Page 108 - beyond-hate

90.

53 EXT. THE STREET - MORNING

THE MAN sits quietly outside behind a pile of books. Every once in a

while, he opens one of these ancient and decrepit books and reads the
table of contents or wipes the dust away from the cover.

Absorbed in his thoughts, he is startled when a truck stops noisily
beside him, and the screams reach his ears. He still does not
understand what is happening when several men jump out of the truck,

grab the nylon sheet on which his books are displayed, and throw it,
along with the books, onto the truck bed. Some of the books fall onto
the street.

Several other men run out of their hiding places and rush to the stalls

nearby. They upend everything and throw whatever they can grab onto
the truck. They do so despite the protestations, pleadings, and screams
of the owners.

All kinds of stuff are piled on the truck bed: furniture, books, glasses,
bread, fruits, cigarettes, shoes, sandals, vegetables, and legumes. All

mix in a messy heap as the truck starts rolling.

The man stands motionless on the sidewalk. When he regains his wits,
everything is eerily silent, as though a battle had taken place. He takes
a good look around. They even took his wobbly stool. Ah, there is a

book that escaped the raid and
is lying on the ground! He bends down to pick it up. It is the Tale of
Kiều.

He clutches the book to his chest and slowly walks away. Two verses
from the Tale reverberate in his head:

If yours is a drifting fate, be resigned to it, If yours is a
noble fate, be content with it.

And the last wishes of the book's author, Nguyễn Du also come to

mind:
No one knows if three hundred years hence Someone
will still cry for Tố Như