Chapter 5 — Medicinal Garden After Hospital

Two weeks passed quickly in the busy cycle of working at the pharmacy, taking advantage of every free time to clean, take care of the garden and study my mother's notebooks. Quyen has almost no time to rest, but she has never felt so energetic since the day her mother passed away.

Mr. Dao Van Thanh, although still cautious, also started going to his daughter's garden every weekend, showing her how to recognize some plants that he remembered from the years he helped his wife take care of the medicinal garden. There were afternoons when father and son sat together by the bed, not talking much, just quietly working side by side, but Quyen felt that the distance between father and son seemed to be gradually narrowing with each afternoon.

Bao Nam also often stopped by the garden after work. At first it was just short conversations about the uses of each medicinal herb, but gradually, he began to proactively offer to help Quyen look up scientific documents related to the remedies in her mother's notebook, comparing them with modern medical research to find similarities and complement each other.

"I found a pretty interesting study on the black radish plant that you showed me the other day," Bao Nam said one afternoon, his hand holding a stack of documents printed from medical journals. "There are some initial clinical studies showing that the active ingredients in this plant have the potential to support treatment, although more large-scale trials are needed to confirm for sure."

Quyen received the stack of documents, her eyes lit up with excitement as she flipped through each page. “This is exactly what I needed to convince the board of directors,” she said, her voice unable to hide her excitement. "If we can combine the records of my mother's experiences with scientific studies like this, we will have a strong enough record to prove the true value of the garden."

"We?" Bao Nam asked again, slightly raising his eyebrows, somewhat surprised by her choice of words.

Quyen paused, realizing that she had unconsciously seen him as a true ally in this journey. "Sorry, I didn't mean..." she faltered, somewhat embarrassed.

"It's okay," Bao Nam replied, the corner of his mouth slightly curled up into a rare smile. "I like the use of that word. I also want to contribute to this."

That moment made the atmosphere between the two become much warmer, a new bond was gradually forming, beyond the simple boundaries between colleagues. Quyen feels that something is changing in her heart, a feeling that she hasn't dared to name, but brings her a gentle joy every time she thinks about it.

However, that joy was quickly interrupted when, just as Mr. Hung had previously announced, the hospital's entire meeting on the facility expansion plan officially took place on a Monday morning. The hospital's large hall was filled with officials and staff from every department, and the tense atmosphere pervaded right from the first minutes.

Mr. Thai Van Hung stood on the podium and presented a detailed planning drawing, in which the entire medicinal garden behind the hospital was marked as the area to be leveled to build a new three-storey building, with spacious parking for patients and family members. "This is a plan that has been approved by the Department of Health in terms of policy, and is expected to start construction within the next three months," Mr. Hung announced, his voice monotonous and administrative.

Quyen sat in the last row, her hands clasped tightly around the file she had diligently prepared over the past two weeks. When it came to the question and answer session, she stood up, her voice trembled slightly but was still loud enough for the whole hall to hear clearly. "Dear director, I would like to present another option, instead of completely leveling the medicinal garden."

The entire hall turned their eyes towards her, and a few whispers arose. Mr. Hung frowned, but still nodded for her to continue. Quyen stepped forward, her hands trembling as she opened the file, presenting the historical and medical value of the garden, along with the scientific evidence that Bao Nam helped her synthesize.

"This garden is not only my family's heritage, but also a valuable medicinal resource that has been researched and developed by many higher level hospitals," she explained, her voice gradually becoming more confident. "I propose a plan to retain part of the garden area, combine the construction of a new house on the remaining land, and at the same time develop the garden into a model of research and application of traditional medicine combined with modernity, which can become a distinctive highlight for our hospital."

A few murmurs of approval rang out from his colleagues, but Mr. Hung still kept an unpredictable expression. "Your proposal sounds feasible, but I'm afraid that, with limited land area, it will be difficult for us to both maintain the garden and meet the needs of expanding the medical department as originally planned," he said, his voice still cautious.

At that moment, Bao Nam, sitting in the middle of the hall, suddenly stood up. “Director, may I add,” he said, his voice calm but convincing. "As a doctor trained in modern medicine, at first I was skeptical about the value of this garden. But over time, I realized that this is truly a valuable asset that not every district hospital has. I believe, if properly invested, the model of combining Eastern and Western medicine here can completely become a unique strength, attracting not only patients in the region, but also the attention of medical research units."

Bao Nam's unexpected statement caused a stir in the hall, many surprised eyes turned towards him, including Quyen. She did not expect that he would be willing to stand up to protect the garden so openly and strongly in front of the entire hospital leadership.

Mr. Hung pondered for a long time, his eyes looked around the hall, feeling the support gradually leaning towards the new proposal. "Okay," he finally said, his voice somewhat condescending. "I will review this plan and ask the technical department to evaluate the feasibility of combining both goals. But I need a complete, detailed project within the next week, before I can submit it again to the Department of Health."

That news was like a breath of fresh air that sparked hope in Quyen's heart. Although the road ahead still has many challenges, at least the door of hope has not completely closed, and she knows she will not have to continue on this arduous journey alone.

After the meeting, when everyone gradually left the hall, Quyen came to Bao Nam, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you, for standing up and saying those words in front of the entire board of directors," she said, her voice still filled with emotion. "I really didn't expect you to be willing to do that."

"I'm just saying what I really believe," Bao Nam replied, smiling slightly. "Furthermore, I think, this is not just your personal matter anymore, but has become a common goal for both of us."

Mai Tuyet Nhung, standing nearby, couldn't hide her mischievous smile when witnessing that moment between the two. "I'm not wrong," she whispered to Quyen as Bao Nam turned away. "Looking at the way he stood up to protect you in front of the whole hall like that, it's not a normal feeling."

Quyen blushed, trying to avoid her friend's teasing eyes, but in her heart, she could not deny the warm feeling of knowing that she had a trustworthy companion on the road ahead, even though that road still had many hardships and challenges awaiting.

That evening, Quyen, Mr. Loc and his father sat down to discuss a plan to build a detailed project at Mr. Hung's request. All three of them sketched out specific ideas together - from re-planning the garden area to ensure both growing space and enough land for new projects, to building a small display area to introduce the history and value of traditional remedies.

"He thought, I should propose to build a small pharmacy, following modern hygiene standards, to be able to produce some safe herbal products that can be distributed more widely," Mr. Loc commented, his eyes full of enthusiasm. "Thus, the garden not only stops at conservation, but can also create real economic value, convincing even those who only care about budget problems."

Mr. Thanh, although still somewhat timid, also contributed ideas about rearranging the plant beds so that they are more scientific and reasonable than the previous traditional planting method. Looking at the scene of the whole family and Mr. Loc gathering together, joining hands for a meaningful goal, Quyen clearly felt that this was what her mother had always wished for - not only to retain a piece of land, but also the solidarity and attachment of those who remained, together continuing to write the story that she had left unfinished.