Chapter 3 — Late Table Lady

Tuesday morning, An stood in front of the bus ticket counter with the expression of someone negotiating an international deal. She held a fifty thousand bill, looked at the line of people in front and tried to remember Khang's words: "Don't give big money without asking if the person has change."

“Where are you going?” the ticket seller asked.

“Tran Hung Dao School.”

“Ten thousand.”

An handed over a fifty thousand note.

Uncle looked at the money, then looked at her. “Do you have any change?”

An opened his wallet. There was a twenty thousand bill, three ten thousand bills, and a coin she had never seen before. She chose a ten thousand bill and placed it on the counter.

"Enough."

“Yes, but why did you give me the fifty thousand bill and make me think you were going to buy the ticket counter?”

The person behind laughed. An blushed and pulled her backpack onto her shoulder. She thought "change" was bills with denominations smaller than the largest. Now she understood another important piece of knowledge: the ticket seller could see through her clumsiness.

At the school gate, Khang was parking his bicycle. He looked at his watch and then at her.

“You're just in time.”

“I got up at five o'clock.”

“Because you overslept?”

“Because I have to learn how to buy tickets.”

Khang thought for a moment. "A valuable skill. Next year you can open a class."

An frowned, but then saw him smiling. She was about to reply when she discovered that the water bottle she brought from home was leaking, soaking her notebook. Mai saw it and immediately took the tape from her bag and gave it to her.

“Put it on temporarily.”

“Why did you bring duct tape?”

“For having lived long enough with Huy.”

Huy just ran over, heard his name and immediately said: "I am a responsible disaster. At least I always warn in advance."

The group's shift begins with sweeping leaves. An held the broom like a sword, sweeping a path that made the leaves fly back into Khang's face. He stood still, letting three leaves hang in his hair.

“Sorry,” An said.

"It's okay. I've always wanted to try fall hairstyles."

Mai laughed so much that she had to lean against the tree trunk. Huy used his phone to record and declared that this was promotional material for the project. An snatched the phone, but Huy was able to save the draft.

“Delete it.”

“No. This is a rare humane moment: the rich—”

An paused. Huy didn't finish speaking but his eyes glanced at her shoes.

“What rich person?” Khang asked.

"People... are rich in health," Huy said. “An sweeps and the leaves fly like fireworks.”

An looked at Huy. He smiled innocently. She didn't know whether she should thank her or throw the broom.

After half an hour, the group discovered the yard was locked with an old chain. Teacher Hoang gave him the key, but the lock was stuck. Khang took a small amount of oil from the tool bag, while An stood next to hold the board. The smell of motor oil spreads in the air.

“Do you really fix cars?” she asked.

"After school. My family has a small shop near the Old Market."

“You know how to fix things?”

"No. I haven't been able to correct Huy's Chemistry score yet."

Huy exclaimed: "I'm not broken. I'm just operating under a different operating system."

The lock popped open. The group entered. Weeds have grown through the bricks, a cement bench has broken corners, and on the wall are faded chalk letters: “There used to be a reading club here.”

An bent down to pick up a wet children's book. Khang looked around and said: "If you build a bookshelf, you have to put it higher than the floor. During the rainy season, this yard floods."

“How much does it flood during the rainy season?” An asked.

“Knee-high if it rains heavily.”

An immediately crossed out the plan to install soft carpets. Mai recommends raised wooden floors. Khang shook his head because the budget was not enough. Calculate again, use old bricks as legs, request pallets from the market, Excess paint in the Art room. She spoke very quickly, making everyone silent.

“Did you just make it all up in your head?” Mai asked.

"YES."

“What did you do before?”

An looked down at the paper. “Doing things no one here needs to know about.”

Khang did not ask further. He just took a pen and marked the portion that could be done in one million dong. The way he worked made An uncomfortable because he didn't give her a chance to show off, but at the same time made her trust him.

During recess, Quynh Nhu stood at the classroom door, holding a file. "Teacher Hoang said each group must submit an estimate. Does your group have one yet?"

“Almost done,” Khang replied.

Like looking at An. “Did you just do the budget?”

"YES."

"So don't forget to clearly state the source of money. Last year, a group had points deducted for receiving outside sponsorship without reporting it."

An saw nothing wrong with the reminder, but Nhu's tone sounded like a warning. She nodded, corrected the table: school fund, money from selling waste paper, money to exchange plastic bottles and voluntary, non-coerced contributions.

In the afternoon, An went to the grocery store to buy tape, pens and a package of cookies. She stood in front of the shelf, calculating for a long time. A little girl behind asked her mother: "Mom, why did that girl choose the cake using the computer?"

An pretended not to hear. She chose the cheapest package, then discovered she had calculated the change incorrectly. The lady gave back seven thousand, saying: "Next time you just ask. No one is born knowing."

