500 years ago, there was a young boy named Trai Tinh. He was the only child in his family. Unfortunately, a few weeks before his birth, Trai Tinh's father died while serving in the army, and his mother died due to the shock of her husband's news combined with the fatigue of giving birth to Trai Tinh shortly after. In the end, the only person left that raised the newborn baby was his grandparents who were about 70 years old at the time. Together, the three lived in the mountains, hunting small animals and growing vegetables for food.
Even with both his parents gone, the young Trai Tinh was able to keep his positive look in life. He was able to learn various hunting and survival skills while searching for food with his grandfather, and adopt farming knowledge when he stayed at home to help his grandmother.
But that doesn't mean they don't have any contact with civilization. At the bottom of the mountain was a busy market that they would use wood to trade for stuff. Many times, other hunters went up the mountain to hunt and would stay at Trai Tinh's place as a rest station. So as far as lives go, Trai Tinh and his grandparents had a comfortable lifestyle.
If the story is just that, we wouldn't be here. On the night of his 16th birthday, his grandparents said after the celebration, "Tinh a, you are already sixteen. It's time for you to go out and open your eyes."
Trai Tinh quickly denied, "Who would take care of you two then? I'm not leaving."
"Tinh ah!" Grandpa tried to talk to him. "Haven't you seen your peers down the mountain? They are all either readying for marriage or on their way to take the test for an official position. You need to think about your future!"
"Pa!" Trai Tinh still feels uneasy. "That is their problem, not mine. What's more, why do I need to get married or become an official? Living here with you and me isn't better? Talking about the future, the woods is where I grew up, you don't need to worry that I won't survive." he tried to convince grandpa.
"Tinh a" grandma finally spoke. "You can't possibly keep living in the woods and mountain forever. You need a family."
"Ma!" Trai Tinh raised his voice. "You both ARE my family!"
"But we will die one da…" she couldn't finish the sentence.
"Ma! Don't say that!" he covered his ears and stood up. "I'm going down the market for a walk." He then went out the door without waiting for a response.
"Ay? Be sure to come back soon!" Grandma raised her voice. As Trai Tinh footsteps slowly. The old couple couldn't do much else but looked at each other and shook their heads.