Chapter 23 — Late Table Lady

The truck carrying the paint bucket left the auto repair shop at six o'clock in the morning. Khang used a neighbor's old tricycle, Mai kept the list of materials, Nhu carried a file bag, Huy sat on the trunk like a host. An hugged a stack of wooden boards, trying not to let them collide with each other.

“If I fall, come back for me after getting the paint,” Huy said.

“The paint is more important,” Khang replied.

“I know where I ranked.”

The road to school was blocked because of a broken down truck. The group had to go around the market, passing by the place where the ground was being surveyed. A row of red stakes is placed along the entrance to Pham Gia shop. Khang slowed down.

A man holding a drawing asked what they were carrying. Khang replied that it was school project materials. The other person looked at An, recognizing her from online posts.

“Are you Mr. Khai's daughter?”

An did not deny it. "Yes."

“So you know this area is about to change.”

"I know it's being investigated. There's no decision yet."

“The decision has finally come.”

Khang holds the handlebars. An wanted to say something strong, but only replied: "When there is an announcement, everyone needs to hear it."

The man smiled faintly. “Rich people always want to hear enough before everyone else has to move out.”

An did not object. The statement was unpleasant, but she understood it came from the many times other people were reported last.

In the car, Huy was not joking. Mai gave An a bottle of water. Khang pedaled slower to avoid shocks.

“You don't need to bear that sentence for the company,” Khang said.

"I refuse to change. I listen."

“Listening doesn't mean staying silent forever.”

“I know.”

At school, paint cans are brought into the backyard. The group started painting the walls to prevent moisture. An old wall reveals the text underneath: "Green Sprouts Club, 2012". Mai took a photo, Huy wanted to turn it into a video title.

“Don't turn everything into content,” An said.

Huy raised his hands in surrender. “I will ask permission.”

Like asking an old teacher about the club. She learned that many generations of students used to plant trees in the backyard, but the activities stopped because of leaky roofs and lack of management. Khang suggested including a tree care schedule in the project. An additional minimal cost, no need for expensive machinery.

A group of 10th grade students came to ask for help painting. They wear old clothes and carry brushes. An shows how to line the paper, then lets you do it yourself. A boy asked her if she was an internet celebrity.

"Are not."

“But I saw your picture.”

“He is not a person.”

The boy thought, then returned to painting. An found that his answer was not very good, but it was true.

At noon, a wall had smeared paint because Huy backed into the tray. Huy stood still, his legs covered in blue.

“I was part of the design,” he said.

Mai took a photo and said: "You are a safety warning."

Khang took the towel, but An stopped him. “Let him clean it himself.”

Huy looked at her. “Where did you learn this?”

"From someone who won't let me use money to make up for all my mistakes."

Huy cleaned himself, complaining as he did so. The group laughed, but no one took the job lightly.

In the afternoon, it was sunny. A 10th grader fainted because he hadn't had breakfast. Khang took her friend to the medical room. Nhu called her family. An got water but asked the nurse before giving it to her. The nurse nodded, then told An to stay out of the sun.

“You see,” Khang said as he turned around. “If you're tired, rest.”

“I'm not tired.”

“You are sitting on a paint can.”

“I'll check the sturdiness.”

“Paint buckets are not chairs.”

An stood up, but was dizzy. Khang supported her elbow. He didn't pull hard, just kept her from falling. I hate colds felt weak in front of him, but this time she didn't brush it off.

“Let's rest for ten minutes,” she said.

"Good."

“Don't talk like Master Hoang.”

“I will speak like a car repairman.”

“What did the repairman say?”

“If the car is too hot, you have to stop.”

An drank water and watched the group continue to paint. She understood that she was not the engine of the project. If she stops, someone else will still do it; If you try too hard, someone else has to take care of you.

At the end of the day, the wall was painted light yellow, revealing a piece of old lettering as a highlight. Mai proposed to keep the "Green Sprout" line intact. As if asking for group opinions, everyone agreed.

Khang said: "A good project does not have to erase all old marks."

An looked at him. “That's a good sentence.”

“I can sell the copyright.”

“What will you use the money for?”

“Buy paint.”

An burst out laughing.