At Khang's auto repair shop, she saw him bending over an old bicycle. An old lady sat next to fan him, and a little girl played with a box of screws.

“Are you here to check the budget?” Khang asked.

“I bought tape for the project.”

“How much does the tape cost?”

“Eighteen thousand.”

“Do you keep the receipt?”

An took the crumpled paper from his pocket. Khang looked, then nodded. "Good. You're starting to look like a normal person."

“Haven't I been normal before?”

“I haven't said yet.”

“You just spoke with facial expressions.”

The old lady giggled. Khang introduced her as his grandmother. She invited An to eat boiled potatoes. An received a tuber and peeled it by hand. She had eaten elaborate dishes in her father's restaurant, but no one had ever asked her if she wanted more potatoes while fixing the car.

Khang said the car repair shop could lend the group some old boards. An immediately offered to pay. He put down the wrench.

"No need."

“Boards are assets.”

"Yes. And we lend the property, not sell it. If you pay, the project becomes your project."

An was silenced by that statement. She realized she always solved everything by paying more. Not because she wanted to buy others, but because she had never been taught any other way.

“Then I'll put the shop's name in the thank you section,” she said.

"Okay. Write the correct name, don't turn the car repair shop into a corporation."

An burst out laughing. When she left, Khang gave her a small car light.

“What is it attached to the bus for?”

"Let you light the way from the gate to the classroom. If you often look down at your feet, it's easy to bump into a potted plant."

An holds the lamp. It's old, scratched but bright. She wanted to return it, then stopped. There are gifts that don't make the recipient feel indebted. Just makes them feel like they can be a little less clumsy tomorrow.

That night, An stuck the lamp on the backpack buckle. She opened the budget sheet, deleted a line "buy new potted plants" and replaced it with "ask for old potted plants from the neighborhood". At the bottom, she wrote: "Having money is not the fastest way."

The next morning, An tried riding a bicycle to school to save on tickets. She rented an old car at the end of the alley, but don't know how to calm down. When she pedaled three meters, her knee touched the handlebars, the bike shook to the left and stopped in front of a cart selling sticky rice. The sticky rice seller asked her if she wanted to buy a package, since he had been standing next to her long enough to become a customer.

An bought a small package, then asked the doctor to adjust the saddle. He showed her how to inflate the tire, how to lock the car, and how not to block the car to someone else's door. She realized that everyday skills often come with very specific prompts.

At school, Khang saw her coming by bicycle and asked: "Are you going to race with the bus?"

“I'm trying a sustainable transportation plan.”

“You just crashed into an almond tree.”

“The almond tree is standing in the wrong place.”

Mai smiled, then helped her rewind the brake cable. An did not object when Mai took the wheel. She began to understand that learning a skill did not make her less; It just gives me more ways to go on my own.

During project work, the group went to ask for potted plants in the neighborhood. An old lady gave three plastic pots, but asked the children to promise to water them every day. Huy promised to replace the whole group, then backed away when he knew he had to arrive earlier than the start time.

“I withdraw my promise,” he said.

An Bao can make a rotating schedule. Like recording each person's name, Khang added a rainy day, Mai added a backup person. The old lady looked at the calendar, nodded and added another bag of soil.

“I don't give it away for free,” she said. “You pay by taking care of the trees.”

An held the bag of soil, seeing that a small agreement could be clearer than a long contract. She recorded the source of materials and responsibilities in the notebook.

In the afternoon, Ms. Dung in the cafeteria asked the group if they needed old foam boxes. The group received two buckets to make plant pots, washed them and drilled drainage holes. Huy wanted to paint the barrel's surface into a fish shape, Mai wanted a cloud shape, An suggested leaving it plain for easy cleaning. Finally, they drew a cloud with a mustache because Huy refused to give up.

Khang posted the cost sheet on the wall. An asked if I needed to leave my phone number. Khang said all we need is the group name and duty hours. “Don't turn everything into a hotline.”

That night, An recalculated the budget. By asking for old pots, foam boxes and pallets, the group saved nearly two hundred thousand. She was happy, but did not write "my money is saved". “Community resources,” she wrote.

Dad called to ask if she had used the car lights yet. An said yes, but she actually put it in a drawer because the rented bicycles have their own lights. Dad told her to keep it, then asked if she wanted him to buy a better bike. An refused, saying the rented one was enough.

“You don't need to turn everything into an ordeal,” Dad said.

An thought. "I know. But I want to know what it means to have enough."

Father laughed. “That's a harder question than you thought.”

An looked at the old bicycle in the inn's yard. It has scratches, the bell is a bit loud and the seat is a bit low. But it got her to school. She adjusted the saddle according to the sticky rice seller's instructions, then locked the bike with a stronger rope. Tomorrow she'll still take the bus, but the bike will wait for days when a slower route is needed.