Chapter 20 — Fascinated by the Rooster Farmer Raising His Children

"Slander." Tuong Bach Uy repeated, his voice tightening each word, his hand tightening the hem of his suit. "You don't have any solid evidence, only baseless inferences."

"So let me make it clear." Khanh Vy opened the file and pulled out each page of documents. "This is a bank transaction statement, showing that in the past three months, there have been five money transfers from an account directly related to Dai Thinh Agriculture Group, to the account of Mr. To Khai Van — the husband of my sister, Chu Nha Dinh. Each transfer took place within forty-eight hours after our farmer alliance encountered an unusual incident."

She gave the document to the organizers and reporters present. Cameras flashed continuously.

"This is just a coincidence." Tuong Bach Uy replied, but his voice began to lose its original certainty.

"Coincidence?" Vinh Khang spoke up, his voice tough. "So explain to me, why after I shared false information, completely fabricated, with my wife's sister over a private phone call, that same fabricated information appeared in a conversation between your assistant and one of our partners just three days later?"

The whole hall was silent. This was a detail that only Khanh Vy, Vinh Khang and Vuong Vu Dang know - the fake information trap they set up many weeks ago.

Vuong Vu Dang, sitting in the back row, stood up, holding another file of documents. "I am a lawyer representing the Binh Xuyen farmer alliance. All documents we present today have been notarized, legally collected and can be independently compared by any investigative agency."

Tuong Bach Uy turned his head and looked around, looking for a way out in the eyes of his trusted assistants. But none of them dared to look directly at him anymore.

At that moment, a man wearing a suit stood up from the back row and walked forward. That's Kieu Dac Nhan.

"Mr. Chairman, I'm sorry." He said, his voice shaking but determined. "I cannot continue to stay silent any longer."

Tuong Bach Uy turned around, his face changed color, no longer calm. "Human, what are you doing?"

"I have all of your emails and messages of instructions over the past two months." Kieu Dac Nhan said, his hand shaking and holding out a USB. "Including instructions to cut off the supply of agricultural materials, instructions to put pressure on banks, and instructions... to monitor Mr. Vinh Khang's family. I saved it all, because I know what I am doing according to your orders is not correct. I do not want to continue to be a tool for such things anymore."

A buzz echoed throughout the hall. Television stations' cameras pointed straight at Tuong Bach Uy, recording every expression of panic that gradually appeared on his face.

*

"What about sabotaging the electrical system at our farm." Khanh Vy continued, her voice never wavering. "We have video footage from security cameras installed after the first incident, showing that a vehicle with a registration plate owned by Dai Thinh Agriculture Group appeared near the transformer station area on the night of the incident."

She showed a short video, shown on a large screen prepared by the organizers for the auction results announcement. The image of a familiar car appeared clearly on the screen, the license plate matched the group's vehicle registration documents that journalist Dang Nhu Quynh had previously verified.

Dang Nhu Quynh, sitting in the reporters' row, stood up, her voice rang out clearly. "I am a reporter specializing in agricultural economics. I have independently investigated over the past two months about Dai Thinh Agriculture Group, and discovered that this is not the first time they have used this tactic. In three other provinces, they have applied a similar model - price suppression, internal division, putting financial pressure on small farmers to acquire land at cheap prices. The full report will be published today."

Tuong Bach Uy stood speechless, for the first time since entering the hall, he could no longer find words to respond. Around him, farm representatives were whispering, their eyes now filled with anger instead of the initial shyness.

Mr. Ly Van Ben stood up, his voice sounded sharp even though he was in his seventies. "Mr. Uy, I have lived on this land all my life. I once believed that perhaps a large corporation like you would bring better things to this poor countryside. But today I understand, you have never considered us human beings, just numbers on your abacus."

Applause echoed scattered throughout the crowd of farmers, then spread into a chorus of applause. Chiang Bach Uy stood there, feeling for the first time the weight of criticism from the very people he once despised.

*

"Why did you do that?" Khanh Vy asked directly, stepping closer, her eyes looking straight at Tuong Bach Uy. "You have enough potential to develop your business in a legitimate way, why do you have to choose the path of coercion and destroy the lives of innocent farmers?"

Tuong Bach Uy looked at her for a long time, then burst out laughing, a bitter laugh. "Do you think I'm simply evil? I just believe that fragmented, small-scale agriculture like this has no future. We have the technology, the capital, the ability to bring Vietnamese agricultural products to the international market on a large scale. Farmers like you will sooner or later be eliminated by the market, I'm just speeding up that process."

"No." Vinh Khang replied, his voice filled with determination. "You are not speeding up the development process. You are depriving others of the right to choose by force and tricks. We have proven that small farmers, when united and applying science and technology properly, can completely stand on their own and develop sustainably without having to sell themselves to anyone. That is the ideal that my wife and I have pursued since day one, and today, we have enough evidence to show you that ideal is not wrong."

The whole hall was silent, waiting for Tuong Bach Uy's answer. He looked at Vinh Khang for a long time, his eyes had something complicated, between inherent contempt and a hint of reluctant respect. "An engineer who graduated as valedictorian agreed to bury his life behind a village bamboo fence. I used to think you were stupid. Maybe I was wrong."

"You are not wrong in thinking I give up personal glory." Vinh Khang replied. "You're just wrong if you think it makes me weaker."

*

The chairman of the auction, after a quick consultation with representatives of the authorities present, declared a temporary halt to the auction to transfer all documents and evidence to the investigation agency for consideration. Two economic police officers, already present at Vuong Vu Dang's request for coordination, approached the stage area. Tuong Bach Uy was invited to leave the hall to work with the authorities immediately afterward, his face for the first time lost all of its inherent arrogant confidence.

Nha Dinh stood dumbfounded in the middle of the hall, surrounded by judgmental looked from both farmers and reporters, no one looked at her with the same admiration as before. She looked towards her sister, her lips trembling. "Sister..."

"I don't want to hear an apology right now." Khanh Vy said, her voice was tired but no longer angry, only a deep sadness remained. "You need to take responsibility for what you have done first, Nha Dinh. I hope, one day, you will understand the true price of what you have sacrificed."

She turned and walked away, holding Vinh Khang's hand tightly, towards the crowd of farmers bursting with joy of victory. Mr. Ly Van Ben ran over and hugged both husband and wife, his voice shaking with emotion. "You two saved this whole land. We will never forget this favor."

All around, cheers, applause, and tears of emotion mixed together, creating an atmosphere of excitement that Khanh Vy had never experienced during her years working in the luxurious meeting rooms of her family corporation. She realized that the greatest victory was not defeating a powerful opponent, but protecting the trust of dozens of people who had placed their livelihoods in her hands.

The fight to protect the land and livelihood of an entire community finally came to fruition, not thanks to luck, but thanks to careful preparation, authentic evidence, and above all, the unshakable solidarity of simple but resilient people.