Chapter 13 — Floating Market Without Water

The iron door leading to the secondary settling tank is sealed with two layers of wire, but the lock is newer than the concrete floor.

An stood outside the temporary residential area, looking at the prohibition sign. Inside is a low land with sparse grass and a brick wall running along the old embankment. Khai said the settling tank is down there. The water in the south branch still passes through, but no one can check the outlet.

Duy arrived with town officials. He held a document asking everyone to leave the area.

“This area is dangerous,” he said.

“Is it dangerous because of the structure or because of the profile?” An asked.

"Both."

Khai pointed to the sealing layer. “This wire comes from the factory?”

“Operating unit.”

“The factory is the operating unit?”

Duy did not answer directly. He said the project was handed over according to the contract, and responsibility is currently held by many parties.

“There is no subject again,” An said.

Town officials asked her to turn off the phone. An showed his press card, then agreed to film from outside. Ti stood on a corrugated iron roof far away, using an old lens to take pictures through the fence.

Inside the tank, water does not flow towards the river. A trail of mud goes backwards, flowing towards the residential area. The odor is stronger than the smell of oil.

“Someone opened the door in here,” Khai said.

“Where did you see it from?”

“New mud on the hinges.”

Duy came back. “You must not speculate.”

Khai turned around. “I'm looking at the hinges.”

An asked if the officer had a pre-sealed record. This person searched the records and said the seal was made after people reported black water. Signatories include factories, cooperatives and economic departments. The sealing time was 3:05, nearly an hour after Ti's photo.

“That means the door was opened before it was sealed,” An said.

Duy took the document from the officer's hand. “I don't know who opened it.”

“But I know it's open.”

“Not sure yet.”

Khai used a light to shine into the groove under the door. A piece of silver cloth was stuck in the slot, like a protective vest. Ti sent close-up photos. On the fabric is the letter V.

Duy realized. “Vinh.”

“You confirm?” An asked.

“I confirm that this word could be a uniform symbol.”

“Vinh has the right to enter the tank?”

“I have to check.”

“You say that too much.”

Duy looked at An. "What do you want me to do? Call Vinh to confess in the middle of the mud?"

“I want you to admit that the factory has no control over the construction.”

I'm quiet.

Mrs. Sau came, bringing the cooperative minutes. She said people cannot be banned from accessing it forever because the tank is located on public land. Duy replied that if someone falls, who will compensate? Ms. Sau asked if the tank overflowed into the residential area, who would pay compensation? No one answered immediately.

A mother holds her child behind the rope. Her house is close to the land. She said last night I coughed because of the metallic smell. The officer registered his name, but said he needed to be tested.

An wanted to turn her face, but she shook her head.

"I don't need to be in the news. I need to know if I have to move or not."

An lowered the phone.

In the afternoon, Duy called her privately. He said Vinh is an outsourced technical employee, not on the factory payroll. Vinh used to work at a pumping station and was responsible for valve maintenance. The factory only rents by package.

“Can he enter the tank?” An asked.

“According to the maintenance schedule.”

“Which calendar?”

Duy gave the file, but the entry time was blacked out because of "security information".

An looked at him. “You're giving me an unverifiable version.”

“I give you what I can give.”

“That's the problem.”

Duy said he wasn't allowed to see the entire calendar either. Outsourcing contracts are legal, and the foreign affairs department only receives a summary.

“Don't you feel like you're doing exactly what I said about the company?”

"I see."

“So why are you still there?”

“Because if I Go, they will put someone in this position who doesn't ask questions."

An doesn't know if that's a reason or an excuse.

Ti discovered a stain of yellow paint under the tank door, the same color as pile M-07. He used tracing paper to rub the image and saw an arrow pointing down. Below the arrow is the number 17.

“Is 17 the day or the door?” An asked.

Khai replied: "In the pumping station, M-17 is the mud discharge door."

“Slurry outlet connected to M-07?”

“Not according to the public map.”

They couldn't open the sealed door, but Khai drew the position of the two codes on the ground. Arrow M-17 is behind the wall, facing the south branch.

That night, it didn't rain, but the mud level in the beach rose an inch.

The next morning, the seal on the door had a new cut.

No one admitted touching it.

An does not allow anyone to remove the seal. She called the officer to make a new record, taking pictures of both the cut and the direction of the wire. The cut is clean, not like the rope has been rotten by rain. The cutter used small pliers, leaving two tooth marks.

