After her accident, Ms. Thuy gradually found joy again thanks to the pot of rice cakes in front of her house. For her, each batch of traditional cakes baked is a testament to the tireless efforts of a mother and aunt who braved the wind and storm!
The program God of Wealth knocks on the door number 791 is a trip of God of Wealth (Actor Dinh Toan) and his wife Tho Dia Lam Dong (Actor Viet Trang) to Lam Ha commune, Lam Dong province to listen to the life story of Ms. Phi Thi Thuy (born in 1989).
Having graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Banking and Finance from Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics , Thuy had many dreams for her future, but an unexpected accident changed her life.
Ms. Thuy confided: “After graduating, I worked as an accountant for a private coffee company near my house. Then in 2017, I had an accident. That day, I went to my sister's house to play, climbed a tree, accidentally hit a branch that was eaten by worms and fell from above. I broke my vertebrae, D12, completely lost feeling in both legs, and was 80% unable to walk. About 10 days before my accident, my boyfriend's family came to talk and asked for permission for both sides to go back and forth; then unfortunately, I had an accident.”
The journey to seek treatment everywhere also began from there. Her father passed away early, Ms. Thuy could only rely on her weak old mother. The mother and daughter went in and out of countless hospitals in all provinces and cities from Da Lat, Son La to Hanoi with the hope of helping Ms. Thuy regain the feeling in her legs and be independent in her personal activities. However, complications in her coccyx led to necrosis, she had to return to her hometown to recover from the injury. Not long after, she discovered she was pregnant, which was also the time when the young woman had to face the decision to take another turn on her thorny path in life.
She said: “When I went for a check-up, I accidentally discovered that I was pregnant. So I chose to give up the stem cell transplant and keep the baby! To come to that decision, I felt a bit sad when I couldn’t continue the treatment. But the baby coming to me at that time was like a miracle because I thought that maybe I would never have children again. Who knows, at this turning point, the baby would come to me with a joy in life. At first, the Oriental medicine doctor gave me acupuncture, but in the 5th month, he stopped doing acupuncture because he was afraid it would affect the baby, so during that time I rested. After 2 months of giving birth, I did acupuncture again but there was no progress. The grandmother and I - mother and child - decided to come back here. During the treatment period, the cost was 150 million VND, all of which had to be borrowed.”
Accepting that her life would be tied to a wheelchair, Ms. Thuy had to get used to the smallest things, such as getting in and out of bed, keeping herself from falling in the wheelchair, using diapers or bathing herself while sitting in the wheelchair... There was never a moment when this woman stopped trying, because next to her now was her little daughter whom she devoted all her love to with the name Phi Thao Chi! But unfortunately, not long after the child was born, the relationship between her and the baby's father could not last.
She confided: “When my husband and I were no longer on the same path, my children were my only comfort and motivation to decide to continue living. When I first came back, I still lived with my mother. After the baby turned 3 years old, I decided to rent a house to do business and earn income. In addition, from that time on, the children also lived with me, so I wanted to live in a place that was convenient for them to go to school. Currently, I live with 4 children, and there is also a 3rd brother in the family. In 2021, his parents separated. My brother works far away, so it is fun to have a few children living together.”
So the warmth of the fire in her childhood has helped Ms. Thuy find joy and motivation in life for the past 4 years.
She said: “I learned this traditional cake making from my family. Because I used to have many children, every time there was a holiday, the whole family would gather together and wrap these cakes. At first, making these cakes was just to make a living, but I also hope that now that modern technology is so prevalent and traditional handmade cakes are no longer widely circulated, I hope that my craft can be passed down to my children and grandchildren. Up to now, I am making Chung cakes, Tet cakes, Gai cakes, Tro cakes, Te cakes and other types of sticky rice cakes.”
Talking about the stages of making cakes, Ms. Thuy's eyes sparkled: "Most of the ingredients for the cakes I'm making now have to be bought. Some are homemade, for example, the bamboo strips used to wrap the cakes have to be cut from bamboo shoots, then split, dried, and boiled to make the strips flexible. As for the dong leaves used to wrap the ash cakes, I have to boil them to remove the green color of the leaves, and I'm not allowed to get any oil on those leaves. If they get oil on them, the ash cakes won't be cooked. Currently, I'm wrapping them on the first or fifteenth of the lunar month, or when customers order them. Because I don't have a refrigerator to preserve them, I don't wrap the cakes in advance. I ask my children to bring the big pots to the stove, and I can do the rest myself!" Despite her efforts, the income from making cakes is not enough to help her cover her living expenses. Because the pot is only full on the first or fifteenth of the lunar month. The rest of the time, I have to rely on customers who come by to order. So when she stopped working, she took on cross-stitch jobs in the hope of buying more pens and notebooks for her children and grandchildren.
She pondered: “Up to this point, my biggest concern about my children and grandchildren is that the family happiness is not complete and the material things are lacking. I feel helpless when I do not have enough strength, do not have enough money, so I ask my children everything. My current health is that my legs are always numb and painful inside the bones. There is not a moment in 24 hours that I am not in pain, but I have never complained. And I do not buy medicine anymore, because I still have to take care of my children and grandchildren, so I do not dare to think about that. Many times I am also afraid that one day I will not have enough health to work as a baker or do other jobs to make a living. Many nights I also worry, think, feel sorry for myself, cry all night, but the next morning I still have to wake up, still have to continue working to take care of my daily life. I still feel grateful to life that I have gotten through a night and a new day has come so that I can continue to take care of my children and grandchildren!”
So the charcoal stove with the fragrant smell of sticky rice and dong leaves still burns steadily in the middle of the cold plateau.
Sympathizing with the single mother's will to overcome difficulties, the stage at the God of Wealth Palace once again lit up. We invite you to watch the program God of Wealth knocks on the door episode 791 , broadcast at 7:10 p.m. , Sunday, July 20, 2025 , on THVL1 channel.
The program is produced by Vinh Long Newspaper and Radio and Television.
Source: https://baovinhlong.com.vn/van-hoa-giai-tri/202507/than-tai-go-cua-ky-791-mui-nep-thom-ben-bep-than-hong-d62207b/
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