Ma Win Myint - Pho Maung Shwe Gyi

A dark blue Skoda was leaving Yangon and was speeding towards Bago. In the front seat was a retired doctor, U Kyaw Din, who was sitting next to the driver. In the back seat were the doctor, Daw Mya Khaing, and her only daughter, Ma Thet Nwe. Ma Thet Nwe was 20 years old. Ma Thet Nwe had a strong body, fair skin, a plump face, and a lovely appearance. Ma Thet Nwe had a straightforward and girlish disposition, but she was also courageous. If she thought she was right, she would not back down and act boldly. Those who knew her well would only describe Ma Thet Nwe as stubborn. However, Ma Thet Nwe was clever and used her talents to satisfy her parents, without causing them any distress.

U Kyaw Din and Daw Mya Khaing have a traditional spirit and are already wealthy. They believe that when their only daughter, Ma Thet Nwe, graduates from the tenth grade, she will be fit enough for a girl and want Ma Thet Nwe to stay with her parents. However, Ma Thet Nwe wants to continue her studies at university. Then they buy ....

“Dad, when we were young, my grandfather and my brother used to teach us a lot like the elders... I want you to remember it well. Tell me about it, father. I want you to write down what you said to your grandfather and brother in your own words.”

"He asked his father with a sweet smile. Ma Thet Nwe clearly remembered that U Kyaw Din had once told him the words that his grandfather and grandmother had said to him. However... U Kyaw Din pretended to forget and did not notice that Ma Thet Nwe asked, but patiently recounted them.

“Oh... I’ll tell you, my daughter, what your father and mother taught you is quite memorable. Father, I told you that if you study hard during your school life and become an adult by the age of fifteen, my son should study hard... You can’t say that just because you gave him material wealth, he will be happy for the rest of his life. Because material wealth is something external to you, the five types of enemies can destroy it in some way. The material that you put into your brain inside you cannot be destroyed by the enemy. You can eat and use enough of it in your life. So, I am replacing the material outside with knowledge and putting it into your son’s brain. I tried to put it in as much as I could, my daughter. My father also understood this and worked hard to study hard, and he became a doctor...”

"These are valuable words, father... Just as Grandpa and Brother put real treasures into Father's brain, would you like Father and Mother to put them into your daughter's brain... Now, there is nothing in your daughter's brain, Father, it is just a shell. If the things outside of you are unexpectedly exhausted, there is nothing to take from your daughter's brain... Father..." Ma Thet Nwe replied in a sad tone, and U Kyaw Din understood and laughed heartily.

"Well... well... I'm glad you're going to university..."

U Kyaw Din gave his consent.

In this way, in the same year that Ma Thet Nwe entered university, U Kyaw Din and Daw Mya Khaing, who were both financially secure and had no freedom to work, and who had a traditional spirit and wanted to be quiet and peaceful, quit their jobs and chose a place to live. U Kyaw Din and Daw Mya Khaing agreed on Bago, which was easily accessible. They bought a large plot of land on the west side of the road, on the edge of Kyauktaing Lake, west of Bago, where there were mango trees and mango trees, renovated it, and built a strong and secure house. On their way to Yangon, they told their daughter Ma Thet Nwe, who was still at university, that they had moved to Bago.

After exams, during the summer school holidays, U Kyaw Din and Daw Mya Khaing drove their daughter to and from school in their own little Skoda.

Ma Thet Nwe rode in silence in the car, thinking fondly of her parents' pleasant estate in Bago, a city she had never been to before.

Since Bago and Yangon are only a two-hour drive away if the car is in good condition, Ma Thet Nwe and her family left Yangon at around 8 am and arrived at their home in Kyauk Tai Kan at just over ten o'clock.

"Isn't it nice, daughter..."

Daw Mya Khaing asked if a car had entered the courtyard.

"It's nice, Mom, I like life..."

Ma Thet Nwe looked around the spacious yard from the car and said with pleasure. Her daughter said she liked it, and U Kyaw Din and Daw Mya Khaing left happily. When the car arrived at the entrance to the house and stopped, Pho Maung Shwe, the driver, and Maung Toe, got out of the car and opened the door.

“Sin-nim... Maung Toe and Ko Nyo Gyi will bring the things.”

Daw Mya Khaing said to her daughter and got out of the car.

"Oh.. is Uncle Lay Nyo coming?"

Ma Thet Nwe asked in surprise and joy as she got out of the car.

"Ha.. I have to go, my daughter. She doesn't have any friends to rely on. When I was in the hospital, my father treated me kindly, so I've been loyal to you for a long time... She said she'll never be separated from you again..."

U Kyaw Din spoke and went into the house. At that moment, U Nyo Gyi came running out from behind the house. Although he was about fifty years old, U Nyo Gyi was still strong and agile. He was hunched over, and as his name suggests, his thighs were full of brown flesh, with a tiger on one side and a dragon on the other, and his chest was clearly visible.

“Uncle Lay Nyo is doing well. I am so happy that you came with us without leaving us, Uncle Lay Nyo.”

Ma Thet Nwe continued to kiss her happily in a friendly voice. Ma Win Myint said, “Of course, girl. The kindness of my younger brother and elder sister is endless...”

U Nyo Gyi answered briefly in his usual tone, as he was a villager, and was unloading the goods from the car with the driver, Maung Toe.

Ma Thet Nwe smiled at U Nyo Gyi, who didn't talk much and was only interested in the work he had to do...

"Come on, daughter, let's go inside the house. Mother will show you the room you'll be staying in upstairs..." Ma Thet Nwe followed her mother into the house.

“The house is big and spacious. Mom and Dad have a great idea. The room I will be living in now is perfect for my life, Mom. It is attached to the veranda on the other side, so I can go out on the veranda and breathe in the fresh air. The view of the fields, forests, and mountains from afar is so pleasant. Oh... I am so happy with my life, Mom…”

Ma Thet Nwe was talking happily, like a child who had just received a new toy. Daw Mya Khaing was delighted to see her daughter so bright and cheerful.

"Mom...," "What... daughter?" Pho Maung Shwe

"Oh, over there... isn't that little purple-flowered tree, blooming, cute, Mom?"

Ma Thet Nwe stood leaning on the veranda railing, looking out at the peaceful view, and pointed to a forest of sycamore trees in the distance, their leaves in full bloom, each with a deep purple hue.

“My dear, when we first arrived, the flowers hadn’t bloomed yet. I could only see the large, dark brown trees, so I didn’t know what they were. They only bloomed two days before my daughter returned. My dear, I knew they weren’t just trees when I saw the colors of the flowers. It’s almost Thingyan, my dear. They naturally welcome the New Year…”

Daw Mya Khaing looked up at the pine forest where her daughter pointed and said.

"If it's a cool evening, I'll walk that way, feeling the breeze, Mom..."

"Tell your father... Mom, it's not possible for the two of us to go alone, my daughter. The journey is long, and the people are far apart..."

"I'll tell you, Mom... Dad will send you. Besides, where is that old lady cooking in the kitchen? Did Mom call you when you got here?"

"Yes, my daughter... It's a girl named Wham Ma Ram from the western forest. She's renting it for forty a month. Her name is Daw Buk Ma. She does housework... Maung Toe has a car."