Vinh stood behind and said the maintenance team's pliers had exactly two teeth like that. Khai turned to ask Vinh if he had given the pliers to anyone.

“Shared tools.”

“Got a book?”

"Have."

“Where is the book?”

Vinh shut up.

Officials asked the factory to seal all related tools. Duy Ky requested, although the factory representative said there was no evidence that the clamp belonged to anyone. An agrees with that, but thinks checking the equipment is a necessary thing to do.

They took the cut wire to the technical room to see the mark. The person could not be identified, but confirmed the cuts occurred after the sealing. A small thing, but it weakens the saying "no one touches".

Inside the tank, the mud level is higher. Khai heard the sound of water hitting the wall. He said if the side door is locked, the pressure will find a crack. Duy asked to open an area for safe discharge. Ms. Sau requested that all operations be filmed and witnessed by people.

“If not opened, the tank could break,” Duy said.

“If it opens, mud can enter the market,” Khai replied.

“So which one to choose?”

“Don't choose in the dark.”

They placed the camera at two angles, used a wire to measure the pressure and called a group of students. The door is opened partially without removing the main seal. The water coming out is brown, but there is no white foam. Samples are taken immediately.

A factory employee said the stream was just rainwater. Khai pointed to the mud stains on the wall, showing that the water had risen before the rain started.

Duy did not argue.

An asked Vinh if he knew who opened the door before sealing it. Vinh said he came later, but saw that the floor was wet. An asked why he didn't write it down.

“I think someone else wrote it.”

"Who?"

"Don't know."

An wrote down that sentence. Khai looked at her, this time without objection.

Ms. Sau called the households to come watch from outside the fence. One mother said her child coughed when the door opened. Officials advise everyone to wear masks, but there aren't enough.

The factory provided masks and water. Ms. Sau received and recorded the quantity in the minutes. No one calls it a silent buy, but everything is written down so no one has to guess later.

Ti discovered that at the foot of the door there was an old yellow label. The label says M-17, maintenance date and inspector's name: Vinh. The check date is before your card's expiration date.

“Can you check this door?” An asked.

“Yes.”

“Does the door work?”

"Have."

“What did you write?”

“Gasket leak.”

“Who did you tell?”

“Team leader.”

“Is it fixed?”

“Replace the gasket.”

“With what money?”

Vinh looked at Duy. Duy said maintenance costs are paid by the factory.

An asked where the gasket replacement records were. Duy said we had to find it.

Vinh took off his hat and said: "I have a copy."

He handed over a wrinkled piece of paper. It says on it Replace gasket M-17, but do not record material code. The reviewer's signature is an anonymous symbol.

“Who uses this symbol?” An asked.

Vinh replied: "Technical department."

“How many people are there in the technical department?”

"Four."

"Name?"

“I don't want to drag them in without proof.”

An looked at him. “But you just showed evidence that someone was working.”

Vinh bowed his head.

At night, the mud level in the tank drops a bit. The door was still locked, but a line of chalk appeared on the outside:

“M-17 never stopped.”

The next morning, the factory issued a statement saying the chalk had no value. An took a picture before the rain erased it.

An requires clearly recording each door opening, including emergency openings. The officer agreed, saying that if it wasn't recorded, people would only remember that the door was opened in the future and not why.

Duy took a blank notebook and placed it outside the fence. People entering the tank must write down their name, time and accompanying person. Vinh was the first to sign.

“Aren't you afraid that your words will be used again?” An asked.

"Afraid. But not signing makes it easier to be used."

The technical team discovered that the M-17 gasket had been replaced with the wrong size. It is tight when the pressure is low but leaks when the pressure is high. Duy said the factory buys in batches and doesn't know who chooses. Khai pointed out that the material code on the paper did not match the gasket code.

“A gasket has its own path,” Ti said.

An wrote down that sentence.

Residents of low-lying areas requested to install odor and water level sensors. The factory agreed to install it, but the cooperative retained the right to view the data. Ms. Sau asked if the sensor reports an abnormality after hours, who should be called? Officials make a list of three phone numbers, do not use switchboard numbers.

Vinh said he once reported that the gasket was wrong but was told to temporarily replace it because the budget was waiting. He didn't have an email, just a word with the team leader. An is not used as independent evidence, but is included in the testimony that needs to be compared.

That night, someone wrote on the outside of the door:

“M-17 never stopped.”

Mrs. Sau wiped the chalk with her own hand, then stopped. She took the photo before deleting it.

“It's not because it's true,” she said. “Because it appeared.”