Chapter 6 — Fascinated by the Rooster Farmer Raising His Children

One afternoon, heavy rain suddenly fell on Binh Xuyen village. Vinh Khang had to go out quickly to reinforce the membrane roof that was in danger of being overturned by the wind. Khanh Vy was alone at home with Tieu Yen, she was taking a nap in her own room. To find a book to read to pass the time, she opened the door to the small room at the end of the hallway that Vinh Khang called "the office", where he often went every night after Tieu Yen fell asleep.

The room was small and simple, with only an old wooden table and a ceiling-high bookshelf. But when Khanh Vy looked closely at the books lined up on the shelf, she couldn't help but be stunned. These were not the popular agricultural books that she expected, but a series of specialized textbooks in both Vietnamese and English on plant biotechnology, plant genetics, and precision farming techniques - books that she, even though she studied for a Master of Business Administration, had to search hard to fully understand the terminology.

On the desk, a small photo frame was placed next to a stack of notebooks filled with handwritten notes. In the photo frame, a young man wearing a bachelor's robe, holding a diploma in his hand, stood next to a girl with a radiant smile, both were full of youthful enthusiasm. Khanh Vy immediately recognized that boy as Vinh Khang, much younger than now, his eyes sparkling with pride.

She gently picked up the framed diploma hanging on the wall to see. The formal inscription clearly states: "Dinh Vinh Khang — Graduated as Valedictorian — Agricultural Technology — Ranked Excellent." Below was also a certificate of merit from a national agricultural research institute, recognizing his work on disease-resistant plant varieties, which was considered one of the most promising projects that year.

Khanh Vy stood silently, still holding the diploma frame in her hand, her mind reeling with a series of questions. The man her whole family considered "the least valuable farmer on the list" was actually an excellent agricultural engineer, with an academic background superior to many other candidates at the meeting that day. So why did he give up everything to come back here, living a life so simple that people look down on him?

She flipped through a few pages in the thick notebook placed on the table, not because her curiosity invaded his private life, but because the professional curiosity that was deeply ingrained in her nature arose uncontrollably. Pages detailing the growth cycle of each plant variety, calculations of nutrient content in the soil, hand-drawn circuit diagrams for automatic sensor systems - all were presented with the meticulousness and logic of a real scientist, not the scribbles of someone who only knew how to do manual labor.

On a page near the end, she came across a note that differed from her usual scientific style, with a somewhat shaky handwriting: "If one day I can stand on my feet again, I will do exactly as you said — bring science to the ground, not keep it within laboratory walls." Khanh Vy quickly closed the notebook, feeling like she had just touched something too private, too sacred to be seen by outsiders.

*

That night, after Tieu Yen fell asleep, Khanh Vy waited for Vinh Khang in the living room, holding a cup of tea that had long since cooled. When he returned after completing the reinforcement of the greenhouse, his clothes were still wet from the rain, she spoke up immediately.

"Mr. Khang, I'm sorry for arbitrarily coming into your office this afternoon. I didn't mean to, I was just looking for a book to read." She said, her voice a little guilty. "But I saw your diploma and certificate of merit. I didn't know you were such an excellent agricultural engineer."

Vinh Khang paused for a moment, then sat down opposite her, his eyes lowered as if recalling a long time ago. "It's okay. You'll know sooner or later." He said, his voice was gentle but a bit heavy. "I graduated as valedictorian in agricultural technology and was accepted as a researcher at a state research institute. Eight years ago, I married Thuy Trang - my wife, Tieu Yen's mother. She is an elementary school teacher in this very village."

He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Six years ago, Tieu Yen was born. That same year, my research on disease-resistant plants was announced, receiving the attention of experts. I thought I was on the right path of my dreams - having a happy family and a growing career. But then four years ago, Thuy Trang discovered she had a serious illness."

His voice lowered, Khanh Vy listened silently, not daring to interrupt.

"I took an unpaid leave from the research institute to take care of her. At first I thought it was only temporary, waiting for her to get better I would return to work. But her illness got worse and worse, I had to spend all my time with her and Tieu Yen who was only two years old at that time. Three years ago, Thuy Trang passed away."

The room was silent, only the sound of rain falling outside the porch. Khanh Vy felt the pain still lingering in the voice of the man in front of her, even though he tried to stay calm.

"After she passed away, I no longer wanted to return to the city." Vinh Khang continued. "Before she passed away, Thuy Trang once told me that she believed that clean agriculture and high-tech agriculture were the truly meaningful future, not research projects that only stayed in the laboratory and never reached the hands of farmers who really needed it. She said, if I really want to help the world, I should bring my knowledge and apply it directly, so that farmers like her family can benefit."

He looked out the window, where the rain was still falling steadily on the vegetable beds. "I used the land inherited from my wife's family to set up this farm, applying all the knowledge I learned into practice. Many people think I'm crazy, giving up a promising career to become a farmer, but I have never regretted it. This is how I keep my promise to Thuy Trang, and also how I believe I am truly creating value, no matter how small."

Khanh Vy looked at the man in front of her with eyes completely different from what she had thought during the first family meeting. She realized that, behind the simple, honest appearance that her whole family despised, was a person with vision, ideals, and a deep love for his deceased wife - a love strong enough to make him give up all personal glory.

"I understand why you chose this path." She said, her voice sincere. "And I think it was one of the bravest decisions I've ever heard. My family judges people by their wealth and status, but perhaps they made a serious mistake putting you last on the list that day."

Vinh Khang looked at her, a light smile flashed across his normally expressionless face. "Thank you for listening. I have never told this story to anyone other than my wife's family. But perhaps, you are the one who deserves to know the truth, because you are also sharing this life with me."

"What about your research on disease-resistant plants?" Khanh Vy asked, the curiosity of someone who had worked in the field of strategic analysis arose. "Do you regret not continuing to pursue it?"

Vinh Khang pondered for a moment before answering. "There are nights when I still wonder where I will go if I continue on that research path. But then I look at Tieu Yen sleeping soundly next to me, looking at the green vegetable beds out there, I realize that the value of knowledge does not lie in which scientific journal it is published in, but in how many people's lives it actually improves. I choose the less glorious path, but I believe it is much more practical."

That night, when she returned to her room, Khanh Vy lay awake for a long time, thinking about the story she had just heard. She realized that the true value of a person did not lie in what others see from the outside, but in the silent choices and sacrifices that no one knew about. And she began to wonder if she was gradually being attracted to that person — not because of forced circumstances, but because of what she really saw and felt from his heart.

She remembered all the high-class parties she had attended, men appearing with sparkling names, degrees from prestigious foreign universities, always trying to flaunt all their achievements in every gossip. None of them, no matter how rich and talented, had ever made her feel admired the way Vinh Khang quietly hid a glorious past, just because he believed that the true value lies in what he was doing, not what he had achieved.

She thought to herself, perhaps it was that almost invisible humility, not the valedictorian's degree or the praised research work, that made her begin to look at this man in a different light - no longer with the curiosity of a forced wife, but with sincere admiration for a person she was gradually learning to understand.