That day, the sun was blazing. Suddenly, the boss yelled at me, "Qiang! Stop carrying bricks, come with me to the county town to buy materials!" Hearing this, I quickly put down the bricks I was carrying, dusted myself off, and hurried after the boss. I was incredibly excited the whole way. I'd heard the county town was bustling, but I'd never had a chance to go. Now I could finally see it for myself.
When we arrived in the county town, I was immediately stunned by what I saw. A six-story department store stood there, towering and imposing. Good heavens! The glass curtain wall was gleaming, and the sunlight reflected off it so brightly it hurt my eyes. I quickly shielded them with my hand.
"This building is so tall!" I couldn't help but mutter. My neck ached from craning my neck, and I could barely see the top. In our rural Vietnam, we'd never seen anything this tall. The tallest houses in the village were only two stories high; compared to this, they were just small mounds of earth.
The shopkeeper urged from ahead, "Ah Qiang, what are you standing there for? Come on!" I snapped out of my daze and quickly followed. Entering the building, I was immediately captivated by the sight inside. The shelves were filled with all sorts of things, dazzling my eyes. Especially the clothes—so colorful and vibrant, much brighter than the clothes we wore for New Year's in our village.
I walked up to a clothes rack and reached out to touch a blue shirt. The fabric was soft and felt wonderful. I thought to myself, "If my mother could wear such a beautiful dress, she would be so happy." Just then, I realized my action was a bit silly and quickly withdrew my hand, instinctively checking my pocket. The few crumpled bills in my pocket hurt my palm. That little bit of money probably wouldn't even buy a corner of the shirt.
A wave of disappointment washed over me. Looking around, I saw people dressed in fashionable clothes, their faces beaming with confident smiles, while I, in my patched-up old clothes, felt utterly out of place. "This is troublesome. The gap between us and them is so huge," I sighed inwardly.
Just then, I noticed the shop owner had already walked away, standing ahead impatiently waving. I didn't dare linger any longer, quickly lowered my head, and jogged after him, slinking out of the building.
Outside the building, I couldn't help but look back one last time. The tall building looked even more imposing in the sunlight, the light reflecting off its glass curtain walls like glaring mockery. "When will I be able to buy something here, so my mother and sister can see the world and wear such nice clothes?" I gritted my teeth, silently vowing to myself.
The shop owner urged from the side, "Qiang, what are you dawdling for! Hurry up and buy the materials, it'll get dark soon!" I responded and followed the owner to buy the materials. But the image of that building kept swirling in my mind, impossible to shake off.
After buying the materials, on the way back, I looked at the scenery flashing past the car window, my heart filled with mixed emotions. I know the gap between the city and our village is enormous; living a life like city dwellers is practically impossible. But I'm not afraid. For my family, I'm willing to give it my all.
"Maybe one day I can establish myself in this city and give Mom and my sister a better life." I clenched my fist, as if grasping a sliver of hope. I know the road ahead is long, full of hardships and unknowns, but the thought of my family gives me endless motivation. Even if the road ahead is fraught with thorns, I will grit my teeth and persevere.
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