Chapter 29 — Forest Keeper

On a rare peaceful weekend afternoon, when Nau had completely adapted to the semi-wild area and there were only about two weeks left until the official release date, Nguyen suggested taking Khue on a small picnic to the area near the top of Pu Cai - not to the exact site of the old traumatic scene, but to an open grassy hill nearby, where one could enjoy a panoramic view of the Ngan May valley stretching out below.

"Why did you choose this nearby area?" Khue asked, as the two sat down on a flat rock, the afternoon wind blowing through her hair.

"I think it's time for you to look at this mountain with a different meaning, not just as a place associated with loss," Nguyen replied, opening the backpack she brought with her, taking out a pot of tea and a few small cakes Khue's mother once made and sent to the station. "This place is also the place your father spent his whole life protecting and loving. I want you to remember it with both of those meanings."

Khue looked out at the scene before her eyes - rolling mountains covered in endless green, white clouds drifting lazily between the mountain peaks, bright yellow afternoon sunlight shining down, creating a breathtakingly beautiful natural picture. She took a deep breath, feeling the rare peace spreading throughout her soul.

"You're right," she said, her voice gentle. "It's time for me to look at this place not just with pain, but with the love my father gave it, and now, my own love as well."

Nguyen smiled, then suddenly stood up, knelt down on one knee in front of her, making Khue stunned, her heart beating uncontrollably when she realized what was about to happen.

"Khue," he said, his voice trembling slightly with emotion but his eyes still steadfastly looking straight at her, "from the first day I set foot in Thousand Clouds, I never thought I would find a place to call home, someone to spend the rest of my life with. But you, and this whole forest, have given me that. I have seen you face suffering, danger, the cruelest truth about the people you love, and I have never stopped admiring your strength, your heart." your courage, and your kind heart."

He took out a small box from his pocket, inside was a simple but delicate ring, carved in the shape of a small forest leaf. "I know this may not be the most perfect time, after everything you just went through. But I don't want to wait any longer to tell you this: Khue, do you agree to be my wife, so we can build a life together, a family, right here, where we both found the true meaning of our lives?"

Khue's tears flowed uncontrollably, not tears of suffering like so many times before, but tears of a full happiness, far beyond anything she had ever dared to dream for herself after eight years of living in the darkness of loss and doubt.

"I agree," she said, her voice choked with emotion, nodding repeatedly as if afraid he wouldn't hear her answer clearly. "I agree, Nguyen."

Nguyen stood up, gently put the ring on her finger, then hugged her, spinning in a happy circle in the middle of a windy grass hill, their laughter mixed with the sound of the mountain wind and the sound of birds singing throughout the valley, as if the whole Thousand Cloud forest was rejoicing with them in this sacred moment.

"I didn't think I would have this happiness," Khue whispered, resting her head on his chest, listening to his throbbing heartbeat. "After everything that happened, I thought I would only live with work, with memories of my father, leaving no room for anything else."

"But I found it," Nguyen said, gently stroking her hair. "And I believe, your father, somewhere, is also smiling because of that."

"When did you prepare this ring?" Khue asked, looking at the beautiful little ring on her finger, the leaf shape was delicately carved down to each vein.

"Since more than a month ago," Nguyen admitted, smiling awkwardly. "I asked a jeweler I know in the province to make it specifically in the shape of a crushed leaf, the tree you once told me about, the tree your father tried to protect until his last breath. I want this ring to always remind both of us of why we are attached to this place, of what we are protecting together."

Khue was so moved that he couldn't speak, he could only hug him tightly, feeling that every little detail in that thoughtful preparation contained a deep love, fully understanding her personality, her story, and even the values she cherished most in life.

"So where will we have the wedding?" she asked, when both of them had calmed down somewhat, leaning against each other and watching the sunset gradually fall.

"I think right here, at Ngan May station, in the middle of this forest," Nguyen replied, without hesitation. "There's no need to be fancy, just have family, friends, people who have accompanied us through everything that has happened. This is where our story begins, and should also be where we officially connect our lives."

Khue nodded, imagining the scene of a simple wedding in the middle of the station yard, under the shadow of familiar bamboo rows, with the witness of the vast Ngan May mountain forest, and of her loved ones who had been with her through many ups and downs. "I like that idea. The wedding doesn't need to be grand, it just needs to be sincere and meaningful."

They sat together until dusk completely fell, dyeing the sky into a brilliant orange-red strip, reflecting on the clouds floating around the mountain peaks, creating a scene so beautiful that both wanted to engrave it in their memories forever.

Upon returning to the station, news of the proposal quickly spread throughout Ngan May station, bringing a rare atmosphere of joy after the past stressful months. May was the first person to run out and hug Khue, screaming with excitement. "Oh my god, this day is finally here! I've been waiting for this news for so long!"

Loc and Mr. Chinh also came to congratulate, both of them could not hide their joy for the girl they had considered as their descendant during their years with the station. "Your father will definitely be very happy to hear this news," Mr. Chinh said, his eyes shining with sincere happiness. "He always wanted me to have a happy, fulfilling life."

Mrs. Hoa, when she received the news on the phone, cried with happiness, promising to go to the station next week to discuss the wedding together, bringing along Khue's father's souvenirs that she had kept for many years, in the hope of being able to contribute to her daughter's wedding as a way for her late father to still be present on that important day.

That night, when all the excitement had subsided, Khue stood alone in front of the small altar in her room, where there was a picture of her father smiling gently, lit a stick of incense, and told him about everything that had happened, about the proposal, about the new happiness that was waiting for her.

"Dad, I've found someone who will walk with me the rest of my life," she whispered, smiling through her happy tears. "I hope you'll be there, watching over me, on my wedding day, just like you've been watching over me for the past eight years."

Outside the window, the late moonlight shines down on the quiet Thousand Cloud forest, where Nau is sleeping soundly in the semi-wild area, preparing for the upcoming return to nature, and where Khue's story, after many ups and downs, is finally heading to a new chapter full of hope and light.

The next morning, when the news spread throughout Sai village, many people who had known Khue's family for many years also stopped by the station to congratulate them, bringing simple gifts - a few chicken eggs, some sticky rice, products of the mountains and forests to show the people's sincere feelings for the girl who grew up among them, and fought tirelessly to protect the common land of everyone.

Trieu Van Pao also came, carrying a basket of fresh wild bamboo shoots picked early in the morning. His face was now completely different from the image of panic and fear from before. "Congratulations to Ms. Khue and Mr. Nguyen," he said, a gentle smile on his lips. "The whole Na Long village is happy for you two."

"Thank you, Mr. Pao," Khue replied, accepting the basket of bamboo shoots with sincere gratitude. "How is life with you and your family these days?"

"Very good, miss. Since the day I got out of debt and from the previous pressures, I have truly been able to live comfortably," Pao replied, his voice filled with relief. "I'm thinking about planting a few more fruit trees in the fields, doing an honest business, and raising my children to have a good education."

Watching Pao leave with a peaceful and happy appearance, Khue felt complete joy knowing that her journey to find the truth not only brought justice to her father, but also helped many other people, like Pao, find a peaceful, honest life, free from the darkness of coercion and fear.