Chapter 20 — Medicinal Garden After Hospital

True to his promise in the previous meeting, Mr. Le Van Quoc returned to Yen Son on the last day of the two-week period, this time not to announce a hasty decision, but to personally survey the entire garden again, before submitting the final report to his superiors. He arrived earlier than expected, wearing simple civilian clothes instead of a formal suit like the previous times, as if he wanted to see the garden through the eyes of a normal person, instead of just as an administrative officer.

Quyen and Mr. Loc and Bao Nam welcomed him thoughtfully, but not too ostentatiously, so that he could feel the true atmosphere of the garden with every step. Mr. Quoc slowly walked along the plant beds, occasionally stopping to ask about the uses of each type of herb, the care and harvesting process, and the traditional preparation method that Mr. Loc has persistently preserved over the years.

"I have read the official assessment from the university, as well as the petition from the area's physicians," Mr. Quoc said as the group sat on the porch of the warehouse, sipping artichoke tea brewed by Mr. Loc himself. "Both are very convincing academically and professionally. But I want to see with my own eyes whether what is written on paper really reflects the true value of this place."

"So do you have your own answer yet?" Quyen asked, her voice unable to hide her nervousness.

Mr. Quoc pondered for a moment, his eyes looking into the distance, where the beds of medicinal plants were gently swaying in the afternoon breeze. "I think I got the answer from the community meeting the other day," he replied, his voice sincere. "But today, standing in the middle of this garden, seeing with my own eyes the meticulousness and dedication in each garden bed, I am even more certain of my decision. This is not an abandoned piece of land that needs to be reused for another purpose, but a living asset that needs to be nurtured and developed properly."

Those words made Quyen unable to contain her joy, but she still tried to remain calm, waiting for what Mr. Quoc was about to say next. "However," he added, his tone becoming more serious, "I also need to be frank with you. A positive report from me alone is not enough to completely change the decision of the superiors. The budget and overall planning of the hospital are still factors that need to be carefully considered. I will propose an intermediate option, which is to indefinitely suspend the leveling plan, and at the same time give you more time to build a more comprehensive development project that proves the area The garden can operate on its own, even contributing back to the hospital budget in the future."

Although it was not an immediate absolute victory, that proposal still gave the group great hope. "We sincerely thank you," Quyen said, her voice choked with emotion. "We promise to do our best to build a truly feasible and sustainable project that will not disappoint the trust that you and many others have given to this garden."

Before leaving, Mr. Quoc lingered, looking at Quyen with eyes full of respect. "I have worked in the medical industry for more than twenty years and witnessed many similar cases where traditional values were exchanged for immediate economic benefits," he said. "Her story, of this garden, really inspired me a lot. I hope you will continue to persevere, to prove that sometimes, the right decisions are not necessarily the easiest and fastest decisions."

After seeing Mr. Quoc leave town, Quyen, Bao Nam and Mr. Loc could not hide their joy, the group hugged each other in the middle of the garden, laughter and chatter rang out. "We did it," Bao Nam said, his voice filled with excitement, lifting Quyen up in bursts of happiness. Quyen laughed, hugged his neck tightly, letting that joy spread throughout her body after many days of stress and anxiety.

News of the temporary suspension of the leveling plan quickly spread throughout the hospital and town, creating a rare atmosphere of excitement. Mr. Hung, when making the official announcement to all hospital staff, could not hide his appreciation for the persistent efforts of Quyen and his colleagues. "This is a clear demonstration that when we truly believe and persistently pursue the right values, good results will certainly come," he said in front of the entire auditorium, his eyes looking towards Quyen filled with respect.

On the way to see Mr. Quoc off to the car, Bao Nam also took the opportunity to ask more about the models of combining Eastern and Western medicine that have been successfully implemented in other localities, which he had the opportunity to refer to during his work. Mr. Quoc enthusiastically shared and recounted a few examples in the northern mountainous provinces, where combined medical centers have helped significantly reduce treatment costs for people, while also contributing to preserving rare indigenous medicinal resources. "If you can build a similar model, not only keeping the garden, but also turning it into a bright spot in the entire province, I believe, it will be the strongest basis to convince all levels of leadership," he said, his eyes full of encouragement before getting in the car to leave.

That suggestion made Quyen, Bao Nam and Mr. Loc unable to stop thinking, creating many new ideas for the future of the garden. "We should not just stop at conservation," Bao Nam said when the three sat down to discuss immediately afterward. "If possible, we should think about building this place into a model, combining research, training, and medical examination and treatment, so that the garden not only survives, but also develops stronger in the future." That idea quickly received the approval of the whole group, becoming a long-term goal that they secretly cherished, even though they knew that to realize it, it would require a lot of time, effort and even the right opportunities.

Meanwhile, Kim Thai company, after a series of consecutive failures - from being refused to buy land, to the defamation campaign being exposed, and now the decision to suspend the leveling plan - was forced to temporarily withdraw, no longer appearing publicly in Yen Son as before. However, Quyen still does not dare to be subjective, she understands that a sharp businessman like Truong Gia Bach will not easily give up completely, but may be secretly looking for other opportunities, waiting for the right time to return.

That evening, to celebrate the initial results, Quyen, Bao Nam, Mr. Loc, Mr. Thanh and Nhung organized a simple meal right at the warehouse in the middle of the garden, with rustic dishes cooked from the ingredients and spices grown in the garden. The atmosphere at the meal was warm, filled with laughter, happy stories were told, mixed with emotional tears as everyone looked back on the difficult journey they had gone through.

"Your mother is certainly very proud, seeing this scene," Mr. Loc said, raising his cup of tea, his eyes directed towards the small altar placed in the corner of the warehouse, where there was a photo of Mrs. Sen smiling gently. "Not only because the garden was saved, but also because I found my own happiness, mended my relationship with my father, and became a strong, brave woman, worthy of what she once expected."

Quyen smiled, tears rolling down her cheeks, but they were tears of happiness and contentment. She looked around, looked at her father who was smiling brightly, looked at Bao Nam who was gently holding her hand under the table, looked at Mr. Loc, looked at Nhung, all the people who had gone through the difficult journey with her. She realized that the journey to save her mother's garden unexpectedly brought her more precious things than she ever imagined - not only a saved garden, but also a healed family, a newly blossomed love, and a stronger, more complete version of herself.

However, right in the midst of the joy that was spreading to its fullest, none of them could have imagined that, just a short while later, a completely different challenge, much more serious than what they had ever faced, would strike the whole town of Yen Son, putting everything they had built together before the greatest test ever, a test that would force both the garden and the hospital to prove their true worth, not with words or papers, but with human lives.