Chapter 11 — Heir to the Little Station

The people divided into two groups. Households with land in the project area want to sell it to receive money. Households who rely on the train line believe that selling the station will cause them to lose their way to the district.

The meeting lasted until the waiting room was turned off. The Faculty offers a compensation table, including career change support. Ms. Ly asked how long that would last; he said two years.

Mr. Sau Van said the railways don't just carry people. It carried mail, medicine, fertilizer and news. A person answered the phone and replaced the mail, the truck replaced the goods, so the station is just a memory.

Mai did not immediately object. She asked how long it would take for people to go to the doctor if they used a passenger car, who would pay the fee when the car was not running, and which route the tea shop would take when the road and bridge were closed.

No one has all the answers. Khoa admitted that the resort only commits to internal roads, not transportation to all four villages.

Tung suggested trying a combined ticket model: people buy tickets, goods pay by weight, and community funds compensate for the lack of transparency. The railway company must agree to the schedule and safety.

Some people laughed because they thought it was a fantasy. Mrs. Ly put the lunch box on the table and said the restaurant could contribute a portion for each trip.

Mai realized that holding the station could not rely on an heir. She proposed setting up a temporary steering group, making revenues and expenditures public, and letting each village nominate a representative.

Those who wanted to sell the land did not leave the meeting. They asked to participate so they knew what they were giving up.

After the meeting, people did not leave in the same group. Some people stood around the compensation board, calculating the amount of money they could receive on the back of old tickets. Some others followed Mai to the warehouse, asking how much they would have to contribute if the station continued. Some people say they don't have money but can contribute. Some people say they have contributed too much to promising projects.

Mai did not ask anyone to sign in support. She divided the paper into two parts: "conditions for keeping the station" and "conditions for selling land". People who want to sell write down what installments they need compensation to be paid, where the new house is, and how the children go to school. People who want to keep records of minimum ship schedules, freight charges, bridge maintenance and reserve funds. Many requirements overlap: they all need roads, hospitals and money paid on time.

Khoa sat down last. He said the project's compensation table does not include the cost of lost travel time during the construction phase. Someone asked if he could add more. He said yes, but he had to negotiate with the investor. Ms. Ly said that is the reason people need to be present before the application is finalized, not after the deposit has been paid.

Tung drew the train schedule on the board and explained that if he kept two trips per day, he would need a minimum level of passengers and goods. A teacher asked if it was possible to have an early morning trip on exam day. Tung said rescheduling affects the transfer station, but if he has exam schedule data, he can propose it in advance. Vy created a form to collect exam schedules from schools, asking clearly that only the date and time would be collected, not student information.

Mrs. Ly opened the shop's cash box. She said the shop can contribute a portion of the profits for each trip, but there must be a limit so she can still pay for the goods. Mai wrote, "Contribution is not mandatory, there is a monthly ceiling". One person laughed that when he set up the fund, he was afraid that people would contribute too much. Ms. Ly replied that no one should have to prove their kindness by exhausting themselves.

Mr. Sau Van pointed to the bridge. “If you don't spend money on beams, every revenue sheet is just paper.” Lam sent a preliminary report, stating the costs Replacing two beams must be done in stages. Mai asked if it was possible to repair each joint. He replied that it is possible to reduce the load temporarily, but it should not last longer than one rainy season.

The next meeting was held in four villages, one in each place. Mai doesn't go alone. Tung said operations, Vy said data, Khoa said project plans and Mrs. Ly said funds. In Mo Dai village, a man asked Khoa if he had bought land from anyone in advance. Khoa publicizes the preliminary transaction list, concealing unnecessary personal information. Not everyone believes it, but they have something to test.

In Ban Can village, people do not want to set up a fund because in the past a sugar fund was lost. Mai requested two signatures and the income and expenditure sheet to be hung publicly. They asked for additional testers who were not part of the executive team. Mai agrees. She understands that transparency cannot just be declared by the person being trusted.

