Mom…”
My mother looked at Hanh from head to toe, noticing how thin she had become. Then she suddenly stared intently at her belly, which seemed unusually round…
My mother choked up, her words coming out but her heart aching: “Oh my God… Oh my God, my child…”
Hanh was distraught, her voice hoarse from crying all night: “They humiliated me, Mom… I’m so scared, Mom…”
My mother hugged her tightly; nothing could be more heartbreaking than seeing her now so much like my mother was back then.
But my mother was pregnant with the man she loved. Hanh, on the other hand, was pregnant because she was raped.
I helped Hanh and my mother to bed, and while I was at it, I made a pot of ginger tea for Hanh to warm herself up. I knew her story was harder to tell than ever, so I left her for my mother to ask about.
I never imagined that after months of being gone, she would return in a way my mother least wanted.
I was angry with Hanh, but my mother wasn’t. Seeing how my mother held her tightly in her arms, I knew she had let go of the past when I heard Hanh sobbing and calling out her name amidst her choked sobs.
My mother had a broken family, and now she had to witness the same thing happening to her own daughter…