Beautiful - Stories told by my grandfather

Stories told by Uncle Moon

“This is Uncle Moon, who is the chief clerk in our office. He wanted a place to live, so he came to show me the room in this barracks.”

Maung Soe Tin introduced me to Ba Kyi Moon by giving me my name and occupation. Ba Kyi Moon gave me a quick glance and then asked in a helpful tone, “Ah… yes, I’ve got a roommate. There are three rooms in the barracks, but two of them are empty. Which room do you think I’ll take?”

"I thought I'd take the middle room, sir. The middle room seems more spacious than the side rooms."

I told my uncle back, just as I had imagined.

"Ah... the clerk seems to be married, I think he has children."

While I was smiling, Maung Soe Tin laughed and said, "This time, you've made a mistake, Uncle Moon. You're single, just like Uncle Moon in Ko Htin. You don't even have a girlfriend yet. Haha, haha." He said, laughing and panting.

At this, Ba Gyi Moon slowly smiled and said, “Ah… I was saying that I supported Ko Htin Pao’s choice of a large room. Well… I’m wrong when I’m wrong. Hehe,” he said with a sense of humor. In this way, we could see that Ba Gyi Moon was an easy person to get along with. That wasn’t all. We also realized that Ba Gyi Moon was also a loner like me. Whether he was a bachelor or a widower was still unclear. In any case, he would be living in the same dormitory as Ba Gyi Moon, who was also a loner like me, and in a way, he would be a companion for me, so it was a good thing.

“If you are a single person, take the room on the north side, Ko Htin Pao. It is true that the middle room is slightly larger than the two outer rooms, about two feet larger. But if you are a single person, take the outer room. There is enough space for one person. It is even more convenient to carry a broom. The important thing is that there is a vacant lot next to the outer room, so in the evenings and early evenings, if it is hot, you can go down to the side of the house and sit in peace. If you are good at weaving, you can weave, or if you are fond of weaving, you can plant and grow flowers and plants. In addition, because it is an outer room, you also have two extra windows on the side. In the summer, these windows are very valuable, they let in air and light.”

Uncle Moon gave me various reasons to choose the outer room. Even after Uncle Moon explained it, I became more interested in the outer room than the middle room, which was about two feet wider.

“And think about it, Ko Htin Pao. If you live in the middle room, you can hear everything that is said in the rooms on both sides. If you say something, both rooms on both sides can hear it. You either want to hear it or you don’t. Or you want others to hear what you say or you don’t want them to hear it. So, if you live in the outer room, at least half of that trouble is relieved.”

I nodded my head and thought about it. What my uncle said was true. In addition, I also had to consider my social situation. Among our office clerks, there are young clerk friends from the office where I work and other related departments, and among them are those who drink alcohol. Some of our friends sometimes do not stay at their own homes but spend the whole night at the homes of their young clerk friends, and have fun, light a fire, and cook a midnight meal. They often return to their respective homes in the morning, drunk. I myself have sometimes spent the same time at the homes of other young clerk friends.

In addition, as Uncle Moon said, there is a large open space next to my room. If you build a shelf and put some gourds and gourds in that empty space, you can get good shade. You can also get gourd shoots, and if you don't eat them, you can sell them and give them to your friends as gifts. You can also put a water pot at the base of the gourd shelf, wrap the gourd base with straw, and water the gourds and gourds. The surrounding area will always be sunny and the gourd will still be in the shade. If you put a small cushion or a small chair under the gourd shelf, you can be happy in the cool and green environment in the summer. During the holidays, you can relax under the gourd shelf at noon and even write and read your favorite books.