Chapter 21 — Cartographer of Lost Roads

Journalist Quan Nha Thanh's first article was published on a Tuesday morning, with the title "The Disappearing Fishing Hamlet: A Thirty-Year Mystery Under the Foundation of a Billion-Dollar Project". The article is carefully presented, based on authentic evidence provided by the group, citing the accounts of Ms. Huynh Thi Net, Mr. Cung Ba Thinh, accompanied by a comparison image of the 1987 and 1995 maps provided by Van Khue herself, although her identity is kept confidential as requested to protect her job position at the archives center.

The article spread quickly on social networks, sharing thousands of times in just the first few hours. Kha Duy Thinh's group "Van Dang Memories" suddenly had hundreds of new members, many of whom were descendants of families who once lived in the fishing village, now aroused with hope after many years of accepting silence as a matter of course.

In the comments section below the article, there are many touching stories shared by Van Dang's descendants everywhere - some people tell how their grandparents once had to sell their wedding furniture to compensate for the meager compensation, some people tell how their father later, because he was haunted by the loss of land, never let his children invest in anything related to real estate, some people simply reposted an old family photo, briefly noting: "This is home." I, in Van Dang, now only have this photo left." Those lines of comments, strung together, paint a more vivid picture than any dry administrative document, making the story no longer a simple land dispute, but a story of memories, of loss, of silent wounds that last for many generations.

"I didn't expect the reaction to be so great," Bao Nghi said on the phone to Van Khue the night the article was published, her voice full of excitement. "By this afternoon, the article had more than fifty thousand views, hundreds of comments asking the city to clarify the case. Several people's council delegates also spoke up on their personal pages, requesting a review of the entire project file."

But along with the wave of support, the reaction from Hai Nguyen Group is no less drastic. That afternoon, the company issued an official press release, affirming that "all legal procedures related to the Kim Xuyen Riverside project fully comply with current legal regulations", calling the article "one-sided information, lacking verification, showing signs of distortion for the purpose of unfair competition or disrupting the investment order". The announcement also hinted that the company "is considering necessary legal measures to protect corporate reputation".

Van Khue read the announcement with a feeling of both anger and worry. She called lawyer Hoa that night for consultation.

"This is a predictable reaction," lawyer Hoa reassured her over the phone. "They are trying to shape public opinion in their favor before any official investigation. But their statement, if you pay close attention, does not directly deny any specific details in the article - does not deny that the records are missing, does not deny the father-son relationship between Mr. Bon and Mr. Binh, just talks in general terms about 'complying with the law'. That is a sign that they also have no way to refute the core details that they mentioned. I give it."

Two days later, unexpected good news came to the whole group - the City People's Committee Office officially sent an official response to the petition, announcing that it would hold a "Community Consultation on the Kim Xuyen Riverside Complex Project" at the end of the month, inviting representatives of relevant parties, including investors, independent experts, and representatives of the former resident community, to present their opinions before the city makes a final decision on granting a construction permit.

"Perhaps public pressure forced them to act," lawyer Hoa commented as the group reread the document. "In the past, they could easily delay, but with the current level of public concern, ignoring a petition signed by hundreds of people, accompanied by a series of articles that are attracting attention, will cause the city government to face significant political risks."

However, the dispatch also included a condition that caused the whole group to consider carefully - the presentation time of each side at the consultation was strictly limited, only thirty minutes for the entire presentation of the "representative of the old resident community", while the investor side was given an hour for the reason that it needed to fully present the "legality and socio-economic value of the project". That difference made Duy Khanh frown and worry.

"Thirty minutes is too little to present a complex story spanning thirty years," he said, his voice thoughtful. "We need to be very selective, only present the most core and strongest evidence, and cannot waste a single moment."

"This is the opportunity we have been waiting for," Duy Khanh said when the group gathered to discuss preparation plans. "But we only have nearly three weeks to prepare a solid presentation, convincing both the appraisal council and public opinion. This will not be an easy meeting, Hai Nguyen's side will definitely send the best lawyers and highly paid experts to refute us."

The group embarked on preparations with unprecedented intensity. Van Khue spent all her free time outside of work to systematize all the evidence into a coherent, easy-to-understand set of documents — from the original map, to administrative documents, to recorded interviews with witnesses who had their consent. Duy Khanh worked with lawyer Hoa to prepare a rigorous legal argument framework, while Bao Nghi was in charge of designing visual tables and diagrams to make the presentation more accessible to those who are not experts in archival records.

Mr. Tuyen, despite his old age and weak health, still insisted on participating in the preparation process. Every night, he sat with Van Khue, helping her confirm every technical detail on the original map, recalling additional small details that he had never told before, such as how he had to calculate the scale of the map, how he noted the topographic symbols according to industry standards at that time, details that only a person in the profession could confirm the authenticity of the map.

"You know," he said one such evening, as he and his grandson sat diligently next to the map spread out on the table, "for so many years, I thought this map was a testament to my sin, something I had to hide out of shame. Now, for the first time, I see it becoming something useful, a way to atone for some of what I've done. It's a strange feeling, my child, both relieved and like being alive again."

Van Khue held his hand and smiled. "You're doing something very brave, you know? Not everyone has the courage to face their mistakes after thirty years, let alone openly admit it in front of so many people."

Mr. Tuyen nodded, his eyes looking far out the window, where darkness had covered Kim Xuyen city. "I just hope that when that time comes, I will be strong enough to stand firm, to say everything that needs to be said, not for myself, but for everyone who has believed and waited for this moment for the past thirty years."

Ms. Nhai, who has now returned to her home in the coastal town but still keeps in regular contact by phone, also expressed her desire to be present at the consultation, although Ms. Thoa is concerned that her health will not allow such a long trip. "She insisted on going," Ms. Thoa told Van Khue over the phone, her voice both worried and emotional. "She said, her whole life she had never been able to speak up about her old neighborhood. Now that she has the opportunity, she doesn't want to miss it, even if it means sitting in the car for five hours."

In the end, the whole family decided to arrange for Mrs. Nhai to go with the necessary medical assistance, a more comfortable private car, and a few stops along the way so she wouldn't be too tired. Knowing that she would be present, Mr. Tuyen became even more determined, as if his sister's presence gave him an incomparable source of spiritual strength.

In the last days before the consultation, the atmosphere in Van Khue's house was both tense and unusually warm - tense because of the huge amount of preparation work, because the pressure from the opponent continued to increase day by day, but also warm because for the first time in many years, the whole family was united towards a common goal, sharing the burden that previously only Mr. Tuyen had to bear silently.