In Na Doc village, a mother said that if the station is closed, her children can stay home when it rains because motorbikes cannot go. The faculty asked if it was possible to open a boarding class during the project. She replied that her child needed to go to school every day, and did not need a promise later. Khoa recorded, did not react defensively.

In Da Trang village, people who wanted to sell land asked Mai to clearly state what she would inherit. She publicly announced the map of the rail corridor, the land that can be sold and the land that cannot be transferred. Someone asked if she sold it, would the money be divided among the people? Mai said the inheritance does not automatically turn into a common fund, but she can propose to use part of the money for the station if the community approves and has a separate contract.

In the evening, the group compiled four minutes. There are no numbers enough to draw a conclusion. But they see one thing clearly: the community does not want to be forced into the "sell or go poor" choice, and the company cannot keep the line by ignoring costs. Tung proposed trying a combined ticket model, where goods are paid by weight and the shortfall is compensated by public service funds.

Mai asked who decides the compensation level. Ms. Ly said it must be based on monthly reports, not feelings at the end of the day. Vy added there must be a stop threshold if the fund drops below a safe level. Khoa asked if the resort could partially sponsor it without exchanging operating rights. Mai told me to put the proposal in writing.

The first plan of the "Thirty Day Route" was written right on the restaurant table. It has no slogan. It has schedules, scales, signatures, cost ceilings, back-up people, how to appeal and a blank line for the unknown. Those who want to sell the land do not sign a hold, but they sign that they will read the report before voting.

Mai brought the plan to each household that did not attend the meeting. Some people couldn't read small letters, so she read it again and asked them which sentences they wanted to change. An old man said "cost ceiling" sounds like a rich person's story. Ms. Ly explained that this was a limit so that the fund would not be completely withdrawn after one trip. The old man suggested writing in amounts and examples, without using jargon.

Vy edited the table into two lines: "What is the maximum amount the fund can spend in a month" and "when it reaches that level, who must call the meeting?" Mai likes the edited version better. A rule is only useful if a layperson knows when it is triggered.

The Faculty brings an estimate to support career change. Some people want to use that money to open a common warehouse next to the station, and do not want to learn the tourism profession. Khoa said the project can be adjusted, but the investor needs to see the need. Mai suggests conducting surveys without leading, asking what people want before giving names books of choice.

The survey included “do not want to participate in the project”. An employee asked why there had to be that section. Mai said the right to refuse is also data, if it is not recorded, it will be thought that whoever does not choose is agreeing. Khoa nodded and asked the development team to use the new form.

In one village, people argued about whether the fund should support patient tickets. One person is afraid of running out of funds, another person says patients cannot wait for profit analysis. Ms. Ly proposed separating the public service fund and the operating fund, with each fund having a maximum limit. Mai added a mechanism to request urgent assistance, confirmed by the hospital but not saving the diagnosis.

Tung worries that the procedure will make patients hesitate to apply. Mai said that's why there must be someone on duty to explain, not forcing them to read the ten pages themselves. A nurse volunteered to take the job. She only receives trip information, number of people and time, not medical records.

At the end of the day, the group compiled the minutes and discovered that people who wanted to sell land were also using the station to send goods. This does not put them at odds; it just shows that interests do not lie neatly on one side. Mai wrote on the board: "Do not associate one person with one stance forever."

In the evening, Ms. Ly asked Mai if she was afraid that if the final vote was chosen, the community would choose to sell. Mai said yes, because she put in the effort. Ms. Ly said that effort cannot buy the right to force others to live according to their choices. Mai wrote that sentence next to the cost ceiling, as another limit.

Mai folds the minutes. She knows an executive team cannot turn disagreement into consensus overnight. But at least from that day on, each side sat in the same room before deciding what else the room could be used for.

She sent the minutes to everyone who left the meeting, so that no one would just hear the conclusions through words.

Ms. Ly received the first copy.