Chapter 9 — Medicinal Garden After Hospital

With the project almost completed, along with a file containing dozens of touching stories from families who had been helped by her mother, Quyen felt much more confident when entering the face-to-face meeting with Mr. Thai Van Hung on time as scheduled one week earlier. She spent a sleepless night reviewing every single detail, making sure every argument was as rigorous, logical, and convincing as possible.

That morning, when Quyen entered Mr. Hung's office, she was surprised to see that both Bao Nam and Mr. Loc were already present, waiting to join this important presentation. "We think this is the time to need everyone's consensus," Bao Nam explained, smiling softly when he saw her surprised eyes.

Quyen presented the project methodically, scientifically, and coherently, from the detailed planning drawings drawn up by herself, Mr. Loc and her father, to the scientific evidence about medicinal values that Bao Nam helped her synthesize, and finally to the file containing true stories about the human values that the garden has brought to the community over the past thirty years.

"This is not just a garden, director," Quyen concluded, her voice full of enthusiasm and sincerity. "This is a whole system of knowledge, an emotional network that connects the community, and I believe, if invested properly, it can completely become its own strength, helping our hospital assert its position in the region."

Mr. Hung listened attentively, occasionally nodding in approval at Quyen's sharp arguments. When she finished presenting, he pondered for a long time before speaking. "I have to admit, this is a very dedicated and professional project," he said, his voice somewhat grateful. "However, I still need to submit it to the Department of Health for official approval, because this is a decision beyond my own authority."

"I understand, director," Quyen replied, trying to keep her voice calm even though she couldn't help but feel nervous. "We just hope that this project will be considered fairly and objectively, based on its true value."

"I will try my best to protect this point of view when working with the Department," Mr. Hung pledged, his voice much more steadfast than the previous meeting. "Honestly, after reading through the stories in this file, I also feel that we cannot let such a precious heritage disappear just because of a simple area problem."

Those words gave Quyen great hope. She realized that her sincerity and perseverance were finally starting touch the hearts of those with decision-making authority, although the road ahead still needed many more steps to reach the final result.

However, that joy did not last long. Just two days later, while Quyen was working at the pharmacy, she received a strange phone call. On the other end of the line was the voice of a woman claiming to be Mr. Truong Gia Bach's assistant, announcing that Kim Thai company had officially sent a written proposal for the land purchase price three times higher than the current market valuation, along with a commitment to sponsor a large sum of money for the hospital's welfare fund.

That news quickly spread throughout the hospital, creating a wave of mixed public opinion. Some officials and employees believe that with such a large amount of money, the hospital can completely use it to upgrade medical equipment and improve the lives of all employees, instead of stubbornly retaining a garden whose direct economic value cannot be compared.

"I heard that some people on the board of directors are leaning towards accepting Kim Thai's proposal," Nhung whispered to Quyen during the lunch break, her voice filled with worry. "That amount of money is really too big, it's hard to refuse easily."

Quyen clearly felt the pressure increasing and weighing heavily on her shoulders. She knows that arguments about spiritual and medical values are sometimes difficult to compete with the appeal of specific, attractive financial numbers in front of her. "I need to find a way to prove that the long-term value of the garden is much greater than the immediate sum Kim Thai offered," she told Bao Nam that evening, her voice filled with concern.

Bao Nam pondered, then proposed a new idea. "I think we should invite a group of experts from the university of pharmacy, where I once had some acquaintances, to survey the actual garden," he said. "If there is an independent, objective professional assessment from the academic community, proving the long-term research value of the garden, it will certainly be much more convincing than what we present ourselves."

That idea received approval from both Quyen and Mr. Loc. That same night, Bao Nam began drafting a letter to contact his former teacher at the university, while Quyen and Mr. Loc continued to complete the necessary documents.

A few days later, good news came when Bao Nam's former teacher, a leading professor in medicinal herbology, agreed to arrange a time to bring a group of graduate students to survey the garden next week. "My teacher said that after hearing the description of the diversity of medicinal plants preserved here, he was very curious and wanted to verify with his own eyes," Bao Nam announced, his voice unable to hide his excitement.

That news made the whole group excited, putting all their effort into preparing to welcome the survey team. Mr. Loc spent several days working with Mr. Thanh to review each plant bed, ensuring everything was neat and easy to observe, and at the same time preparing Ms. Sen's documents and notebooks so that the research team could compare and refer to them during the survey.

At the same time, Quyen also did not forget to mentally prepare for unpredictable developments that may occur from Kim Thai company. She knows that once the other party realizes the risk of losing the opportunity to buy land, they may not hesitate to use more drastic, even somewhat non-transparent, measures to achieve their goals. She told herself that she needed to be more cautious in every next step, especially in the upcoming important period, when the battle to protect the garden seemed to be entering a decisive turning point.

That evening, when all the preparations were in order, Quyen and Bao Nam sat on the porch of the small shed in the garden, looking out at the star-studded night sky. "Do you think we will win this war?" Quyen asked, her voice could not hide the worry even though she tried to act strong all day.

Bao Nam was silent for a moment, his eyes looking far away towards the rows of trees engulfed in the pale darkness of the late moonlight. "I'm not sure about the final result," he replied, his voice sincere. "But I believe, as long as we persist in doing what is right, with kindness and honesty, no matter the outcome, we will not regret what we tried."

That answer, although it did not give Quyen any certainty, made her feel much more relieved. She realized, perhaps, that this journey is important not only in the final result, but also in the values that they have preserved and cultivated together throughout the process of pursuing it.

"Thank you, for always knowing how to say exactly what I need to hear," Quyen said, smiling slightly at him in the dim moonlight. "Sometimes, I wonder if I'm being too stubborn, too stubborn, by insisting on keeping a garden that many people think is only nostalgic."

"You are not stubborn at all," Bao Nam replied, his voice firm and steadfast. "You're defending the right thing, it's just that the road to proving that right thing is sometimes more bumpy than we think." He turned to look at her, his eyes still shining with a rare sincerity in the dark night. "If possible, I want to accompany you to the end of this path, no matter where it leads."

Those words made Quyen's heart beat slightly faster, a warm feeling spread throughout her chest. She didn't respond right away, just quietly sat next to him, letting that silence speak for itself of everything they were both feeling but no one dared to say out loud, between the chirping of insects and the cool night breeze gently blowing through the slowly revitalizing garden.