Oriental fairy tales The Legend of the Durian Fruit

The Legend of the Durian Fruit Long ago, during a time of turmoil, in the Dong Nai region there lived a young man who was intelligent and skilled in both literature and martial arts. Witnessing the injustices of society, he had taken up the sword and followed an army into battle many times. But times changed. The old dynasty collapsed, a new regime took power, and bloody reprisals began. Those who had served the former army were hunted relentlessly. When the grim news spread, the villagers worried deeply for him. Out of affection and respect, they urged him to flee far away. They gathered money and rice and prepared a small boat so he could cross the rivers. Not wishing to fall into enemy hands, the young man left his homeland. He traveled along the Kewlong River and ventured deep into the land of Chan Lap. One day, stopping at a roadside shelter to rest, he encountered a mother and her daughter in distress. The mother sat in despair beside her young daughter, who lay unconscious from a severe illness after a pilgrimage to Mount Talon. Skilled in medicine, the young man devoted himself to treating her and eventually saved the girl's life. Since he had his own boat, he carried the two of them safely home. The girl was unmarried, gentle and graceful, having reached marriageable age. The presence of the young Vietnamese man, a stranger from afar, gradually stirred affection in her heart. After a week of fasting to give thanks to heaven and the Buddha, the mother revealed that she had received a dream telling her the two should become husband and wife. The young man gladly accepted, believing it to be a fate ordained by heaven. From then on, he had a peaceful home. Husband and wife farmed the land and raised silkworms, living a simple yet warm life. Ten years passed like a dream. His mother-in-law had passed away, leaving the couple to rely only on each other. In the garden grew a strange fruit tree called tu run, a fruit the husband had never seen in his homeland. When the fruit ripened, the wife climbed the tree, picked one, and cut it open for her husband to taste. The fruit had a strong, pungent smell that made him frown. Smiling, she told him to try it, and he would discover a rich flavor as deep and sincere as her own heart. But happiness did not last forever. One year after returning from a pilgrimage, the wife fell gravely ill. Despite all his efforts to save her, she passed away. Her sudden death cruelly separated the loving couple. The husband's grief was beyond words. From then on, they met only in dreams. He vowed never to remarry, and her spirit promised never to leave his side. When news came that the authorities had stopped hunting former followers, relatives from his homeland urged him to return. The villagers in this foreign land also encouraged him to travel. Hoping it might ease his sorrow, on the night before his departure, his wife appeared in a dream, telling him she would follow him to the ends of the earth. That year, the tu run tree bore only a single fruit. Strangely, when he visited the tree that held memories of his wife, the fruit fell at his feet. Overjoyed, he decided to bring it back to his homeland. Returning to Dong Nai, he lived quietly as a teacher. In his garden, he planted the tu run seeds and cared for them daily, as if preserving a sacred keepsake point ten more years passed, and the once young man's hair had turned gray. Yet his heart felt young again when the trees he had nurtured began to flower and bear fruit. On the anniversary of his wife's death, he invited the villagers and presented them with a strange fruit, something never before seen in the area. At first, everyone hesitated because of its strong smell. Smiling gently, he explained that though the fruit looked rough and smelled unpleasant, its inside was sweet and rich, just like the love between him and his departed wife as he cut open the fruit. He told the story of his past, which he had kept hidden in his heart for many years. When the tale ended, two tears rolled down his cheeks and fell onto the tu run flesh in his hand. Miraculously, the tears seemed to sizzle and then seep into the fruit point three days after the memorial. The faithful man passed away quietly. From then on, the villagers called the tu run fruit sao riang, meaning private sorrow, to remember the deep, personal sorrow of a steadfast love. People believe that the most delicious durian trees are those descended from seeds touched by the two tears of that devoted husband. If you enjoy listening to ancient tales, please follow me.