Chapter 24 — Old Painting Restoration Workshop

The whole main hall was silent as if holding its breath when Ms. Dieu Lan, supported by Bao Tran, slowly walked closer to the speaking podium. Her small figure, dressed in a simple light blue silk ao dai, seemed to radiate a weight far beyond her actual size, causing even Chau Vinh Thinh to take a step back, his face suddenly changed color when he realized the woman standing in front of him.

"I am Tu Dieu Lan, daughter of famous artist Tu Binh Son." She spoke, her voice shaking with age but echoing clearly throughout the hall in absolute silence. "I have lived with this secret for sixty years, and today, I want to tell the truth personally, so that no one has to hear it through rumor or inference."

She recounted, with the trembling but powerful voice of a living witness, the entire story that Mien Thu and Nguyen Vu had painstakingly collected — about her father's serious illness during the difficult war years, about the debt her family had to bear, about the last night her father spent with his most devoted student, and about the lifelong torment that Bach Nien carried after fulfilling that promise.

"Bach Nien is not a person who fakes paintings for personal gain." She spoke, her voice choked but determined. "He was a young man who loved his teacher so much that he was willing to sacrifice part of his conscience to save his family from poverty. If you want to judge him, please judge me too, because I was the one who begged him to do it, it was my family who accepted that sacrifice."

Sporadic applause rang out from a corner of the hall, then gradually spread, although there were still many skeptical faces, not completely convinced. Mien Thu stood on the podium, tears rolling down her cheeks, looking at the elderly woman who had just bravely broken the sixty-year silence just to protect the honor of both her father and her grandfather.

Chau Vinh Thinh stood still, his face no longer showing the initial anger, but turning into a deep confusion, as if the entire foundation he had stood on all these years was shaking under his feet.

"This," he said, his voice now much quieter than before, "does not change the fact that my father, Mr. Chau Boi Long, took advantage of your family's difficult situation for commercial gain."

"Not quite like that, Mr. Chau." Another voice rang out, this time from Nguyen Vu, who stepped closer, holding an old envelope that he had received from Ms. Dieu Lan during their most recent meeting. "We found a letter, handwritten by his father, sent to Ms. Dieu Lan in 1980, not long before his death."

The entire lobby was once again plunged into inquisitive silence. Chau Vinh Thinh looked at the envelope in Nguyen Vu's hand, his face turned pale.

"Ms. Dieu Lan has allowed us to publish the content of this letter, if necessary, to clarify the whole story." Nguyen Vu said, opened the letter, read it aloud in front of the entire auditorium, his voice was solemn and full of emotion.

"'Dear Dieu Lan, I know that what I did to your father's painting, and to Bach Nien, will forever be a stain on my conscience. At first, I just thought it was a business opportunity, a way to help your family overcome difficulties while I also benefited. But later, when I saw Bach Nien tormented to the point of not daring to accept any more projects related to your father, I realized that I had taken advantage of my loyalty. The success and love of a young man to serve his own ambition. I kept that painting all my life not only because of its commercial value, but because it reminded me of a mistake I never had the courage to correct or admit publicly. I apologize to you, and to Bach Nien, even though I know this apology comes too late.'"

Nguyen Vu's voice lowered as he read the last lines, the whole hall was immersed in a heavy, emotional silence. Chau Vinh Thinh stood as if petrified, his eyes were red, a truth he had never known about his own father had just been exposed to hundreds of strange eyes.

"I... I didn't know about this letter." He spoke, his voice lost, lacking any authority like before. "My father never told me about this."

"Perhaps," Mrs. Dieu Lan said, her voice surprisingly gentle as she looked at Chau Vinh Thinh's shocked face, "his father also carried a similar burden in his heart as Bach Nien did - a mistake he did not have the courage to admit when he was alive, but still tormented him until the last days of his life. Perhaps, he treasured that painting more than anyone else, precisely because it reminded him of something he wished he had done differently."

Mien Thu looked at Chau Vinh Thinh, the powerful man who once stood in front of her factory door with cold threatening eyes, now standing there, trembling, small before the truth about his own father. In that moment, she no longer saw him as an enemy to defeat, but as another person, also facing a part of his family history that he was never mentally prepared to know.

Duong Chi Cuong, standing not far away, opened his mouth to object further, but seeing Chau Vinh Thinh's shocked face, he paused, not knowing whether to continue defending his original stance or silently waiting for a reaction from the person who hired him. That hesitation, even if it only lasted a few seconds, was enough for the whole audience to realize that the situation had completely changed.

An elderly art researcher, respected by many people in the world, stood up from the middle row and spoke, his voice deep and full of thought. "I have been studying Tu Binh Son for more than thirty years. Honestly, I have always felt that there was something strange about these 'late stage' works compared to the consistent style throughout his career, but there has never been evidence to confirm it. Today, I think we are witnessing not a scandal, but a lost chapter of history rediscovered — and in my opinion, it only enriches, not diminishes, the value of Tu Binh's legacy Son."

That statement, coming from someone with a solid academic reputation, calmed the atmosphere in the hall considerably. Many whispers changed from suspicion to sympathy, a few people even turned to look at Mien Thu with admiring eyes.

Mrs. Kim, seizing the opportunity, stepped up to the podium, her voice rang out with authority but also filled with empathy. "Ladies and gentlemen, the museum would like to acknowledge all the evidence and testimonies that have just been presented. We are committed to organizing a reputable, independent appraisal board to reach an official conclusion as soon as possible, and at the same time consider recognizing the merits of both artists who created this work, in the fairest and most respectful way."

Mien Thu stood on the podium, looking down at the crowd that was gradually turning from confusion to deep sympathy, feeling a strong emotion welling up in her heart - not victory, but an indescribable relief, as if the burden she had been carrying on her shoulders for many months had finally been shared with the hundreds of people standing in front of her.

Ms. Dieu Lan walked up to Chau Vinh Thinh, placed a trembling hand on his arm, the gesture was so gentle that it made the whole hall quiet again. "Mr. Vinh Thinh," she said, her voice surprisingly warm, "your father was not as completely evil as you may now fear. He made a mistake, yes, but he also spent the rest of his life agonizing over it, to cherish that secret in his own way. He was not a man who only knew profit, but a man who, like Bach Nien, was pushed by circumstances into an imperfect choice."

Chau Vinh Thinh looked at her, his eyes filled with tears, an image completely at odds with the cold authority he displayed just a few minutes before. "I... I need time to think about all of this." He said, his voice hoarse. "But I'm sorry, Mrs. Dieu Lan, for what my father did to your family, and for the way I treated Miss Mien Thu during the past time."

Mien Thu, standing on the podium looking down, felt a mixture of surprise and relief at that unexpected apology. She understands that this is only the first step in a long journey of reconciliation, but at least the door to understanding between the two families, after sixty years, has finally opened.