Chapter 23 — Old Painting Restoration Workshop

The opening night of the "Light of an Age" retrospective took place in the main hall of the Hong Lam Museum of Fine Arts, where hundreds of guests - collectors, researchers, journalists, and Hanoi's art-loving elite - gathered under the light of splendid chandeliers. "Vong Nguyet" is placed in the most solemn position, in the middle of the main hall, under a specialized lighting system that highlights each layer of color that Mien Thu has painstakingly restored over the past many months.

Mien Thu stood in a hidden corner of the lobby, wearing a simple navy blue evening gown, her hand tightly holding Nguyen Vu's hand, who was standing next to her in an elegant suit. Both looked at the crowd gathered around the painting, admiring the brilliant beauty of the newly restored work, none of them knew the secret waiting to be revealed.

"Are you scared?" Nguyen Vu asked softly, squeezing her hand.

"I'm scared." Mien Thu admitted, her voice shaking slightly. "But I'm also ready."

Ms. Quach Thien Kim stepped up to the podium to speak and opened the opening ceremony with solemn introductions about the retrospective, the career of famous artist Tu Binh Son, and the meaning of preserving the nation's artistic heritage. Mien Thu observed Chau Vinh Thinh standing in the front row, looking majestic and confident, completely unaware of the impending storm.

At the introduction to the restoration process of "Vong Nguyet", according to the plan previously agreed with Ms. Kim, Mien Thu was invited to the podium to speak as the main person in charge of restoration. She walked up, her heart pounding, but her steps were still steady.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she began, her voice was a bit shaky at first but gradually became more confident with each word, "I am To Mien Thu, in charge of the Bach Nien restoration workshop, the unit honored to be assigned the responsibility of restoring 'Vong Nguyet' for today's retrospective."

She looked down at the crowd, her eyes stopped briefly at Chau Vinh Thinh, who was still smiling politely, not suspecting anything.

"During the restoration process, I had the opportunity to get closer to each layer of color, each brush stroke of this work, more closely than anyone else in decades." She continued, her voice now completely steady. "And in the process, I discovered something that I believe you have a right to know — a story not just about a work of art, but about the bond between teacher and student, about sacrifice, and about a secret that has been kept for sixty years."

A slight stir spread through the crowd. Mien Thu glanced at Chau Vinh Thinh and saw the smile on his lips begin to stiffen, his eyes became cold.

"Under the old varnish layer of 'Vong Nguyet'," she continued, signaling an assistant to turn on the large screen behind, projecting the scientific analysis images that she and Nguyen Vu had painstakingly collected, "we discovered a completely different background composition, along with a hidden signature, which did not match the official signature of the famous artist Tu Binh Son. Scientific analysis from an independent laboratory confirmed that the surface finishing of the painting was done around 1965 — two years after Tu Binh Son passed away."

The buzz in the crowd became clearer, many eyes turned to Chau Vinh Thinh, who had now stood up from his chair, his face red with anger.

"This is a blatant slander!" He raised his voice, his voice echoed throughout the hall, interrupting Mien Thu's speech. "This girl does not have enough expertise to make such serious accusations about a masterpiece that has been recognized for sixty years!"

Mien Thu stood firmly on the podium. Even though her heart was beating rapidly, she still maintained the necessary calmness. "Mr. Chau, I understand your outrage. But this is not a baseless allegation, but the result of a rigorous scientific analysis, conducted by an independent, reputable laboratory in the industry."

Duong Chi Cuong, sitting not far away, stood up and spoke up to support Chau Vinh Thinh. "The analytical methods of a small restoration workshop, not officially recognized, cannot be a reliable basis for making such an influential statement!"

"That's why," Nguyen Vu, standing in the lobby, spoke up, stepping forward, "I, as an independent art historian with many years of appraisal experience at Tinh Hoa Auction House, would like to confirm the authenticity of these analyzes. We also conducted a survey of another work in the 'final stage' series by Tu Binh Son, currently kept at a provincial museum, and found similar signs."

The appearance of Nguyen Vu, with his reputation and experience, made the crowd even more excited. Many journalists began taking quick notes, a few raised their phones to take photos and videos.

Ms. Quach Thien Kim, still standing near the podium, spoke up, her voice solemn but resolute, in order to stabilize the order that was showing signs of chaos in the lobby. "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to clarify that the museum was informed of these findings in advance, and requested to conduct independent and thorough verification before allowing their announcement at today's event. This is not a spontaneous or irresponsible action, but the result of a serious research process, conducted in accordance with international academic standards."

Ms. Kim's assertion, as the museum's director, caused a part of the bewildered crowd to gradually regain composure, changing from a skeptical attitude to a curious attitude to hear more of the story. A few older art researchers, standing in the middle row, began nodding and quietly discussing with each other the value of the evidence that had just been shown.

"You can't do that!" Chau Vinh Thinh turned to Mrs. Kim, his voice could no longer maintain its original calmness. "You are single-handedly destroying the reputation of the very retrospective that the museum has worked so hard to organize!"

"I'm protecting the museum's academic reputation, Mr. Chau." Ms. Kim responded, her voice unflinching. "That credibility is not built by hiding the truth, but by courageously facing it, no matter how complicated the truth is."

Chau Vinh Thinh, his face now pale and red from suppressed anger, walked straight to the podium, his voice lowered but full of menace. "You are destroying the reputation of a deceased artist, without a chance to defend yourself. Do you know what the consequences of this will be?"

Mien Thu looked straight into his eyes, without flinching. "I'm not destroying anyone's reputation, Mr. Chau. I'm trying to tell a fuller truth, a truth that, I believe, will make us appreciate Tu Binh Son's legacy more, not less."

A young journalist, standing near the front row, raised her hand to speak, her voice filled with curiosity mixed with professional caution. "I would like to ask Ms. Mien Thu, if it is true that the finishing work of the painting was not done by Tu Binh Son himself, then who completed it?"

Mien Thu took a deep breath, knowing that this was the pivotal moment of the entire announcement. "The person who completed the rest of the painting," she said, her voice trembling slightly but without hesitation, "was Tu Binh Son's most devoted student, who did it in accordance with his teacher's last will, in a situation where the teacher's family was in dire straits amid the chaos of war. That student, later, used the experience and respect he learned from the teacher to found a small painting restoration workshop, which I am taking over today."

A heavy silence filled the hall for a moment, as many people began to understand the connection between the person standing on the podium and the story she had just told.

"He is my grandfather." Mien Thu said, her voice choked with emotion but still maintaining the necessary stability. "Mr. To Bach Nien, founder of Bach Nien workshop. I'm not standing here today to denounce my grandfather, or to destroy his teacher's reputation - I'm standing here to tell a story of gratitude, of sacrifice, that I believe deserves to be known, instead of forever being buried in silence."

"That's a touching story," Chau Vinh Thinh interrupted, his voice full of sarcasm, "but emotions cannot replace legal and academic facts. Nonsense! If this painting is not completely original by Tu Binh Son, it is just a fake painting, without any value!"

"That's exactly what I disagree with, sir." A deep, trembling but powerful voice suddenly rang out from the end of the hall, causing the entire crowd to turn their heads.

Mien Thu looked towards that voice, her heart seemed to stop beating for a moment. Ms. Dieu Lan, helped by Bao Tran, was slowly walking into the main hall. Her appearance was small but her eyes were filled with the determination of someone who had been waiting for this moment for sixty years.