Chapter 4 — Medicinal Garden After Hospital

In the following days, Quyen began to spend all her free time re-reading each of her mother's notebooks, carefully taking notes on unclear things to ask Mr. Loc more. She also started returning to the garden every early morning before her shift, cleaning up small plots of land, removing weeds, and pruning the medicinal plants that had still survived more than a year of abandonment.

Although the work was difficult, it brought Quyen a strange feeling of peace that she had not felt since the day her mother passed away. Every time her hands touched the ground and smelled the familiar smell of tobacco leaves, she felt her mother's presence as if she were somewhere very close, watching her every step.

One morning, while diligently weeding a bed of polyscias fruticosa, Quyen suddenly heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and was surprised to see Bao Nam standing there, his hand holding a cup of coffee, his eyes somewhat curious as he looked around the garden that was gradually being revived.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bother," he said, his voice holding a rare shyness. "I happened to pass by and saw the garden gate was open, so I stopped by to take a look."

"I don't mind," Quyen replied, standing up and brushing her hands, her eyes still a bit cautious after the previous tense discussion. "I'm cleaning up the garden, preparing to replant some plants that have died from being left fallow for too long."

Bao Nam stepped closer, his eyes observed the neatly cleaned beds, and the new seedlings that Quyen had nurtured and planted in a few small pots placed next to the path. "I heard, the hospital plans to level this garden," he said, his voice low. "Are you trying to stop it?"

"That's right," Quyen replied, her eyes firmly looking straight at him. "This is my mother's legacy, and not only that, this is also a place that has helped countless people in this town over the past thirty years. I cannot let it disappear because of an administrative decision."

Bao Nam was silent for a moment, his eyes looking far away at the beds of medicinal plants, as if he was pondering something in his heart. "I have to admit, I used to have quite negative prejudices about traditional medicine," he said, his voice slow, with a rare sincerity. "But a few days ago, I heard you giving advice to an old lady about Phyllanthus urinaria leaves, and I realized that perhaps the problem does not lie in traditional medicine itself, but in its lack of knowledge and lack of proper combination with modern medicine."

That admission surprised Quyen. She never thought that a somewhat rigid and principled doctor like Bao Nam could reflect on his own views so openly. “Thank you for sharing that,” she said, her voice softening. "In fact, my mother has always believed that Eastern medicine and Western medicine should not oppose each other, but should complement and combine each other to bring the best treatment results to patients."

"I'm starting to understand that better," Bao Nam replied, nodding slightly. "Perhaps, I need to learn more things from this garden itself, and from you too."

The atmosphere between the two became much less tense than the previous meeting, replaced by an openness and mutual curiosity that was gradually forming. Quyen showed Bao Nam a few familiar medicinal plants, briefly explaining their uses, while he listened attentively, occasionally asking a few technical questions that left her impressed by his acumen.

"What is this tree?" Bao Nam asked, his hand pointing to a small cluster of trees with oval leaves, growing among the weeds near the fence.

"This is the black galangal plant, one of the precious medicinal herbs that my mother once reserved an entire corner of the garden to grow," Quyen explained, her voice filled with pride. "This plant has been researched to have a supportive effect in a number of tumor-related diseases, although more in-depth scientific research is still needed to fully confirm it."

Bao Nam nodded slightly, his eyes looking at that small cluster of trees with completely new respect. "If it is possible to combine formal scientific research with folk experiences like this, I believe, this will be a very potential direction," he commented, his voice full of thought.

The conversation lasted until they both realized it was almost time for their shift. "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to reconsider this issue," Bao Nam said before leaving, his eyes much warmer than when they first met. "If you need any support from modern medicine to prove the value of this garden, I am willing to help."

That suggestion surprised Quyen, but also gave her a new hope. Perhaps, her journey to save her mother's garden will not rely solely on her efforts, but may also find unexpected allies, even from those who initially seem to be completely opposed to her beliefs.

That afternoon, when Quyen recounted the conversation to Nhung at the cafeteria, her friend couldn't hide her mischievous eyes. "Have you noticed anything? Doctor Nam has noticed you," Nhung teased, making Quyen blush and protest.

"Don't talk nonsense, we just have the same goal of protecting the garden," Quyen replied, although in her heart she couldn't deny that there was a strange feeling creeping in every time she mentioned that doctor.

"Just say so," Nhung smiled, her eyes full of meaning. "But I believe, sometimes, the most beautiful relationships start from the most seemingly fierce debates."

Quyen shook her head and laughed, trying to avoid other things, but in her heart, she could not deny that the image of Bao Nam standing in the middle of the garden this morning, his eyes full of curiosity and respect as he listened to her explain about each type of plant, still lingered in her mind all afternoon.

That afternoon, after finishing her shift, Quyen stopped by Mr. Loc's house to report on the progress of cleaning the garden and recounted the unexpected conversation with the new doctor. Mr. Loc listened with an interested expression, occasionally nodding in approval.

"You see, my dear, not everyone sticks to their prejudices," Mr. Loc commented, pouring more tea for her. "A doctor who dares to reflect on his own point of view is a valuable quality that not everyone has."

"I was surprised about that too," Quyen admitted, her hand twirling the hot tea cup. "I thought he would continue to object as strongly as when we first met, but it turned out that he was willing to listen and even offered to help me."

"Perhaps, he is also looking for something, like you," Mr. Loc said slowly, his voice thoughtful and meaningful. "Sometimes, people who carry their own pain in their hearts are more likely to sympathize with each other than anyone else, even though they initially come from completely opposite perspectives."

Mr. Loc's words startled Quyen, suddenly remembering Bao Nam's confiding eyes in the evening when she accidentally saw him standing alone under the almond tree in front of the hospital yard. She wondered what caused such a talented and dedicated doctor to carry such profound loneliness, but she also understood that there are wounds that need time and trust to be shared.

On the way home, Quyen passed by the garden again, stopping to look at the newly cleaned beds under the pale sunset. She smiled, clearly feeling that with each passing day, the garden seemed to be gradually regaining vitality, and with it, she herself was also gradually finding the peace that she had lost over the past year.

Standing against the bamboo fence, Quyen pulled out the small notebook she always carried with her recently, flipping to the last page she had just added to notes this morning - a list of plants that needed to be replanted, tasks that needed to be completed before the upcoming hospital meeting. She knew that time was running out, there was less than two weeks left before Mr. Hung announced the official decision, and she needed to prepare all the evidence, all the most convincing arguments possible, if she wanted to have a chance to change the situation that was tilting to the disadvantage of her mother's garden. Closing the notebook, she looked up at the sky that was gradually turning dark purple at the end of the horizon, silently telling herself that, even though the road ahead was full of thorns and unpredictable challenges, she would not allow herself to give up again.