Chapter 14 — Potters and the Last Fire Season

Heavy rain caused the clay warehouse to collapse. Three bags of new soil drifted into the ditch, revealing the old layer of soil underneath. Mrs. Nam recognized that soil color: the raw material used for the kiln's green yeast line before the cooperative closed.

The rain came suddenly in the middle of the night, thunder and lightning continuously lit up the sky, torrential rain poured down on the corrugated iron roof, creating an endless roaring sound. Linh woke up because of a strange noise, a loud sound different from the normal sound of rain, and when she went to check, she saw that the roof covering the dirt warehouse behind had collapsed at a corner, rainwater pouring straight inside.

The whole family woke up frantically, quickly put on raincoats and rushed out into the dark night. The flashlight's light shined through the thick rain, clearly illuminating the chaotic scene - soil from bags that had not yet been covered with tarpaulins was being swept away by the water, flowing in small streams into the ditch next to the warehouse.

“Save the bag first!” Mr. Phuc shouted through the sound of the rain, his hands were soaked as he tried to pull intact bags of soil out of the flooded area.

Minh, who happened to stay at the factory late that night because he was completing the spec sheet, rushed out to help immediately, along with Linh and Ha passing heavy bags of soil from hand to hand in the pouring rain. They worked in silence, only the sounds of panting and the sound of falling rain filling the space.

They saved a part, but had to stop production for two days. Son offered to provide free land if the factory signed an exclusive raw material record. Linh refused even though the warehouse was almost empty.

The next morning, when the weather had cleared and the first sunlight shone on the sprawling yard, the group could fully assess the extent of the damage. Three new bags of soil were completely lost, part of the warehouse roof collapsed and needed urgent repair, and the layer of soil remaining in the warehouse was so wet that it was difficult to use immediately.

Son, hearing the news through Ha, came to the factory that morning, bringing with him an official proposal from the corporation - providing free land for the next three months, enough for the factory to overcome the difficult period, in exchange for the factory signing a memorandum of commitment to only use the land provided by the corporation for one year.

“This is not an oven sale,” Son explained, his voice sounding sincere. “Just a supply deal, to help you through this difficult period.”

Linh took the proposal and read each line carefully, realizing that hidden behind its simple appearance was a sophisticated trap - if it depended completely on a single source of supply for the whole year, the factory would lose its autonomy in raw materials, one of the most important factors to maintain independence.

“Thank you,” she said, placing the paper on the table. "But I can't sign. If land is what keeps the factory alive, I can't let it depend on a single source, no matter how free that source is."

Son did not appear surprised by the answer, just nodded, perhaps predicting her reaction. “I understand,” he said. "I'm only responsible for making suggestions. The decision is yours."

Minh looked for local land, and Ha invited other factories to buy the same vehicle. The price is higher than expected but does not force anyone to hand over rights.

Minh spent the afternoon calling many land mines in the area, comparing prices and quality, and finally found a small source about thirty kilometers from the village. The price was not cheap but enough to ensure the factory's independence. Ha, at the same time, contacted two other small ceramic workshops in the district, making a general proposal each other rent a large truck to reduce transportation costs.

"If three factories buy together," Ha calculated, typing the data into the computer, "each party's cost will be reduced by nearly a third compared to ordering separately."

The other two factories, after hearing the proposal, immediately agreed, because they were also facing similar difficulties after last night's heavy rain that affected the whole region, not just Bach Tho factory.

The damage made the group want to sell the furnace again. Linh does not persuade with emotions. She opened the cost sheet, indicating which items could be reduced, which items had to be kept, and the minimum number of orders needed to pay workers.

A few workers, witnessing the heavy damage after the rain, began to waver, whispering about the possibility that the corporation's offer might still be the safer option. Linh, sensing that wobble, convened a small meeting that afternoon.

“I know people are worried,” she said, standing in front of the cost sheet she had just updated. "Last night's damage was not small. But let's look at the actual numbers before deciding anything."

She pointed to each column of data, explaining clearly — the cost of repairing the warehouse roof, the cost of buying new land, comparing it with the money the factory had accumulated from recent orders and from the class that was starting to bring in a small income. The final number, although not abundant, still shows the ability to overcome this difficult period without depending on the corporation.

“This is not a nice number,” Linh admitted. “But it is a real number, and it shows that we still have a way to go, it's just that the road is more difficult than the road to signing a contract with Son.”

A villager suggested using the class's deposit to compensate. Linh did not agree. She said that money belongs to those who trusted them to deliver on time.

“The deposit is a promise,” she said, her voice harder than she intended. “If I use it for something else and fail to deliver on time, I will lose something more valuable than money — customer trust.”

On the third rainy night, new soil was brought back. Linh and Minh sat under the awning and divided bags according to humidity. No one talks about love. But when she slipped, he grabbed her elbow and let go as soon as she was on her feet.

The new dirt truck arrived at dark, the rain was still light, although not as heavy as the night before. The group went out to carry loads in the light of flashlights, the ground was slippery because of the mud accumulated from the heavy rain.

Linh, holding a heavy bag of soil, missed a step on the slippery ground, her body wobbling forward. Minh, standing nearby, quickly reflexively grabbed her elbow, keeping her from falling, then let go as soon as he saw she was standing again, a quick gesture that made them both pause for a moment.

“Thank you,” Linh said, her voice a bit awkward.

“Nothing,” Minh replied, equally confused, turning away to continue his work as if to hide his embarrassment.

Linh looked at her dirty hands. There are things that don't need to be named, just need to be placed in the right place.

They continued to work in silence until all the new bags of soil were moved into temporary storage, carefully covered to avoid damage if the rain persisted. When the work was completed, the group sat down to rest under the eaves, soaking wet but feeling relieved to have overcome another challenge on the journey to maintain the furnace.

Mrs. Sau, a neighbor of the factory, brought it over pot of hot porridge, she said she had been cooking since the afternoon because she heard that the whole factory had to stay up all night moving soil. “Eat to warm your stomach,” she urged, scooping out bowls of porridge and giving it to each person. "It's rainy and windy like this. It's easy to get sick when you work hard."

The whole group sat together under the eaves, eating hot porridge in the remaining sound of the pouring rain. The feeling of warmth spread not only from the bowl of porridge but also from the simple care of the neighbors who had silently followed the workshop's journey over the past few days.

“Everyone in the neighborhood knows that the factory is trying to operate on its own,” Ms. Sau said, sitting down next to everyone. "If you need help, just say it, don't be shy. In the past, this furnace fed many families. Now we are trying to keep it, and the whole neighborhood wants to contribute."

Those simple words touched Linh deeply. She realized that the community's support did not stop at the village meeting the day before, but continued to be expressed through small but sincere actions like this pot of porridge.

Mr. Phuc, sitting and eating porridge in silence, suddenly spoke up. “Tomorrow, we need to check the entire drainage system around the warehouse,” he said, his voice regaining its usual matter-of-fact tone. "This rain is just the beginning of the rainy season. If we don't reinforce properly, tonight's incident will happen again."

Minh nodded in agreement. "I can help redesign the drainage ditch system, based on the actual slope of the land. Tomorrow I will measure carefully before proposing a plan."

The whole group gradually changed from a tired mood after a long night to a new working spirit, planning the next steps to ensure a similar incident would no longer cause heavy damage like tonight. Linh looked around and saw that everyone, despite being wet and exhausted, still maintained their optimism and sense of responsibility, and she felt proud to be part of this resilient group.