Chapter 10 — Lottery Ticket Without Name

The company receiving the final transaction is the equipment supplier for the workshop. They announced that this was the money for the machine, which was approved by the council. Nhi checked the minutes and discovered there were no meetings.

The signer was Ms. Sau, but she only signed the emergency withdrawal last time. New signature scanned.

Quan did not get angry. He remembered how the ticket made people think power lay with the person holding the paper; Now they're learning how power can reside in a file.

They notify the bank, block the transaction and invite an audit. The person who sent the file is the factory's former accountant and wants to return the money that was previously withdrawn.

The fund hires professional managers, but keeps three seats for workers. Nhi becomes one of the three, Lam is in charge of safety, and Mrs. Sau holds the right to provide emergency support.

Quan opened a machine repair workshop, accepting workers who had been fired for denunciation. He didn't hang the ticket on the wall; He posted the regulations and a list of people with the right to ask questions.

A year later, when someone asked who owned the ticket, Quan presented a group agreement. There is no one name at the top.

Lam returned to work at another factory, no longer wanting to disappear. He and Quan still argue about buying tickets, but each time they clearly write down who keeps them.

Nhi sent the final report to the union: the amount of money saved, accident compensation and training classes. No one becomes a billionaire; they just have more options.

The ticket is kept in the province's evidence locker. White paper, no name, no photo. But behind it are dozens of signatures and a reminder: money does not create good people on its own.

Quan closed the factory at the end of the day. A young worker asked him if he believed in the lottery.

Quan said: "It's okay to believe in luck. But don't give luck the power to decide who you are."

The thirteenth person was identified as Son, a worker who worked the same shift as Lam and then disappeared after a strike. The deposit slip has his signature, but the personnel file says he quit his job before the ticket purchase date.

Nhi followed the old address and found Son repairing machines at a small coastal factory. He doesn't want to receive money. He said he contributed one hundred thousand to the group and then left the factory because he was threatened, then heard that everyone was sharing the prize through a friend.

“I don't think I'm still a member,” Son said.

Lam placed the shift book in front of him. “Your name was never removed from the promise.”

Son signed to confirm his contribution and asked to use the money to treat his mother's illness. The group agrees, but states that the support is independent of the reimbursement. No one is forced to mention their illness to prove their worthiness.

The case of Tan Mechanical Company lasted for many more months. Khanh received sentences for embezzlement, falsifying death records and illegally using worker data. Thanh was fined for arresting people, but his testimony helped dozens of workers get their documents back. Duc, who wore a fish hook ring, had his insurance certificate revoked and had to pay compensation for appraisal costs.

The factory cannot place all the blame on a few individuals. The audit showed that many people had seen funds withdrawn but remained silent for fear of losing their jobs. The Board of Directors must make the report public, open an independent reporting line and compensate the injured.

Quan used his legal portion of the money to open a machine repair workshop with Phuc and Hanh. He did not hang the ticket, just hung a small sign: "All loans have contracts. Do not keep original identification. Do not sign blank papers."

Mrs. Sau keeps the canteen, but every At the end of the month, there is a public meeting to announce the support fund. Anyone who wants to withdraw urgently must clearly state the patient, amount of money and supervisor. She was still teased for signing blank papers, but she did not avoid it. She kept that paper in a glass frame so everyone would remember that the mistake started with a seemingly harmless signature.

Lam works at another factory, in charge of safety. He no longer hid the fact that he had been kidnapped; He used that story to teach workers to check the process, save evidence and report to the right place. Quan still occasionally scolds his friend for putting the ticket into Mrs. Sau's lunchbox, but every time the two of them write down who is keeping the paperwork.

Nhi completed the report, which included a line that Quan read again and again: "A single owner cannot be identified, because the evidence is made up of many contributions and many responsibilities."

Thirty days of lock-in ends. Thirteen people received refunds, the labor safety fund was opened, and money to support Son went directly to the hospital. No one buys a big house or buys a new car. They still go to work, still line up to receive meals, the only difference is that when something happens, they know who to ask and what documents they have the right to see.

One afternoon, the young worker asked Quan if he regretted that the ticket was not in his name.

Quan shook his head. "If it was in my name, maybe I would have lost my friends, lost the whole factory and turned into the person they wanted me to be. Not having a name is sometimes a way for the paper to remind me not to assume the wrong rights."

Outside the door, the welding machine turned on. Blue sparks shot out in a small circle, like seven dots on the back of the ticket. Quan bent down to fix the motor, this time no one called him out to sign another piece of paper.

I understand that luck only opens one door. The person who walks through, and then is responsible for those behind, is the one who decides how the story ends.

The person holding Lam is a nurse named Van at the old medical station. She hid him in the medicine warehouse after seeing him brought in with a death record. Van did not contribute money, but used medicine and her time to help him survive the first night.

The group did not give Van part of the prize. They reimbursed treatment costs and established a fund to support grassroots medical staff, clearly stating that Van was the initiator. Van accepted, but requested that all expenses be disclosed like other expenses.

Son signed the list of thirteen people. The fourteenth person did not receive money, but her story added an extra line to the statute: anyone who saves lives or protects evidence has the right to claim reimbursement of expenses, not the right to claim the reward themselves.

Three months later, Quan's workshop hung another camera. He installed it in a position where he could see both the signing desk and the door. Duy helps back up data, this time read the terms carefully instead of clicking agree.

Lam came to check the system and criticized Quan for using too short a wire. Quan said that if the wire is short, it is difficult to hide it. The two argued, then sat down to eat the rice Mrs. Sau sent.

On the wall, the regulation board was further written in red pen: "No blank paper. No lifetime representative. No money before evidence."

Quan kept the ticket in a glass-framed copy, not to show off, but to remember the day he almost mistakenly accepted responsibility. The ticket still has no name. Under the light, seven blue ink dots look like a group of people holding hands, but no one is standing in the middle.

When the young worker asked him if he believed in the lottery, Quan answered the same, then added: "If one day I win, what's the first thing to do?" have to go buy a car. Take a photo of the ticket, write down who contributed, and put it where everyone can see it.”

Outside the workshop, the welding machine sparked. Quan bent down to work. For the first time in months, the sound of the machine did not remind him of the threatening phone call, but reminded him that broken things can be fixed if one is willing to open the lid and look inside.