Chapter 15 — Fascinated by the Rooster Farmer Raising His Children

Two weeks had passed since the calculated meeting at a luxury restaurant with Tuong Bach Uy. Nha Dinh sat in her private office, holding the phone in her hand, her finger hesitantly hovering over the screen of a prepared message sent to him. Inside the message box was the information she collected through intimate conversations with Khanh Vy - the times the two sisters called to check on each other that Nha Dinh deliberately maintained so as not to arouse suspicion, while actually exploiting information.

She learned about the plan to establish a cooperative, the list of farmers who had joined the alliance, and even the schedule of upcoming meetings between Khanh Vy, Vinh Khang and representatives of supermarket chains to expand distribution contracts. She gathered all of that information naturally through seemingly harmless conversations between the two sisters.

"You don't doubt yourself at all." Nha Dinh muttered to herself, feeling a bit guilty while trying to convince herself that she had no other choice. "I always believed that I was my sister."

She pressed send, and a text message detailing the plan of the Binh Xuyen Farmers Alliance flew to Tuong Bach Uy's phone in just a split second.

Immediately after sending it, Nha Dinh put the phone on the table and covered her face with both hands. She sat like that for a long time, a feeling of guilt creeping into her heart, but every time she thought about her husband's debt, and the disdainful eyes of those who once admired her, she told herself that this was the only way to save her life that was on the verge of collapse.

The next day, when Khanh Vy called to inquire as usual, her sister's familiar warm voice made Nha Dinh try her best to keep her voice normal, not revealing any unusual signs that might make her sister suspicious.

*

Just less than a day after Nha Dinh sent that sensitive information, the operating machinery of Dai Thinh Agriculture Group began moving at a terrifying speed.

Upon receiving the information, Tuong Bach Uy immediately convened an urgent meeting with the group's senior management team. "We need to act faster." He said, his voice filled with determination. "If this alliance is allowed to complete its legal status and sign more large distribution contracts, it will be very difficult for us to acquire this land at the desired favorable price."

"Can we influence the Xanh Viet supermarket chain to cancel the contract, Mr. Chairman?" Kieu Dac Nhan asked, his voice slower than usual, although there was still some hesitation in his heart about the morality of what they were about to do.

"That's right. We have a large stake in the parent company that manages that supermarket chain." Tuong Bach Uy replied, a cold smile appeared on his lips. "If there is enough pressure, they will have to reconsider cooperating with a small farm, no matter how good the product quality is. At the same time, contact the bank that is lending capital to Binh Xuyen farm to expand, find a way to make them tighten disbursement conditions."

"What about the farmer alliance?" Another assistant asked.

"Let people individually approach a few of the most vulnerable farmers in the group, offering them a much more attractive price if they withdraw from the alliance and sell their land directly to us first." Tuong Bach Uy directed. "Division from within is always the most effective way to break any alliance."

He stood up, walked to the large glass window overlooking the entire city, his voice became more thoughtful. "In my entire career, no farmer coalition has been able to stand for more than six months once we decided to take action. This time will be no exception. It just takes a little more time and patience."

Kieu Dac Nhan recorded each instruction in his work notebook, but in his heart, a feeling of insecurity grew more and more. This wasn't the first time he had witnessed similar plans, but never before had he felt so clearly that these decisions would directly affect the lives of specific people, no longer just lifeless numbers on financial statements.

*

A few days later, unusual signs began to appear. A representative of the Green Viet supermarket chain called Vinh Khang, his voice somewhat reserved, different from his previous enthusiastic attitude.

"Mr. Khang, we need to review some terms in the contract." The purchasing director spoke, sounding apologetic but resolute, different from the enthusiasm he had shown when signing the initial trial contract. "The parent company has just issued new instructions to review the entire supplier list, which may affect our contract."

At the same time, Khanh Vy received a call from the bank, informing them that the expansion loan they had planned to disburse for the plan to build more greenhouses was postponed for the reason "need to re-evaluate credit risk."

"Something's wrong." Khanh Vy told Vinh Khang after receiving two bad news in a row on the same day, her voice was low with worry. "These two things happening at the same time cannot be a coincidence. Someone must know very well about our expansion plans and contracts to be able to hit the target like that."

Vinh Khang nodded, his eyes became unusually serious, his hands clenched into fists on the table. "I think so too. It seems like someone is deliberately making things difficult for us from many sides at once, and they know very well which weak points to target."

*

Meanwhile, Mr. Ly Van Ben reported that two farming households in the alliance had just received offers to buy land individually from a brokerage company, at a price much higher than the market price, with the condition that they must withdraw from the cooperative before signing. Both households were families with the most difficult circumstances in the area, easily swayed by large sums of money offered in front of them.

"I'm worried that more households will be affected if this spreads." Mr. Ben said, his voice filled with worry during the emergency meeting that Khanh Vy convened that evening. "People are used to living in poverty. Seeing a large amount of money in front of them, not everyone is strong enough to refuse."

Khanh Vy sat silently for a moment, her hands clasped together on the table, her mind racing to analyze the situation. This method of simultaneous and organized attacks — targeting distribution contracts, loan capital, and the alliance's internal solidarity at the same time — shows that the opponent not only had strong financial potential, but also had detailed information about their plans.

"Someone is leaking our inside information out." She said, her voice low. "The way they acted was too precise, too timely to be just casual speculation."

Her words silenced the room, each wondering which of them could be the source of the leak. Many shy eyes looked at each other, a tense atmosphere pervaded the meeting, which was only filled with familiar faces who had trusted each other for many months. But no one, including Khanh Vy, dared to think about the possibility that the person who revealed the information was her biological sister - the person she still trusted to share updates about her new life through every intimate phone call on the weekend.

That night, after the meeting, Vinh Khang held Khanh Vy's hand tightly, his eyes steadfast. "No matter what happens, we will find the truth, and we will protect what we have built. I believe in you, and I believe in this community."

Khanh Vy nodded, squeezed his hand in response, both worried and determined. Little did she know that the road ahead to find the truth would lead her to a discovery more heartbreaking than anything she could have ever imagined — a betrayal from the very person she had always trusted and tried to love for over twenty years.

The next morning, Khanh Vy convened an emergency meeting with Mr. Ly Van Ben and key farm representatives, informed about the situation and called on everyone to calm down and not rush to make any decisions before having more clear information. "We need time to find out exactly what's going on." She said, trying to keep her voice calm even though her heart was in turmoil. "Please don't panic, and don't rush to sign any documents with outside parties without talking to us."

Mr. Ben nodded, his eyes still held concern but also contained confidence in the leadership abilities of Khanh Vy and Vinh Khang. "We trust you two. We will wait more."