In a spacious courtyard, a young man with brown hair was lying peacefully asleep on a bamboo reclining chair. Above him, a passion fruit vine trellis served as a roof, shielding him from the blazing midday sun. To the left of the young man was a small bamboo table. On the table, a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice with cold ice cubes was slowly melting. Drops of condensation clung to the outside of the glass, like beads of sweat, and ran down onto the tabletop near the base of the glass. These drops slowly accumulated into a small puddle and gradually spread to the left. As the puddle approached a book lying nearby, a soft hand quickly picked up the book. A gentle voice, laced with a hint of reproach, spoke towards the young man: "Vô, you need to pay attention when you're reading! The water almost soaked the whole book!"
A beautiful young woman with hair the color of burning crimson embers was holding the book. She was carefully checking the book to see if it was wet while gently scolding Vô. She wore a simple brown áo bà ba (traditional Southern Vietnamese outfit). Her eyelids drooped slightly, and a fleeting hint of sadness passed through her dark eyes. She gently bent down and placed the book into the pocket of Vô's brown áo bà ba. With a slight smile on her rosy lips, she gazed tenderly at the young man who was soundly sleeping in front of her. With a voice that tried to be loud, she said, "Vô, when will you wake up?"
"Ahem, ahem! Don't worry, Cô Liên. Junior Disciple will be fine. We are here."
Liên let out a small sigh of relief. She stood up and turned around. Before her were three young men chewing sunflower seeds, dressed in light blue áo bà ba. She lightly bowed and said, "Then, on behalf of her and him, I thank the three Sages."
The young man with a round black bun on his head gently clasped his hands and said, "Patron, do not worry too much. Junior Disciple is merely on a journey to understand himself. Please do not worry."
A young man with long hair and a slightly dense beard, always wearing a saintly smile, spoke up, "That is right. You also do not need to worry too much. Junior Disciple is exactly as the Buddha said—he is simply on a journey to understand himself. Isn't that right, Dao Ancestor?"
Hearing this, the young man with a long white beard gently stroked his chin and said in a gentle voice, "Indeed, Lord Creator is right."
Lord Creator heard this and immediately glanced at the Dao Ancestor standing to the left of the Buddha, correcting him in a raised voice, "It is the Lord God, not the Lord Creator! This old friend seems a bit confused, doesn't he? Perhaps it's time to retire to Heaven and not stay here anymore."
The Dao Ancestor's face remained expressionless upon hearing this, only offering a slight smile, his hand continuing to stroke his beard, "Oh, I am old, yes, I am old, which is why I need to stay near the child. Not like the Lord God here, with a perfectly healthy body. Why bother the girl here?"
Seeing the two arguing, Liên stopped paying attention. She gently bowed and walked past them, approaching a small girl with soft, pure white hair. Her hair gently swayed in the breeze. The girl sat on a round stone bench in the courtyard, holding a rice cake from a plate. She ate while watching the Dao Ancestor and the Lord God happily bickering. Seeing Liên approach, the girl raised her fiery red eyes to look at her and spoke in a soft voice, "Mother, don't worry. Father will wake up soon. The elders already said so. Do you want to sit and eat with me?"
Liên smiled at the little girl and sat down on the stone bench next to her. She then asked, "By the way, Phượng, do you know where Socrates is? I just saw him at home this morning."
The little girl let out a small sigh and said casually, "Him? He probably ran out to question people on the street again. Is there something you need to ask him?"
Liên's eyes turned towards Vô, and she said softly, "I just wanted to ask him a few things. A wise person like him would surely know the answers."
Phượng looked at Liên and said softly, "Mother, you don't need to ask them. You already have the answer in your heart. You don't need to ask them."
Liên offered a faint, somewhat sad smile. She muttered, "Is that so? Do I truly already have the answer?"
Bạch Linh sat on the hospital bed. I scooped spoonfuls of minced meat porridge for her, slowly, one spoonful after another. After she finished eating, I gently wiped her mouth with a towel. Placing the empty bowl down, I picked up the glass of crushed strawberry juice she liked and held it close to her. Sips of the fresh juice flowed into her dry throat, soothing the pain in her body. After the glass was empty, I placed it on the table, helped her lie back down, and gently said, "You rest here. It'll be time for exercise soon."
She softly replied, "Okay." She closed her eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.
You are helped by him to sit up. You hold out your hand for him to take. He gently rotates your hands, smoothly turning your wrists. His eyes are focused on your hands. He softly asks, "How does it feel?"
You smile softly and say, "Very comfortable, Thành. It's very good." After about three minutes, he stops and asks me, "Are you tired?" I shake my head and reply, "Not tired. Let's move on to the next exercise."
He gently places his hand on my stomach and says, "We'll continue warming up with deep breathing." I follow his instructions, inhaling through my nose. My abdomen swells. I hold my breath for a moment, then gently exhale through my mouth. I repeat this continuously.
Inhale! Exhale!
On the high sky, the soft rays of the morning sun gently shone down on the gray-tiled pavement of the street, where people were constantly passing by. A young man with short black hair, his bangs slightly covering his forehead, stood there. On his long, oval face, drops of sweat gently rolled down to his chin, pooled, and then dropped onto the short green grass below. He wore a light blue, thin, soft shirt that swayed gently in the passing breezes. Small, light white buttons were sewn onto the shirt. In his right hand, the young man held a small bottle of mineral water. He brought his left hand to the cap and twisted it hard.
Click! The water bottle gently opened, and he raised the bottle to his mouth to drink.
Gulp, Gulp.
His throat continuously contracted. Cold streams of water ran straight into his mouth and down his dry throat. His tongue felt the smell of plastic, the unpleasant odor aggressively rushing up his nose. The water bottle in his hand slowly shrank with each gulp. Only when the bottle was completely air-depleted did he take it away.
Hah! Holding the empty bottle, his dark pupils gently moved around, glancing to the right, then to the left. A small green trash can stood still in the distance, next to two yellow and orange trash cans. Walking step by step within the grounds of the mental hospital, the soft green grass under his feet was trampled with every step, sinking down and then slowly bouncing back up, as if resisting him. They poked up, jabbing his feet with their tiny spears. It didn't hurt, but it tickled a lot, causing a cheerful smile to bloom on his composed face. He walked step by step towards the trash can located near a tall iron fence. He gently used his right hand, holding the bottle, to push the light green, seesaw-like lid of the trash can.
Click! The empty bottle fell into the trash can. He smiled, lifting his head. Outside the street, beautifully dressed people were walking quickly on the gray tiled road. Clink, clank, clatter. Every sound echoed in his ears. "You know what? I'm about to get promoted to department head!" "If you don't buy it, I'll be angry!" "Hey, want to hang out?" Every voice, every conversation resonated deep into his mind. His pupils widened, staring intently at the people outside. In his eyes, the towering glass buildings were illuminated by the light, looking dazzling. Yellow, black, and white cars moved swiftly, passing each other and disappearing from his sight. His moist lips continuously moved, gently touching each other, then parting. He gently turned around and walked away. His chest lightly swelled, then contracted. His eyelids closed slightly. He gently sat down, then lay still on the grass, his eyes closed.