The Mountains Sing(60)

Then she said something else that made me even more afraid: “Di?u Lan, where are the rest of your children? Where are they?”

A voice answered, startling me. “Here I am. I’m her daughter.”

I turned and saw your mother, Guava. With Sáng in her arms, she was standing in the doorway, her skinny figure silhouetted against the afternoon sun.

“Ng?c, what’re you doing here?” I stepped toward her.

“I had to find my brother.” She headed for the bed. “I’m here, Thu?n. I won’t abandon you.”

Sáng cried for me. I reached for him, clutching him to my chest. What was the nun going to do? Would she have us arrested?

“L?c, you’re wonderful, thank you,” Nun Hi?n told the boy. “Go sit under the Bodhi tree. If those angry people come again, run in here quick and tell me, okay?”

L?c bowed and left the room.

Sáng latched onto my breast. I winced at the sharpness of his new teeth.

Shutting the door, the nun turned to me. “Listen. I’m sorry, but you have to leave.”

“Madam, what those people said is a lie. We’ve suffered from injustice, please believe me. My brother and I worked so hard. We gave farmers jobs, well-paid jobs. I don’t understand why we’re being punished.”

The nun sighed. “Terrible things have happened at this village, too, but I can’t help you. You’d bring harm to the children here.”

“Yes, Madam, I know. . . .”

Ng?c had picked up the bowl, feeding Thu?n the liquid.

“Sister,” Thu?n said. “Do you have something to eat? I’m hungry.”

“Sorry, Brother,” Ng?c said.

The nun stared at me.

“Madam,” I begged her. “It was twenty-one days ago when the Land Reform hit our family. My brother was killed, my eldest son captured. We had no choice but to escape. We have no money, no food.”

The nun closed her eyes. She sighed again. “I might have some leftover soup.”

IT TURNED OUT Nun Hi?n had more than soup. She brought us rice and fish sauce as well. As Ng?c, Thu?n, and Sáng devoured the meal, I stood with her watching the road that led to the pagoda, through the door’s crack.

“Madam, may I ask you something before I leave?” I whispered.

“Go ahead.”

“Everything that has happened to me . . . is it fate? I didn’t believe in it, but once a fortune-teller predicted I’d be a beggar wandering in a faraway city.”

Nun Hi?n held up my hands, studying my palms. She nodded. “You need to get to a big city to change your destiny. But the star that predicts your fortune has shifted a little, so you’ll find a way to earn your living. You’ll no longer need to beg but . . . but I don’t know how you can go far with these three.” She looked at the children. “Any big city is a long way from here. Besides, many more challenges still lie ahead of you, Di?u Lan. You need to be careful.”

“Madam . . . Thu?n’s dengue, do you think he’ll be all right?”

“With good rest and adequate food, he’ll be up on his feet in a few days.”

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. My words struggled to come out. “The kids in the front yard . . . are you caring for them, Madam?”

“Yes, they’re orphans or have been abandoned by their parents. Thanks to them, our pagoda has been spared from being burned.”

“Madam, could Thu?n—”

“Oh no, I already have too many mouths to feed. You should get moving before . . .” The nun bent her head. When she looked up, she had a question for me. “I guess Thu?n is younger than ten?”

“He’s eight this year, Madam.”

“All right then, he can stay. After all, we Buddhists are here to help the helpless.”

“Madam, could I stay too?” Ng?c stood up. “I can do anything you ask. I can help you take care of the little ones.”

“Oh no, you can’t.” Nun Hi?n threw her hands into the air. “No helper allowed. No child older than ten. They would close down this place. . . .”

I came to Thu?n. He was opening his eyes wide. Tears were running down his gaunt cheeks.

“Mama, is that what you did to Brother ??t and H?nh? You left them behind?” Finally, he understood.

I held him against me. “Son, it’s a turbulent world out there. You’ll be safe here. I need to go and find a home for us. I’ll be back as soon as I can, and I’ll bring you with me, I promise.”

“Thu?n, be a good boy and let your mama go. You’ll have food and plenty of friends to play with here,” said Nun Hi?n.

“Sister, will you come back for me?” Thu?n held on to Ng?c’s hands.

“Yes, I swear.” She bent down to hug him.

With Sáng in my arms, I bowed to Nun Hi?n. “I owe you my life.”

“Take good care. Come back when it’s safe.”

“I will, Madam, I will.”

WE WERE OUT on the road again, Sáng asleep in my arms, Ng?c dragging her feet behind me.

“Go ahead. You don’t need me,” Ng?c said as I stopped to wait for her.

“Please, Daughter. We can make it to Hà N?i together.”

“Why should I trust you? You said you wouldn’t let us out of your sight, but you’ve been doing the opposite.”