Mr. Hoc is now over 80 years old, his health is declining, he cannot eat, sleep, or do anything. Ms. Bich takes care of her husband, children, and the house alone.
A wedding in the countryside makes a stir, no money is accepted
More than 10 years ago, the story of the “mismatched” marriage of Mr. Ngo Thanh Hoc (born in 1940) and his wife, Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich (born in 1983) caused a stir not only in the countryside of Binh Nghia commune, Binh Luc district, Ha Nam province, but also in the whole country.
Mr. Hoc and Ms. Bich lived in the same village but did not know each other at first. Mr. Hoc joined the army, then returned to his hometown to live in a dilapidated house left by his parents, earning a living by collecting scrap metal.
Ms. Bich was from a poor family and had a leg disability, so she could not do heavy work. One day, they met by chance and called each other “uncle – niece”. Knowing Mr. Hoc’s situation, Ms. Bich often helped him. Her feelings for her neighbor uncle grew as she realized that Mr. Hoc was an honest and sincere person. Ms. Bich was the one who took the initiative to approach Mr. Hoc.
Wedding photo of Mr. Hoc and Ms. Bich.
The couple’s wedding took place in 2010, when Mr. Hoc was 70 and Ms. Bich was only 27. The huge age gap caused them to face many obstacles and criticisms, but Mr. Hoc and Ms. Bich were still determined to be together. For them, this marriage story can be summed up in two words: “fate”.
That year’s wedding had about 70-80 people attending, they did not accept a single penny from the guests.
A family of 5 has only over 2 million to spend each month.
Time flies, 14 years have passed, Mr. Hoc is now 84 years old, Ms. Bich is 41. The couple has 3 children, 2 girls, 1 boy. The 2 older twins are currently in 6th grade, the youngest is in 3rd grade.
Previously, people were gossiping about their age gap relationship, now some people are gossiping, expressing doubts that Mr. Hoc is old, how can he have children? Those words hurt Mr. Hoc very much but he doesn’t know what to do but keep quiet in exchange for peace for his family and children. Whether he has children or not, he is the one who understands best. Moreover, his family no longer seems to be afraid of gossip, because they have bigger worries, which is the burden of food, clothing, rice, and money.
Mr. Hoc and his wife’s house was built with help from the government and local people. (Photo: Newspaper)
Inside the house, furniture is in disarray. (Photo: Bao Viet)
About 6-7 years ago, Mr. Hoc’s family received support from the local government and villagers to build a level 4 house. Inside the house was shabby, with almost no valuable objects, the furniture was scattered, seemingly lacking in arrangement for a long time.
Crying as he talked about his situation, Mr. Hoc said that he was now old and weak, in poor health, unable to eat, sleep, or go anywhere. He also had to be hospitalized regularly. Ironically, his children were also not in good health. The father had just returned from the hospital and had not yet fully recovered when it was his child’s turn to go to the hospital. Ms. Bich just kept rushing around, taking care of her husband and then her children.
Currently, Mr. Hoc’s family of 5 only depends on his salary of more than 2 million VND. Sometimes, Ms. Bich peels longan for hire, works in a teddy bear factory, or collects scrap metal to earn extra money. However, the job is unstable because Ms. Bich is busy taking care of her husband, children, and the house, always working day and night.
Seeing his wife working hard, Mr. Hoc felt very sorry for her. He always told Ms. Bich to work less and take time to rest so as not to affect her health.
Mr. Hoc and Ms. Bich’s three children are at the age of eating and growing up but rarely know the taste of meat or fish. The family’s meals are quite simple, mainly using what is available in the home garden.
Mr. Hoc with his two children. (Photo: Viet Newspaper)
Fortunately, besides a few slanderous words, Mr. Hoc’s family still received sympathy from the villagers, who regularly supported them with clothes, rice, milk, etc. to help them ease their difficulties, just enough to get by.
He himself was used to suffering, but seeing his wife and children suffering with him, the man over 80 years old was very sad, he could only cry inside but did not dare to say it out loud.
Having many children and the current difficult life is something that Mr. Hoc and Ms. Bich did not foresee. But in return, many people say that Mr. Hoc is still lucky because he has a hard-working wife who is devoted to her husband and children. The three children in the house are also a great source of encouragement for the couple.
Up to now, the biggest wish of the couple with the same age gap is for their children to be healthy, obedient, and grow up to be good people. Mr. Hoc will be less sick so that Ms. Bich can have time to work for money, hoping that family life in the future will be less difficult.
Exchange on VTC NowMr. Ngo Van Hong (Head of Village 1, Binh Nghia Commune, Binh Luc District, Ha Nam Province) said: “They lived happily together, but their economic conditions were still poor, so the commune mobilized to build a charity house for their family.
In addition, poor families, every year on holidays, Tet,… have gifts, the locality also gives priority to the family and children, the village always creates the best conditions.”.