Chapter 6 — Heir to the Little Station

The afternoon train was delayed seventeen minutes because extra baskets of tea and crates of plums had to be loaded. Tung divided the goods by weight, while Mrs. Ly distributed meals to waiting passengers.

A dispatcher called and blamed Mai for accepting the goods for herself. Mai opened the book and pointed to the clause allowing the station to handle agricultural products within load limits.

“That provision does not apply when the station is on trial,” the dispatcher said.

“Which document says that?”

The other end of the line was silent, then asked her to send the scan. Mai sent it immediately, including Vy's ticket data.

The train left the station when the weather turned cold. Tung stood at the last door, looking at the tightly tied baskets. He said that if the goods are received on schedule, gas revenue can increase but the company will have to consider labor costs.

“I thought you wanted to keep the throttle on at all costs.”

“I want to keep it without lying about the price.”

Mai writes that sentence in her notebook. During her time in the city, she used to create beautiful designs but ignored maintenance costs. Grandpa used to call it building a house with just the facade.

The next day, the company sent a written warning: if the station arbitrarily changed the procedure, the test trip could be stopped.

Khoa used that warning to tell people that the train line was no longer safe. Mai did not refute in front of the crowd. She requested an independent audit of bridge and cargo loads.

Mr. Sau Van agreed to lead the group. He brought a measuring tape, a testing hammer, and an old notebook with frayed edges.

“The tracks are not afraid of people asking,” he said. “It's just afraid that people won't ask.”

Mai invited an independent structural engineer from the district to join the group. The engineer named Lam, who used to inspect road bridges, had never made a report for this railway line. He asked people not to stand on the beams while the train was running and not to touch the marked bolts themselves.

Khoa also came, this time without the land purchase proposal. He said the company needs to know the risk if the line has limited load because the project documents include a new road across the valley. Mai asked if he had the right to see the test data. Faculty respond only if the group agrees. Mai agreed on the condition that copies were sent to all village representatives and not used for publicity before a conclusion was reached.

They started at the station end of the bridge. Lam measured the distance between beams, checked the paint layer and took a rust sample at a joint. Mr. Sau recorded the location by comparing the tree pillar on the bank of the stream. Tung stood by the signal, observing the weather. Mai didn't understand all the terminology, but she asked what questions each measurement answered and where the limits were.

Lam explained that the dull knocking sound on the east beam could be due to a thick layer of paint, or it could also be due to corroded metal inside. It is impossible to conclude by ear. Ultrasound or removal is required. Mr. Sau muttered that in the past, people used to listen to the sound of the bridge to know if the bridge was "healthy". Lam does not deny experience, only saying that experience must lead to appropriate testing.

The train tried to pass through with a normal passenger load. Lam placed vibration sensors at four points. When the train passed, Mai stood at a safe distance from the railing and felt the sound of metal transmitting into the soles of her feet. There were no unusual explosions or vibrations, but the sensor recorded a oscillation peak at the east joint.

“What threshold is dangerous?” Mai asked.

"There is no general number. It depends on the bridge age, repeated load, temperature and joint type. I will compare it with the design documents."

Khoa looked at the measurement board. “If I just increase the speed slower Star?"

Tung replied that the train was running below the allowed speed. Further discounts may cause the district trip schedule to lose connection with the hospital bus. A technical solution always touches another real-life solution.

In the afternoon, Mai received a warning from the dispatch room about yesterday's shipment. They believe that the station arbitrarily exceeded the process because it received baskets of tea without complete traceability codes. Mai opened the record, indicating that the agricultural extension officer had confirmed the source of goods and the group had added the code before placing. The moderator said the warning remained in place because there was no permission to delete it.

“Then please note the station's response right below the warning,” Mai said.

“The system doesn't have that column.”

Mai sent an official letter requesting the creation of a column. She knew it could take weeks, but without asking, each warning would stand alone as the only truth.

