Chapter 30 — Medicinal Garden After Hospital

Spring that year came to Yen Son earlier and brighter than usual. After the cold winter days, the medicinal garden behind the district hospital awakened to a new vitality, when a series of flower beds and beds of medicinal plants simultaneously sprouted and bloomed under the warm sunlight at the beginning of the year. As planned, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Center for Research and Treatment combining Eastern and Western medicine was solemnly held right in the garden, on a clear early spring morning, when the last peach blossom petals of the season were still scattered on the hillsides around the town.

From early morning, people from all over Yen Son town eagerly flocked to the garden, bringing excitement and pride clearly visible on each face. Flowers and flags were brightly decorated throughout the entrance, congratulatory banners were solemnly hung, and in the center of the ceremony, a large sign engraved with the words: "Yen Son Combined Eastern and Western Medicine Research and Treatment Center — A place to continue the legacy of physician Dao Thi Sen."

Quyen stood on a small stage temporarily set up in the middle of the garden, in a light green traditional ao dai, next to her was Bao Nam in a neat suit, both holding hands, their eyes filled with emotion as they looked out at the sea of people gathering below. Mr. Hung, as the hospital director, spoke at the opening ceremony with a proud voice, recalling the entire arduous but also extremely meaningful journey that the whole community has gone through together for nearly a year.

"From a garden that was once at risk of being wiped out, we are now witnessing it rising to become a symbol of the harmonious combination between tradition and modernity, between past and future," Mr. Hung said, his voice echoing throughout the garden. "This is not just a victory for Ms. Quyen, Dr. Nam or Mr. Loc, but a common victory for the entire Yen Son community, who have always believed, accompanied and fully supported this meaningful journey."

When it was her turn to speak, Quyen couldn't help but choke up with emotion. She looked down at the crowd and saw her father standing in the front row, his eyes shining with immense pride; Seeing Mr. Loc, although his hair has become whiter, his spirit is still clear and steady; saw Nhung waving and cheering enthusiastically; saw Ms. Quynh Nhu busy recording this historic moment; and saw many other familiar faces, people who had gone through many ups and downs with her to get to where she is today.

"More than a year ago, I was a scared girl, avoiding the very garden that my mother spent her life building," Quyen said, her voice trembling but full of determination. "I used to think that the pain of losing my mother would forever be attached to every tree and every bed of land here. But the journey of returning, learning and preserving my mother's legacy, taught me a valuable lesson - that the best way to remember the people we love who have passed away is not to avoid what is attached to them, but to continue and develop the good values they left behind, so that it continues to be alive and useful for many future generations."

She looked at Bao Nam, who was standing next to her, his eyes full of support and love. "On that journey, I was fortunate to be accompanied by wonderful people - Mr. Loc, the teacher who devotedly passed on all the precious knowledge; my father, who helped me overcome the pain of loss to rediscover the joy of life; and especially Bao Nam, who accompanied me from initial disagreements, to understanding, trust, and finally deep love for each other. It is thanks to all of you, including the Yen Son community, that my dream was possible. My mother's seemingly impossible dream has now come true."

In the crowd, Quyen also recognized another familiar face - Ms. Pham Thi Thu, carrying baby Tran Ngoc Bich, now healthy and plump, running around the garden with the children in the neighborhood. Ms. Thu approached, her trembling hands holding Quyen's hand. "If it weren't for this garden, I probably would have lost her," she said, her voice still choked even though more than half a year had passed since that terrible night. "I hope the new center will continue to help many more families, just like it saved my family." Quyen hugged her sister, then bent down to pick up baby Ngoc Bich, caressing the child's chubby, adorable face. Her heart was filled with an indescribable happiness at the most vivid demonstration of the value of what the group had built together.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place in a solemn but warm and emotional atmosphere. After the official ceremony, everyone participated in the souvenir tree planting activity, marking the beginning of the new construction phase. Quyen, Bao Nam, Mr. Loc and Mr. Thanh, four people together planted a small giant tree right in the center of the expanded garden, symbolizing the longevity and sustainable development of the legacy left by Mrs. Sen.

"I believe, from today, this tree will grow with the development of the center, witnessing many generations of patients being healed, many generations of young doctors and doctors being trained and growing up right here," Mr. Loc said, his hands trembling as he spread the first shovels of soil around the base of the young tree. Mr. Thanh stood next to, helping Mr. Loc, his eyes shone with complete happiness, without any trace of the sadness and closure that had enveloped him for a long time.

That afternoon, when the official ceremony ended, the crowd gradually thinned out, leaving only the closest people lingering in the garden, enjoying a rare moment of peace in the warm spring air. Quyen and Bao Nam walked along the blooming flower beds, passing by a small garden corner dedicated to the deceased, where the light purple wildflowers were now starting to show their first buds, signaling that a blooming season was approaching.

"Do you realize it?" Bao Nam said, stopping in front of that flower cluster, his voice filled with emotion. "Exactly this spring, when the new center began to be built, it was also the time when Bao An's flower bushes were about to bloom for the first time. I think, that is not a coincidence, but a beautiful sign, showing that every loss, every pain, can eventually be transformed into good things, if we are patient enough to wait, courageous enough to continue living, continue to love."

Quyen leaned her head on his shoulder, her eyes looking out across the garden, which was glowing with new life under the gentle afternoon sunlight. In the distance, familiar medicinal plant beds are still reaching out to catch the sunlight, mixed with newly leveled land areas, preparing for upcoming construction items. That intersection between old and new, between what has existed for thirty years and what is beginning to take shape, creates a scene that is both familiar and new, full of hope.

"I believe, mom is very proud," Quyen whispered, not sure if she was talking to Bao Nam or talking to her deceased mother. "From a small garden, quietly built by my mother for thirty years, it has now become the pride of an entire town, a place to heal not only physical illnesses, but also the deep wounds in the souls of many people, including me."

She turned to look at Bao Nam, a bright smile on her lips, her eyes sparkling in the warm spring afternoon sunlight. "Thank you, Mom, for leaving me such a precious legacy," she continued, her voice gentle but heavy. "And thank you, for continuing to write that story with me, in a more complete and beautiful way than anything I ever dared to dream of."

Bao Nam held her in his arms, both standing silently in the middle of the garden blooming under the new sunlight, where each bed of medicinal plants, each blooming flower petal carried within it a story of perseverance, of love, of an arduous but also extremely meaningful journey of healing. The spring wind gently blows through, carrying with it the gentle scent of hundreds of flowers, of the earth and sky transforming into a new season, like a peaceful blessing for all that has passed, and for a bright, hope-filled future waiting ahead, where the medicinal garden behind the hospital will forever be the living testament to the power of love, the patience to stay, and the belief that, after every loss, there is always a new season of flowers waiting to bloom. blooming, glowing under the sunshine of new beginnings, like the stories of Quyen, Bao Nam, and a whole community that together learned how to heal, how to love, how to move on after seemingly irreparable hurts.