Chapter 5 — Forty-two Days of Confinement

"Dad." I called out. He nodded, looking at the baby. "Let me see." I held the baby closer. The baby is awake, his eyes are wide and looking everywhere. The father-in-law reached out to touch the child's little face. The child immediately grabbed his finger and squeezed it tightly. "I have strength." Father-in-law said, his voice was deep. He looked at the baby for a long time. Then he raised his head and looked at me. "Van Van..." "Dad, just take good care of yourself." I said. His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded. We were at the hospital for forty minutes. When leaving, mother-in-law Chased after me, stuffing a bag of apples into my hand. "Bring it home to eat, send some to your mother." I picked up the bag of apples and walked out of the hospital gate. The sun outside is beautiful. Tran Huc walked next to him and suddenly said: "Thank you for coming today." I looked at him. "I didn't come for you. I came for my child. He should know his grandfather." He said "yes" without saying more. On the way home, the baby slept in the car. I looked at the road outside the window. The leaves were half yellow, the wind blew and one of them fell down. The phone lights up. It's a message from my mother. "Did you go to the hospital today? How are you?" "I'm gone. It's okay." "You did the right thing. When you need to be tough, be tough, but when you need to be soft, don't force yourself too much. I'm just afraid you'll keep it all inside and make yourself tired." I typed a few words and sent it. "Mom, I'm okay. I know what I'm doing." "Okay. Then you can rest assured." I put the phone back in my pocket. Another week has passed. Father-in-law discharged from hospital. The caregiver and Tran Tuyet took turns coming to pick her up. No one calls me anymore. Every two days mother-in-law sent another WeChat message asking about the baby's situation. Sometimes sending emojis, sometimes asking "Is the baby good today?". I still answer, but not much. A photo, a sentence "It's okay". That afternoon, while the baby took a nap, I sat in front of the table editing a set of packaging designs. The customer has requested a repair three times, today is the deadline. While I was adjusting the color, a message appeared on WeChat. It's Tieu Lam, the operations staff on the design platform. She has the same last name as me, so we call each other "Dai Lam" and "Tieu Lam". "Dai Lam, there's something I wanted to ask if you're interested in." "Say it." "There is a mother and baby brand that wants to upgrade its entire image, including logo, packaging, e-commerce site and short video cover photo. The budget is about two hundred thousand yuan. They specifically wanted to see the identity of the bakery she used to work at. Do you accept?" Two hundred thousand. I pushed my chair back, looking at the number on the screen. Two hundred thousand. This is the largest order I have ever received since I started working as a freelancer. "How are the customers?" "Local, the name is 'Elephant' Baby Grows Up', sells baby food and baby products. The founder is a mother of the nineties, previously worked as a brand manager at a large company and then started a business. She said she really liked the warm color style of her design. The original text is 'high class but not cold'." I thought for a while. "Can we meet in person to talk first?" "Okay, I'll help you make an appointment." I put down the phone, turned my head to look at the baby in the crib. The baby slept very deeply, his small mouth slightly open. The corner of my lips curved up. Then I went back to continue editing the design. Three days later, I made an appointment to meet To Vi, the founder of "Big Elephant". The location is a coffee shop not far from my house. I sent the baby to Ms. Truong's house next door. Her daughter was recently resting at home and helped me look after her twice before. To Vi is younger than I thought, with short hair, wearing a cotton-linen jacket, holding a stack of printed reference photos in her hand. "Miss Lam Van?" "Yes, hello." She sat down and pushed the stack of photos over. "I've arranged all the rooms. the way I like. See if it matches your design direction." I flipped through it. Indeed, it's all warm tones, bold but not messy color usage. The aesthetic is quite good. "What stage is your brand currently at?" "The product has been out for six months, the repurchase rate is quite good, but attracting new customers is very slow. I made the first version of the logo and packaging myself, it was too rough. E-commerce sites are even more popular. Now we are preparing to enter the direct sales channel. I discussed bringing goods to three store chains mother and baby locally, but they require the identification system to meet standards." She spoke very quickly, decisively and clearly. "So what you need is not just 'beautiful', but 'beautiful enough to help you get into the distribution channel'." I said. Her eyes lit up. "Yes. I understand what you mean." We talked for an hour and a half. When we left, she pulled me back to WeChat, saying that tomorrow she would send all the existing brand documents. "Sister, when can you start?" "This week I still have a small application to complete. Next Monday yes can start." "Okay. Tell me the price, if it's reasonable, I'll transfer the deposit." On the way home, I calculated. If this application is completed smoothly, my three-month income will exceed half a year's salary of Tran Huc.