Huong Lan (born in 1994, from Phu Tho) endured many hardships in life. She went through devastating days after losing the husband she deeply loved and respected. During that painful time, the compassion and kindness of her parents-in-law became the light that helped her regain strength and move forward.

Lan got married for the first time in 2014. Her husband’s family lived about 50km from her parents’ home.

In 2016, while she and her husband were riding a motorbike from their hometown to work, they were involved in a tragic accident. Her husband died at the scene, while she suffered a broken thigh bone. At the time, their daughter was only 18 months old.

Lan was rushed to hospital and stayed there for 20 days. Both families kept her husband’s death a secret. Whenever she asked about him, they only told her he had been seriously injured and was being treated at another hospital.

“During those 20 days, only my mother and relatives took turns caring for me. My parents-in-law only occasionally brought my daughter to visit me. I felt that something was terribly wrong.

“The day I was discharged, my parents-in-law came to pick me up. That was when my mother-in-law finally told me: ‘I’m going to tell you this now, but you must stay calm. Your husband has passed away.’ At that moment, I felt like collapsing,” Lan recalled emotionally.

The loss of her husband left Lan devastated. For the next nine months, she could not work and did not want to see anyone. Despite enduring the pain of losing their son, her parents-in-law tried to stay strong to support both their daughter-in-law and granddaughter.

Even now, 10 years later, Lan still becomes emotional whenever she thinks about how devotedly her parents-in-law cared for her during that difficult period.

“When I first came home from the hospital, I still could not walk. My mother-in-law took care of everything for me, from meals and bathing to laundry. Back then, life was difficult and we didn’t even have a washing machine, so she washed all my clothes by hand,” Lan said.

Thinking of her parents-in-law and daughter, Lan resolved to regain her strength. Nine months after the tragedy, she returned to work for a company in Bac Ninh. Because of the long distance, she left her daughter with her parents-in-law and rented a room near her workplace, only returning home on weekends.

Her parents-in-law took excellent care of their granddaughter. They never asked Lan to contribute monthly living expenses, allowing her to manage her own finances. Whenever she faced difficulties, they even offered additional support.

“Four years after my husband passed away, my parents-in-law told me: ‘You are still young. If you meet someone you love, go ahead and remarry. We will take care of you like our own daughter,’” Lan recalled tearfully.

In 2023, Lan moved to Taiwan, China, for work. There, she met Ngoc, a man from Nghe An.

From the very beginning, she told him about her past. She said: “If you truly love my daughter and treat my parents-in-law like your own parents, and if you are willing to return home whenever there is important family business, then we can talk about a future together.”

After dating for a year, she informed her parents-in-law about the relationship.

They simply told her: “The decision is yours. If he truly loves you, that is a blessing. But if life becomes difficult, you can always come back home to us.” Their words gave Lan courage to pursue happiness again.

“My former parents-in-law told me: ‘We consider you our daughter and will take care of everything for you. But we can only hold a modest wedding and invite relatives and neighbors to celebrate with us.’

“The wedding was not extravagant, but it certainly was not small either. My parents-in-law prepared 40 banquet tables to marry me off,” Lan said.

The wedding was filled with emotion. On stage, all three couples of parents stood together to give their blessings to the couple. When her former parents-in-law and former brother-in-law presented her with wedding gifts, Lan could not hold back her tears.

During the ceremony, her former parents-in-law told the new groom: “You must love and care for Lan. If there are things she does not know, teach her patiently and do not lose your temper.” The words were simple, yet full of love.

Ha Nguyen