The Mid-Autumn Festival is a Vietnamese festival where children carry lanterns and play enthusiastically until midnight. As an eighteen year-old, all I wanted was to gather my team to play a spirited soccer match on that day. However, the principal unexpectedly decided to hold the Mid-Autumn Festival at our high school. The idea seemed absurd to us students, and the announcement appeared more like a joke than a serious plan.
When our head teacher confirmed the principal’s speech, she dampened our expectations. “Good luck, boys,” our teacher said after inviting us to join the organizing team. That seemingly childish Festival turned out to be quite intriguing, offering opportunities for us math students to flaunt our talents. Consequently, my friends and I decided to volunteer for the food-selling position. “We’re going into business!” exclaimed Truong, my longtime best friend. Our group was enthusiastic about this meaningful endeavor and with the guidance of our mothers’ culinary skills, we prepared the food smoothly.
However, the old saying goes: “No risk, no profit. ” Despite facing adversity, with students opting to purchase and consume food from nearby stores rather than from the school’s canteen, we knew our preparation would be in vain if we couldn’t entice them to our stall during the festival night. Perhaps they enjoy the comfortable ambiance these stores offer, allowing them to gather and unwind without any school-related stress. Or maybe they simply prefer the cheaper snacks. Regardless of the reason, attracting them to our stall was crucial.
Despite the mishaps, there was a glimpse of optimism. Prior to the Festival, our school displayed posters promoting a music performance in the schoolyard. This inspired me to connect our sales with it. I wasted no time and set up our stall right in front of the stage, allowing attendees to enjoy the show while browsing for refreshments and chatting amiably. Ultimately, the highly anticipated “big night” arrived.
The night was so tiring, even more than playing soccer. However, we achieved our main goal: we were successful. Our first venture as a group didn’t turn out too bad, especially considering we were inexperienced beginners. Selling snacks turned out to be more noble than we thought, not because of the money or applause, but because it became a significant milestone in our lives. It transformed us into more motivated and confident students.
