Chapter 20 — Old Street Corner Gold Shop

Three days before the decisive meeting, Vy received a surprise call from Mr. Uong Chi Thanh himself, without going through a lawyer like before. His voice was deeper, less harsh than the previous confrontation, but still remained cautious and reserved.

"Lawyer Khang said you have new findings to present," he said, his voice unable to hide both curiosity and skepticism. "I agree to meet, but I want to say it first, I will not easily change my mind just because of a few empty explanations."

"I understand, sir," Vy replied, trying to keep her voice calm and respectful. "I don't expect you to change your mind immediately. I just hope you give us the opportunity to fully present what we have learned, with all the concrete evidence, so you can judge for yourself."

Mr. Chi Thanh was silent for a long time before responding, his voice softening a bit. "Okay. I'll come on the weekend as promised."

After the call, Vy felt both relieved and nervous. She immediately called Khoi to inform her. They both agreed to spend the remaining days preparing carefully, not only in terms of documents but also mentally, so that the meeting would go as smoothly as possible.

"I think I should also prepare myself for the possibility that he is not ready to believe right away, no matter how much evidence there is," Khoi said over the phone, his voice cautious. "Sometimes, changing a belief that has been ingrained for decades is not something that can happen in just one meeting."

"I understand," Vy replied, her voice mentally prepared for that. "But at least, I will be able to plant a seed of truth. Maybe he needs more time to reflect, to gradually accept a story different from what he has believed all these years. As long as I have done my best sincerely, the result will be the best possible result within my ability."

The days of preparation passed quickly in a mixture of busyness and excitement. Vy took the time to clean up the entire shop, not to show off, but so that the space where the meeting took place truly reflected the spirit of a true craft place - neat, cozy, each item had its own place and meaning. She also prepared to brew a special pot of tea, the lotus-infused tea that her grandmother, according to Mr. Thinh, used to love to serve to guests on important occasions.

The evening before the appointment, Vy's whole family gathered together and reviewed all the prepared documents one last time. Mr. Thinh, although his health has not yet fully recovered, insisted on reviewing each page of the document himself and providing comments based on what he remembered about his father.

"I think, when presenting, you should start by acknowledging the pain of Mr. Chi Thanh's family first, instead of hastily giving evidence to prove you are right," he commented, his voice full of thought. "People, when they feel understood, are much easier to open up to listen than when they feel rejected." Vy wrote down her father's words in the corner of the page, reminding herself to always maintain softness and patience throughout the meeting, even though there may be unavoidable tense moments.

Vy remembered her father's advice and adjusted the presentation in her mind. She also contacted Mr. Ky Thi Doan, inviting her to attend the meeting as a direct witness, if her health allowed. Mr. Doan, despite his old age, still firmly accepted the invitation, saying that this was the last responsibility he could do to help the two families find the truth that had been buried for too long.

"I've been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, honey," she said over the phone, her voice trembling but full of determination. "She wanted to personally tell the story, so that Mr. Phat's honor could be vindicated before she no longer had the chance."

Those words made Vy both emotional and worried about his health, but she also understood that this was what Mr. Doan really wanted, a way to close a chapter of memories that had haunted him for decades. She told Khoi to prepare a comfortable chair and a quiet corner in the shop so he could rest if he felt tired during the meeting.

Khoi, in the last days before the meeting, also tried his best to complete the presentation on the financial and legal aspects, preparing options if Mr. Chi Thanh still wanted to pursue compensation, although he and Vy both hoped everything would be resolved in the direction of reconciliation and mutual understanding rather than a win-or-lose dispute.

"I have prepared another backup plan," Khoi told Vy on the last evening before the meeting, when the two sat at the workbench, reviewing all the paperwork one last time. "If Mr. Chi Thanh still wants some form of compensation, even though the evidence shows that your family is not at fault, perhaps I can suggest a different approach — not compensation in the legal sense, but a gesture of goodwill, such as creating a new piece of jewelry in memory of Mr. Uong Khai Tuong, as a way of healing between the two families."

Vy nodded, feeling this was a meaningful idea. "I like that idea, Khoi. Not only is it a solution to the problem at hand, but it's also deeply symbolic — a new item created with my family's own hands, as the most sincere apology and gratitude I can send to his family."

She took out a pen and paper and sketched out some preliminary ideas for that piece of memorial jewelry — perhaps a pendant engraved with a lotus flower, a flower that symbolizes purity overcoming mud, or a motif that combines the traditional Southern craftsmanship style that the old earring carries, with a more modern detail to show the continuity between past and present. "I think I will wait to hear Mr. Chi Thanh's opinion first, see what he wants, and then decide on a specific design," she said, her eyes shining with the excitement of an artist envisioning a new meaningful work.

"That's the right approach," Khoi nodded in agreement. "Let him participate in the process of creating a gift in memory of his father, instead of simply receiving a pre-existing product. That way, the item will have a much more complete meaning."

That night, after Khoi left, Vy stayed alone at the shop for a while, looking back at the entire journey that had passed over the past few months - from the first day of receiving a strange call asking about her grandfather, to the first tense confrontation with Mr. Chi Thanh, to the nights of diligently searching for documents, and now a complete file, containing both truth and humanity.

She opened her grandfather's diary, reread the unfinished paragraph about "Mrs. Tuong" one last time before the important day, then gently folded it and hugged it. "Tomorrow, I will tell your whole story," she whispered in the quiet darkness of the jewelry store, "and I believe, whatever the outcome, you will rest in peace, knowing that the truth has finally been told."

She turned off the lights, locked the shop, and walked upstairs in a mood that was both nervous and strangely peaceful. Before entering the room, she stopped by her father's room and saw that he was still awake, sitting quietly in front of the ancestral altar, lighting a stick of incense, his eyes focused on the portraits of his grandparents placed solemnly above.

"I'm praying for everything to go well tomorrow," he said when he saw Vy walk in, his voice gentle. "I believe that your grandparents, wherever they are, are watching and blessing you."

Vy came to her father's side, lit an incense stick, clasped her hands and prayed silently, sending all her hopes, worries, and deep gratitude to those who had gone before, those who had laid the foundation for the small gold shop that she was trying to preserve with all her heart.

Tomorrow will be an important day, possibly the turning point that will decide the fate of the three-generation gold shop, the relationship between two families that have been separated by misunderstanding forty-five years, and the future of the budding love between her and Khoi. But for the first time after many turbulent weeks, Vy felt ready, not because everything was certain, but because she knew she had done everything she could, with all the sincerity and effort of a jeweler who always believed that, no matter how long the metal was buried in the mud, its true light would eventually be found and shine again.