On the way back, a group of three-wheeled vehicles passed through the market gate. The man in the morning stood next to the red stake, watching. Khang did not stop. An looked back and saw him holding a notice. She wanted to go down and ask, but the car was already far away.

At night, she called her father and told him about the survey. Cha said the company has not sent an official notice, but the legal department is making a list of affected households. An asked if she could watch it.

“If there is no classified information, okay.”

“And if there is classified information?”

“You will have to trust me to handle it right.”

An was silent. Belief is not an order; Believe is something that must be built like a bookshelf. She said: “I will believe you are trying, but I still need to ask.”

Her father laughed. "Okay."

Shipping day ended with painted plaques, a wall with history and a ride that no one fell off. Huy declared it his greatest success. Khang told him to wait until the festival.

An put the list of materials in his bag and placed it next to the "Unknown things" board. A path carries more than just paint; it also carries questions that they have not been allowed to forget.

The next day, the group walked through the market to ask traders about the entrance. A fish seller worried about the truck breaking the Styrofoam box, a flower seller worried about the dust, and a used book seller said the hotel could bring in new customers but it would also increase the rent. No one says a sentence that is completely right or wrong.

An wrote down each idea, Khang asked about winter time, Nhu asked how to contact when there was an announcement. Huy did not record a video, just held the board. He said: "Today I want to listen without turning it into content."

A small businessman asked An if she was really Mr. Khai's daughter. An answered yes. Uncle said: "Then don't promise to keep the market. You should just promise to tell people in advance."

An nodded. Smaller promise, but doable.

In the afternoon, the group meets at the shop. Khang presents visitor hour data. Some people in the neighborhood suggested forming a common contact group, so as not to let the announcements reach each house too late. Like creating a paper bulletin board, because not everyone uses the internet.

An asked his father if the company could send the notice in parallel by paper. Father said yes, but needed to confirm the household list. She did not send it herself, just recorded the proposal in the minutes.

Huy discovered that a paint can was missing its lid. He intended to buy it instead, but Khang showed him how to use plastic wrap and temporary ties. An notes a warning, do not consider temporary solutions as long-term.

By the end of the session, the market still had no answer about the future. But for the first time, the fish seller, the car repairman and the group of students all had one question sheet. An sees a community not formed because everyone agrees, but because they sit around the same piece of paper.

On the way home, Khang asked An if he was tired. She said yes, but want to walk more. They passed closed shops, hearing the sound of brooms sweeping the floors and the smell of flowers from the end counters. An no longer sees the market as a piece of valuable land; she saw it as the hands that would have to be removed if the map changed color.

“You don't need to save everyone,” Khang said.

“I know. But I can't ignore it.”

Khang nodded. “That's enough to get started.”

After the market survey, the group invited a small trader to the school to see the model. He didn't care about the decoration, just asked which way the truck went and whether the seller was informed in advance. Khang gave the map, An pointed to the announcement schedule. He nodded and said if that was true, he would have less to worry about.

Huy asked what the other half was. He said it was the rental price. Huy didn't know how to answer, so he remained silent. An wrote that question on the list, not promising that the school project could solve all the market's problems.

Father An announced that the company would hold a private community meeting. An did not attend as a family representative, but was invited to take the minutes. She asked Khang if he wanted to go with her. Khang agreed, on the condition that everyone knew he was the affected tenant.

The meeting had many harsh opinions. One person said the hotel would make the market disappear, another said it needed development to have better roads. Father An did not interrupt. He requested that all proposals clearly state the benefits, costs and people affected.

An writes slowly, doesn't skip any sentences. Khang talked about the shop, the fish seller talked about wastewater, the bookseller talked about customers. The final map has more colored markers than before.

On the way home, Khang asked An if he had seen any changes in his father. She said yes, but didn't know how long the change would last. Khang replied: "That's why we need documents and reminders."

An smiled. “You are turning every relationship into a system of control.”

“I'm turning a promise into something that can be tested.”

At school, the group carried paint cans home by tricycle. Huy sat in the box this time but wore a helmet. Mai said you look like valuable cargo. Huy replied that he was a fragile material.

An looked at the road and saw the sounds of the market, the car and the school mixing together. The project is not separate from the city; it learns to live with changing things.