Chapter 7 — Medicinal Garden After Hospital

Just as Mr. Loc had warned, just a few days later, a luxury car stopped right in front of the hospital gate, a neatly dressed middle-aged man, carrying a leather briefcase, got out and asked for directions to the director's office. Quyen accidentally witnessed this scene while on her way to the pharmacy, and a bad premonition arose in her heart.

That afternoon, while Quyen was tidying up the medicine cabinet, Nhung rushed over, her voice filled with worry. "Miss Quyen, I just heard that someone from a pharmaceutical company is having a private meeting with Director Hung in the office," she announced. "It is said that they want to propose to buy back the entire medicinal garden land to build a large-scale medicinal herb processing factory."

That news made Quyen confused. She quickly asked permission to leave the pharmacy early and went to Mr. Loc's office to discuss further. At that moment, she received a call from Mr. Thai Van Hung himself, asking her to come to his office immediately.

When Quyen entered the room, she saw the man she had seen in front of the hospital gate sitting across from Mr. Hung, with a confident and professional demeanor. "This is Mr. Truong Gia Bach, director of Kim Thai Pharmaceutical Company," Mr. Hung introduced, his voice somewhat unusually formal. "Mr. Bach has a proposal for cooperation that I think you should listen to directly."

Mr. Bach stood up and shook Quyen's hand with a polite, professional smile. "Nice to meet you Ms. Quyen, I've heard a lot about your efforts in preserving this medicinal garden," he said, his voice soft and convincing. "Our company is very impressed by her dedication, and that's why we look forward to cooperation, instead of confrontation."

"How to cooperate, sir?" Quyen asked, her voice was cautious, unable to hide her caution.

"Kim Thai Company is willing to buy back the entire medicinal garden land at a very attractive price, many times higher than the current market value," Mr. Bach presented, his hand opening a file full of data and professional charts. "We will build a modern medicinal herb processing factory here, creating jobs for hundreds of local workers, and at the same time commit to setting aside a significant amount of funding to build a small museum, displaying all documents and artifacts related to her mother's traditional medicine profession."

That proposal sounded attractive, even thoughtful, but Quyen still felt something was wrong behind that flashy cover. “May I ask directly, sir,” she said, her voice steady. "If your company builds an industrial-scale preliminary processing plant here, will it ensure the preservation of the natural medicinal ecosystem, or will it simply fully exploit available resources, no different from the leveling that the hospital once planned?"

Mr. Bach frowned slightly for a moment, but quickly regained his calm demeanor. "Miss Quyen is such a sharp person," he said, his voice still polite. "Of course, industrial development always comes with certain changes in the landscape, but I believe, the economic benefits it brings to the community will far exceed what a small garden, no matter how sentimental, can bring."

"That garden doesn't simply have sentimental value," Quyen countered, her voice harder. "It is also a valuable source of medical knowledge, compiled over many generations, which if demolished to make way for an industrial factory, we will lose forever, unable to get it back."

Mr. Hung, sitting between the two people, was somewhat confused by the intense discussion taking place. "I think we should take more time to carefully consider all options," he said, trying to calm the situation. "Mr. Bach, perhaps we should schedule another meeting, after I have considered both proposals more closely."

Mr. Bach nodded, stood up and prepared to leave, but before leaving, he turned to Quyen with sharp eyes hidden behind a polite smile. "I hope, you will think more carefully about our proposal," he said, his voice gentle but containing an underlying warning. "Sometimes, bigotry doesn't always bring the best results, both for you and for the community."

After Mr. Bach left, Quyen stood silently in the office, clearly feeling the increasing pressure from many sides. She knows that the fight to protect her mother's garden is no longer simply a matter of convincing the hospital board of directors, but also has to face a calculating commercial force, ready to use any means to achieve its goals.

That evening, when telling the whole incident to Bao Nam and Mr. Loc, both of them seemed equally worried. "I've heard about this Kim Thai company a few times in the press," Bao Nam said, his voice thoughtful. "They have been involved in a few controversies related to overexploitation of medicinal herbs in some other northern mountainous provinces, seriously affecting the natural ecosystem."

That information made Quyen even more determined to complete her project quickly and convincingly, before attractive proposals from Kim Thai could sway the decision of the hospital board of directors, pushing her mother's garden into a fate worse than being leveled as a parking lot.

"I think we need to find more specific evidence about what this company has done in other localities," Quyen said, her voice determined. "If the real risk behind that flashy offer can be proven, perhaps the board of directors can look at the problem more objectively."

Mr. Loc nodded in agreement, but his eyes still showed a hint of worry. "I'm afraid that such companies often have wide connections, possibly even affecting Mr. Hung's superiors," he warned, his voice cautious. "You need to be more careful in every step ahead, don't give them an excuse to defame or cause difficulties for you."

Bao Nam pondered for a moment, then spoke, his voice full of thought. "I have an old classmate who now works at a newspaper specializing in the environment and sustainable development," he said. "Maybe I should try contacting to see if I can collect any more authentic information about Kim Thai company's previous projects, so that we can have a more solid basis when presenting to the board of directors."

"Thank you," Quyen said, her eyes filled with gratitude for his thoughtfulness and dedication. "I feel lucky to have people like you and Mr. Loc who are always ready to accompany and support me on this difficult journey."

"This is not just your journey anymore," Bao Nam replied, his eyes looking at her filled with sincerity. "I believe, this garden deserves to be protected, not only because of its significance to your family, but also because of the real values it brings to the entire community here."

The conversation lasted until late at night, when all three people worked together to make specific plans for their next steps. Even though she knows that the road ahead will be even more thorny and challenging when facing an opponent with financial potential and extensive relationships like Kim Thai Company, Quyen still feels more secure knowing she is not alone on the journey to protect her mother's legacy.

Before leaving, Mr. Loc gave further instructions. "Tomorrow, I will go ask some old acquaintances in the profession, see if anyone has ever worked, or has any information about this Kim Thai company," he said. "Sometimes, long-term relationships in the profession can tell you things that the press doesn't write about."

Quyen nodded gratefully, thinking to herself, I am truly lucky to have a teacher and a longtime friend like Mr. Loc who is always willing to devote all his strength to help me on this difficult journey. She looked back at the unfinished project file on the table and told herself that tomorrow she would have to wake up earlier than usual and take advantage of a little more time before her shift to continue completing each missing page of documents.

Late that night, lying in bed unable to sleep, Quyen took out her phone and reviewed the photos she had just taken of the garden in the morning - the beds of medicinal plants had begun to revive and the small flower buds were blooming. She smiled and told herself, no matter how strong the opponent in front is, she will never let that garden fall into the hands of those who only see profit, but forget the true value hidden in every inch of land and every tree here.