Chapter 19 — Fascinated by the Rooster Farmer Raising His Children

The sky in Tan Hoa that morning was unusually blue, without a single cloud. A gentle wind blew across the field, carrying with it the familiar smell of damp soil. But none of those present felt that peace. All eyes turned to the auction yard.

The auction yard was set up right in front of the headquarters of the People's Committee of Tan Hoa commune. Tables and chairs arranged in rows. Microphone was already installed. The camera lenses of several local television stations pointed toward the main stage. The villagers arrived early, filling the large yard outside the fence, whispering.

Khanh Vy arrived early, when the sunlight was still gentle on the corrugated iron roofs along the road. She wore a neat suit, carried a thick briefcase, and walked firmly without hesitation. Vinh Khang walked next to her, his face was calm but his eyes were sharp as knives. Behind them, more than thirty representatives of farmer households in the alliance filled the first two rows of seats, Mr. Ly Van Ben sat in the middle, clutching a set of land documents.

At exactly nine o'clock, a group of shiny black cars stopped in front of the gate, the quiet sound of the engine cutting through the quiet atmosphere of the countryside market. Tuong Bach Uy stepped down, wearing a gray suit and dark red tie. Walking next to him was Chu Nha Dinh, wearing a pure white dress, as if deliberately choosing the purest color to hide what she was doing.

Khanh Vy froze for a second when she saw her sister appear with Tuong Bach Uy. She had expected it and prepared herself for many nights, but seeing it with her own eyes was still a shock.

"Older sister." Nha Dinh spoke, trying to keep her voice natural. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I didn't expect you to come with Mr. Uy." Khanh Vy replied, her voice was cold but not loud. "It seems you know him quite well."

Nha Dinh did not answer, just turned away and followed Tuong Bach Uy into the area reserved for large investors.

Mr. Ly Van Ben leaned close to Khanh Vy's ear, his voice low. "Are you okay? If needed, we are ready to speak up at any time."

"I'm fine, Uncle Ben." Khanh Vy replied, taking a deep breath. "Today we must win. Not just for land, but for justice."

Vinh Khang gently squeezed her hand under the table, a small gesture but enough to give her strength. He said nothing, just looked straight towards the stage, where the chairman was preparing the microphone.

*

The opening drum sounded. The chairman of the auction, representative of the Commune People's Committee, announced the opening. The auction was tense right from the first round. The representative of Dai Thinh Agriculture Group offered a high price far above the common level, a number carefully calculated to exceed the normal capital mobilization ability of any smallholder farmer alliance.

Vinh Khang stood up, held up the license plate, and offered a response price. The whole hall was silent.

Round two. Round three. Every time Dai Thinh's representative raised the price, Vinh Khang responded immediately, without any hesitation, his voice resounding throughout the auction yard. Tuong Bach Uy sat behind, his face gradually losing its original calmness.

"Where did they get so much capital?" He leaned close to Nha Dinh's ear, his voice harsh. "You said their maximum capital amount was much lower."

Nha Dinh stammered. "The number I gave you... is information I heard before. Maybe they have mobilized more."

Tuong Bach Uy narrowed his eyes at her, a trace of doubt flashed. But he did not have time to inquire further, because the fourth round of bidding had already begun.

In the rows of farmers, anxious whispers spread. An elderly woman clasped the hand of the person next to her. "Is there enough capital? Prices keep increasing like this..."

"Trust Ms. Vy." The person next to him replied softly. "She has it all figured out."

Round four ended. The price was more than one and a half times higher than the original valuation of the land. Vinh Khang still held up the sign, his hands did not tremble, but his forehead was covered with sweat.

*

By the fifth round, the price had far exceeded both sides' initial estimates. Representative Dai Thinh hesitantly looked towards Tuong Bach Uy, waiting for the signal.

"Continue." He ordered, his voice firm. "At any cost."

Dai Thinh's representative held up the number plate. A number so large that the whole hall had to whisper. Mr. Ly Van Ben turned to look at Khanh Vy, his eyes full of worry. "My dear, this level..."

"I know, Uncle Ben." Khanh Vy replied softly, her eyes never leaving the other person's number plate. "This is the number they calculated to exceed our limit. But I expected this."

She signaled to Vinh Khang. He nodded, understanding.

But when his representative raised the price sign again, Vinh Khang stood up, did not immediately raise the sign to respond, but walked to the microphone for the speech.

"Dear organizers, before continuing the auction, I would like to present an issue directly related to the legality of participating in the auction from Dai Thinh Agriculture Group."

The whole hall was buzzing. Tuong Bach Uy stood up suddenly. "This is a public auction, you have no right to interfere with the process!"

"I'm not hindering the process." Vinh Khang replied, his voice echoed clearly throughout the hall, without trembling at all. "I am just exercising my right to denounce the illegal behavior of one party participating in the auction, in the presence of the authorities and the media present today."

Khanh Vy stood up, walked next to her husband, holding a thick file in her hand. Her eyes looked straight at Tuong Bach Uy, not avoiding, not afraid.

"Everyone." She spoke, her voice ringing clear and firm. "I am Chu Khanh Vy, representative of the Binh Xuyen Farmers' Union. During the past two months, our union has been continuously attacked with many tricks - having distribution contracts cut off, banks tightening unusual loans, having the supply of agricultural materials cut off, and even having direct property destroyed. Today, we have full evidence that all of these acts come from a single source."

She paused for a second, the camera light shining directly on her face. "Dai Thinh Agriculture Group, under the direct direction of Chairman Tuong Bach Uy."

Tuong Bach Uy laughed. "Are you slandering me in public, Ms. Khanh Vy? What evidence do you have to make such a serious accusation?"

"I have." Khanh Vy replied, without hesitation. She held up the file in her hand. "And I also have evidence that our alliance's internal information was leaked to the outside, from the person I should have trusted the most."

Her eyes turned to Nha Dinh, standing next to Tuong Bach Uy with a pale face. The entire hall turned their gaze towards the two sisters, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense.

"Sister..." Nha Dinh stammered, taking a step back. "What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Nha Dinh." Khanh Vy replied, her voice could not hide the pain but still maintained her steadfastness. "It's time for the truth to be exposed, before anyone else suffers because of the calculations of others."

The camera lens immediately turned, pointing straight at the two sisters. The crowd outside the fence held its breath. No one expected the public land auction to take such a dramatic turn.

Tuong Bach Uy stepped forward, standing between Nha Dinh and the camera, his voice regained its fake calm. "This is just a family matter between two people, and has nothing to do with the legality of this auction. We ask the organizers to continue the process."

"Isn't that relevant?" Vinh Khang spoke up, his voice sharp. "So let me clarify that relationship more clearly, Mr. Uy."

He opened the folder and pulled out a stack of carefully numbered papers. "Here are bank statements, call recordings, and a chronological comparison between the incidents that happened on our farm and the conversations between Ms. Nha Dinh and your corporation. All have been duly notarized."

The auction chairman, his face serious, signaled two security guards to approach the stage area to prevent a chaotic situation. "Both sides are requested to maintain order. The organizing committee will pause the auction to consider the issue just raised."

Tuong Bach Uy stood still for a moment, his eyes quickly scanned the crowd rushing towards him, through the camera lens, through the pale face of Nha Dinh standing next to him. For the first time in his seasoned business career, he sensed the situation was spinning out of control.

"Okay." He said, trying to keep his voice calm even though his jaw was clenched. "If Ms. Khanh Vy wants to make everything public, then just say it all. I'm also very curious to hear what you will slander next."