Khoa gave her an estimate for bridge repair because the project hired a consultant. The estimate recorded replacing two beams, treating rust and repairing the railing, the cost was higher than the initial land purchase subsidy. Mai asked why he still sent it.

“Because if we need new roads, we have to know what the old roads are suffering from. I cannot present a safety project to the council just because I want it to disappear.”

Mai looked at him, seeing for the first time that Khoa was not just the person standing on the other side of the red stake. He still wanted the resort, but he could afford a number that worsened his plans.

In the evening, the group meets at the restaurant. Lam presented two options: non-destructive testing to run passenger trains, or stopping loading until the beams can be replaced. Tea products in the area are in season. Ms. Ly asked if it was possible to transport goods by small vehicle across the old bridge. Mr. Sau said the car was light, but the road along the stream was narrow and had landslides.

Mai doesn't choose right away. She asked to divide risks into three levels, write down who has the right to stop flights and how to notify people. Tung objected because there was too much paper. Mai said paper doesn't make the bridge stronger, but it prevents a person from making their own decisions in silence.

That night, Mr. Sau Van took Mai to the station. He said the first time he worked on the route, the bridge was built after a major flood season. The worker did not have a modern measuring machine, but each connection had the name of the installer and the date of inspection. Later, the file is transferred to the computer, the names disappear, and the "completed" boxes are still checked.

Mai asked him if he believed in technology. He said he believes it, as long as technology users are still willing to stand under the bridge when having to explain.

Mai opens a new book, dividing the page into "measurements", "implementers", "conditions" and "decisions". She recorded Lam's first measurement, adding the sentence "not enough to conclude". As she closed the book, she heard the night train passing by. The vibration is no longer a vague warning. It has a location, time and person responsible for further inspection.

Before leaving, Lam reminded him to take more samples from below the beam when the stream water level drops. Mai writes down the schedule and the person in charge. A land seller standing nearby asked if the bridge was not met, what was the point of keeping the station open? The station is more than just a bridge, but you can't keep the station by pretending the bridge isn't important. The other person didn't say more, just looked at the map and took his phone to take a picture of Lam's number to ask later.

Mai invited Lam to sign the work sheet, then send a copy to the railway department. She wanted every warning to come with a follow-up, not stay like forgotten lines in an old notebook.

Late in the afternoon, she and Lam checked the drainage line on the bridge. The ditch was partially filled with tea leaves and soil, causing water to stagnate close to the beam's base. Lam said dredging is no substitute for structural repairs, but if left alone, water will leak faster. Mai notes that this is station maintenance, not evidence of bridge safety. Ms. Ly called two people to help. They brought hoes and worked for an hour. Everyone signed the materials record, including not receiving wages this time.

One person asked if the fund later had money, would they be returned? Ms. Ly said to clearly state the working hours, at the end of the month it will be included in the contribution or paid at the agreed rate. No one is forced to work for free to prove they want to keep the gas. Mai added that rule to the draft, realizing that a bridge could be protected by both steel and fairness in the division of labor.

Before locking the gate, she received an email from the company asking to submit a bridge report within two days. The duration is shorter than the sampling capacity. Mai responded with a step-by-step schedule, stating which parts were preliminary, which parts were waiting for results, and suggested not using the preliminary version as a basis for closing the route. Lam read the letter and said that this was the first time a non-engineer had clearly written a technical limit that he found so easy to check.

Mai sent that copy back to all representatives, with a note that she was still waiting for sample results.

Mr. Sau read, then signed in the box where he received the documents.

Mai called the maintenance department again, asking if they could confirm the sampling schedule. The person on duty said he didn't have an appointment yet, but would write a request. Mai asked for the request code, then added it to the table. She doesn't want a call to disappear in the words "received".

Lam replied that he would send the sample collection schedule before noon. Mai takes a photo of the email, saves it with the request file and marks the responsible person. She no longer sees a request code as an answer, but as a clue to who needs to ask next.