Chapter 26 — Old Book Repairer In A Small Alley

In the weeks after the event at the hall, Lam's life changed at a pace for which she had never been fully prepared. The story of Doan Thuc Hien and Smoke Suong Lac Ben spread quickly across newspapers and literary websites, becoming a hot topic of discussion among researchers and the literature-loving public. Some people are emotional, some are skeptical, some are even angry because they feel their "idol" has been shaken, but most, over time, gradually accept the truth as more evidence and more scientific analyzes are widely published.

Tinh Hoa Publishing House, under the direction of Ung The Khang himself, established a special council to review the entire copyright issue, inviting Tieu Ngoc Lam and two of her colleagues to participate as independent consultants, ensuring absolute objectivity for the entire historical review process. After two months of serious work, the council came to an official conclusion: Doan Thuc Hien is the co-author of the poetry collection Khoi Suong Lac Ben, with the majority of key poems - including the title poem - belonging entirely to her pen.

The ceremony announcing the official conclusion was much simpler than the previous noisy conference event, consisting of only a small press conference at the publisher's headquarters, but its meaning was greater than anything. Ung The Khang, representative of the family, officially announced that he would republish The Smoke of Lac Ben with the names of two authors on the cover: Ung Boi Chau and Doan Thuc Hien, accompanied by an appendix telling the entire story behind this truth, based on the very dossier that Lam and Duy Khoi had painstakingly built.

The process of reaching this decision was not easy. Some members of the scientific council initially objected, arguing that adding a second author's name to a work that had been ingrained in the public consciousness for sixty years could cause confusion and reduce the commercial value of the brand. But Ung The Khang, in the final decisive meeting, resolutely maintained his stance, citing his grandfather's letter as irrefutable proof of the deceased's true wishes.

"If my grandfather were still alive, I believe he would support this decision," he said during the meeting, according to a council member with whom Duy Khoi later had the opportunity to speak. "We cannot continue to build a legacy based on a lie, no matter how familiar that lie has been around for so long."

"This is not a way to completely erase my grandfather's legacy," Ung The Khang told the press, his voice now much calmer and more sincere than in previous, calculating meetings. "It's a way to perfect that legacy, so that it reflects the truth, exactly what really happened, no matter how complicated and heartbreaking that truth is. I believe readers deserve to know the full story behind the poems they love."

As for Nha Ky, her family received an official invitation to join the editorial board of the new edition, as a representative of the author's relatives. She took a long-term leave from the library to spend time on this meaningful work, regularly going to Tra Lang to work with Lam and Duy Khoi in reviewing and annotating the entire content of the original manuscript.

"You know," Nha Ky said during an afternoon working at Vong Chu shop, her eyes shining with emotion as she flipped through the carefully restored manuscript pages, "I still can't help but feel like I'm living in a dream. From an ordinary librarian, I have now become the keeper of the key to a part of literary history."

"I think Mrs. Thuc Hien would be very proud of me," Lam replied, smiling at the woman who had become her close friend over the past few months, a friendship that arose from a family secret but grew into a sincere bond, far beyond the framework of a book editing project.

As for Mr. Vuu Khac Dien, he was invited to attend the launch ceremony of the new edition as an honored guest, receiving a solemn thank you from the Ung family for courageously testifying to the truth after more than sixty years of silence. The old man, when interviewed, just smiled gently, saying that he was only doing what a true printer should do - recounting exactly what his eyes had seen.

Lam and Duy Khoi visited him again after the event, bringing with them a first test copy of the new edition for him to preview. He held the book in his hand, tremblingly flipping through each page, stopping for a long time at the cover with two parallel names printed on it. "It's been sixty years since I've seen this," he said, his voice choked. "At that time, I thought I would take this matter to my grave. I didn't expect that one day I would see justice, even if it was too late."

He held the book tightly in his heart for a long time, then looked up at Lam, his eyes shining with an indescribable joy. "Thank you. Thank you for not letting this story die with us old people."

Tieu Ngoc Lam, after the incident, became a more prestigious voice than ever in the world of manuscript appraisal, regularly invited to participate in other important literary history research projects. She kept in regular contact with Lam and Duy Khoi, even offering to provide free professional support for any restoration projects related to literary heritage that the Vong Chu shop received in the future.

But amidst all those great changes, what touches Lam the most are still the smaller, quieter changes - the way the neighbors in Do Paper Alley now look at her with proud eyes instead of curiosity, the way the old man selling Do paper often stops by to ask about the progress of the new edition with sincere concern, the way her father, every night, spends time sitting with her to review each page of documents, even though sometimes he can only give comments in a few shaky words on the paper. familiar notebook.

Every morning, Mrs. Nu brings over a pot of freshly brewed tea, sits with Lam and chats before she starts work, and often marvels as she reads the latest articles written about the story. "You know," she said one morning, her eyes shining with undisguised pride, "when I went to the market, everyone asked me if I was the neighbor of 'Miss Lam who found the truth for the poet'. She bragged to the whole neighborhood, saying you were the granddaughter she raised since she was a child, even though in reality she only lived near her house."

Lam laughed at that loving exaggeration, feeling more clearly than ever the strong bond between herself and the small community that had nurtured her for twenty-seven years of her life, a community that she now felt even more poignantly had to preserve at all costs for future generations.

One evening, when work was temporarily put aside, Lam sat by the workshop window, looking out at the alley bathed in the warm yellow light of the evening, her heart filled with a feeling of deep gratitude. She thought about the entire journey that had passed — from the moment she discovered the nape lining was unusually thick, to the sleepless nights of worry, to the dramatic conference, and now, to this rare moment of peace, when the truth was finally recognized, when the old wounds of the two families were gradually healing.

But she also knows, there is still one important thing that has not been completely resolved: the fate of Do Paper Alley itself, which has witnessed this entire story from beginning to end, is still hanging in the balance, waiting for a final decision from Ung The Khang and his company.

True to his promise at the conference hall, he immediately stopped the entire land acquisition process and sent official documents to each household in the alley, but "pause" is still just a suspended state, not a long-term commitment. Mrs. Nu, although much more relieved than in previous weeks, still couldn't help but feel nervous every time she mentioned the future of the alley. "It's time to stop and we'll do it again someday," she said, her voice still a little worried. "She just hopes there will be a clear, decisive decision, so that people can live and do business with peace of mind."

Lam understands that worry better than anyone. She has learned, through a long journey, that the promise of an emotional moment and the long-term concrete action are two completely different things, and she knows that the final part of this story - the part that decides the true fate of Do Paper Alley - is still waiting to be written, perhaps coming sooner than she thinks.