Chapter 26 — Medicinal Garden After Hospital

In the days after the victory party, life in Yen Son gradually returned to its normal rhythm, but something had changed deeply in the hearts of the entire town community. The medicinal garden, from a place that was once overlooked and even in danger of being wiped out, has now become a source of pride, a symbol of the spirit of solidarity, of the harmonious combination between tradition and modernity of the entire land.

Mr. Loc, after two weeks of recuperation, was finally allowed to return to work, although doctor Bao Nam still reminded him that he needed to regulate his work intensity and not let himself fall into the same state of exhaustion as before. "I promise, I won't work too hard anymore," Mr. Loc said to Quyen on the first morning back in the garden, his voice humorous. "But don't stop me from doing what I love, because for me, being here, among these medicinal plant beds, is the best medicine for the soul."

Quyen smiled, took his arm, and walked together along the rows of trees blooming in the early morning sunlight. "I just hope you stay healthy, so you can accompany me for many more years," she said, her voice warm. Watching Mr. Loc slowly inspect each tree stump, occasionally stopping to give Mr. Thanh further instructions on what was lacking, Quyen could not help but feel her heart filled with a rare peace, after many turbulent days.

Mr. Thanh, after busy days taking care of the garden for Mr. Loc, has now found a stable working rhythm and is much more confident. Every morning, he wakes up earlier than usual, brews a pot of artichoke tea, sits quietly watching the morning dew on each leaf before starting work. "On mornings like this, I miss your mother so much," he confided to Quyen during a time when father and daughter worked together to water the newly planted artichoke bed. "But now, that nostalgia no longer causes me pain like before, but has become the motivation for me to continue the work she left unfinished."

Quyen held her father's hand, clearly feeling that her skin had become more callous because of his recent days of diligently working in the garden. "I'm so proud of you, dad," she said. "From someone who avoided the garden for more than a year, father has now become the person that Mr. Loc trusts with the most important work." Mr. Thanh smiled, his eyes looking distantly towards the rows of trees reaching out to catch the sunlight, as if he was secretly talking to his deceased wife, telling her about the good changes that are happening every day on the land that she once devoted her whole life to preserving.

Nhung also regularly stops by every afternoon after work, not only to visit everyone, but also to volunteer to learn how to prepare a few simple herbs from Mr. Loc, with the hope of being able to support more when the garden is expanded in the future. "I find this job much more interesting than I thought," she told Quyen, still quickly separating bundles of dried leaves. "Who knows, maybe in the future, I will ask to be transferred to be in charge of traditional medicinal herbs, working with you will always be fun." That half-joking, half-serious statement made Quyen laugh, but in her heart she also thought, maybe this is an idea worth seriously considering in the near future.

Meanwhile, Bao Nam is also gradually finding balance in his own life. Since the night he let himself cry completely in the hospital hallway, something in him had changed clearly — no longer the repression and endurance like before, but a gentler, more calm acceptance of past losses. He began to proactively tell more about Bao An and Dieu Anh, no longer avoiding it every time someone accidentally mentioned it, but considered it a part of beautiful, cherished memories of his life.

One weekend afternoon, Bao Nam invited Quyen to return to the stream where the two of them had their first conversation about the pain of his loss. Standing in front of the clear stream of water that still gurgled day and night as before, he took out from his pocket a light purple wildflower that had been carefully pressed to dry, the same flower that Quyen had plucked for him that memorable afternoon.

"I've kept it all this time, as a way to remind myself of the journey I've been on," he said, his voice warm. "But today, I think, it's time to let it float down the river, not to forget Bao An or Dieu Anh, but to officially close a chapter of sadness and open a new chapter in my life."

Quyen held his hand tightly, and together they dropped the dried flower into the stream, watching it slowly drift along the water, disappearing behind the rocks covered with green moss. "I believe, Dieu Anh and Bao An, somewhere, are also smiling, happy to see you find happiness again," Quyen said, her voice gentle but full of sincerity.

Bao Nam turned to look at her, his eyes filled with rare peace. "I believe so," he replied. "And I also believe that they will be happy to know that the woman who enters his life later is also a person who knows how to love and heal, just like what they taught him to appreciate." He gently hugged her, the two stood silently by the stream, letting the cool afternoon breeze blow through, carrying away the remains of pain, leaving only peace and warmth in both of their hearts.

On the way back, Bao Nam suddenly stopped in front of a bush of wildflowers of the same type as the flower he had just let float, his eyes sparkled thoughtfully. "You know, I just thought of something," he said. "Perhaps, I want to plant a flower cluster like this right in the medicinal garden, in a small corner, so that every time I remember Bao An, I can go there and take care of it, instead of just keeping it in my memory forever."

Quyen nodded, her eyes filled with tears but the smile on her lips was still bright. "It's a great idea," she said. "We'll plant it together, this week." The two held hands and continued walking on the road back town, filled with a feeling of relief, as if an invisible burden had finally been completely lifted.

Also that week, Dr. Phan Ngoc Lan, who supported Bao Nam during the night of baby Ngoc Bich's emergency, proactively offered to participate in a short-term course on traditional medicinal herbs that Mr. Loc and Bao Nam built together right at the garden, for young medical staff in the hospital who wanted to learn more about the combination of the two fields of medicine. "After the recent epidemic, not only me, but many other colleagues also completely changed their perspective," she shared with Quyen in the first class. "We realize that Oriental medicine knowledge is not something that is in opposition to what we were trained in, but is an important piece of the puzzle that can help us become more comprehensive doctors." That small class, although just a humble beginning, has planted a seed of hope for the long-term future of the combined model that Quyen and everyone are working hard to build.

A few days later, as promised, Quyen and Bao Nam spent a whole morning planting that light purple wildflower cluster in a quiet corner of the garden, right next to the chrysanthemum bed that Quyen's mother had planted many years ago. Mr. Loc, knowing the meaning of that flower cluster, suggested placing a small wooden sign, engraved with the simple words: "Corner of the garden of the deceased, where love never fades."

People in town, every time they stop by the garden to ask for medicine or simply to walk, often stop in front of that small corner, quietly read the words on the wooden sign, then gently nod as if fully understanding the deep meaning behind it, before continuing to walk respectfully and gently. Standing in front of the newly planted flower cluster, next to that simple wooden sign, Quyen held Bao Nam's hand tightly, both looking forward, where the whole garden was glowing with new life under the morning sunlight. She realized that the healing journey is not about completely eliminating the pain, but about learning to live with it gently, turning it into a part of beautiful memories, continuing to nurture love for the days ahead, just like what they both experienced together and learned together throughout the past journey. And she secretly believes that this is just the beginning of a new chapter, there are many more good things waiting ahead, for the garden, for her small family, and for the budding love affair that is strong enough to go through many storms together.