Nguyen, the elder, surveys the rice paddies, soggy with the precious grain. Ho Chi, new at the fields, a former student whose university career was aborted, was sent for re-education to Huan village. Crouching, knee deep in the soggy ground, his back aches. Although only 35, he isn’t used to physical labor under the relentless sun. Wiping his forehead, he’s rebuked by the scowling foreman Hu Cho. Wang Chee, ten years his senior and a veteran in the fields, offers him a sip of sweet coconut water. At sunset, he accompanies her to sup on rice pudding, falling asleep exhausted.
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"Classic"
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