Chapter 24 — Fake Lover Turns Out to Be Fiancee

The sound of wild chickens crowing echoed from the paved stone yard simulating Vo Danh Mountain behind the garden - Gia Khue was still surprised because her husband insisted on raising two more bamboo chickens "for mountain atmosphere", even though they both lived in one of the most luxurious villas in the city. One year after the wedding, the lives of Ky Bach Dang and Duong Gia Khue had entered a stable and happy orbit that they had built together in the heart of the prosperous city. The medicinal herb research and conservation center at the foot of Vo Danh Mountain that Gia Khue had once proposed had officially come into operation, becoming a solid bridge between modern life in the city and Bach Dang's mountainous homeland.

That morning, as usual, Bach Dang woke up early to practice a few familiar kata exercises in the villa garden, which had now been renovated with a small paved yard, simulating the practice yard on Vo Danh Mountain that he always remembered. Gia Khue, used to this rhythm of life, woke up, brewed a pot of herbal tea and took it to the garden, sitting and watching her husband practice with affectionate eyes.

"Are you planning to go up the mountain to visit your master today?" She asked when Bach Dang finished the kata and sat down next to her, sipping warm tea.

"Let's go together this weekend. I heard that the master is recently accepting an orphan child as a disciple. He probably wants me to come back and teach the child a few more basic moves." Bach Dang replied, a warm smile appeared on his face when mentioning the good news from his master.

"So Tieu Dao Coc is about to have a new successor." Gia Khue smiled and raised her hand to brush away a strand of hair blown by the wind from his forehead, thinking about how that small sect, which at one time had seemed to be in danger of being lost because each generation had only one disciple, now continued to be passed down through the new generation.

Duong Gia Group's business had also developed dramatically since the incident with Luong Khac Binh, the herbal product line from Vo Danh Mountain had become the leading prestigious brand in the industry, and the model of sustainable cooperation with local people had been replicated in many other mountainous areas, bringing a stable source of income to hundreds of households.

Do Tuan Kiet, after being introduced by Bach Dang, officially became the head of the transportation and logistics department for Duong Gia Group, in charge of transporting raw materials from the mountains to the city, a job that fits perfectly with his many years of experience driving on all roads. Tang Bao Tran was also promoted to a senior management position, working side by side with Gia Khue to run the company from strength to strength.

That afternoon, the whole family gathered for an intimate meal at the villa. Mr. Duong Khac Nguyen, now gradually retiring to the position of advisor, ceded most of the management work to Gia Khue and Bach Dang. His eyes were always filled with pride every time he saw his daughter and son-in-law building their careers together.

"Dad, I heard that you are planning to expand more branches to the North recently?" He asked Gia Khue during dinner.

"Yes dad, Bach Dang and I are planning to cooperate with a few other mountainous areas that have valuable medicinal potential, both to expand our business and to help more people have stable jobs." Gia Khue replied, her eyes shining with enthusiasm when talking about future plans.

"Dad trusts you two completely." Mr. Khac Nguyen nodded with satisfaction, then suddenly remembered something. "Ah, I forgot to mention, last week I received a letter from Ta Vo Tam from the reformatory."

Hearing that name, Gia Khue and Bach Dang both looked at each other in surprise. "What did he write, Dad?" Gia Khue asked.

"He apologized for what he had done, saying that thanks to his time in the reformatory reflecting back, he realized that the hatred that had persisted for decades had only made himself and the Black Wind Gang more and more extinct, bringing nothing good." Mr. Khac Nguyen recounted, his voice thoughtful. "He also said that after his term expired, he wanted to ask permission to go to Vo Danh Mountain to apologize directly to the Huyen Van brothers, which would officially end the feud between the two sects."

Bach Dang was silent for a moment, put his chopsticks down on the tray, his eyes softened. "If he truly repented, I think master would definitely be willing to forgive. This is probably the best ending for the long-lasting resentment between the two sects."

"You're right." Mr. Khac Nguyen nodded in agreement. "Sometimes, ending a feud is not with absolute victory, but with forgiveness and a new beginning for all parties involved."

The whole dining table was silent for a moment, everyone pondering the profound meaning of the story, before Mr. Khac Nguyen broke the quiet atmosphere and turned to look at Bach Dang with a warm smile. "Do you think life in the city is still as strange as the first day?"

Bach Dang smiled, remembering the first days of being confused in the streets, being cheated out of all his money, and having to sleep in the park. "Now I am familiar with life here, although I still like to go back to the mountains to breathe fresh air. But I realize that wherever Gia Khue is, that place is my home."

That simple but sincere statement made Gia Khue smile happily, holding her husband's hand tightly under the dinner table, fully feeling the warmth of a warm family home that she had always longed to find since her mother passed away.

After the meal, while Gia Khue helped clean the table, the housekeeper who had been with the Duong family for many years suddenly recalled a memory that made the whole family burst into laughter. "Do you remember the first day Bach Dang came here? At that time, you insisted on paying me every time I brought rice to the living room, because you said that on the mountain, whoever helps someone must repay something in return."

"How could I forget?" Bach Dang smiled and scratched his head shyly. "At that time, I couldn't differentiate between real money and toy money. I thought a two thousand dong bill and a two hundred thousand dong bill had the same value, so the housekeeper had to explain all day."

The whole family had a good laugh at Bach Dang's innocent memories of the first days of getting used to city life, stories that now, after a long year, have become lovely pieces in the family's special love story.

In the evening, after a family meal, Bach Dang and Gia Khue walked in the familiar garden, the place that witnessed so many important moments in their love journey, from the first self-defense practice session, to the fateful kiss under the morning sunlight.

"Have you ever regretted being trapped by your master to go down the mountain?" Gia Khue asked, resting her head on her husband's shoulder under the gentle moonlight.

Bach Dang laughed, wrapping his arms around her. "At first, I felt a bit resentful, especially when I was tricked into losing all my money and had to sleep in the park starving. But now that I think about it, if my master hadn't set a trap for me to go down the mountain that day, I probably would never have had the chance to meet you, never had the chance to find complete happiness like I do now. So, I have to thank my master for that intentional trap."

Gia Khue smiled and looked up at him under the moonlight. "So the 'groom from the mountains' has officially found his true home, right?"

"That's right." Bach Dang replied, bending down to give her a gentle kiss under the starry night sky, a rare scene in the heart of the city but full of meaning for both of them. "And that home is where you are, here, in the middle of this prosperous city, but as warm as the starry nights on Anonymous Mountain in the past."

Gia Khue leaned her head on his chest, listening to the steady, warm heartbeat, fully feeling the peace that she had been looking for throughout her years of youth traveling in the midst of a calculating market. "I think so too. No matter how life changes tomorrow, as long as I have you by my side, I believe I will always find peace."

Far away on Vo Danh mountain, Daoist Huyen Van sat meditating one night in front of his ancestor's shrine, smiling slightly to himself when thinking of his two students, one on the mountain, one on the street, who have now found their own path to happiness. He looked up at the familiar starry sky, where twenty-five years ago a comet had passed by at a fateful moment, filled with satisfaction before a long journey had come to a beautiful end.

The story of a young master who grew up in the mountains, was tricked by his master into going down the mountain to fulfill a childhood engagement, and then accidentally found true love amid the funny and sad misunderstandings of a fake love drama, finally ended with a perfect, warm ending just like what director Huyen Van had predicted twenty-five years ago. In the heart of the bustling metropolis, a new family home had been built, not only by the promised of adults or the arrangements of fate, but by the sincere love, trust and respect for each other that Ky Bach Dang and Duong Gia Khue had built together through many challenges of life.