Learning to repay the love of the ‘eldest mother’

The confession of Luong Bui Phuong Linh, a new student of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine at Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry, inspired us to find Kien Duc city (Dak R’Lap District, Dak Nong Province).

Mother loves her husband’s son like her own son

The small room of Linh’s family of 5 is about 30 meters wide², was lent by Pham Van Dong High School, where Linh and her sister studied, because they noticed that the family situation of both female students was good but studies were very difficult. To beautify the room, Linh’s sisters put up newspaper and decorated it so that traces of the old wall would not be exposed with peeling paint.

Every day at 4:00 am, Mrs. Phung Thi Phuong (52 years old, Linh’s mother) leaves her room to go to the market to sell rented fish, and does not return until 7:00 pm. Linh’s sisters manage their lives, studying and working part-time in their spare time to earn money to help their mother. Linh said, “We both went to college at the same time. It was fun, but we were very worried. The whole burden fell on our mother’s shoulders.”

Linh said that she is not the biological child of her “eldest mother”, but her mother always loved her and treated her like any other child in the family. In 2005, Linh was born in Hanoi, the result of her father’s love affair.

“When I was just over 1 year old, my biological mother died in an accident. My father brought me home and handed me over to Phuong’s mother. She raised me like her own child and raised me until I grew up “I didn’t learn that truth until then,” Linh confides.

Elaborating on this, Mrs. Phuong said: “At that time, Linh was just over 1 year old. She didn’t let anyone hold her, but clung to me. At night, she came close to me and very Slept well. I thought she wasn’t guilty of anything, and neither was my mother. If you died and left it, it’s a sin. I raised her from a young age and like a child Treated it, so I don’t commit any crime discrimination.”

In the early days when she first arrived in Dak Nong in 2015, Linh said that at that time, she often had to stay here one day and the next tomorrow, which was not stable.

“After spending 3 months in a strange country, my father left without a trace. All the difficulties once again fell on the shoulders of Phuong’s mother. She did not complain a word, just worked hard so that her children would not be hungry. Don’t live or lack food. Every day, I can still go to school,” Linh choked out.

To help her mother, she takes advantage of every free moment by working in restaurants and cafes in the city.

Linh said, “Outside of school hours, we accept anyone who hires us to clean the house. After a few hours of cleaning the house, the two sisters receive 300,000 VND, which can be used for food. “Also helps to make walking more comfortable.”

Although their family situation was poor and difficult, Linh and her older sister Luong Bui Binh An (a freshman at Tai Nguyen University) were good students every year and were active in the school’s youth association activities. Then both sisters entered university at the same time.

Binh An chose English pedagogy so that her mother would not have to worry about tuition fees. Phuong Linh chose to major in animal husbandry and veterinary medicine because the school’s tuition was the cheapest. Both Phuong Linh and Binh An chose to stay in a hostel.

Poor but “very rich”

Talking about her children, Ms. Phung Thi Phuong said that no matter how difficult it is, she is still very proud. Especially Binh An and Phuong Linh always understand the difficult life of their family, so they always try to study well and work to help their mother since childhood.

“We both entered college at the same time. I was very worried. But I just kept running and earned enough initial money for the children to enroll. During school days, they both went to the market to buy something for the children. Boxes of instant noodles to be collected the next day. I am very sorry but I am very happy because my children understand my mother’s difficulties,” Mrs Phuong was emotional.

Ms Tran Thi Sang (50 years old), the owner of a fish stall in Kien Duc market where Ms Phuong works, said she is very “envious” of Ms Phuong because, despite being poor, her children get good education. Do and know how to share with your mother, who is already “very rich”.

Ms. Song said that in 2015, when Ms. Phuong’s family first moved here, they rented a house opposite her brother-in-law’s house.

“Looking at the difficult situation of the family, Ms. Phuong is an honest and hard-working person, so I asked her to go to the market to help. The two sisters have been working together since then. She also regretted the situation, so She always supports me in whatever she can. My child also loves her like a mother, when she is sick, we work together,” Ms Song said.

Ms Phuong said meeting and working at Ms Song’s fish stall was another blessing in her life. Because no matter how much she suffered with her husband, it was compensated by the love of her children, Mrs. Song, small businesses, and the teachers at Pham Van Dong High School.

She has to take care of her four children so that they do not go hungry and do not go to school. Three years ago, seeing that my mother and I kept moving from place to place, the school teachers gave us a room in the teachers hostel so that we could save rental costs.

“Children are also given favorable conditions to go to school, with free tuition and many other supports,” Ms. Phuong was pleased.

Ms. Phuong said she just tries to stay healthy so she can go to work every day so her children can go to school with peace of mind.

“They have set up a group on Zalo, and every night they call their mother to ask about them and encourage her. They go to school but often worry about their mother’s health at home. Recent At the same time, little Linh even threatened: If she gets sick, I will leave school and come home.” Mrs. Phuong was emotional.