Chapter 21 — Anonymous Drawing

The first real crisis of the Old Wharf project came in mid-August, not from within the corporation or from public opinion in the press, but from the people living around the land - the people this project was originally built to serve.

A group of about twenty households living along the small road leading to the Old Ben area sent a petition to the ward, protesting the construction causing prolonged noise and dust, and worried that the construction of high-rise buildings would obscure the view and reduce the amount of natural wind that helps their four-level houses feel less stuffy in the summer. More notably, part of the road used to transport construction materials passes right through the area at the beginning of Cay Gon alley, where Dieu Linh's old family still lives, causing trucks carrying materials to often cause congestion during rush hours.

"The people said the trucks ran all day, dust flew everywhere, clothes drying in the yard were always covered in cement dust," Mrs. Ut Thao told her daughter on the phone, her voice somewhat annoyed on behalf of the whole neighborhood. "The neighbors also said that they don't know who this project was built for, but the people here have been suffering because of it for many months."

Her mother's story made Dieu Linh feel guilty and feel a heavy responsibility on her shoulders - she was always proud that this project was designed for the community, but now, that same community was having to suffer direct consequences from the construction process that she, as the chief architect, was partly responsible for not fully anticipating.

Before contacting Khoi Nguyen, Dieu Linh herself spent a whole morning walking along the affected road, knocking on every door, listening directly to complaints without formal paper and pen, simply like someone who grew up here returning to ask about old neighbors.

"You are the daughter of Ms. Ut Thao who sells sticky rice, right?" an old lady asked when Dieu Linh stopped by, her voice both surprised and somewhat friendlier than her initial reserved attitude. "I remember you used to run around in that empty lot when you were little. Are you now the architect for that project?"

"Yes, that's right," Dieu Linh replied, sitting down on the steps of the old lady's house, her voice sincere. "I heard that people have been suffering from dust and noise for the past few months. I want to come and ask myself if there is a better way to solve the problem."

The old lady talked for a while about the suffering caused by the truck, about always having to re-wash the laundry, about her little grandchild who had been coughing from inhaling cement dust for several months, and Dieu Linh listened to every word, remembering it carefully in her mind, the feeling of responsibility becoming heavier and heavier as she realized that the people who were suffering from this trouble were the people for whom the project she designed was supposed to bring the most direct benefit.

She immediately contacted Khoi Nguyen, requesting to hold an urgent meeting with representatives of affected households to listen directly to their opinions, instead of just processing through normal administrative documents.

"I agreed immediately," Khoi Nguyen replied when he heard the proposal, without hesitation. "This is exactly what this project needs — truly listening to the people, not just relying on paper reports from the construction team."

The meeting was held at the ward's temporary cultural house on a weekend evening, with the participation of about thirty people, ward representatives, construction teams, along with Dieu Linh and Khoi Nguyen. The atmosphere was initially quite tense, many people loudly complained about noise, dust, and vague fears that this large project, despite its title of "for the community", would ultimately only serve the interests of a large corporation, while surrounding people would have to endure inconvenience.

"I understand the frustration of people," Dieu Linh stood up to speak, her voice sincere, without any bureaucratic aloofness. "I grew up in Cay Gon alley not far from here, my mother still lives there, so I clearly understand the inconveniences people are having to endure. I accept responsibility for not fully planning for material transportation issues when planning the initial construction."

That frank admission calmed the atmosphere in the room somewhat. Many people seemed surprised to see that the chief architect of a large project was willing to publicly admit his mistakes instead of blaming other parties.

"So what now?" A middle-aged man stood up and asked, his voice still harsh. "We don't object to the project, we just hope it doesn't cause us more suffering."

Khoi Nguyen stood up to speak, his voice calm but determined. "We will adjust the material transportation route, avoid peak morning and evening hours, and hire more water trucks to reduce dust along the construction route. Regarding the issue of visibility and wind flow, I suggest that architect Dieu Linh reconsider the layout plan of the building block, possibly reducing part of the height or adjusting the direction to minimize the impact on surrounding households, although that may incur additional redesign costs."

After the meeting, Dieu Linh and Khoi Nguyen and the technical team spent the next two weeks reviewing the overall plan, finding a way to balance the initial functional requirements and the legitimate concerns of surrounding residents. Dieu Linh proposed reducing the height of the main building from three floors to two and a half floors, expanding the garden to create a natural wind corridor through the neighboring residential area, and moving the main entrance to the main road, completely reducing the load on the small road leading through Cay Gon alley.

"This new plan will reduce the usable area by about fifteen percent compared to the original," she presented in an internal meeting with Khoi Nguyen and the project management team. "But I believe, retaining the support of the surrounding community is much more important than maximizing the usable area."

"I completely agree," Khoi Nguyen said, without hesitation. "I will present this adjustment plan to the board of directors, along with an analysis of the costs incurred. This is the right thing to do, although Mr. Dien may not be satisfied because the budget and usable area are both affected."

As expected, when the adjustment plan was presented, Mr. Bach Dien reacted harshly in the board meeting, saying that reducing the usable area would reduce the long-term investment efficiency of the project, and at the same time, the costs incurred due to the redesign would be an unnecessary waste.

"We are wasting time and money because of pressure from a small group of people complaining," he said, his voice unable to hide his frustration. "Every project during the construction process will cause some inconvenience, that is inevitable."

"I don't agree with that view, uncle," Khoi Nguyen replied, his voice firm. "This project was built from the beginning with the purpose of serving the community. If we ignore the people who will use this project to optimize investment profits, we are going completely against the original spirit of the project. I believe, the long-term reputation of the corporation when fulfilling its commitment to the community will bring much greater value than the few percent of lost usable area."

The debate lasted nearly an hour. In the end, Mr. Bach Son, after listening to both sides, decided to approve Dieu Linh's adjustment plan, even though he required the finance department to find ways to optimize costs incurred in other items to partially compensate. That decision, although it resolved the immediate crisis, also made the relationship between Khoi Nguyen and his uncle more tense, a tension that both knew would continue to simmer until the project was completed.

Two weeks later, when the new material transportation route was applied and the adjusted design plan officially started, Dieu Linh returned to visit the neighborhood again, this time not to apologize, but to announce the good news. The old lady the other day, when she heard that the project would be lower, have more wind corridors, and that trucks would no longer run through the alley during rush hour, smiled brightly and held her hand tightly.

"It's great that you did that," she said, her voice filled with gratitude. "I and the people here believe in you, believe that this project will be good for the children in the future."

That simple thank you, to Dieu Linh, is more valuable than any compliment from the professional world or any article ever written about her, because it comes from the very people she always remembers to serve with all her heart when she takes up the pen to create each project.