Chapter 18 — Pottery Kiln Fire Keeper

The day the kiln opened, the atmosphere in the Thach family's pottery workshop was heavier than ever before. There was no longer the excitement, suspense mixed with hope like the previous times opening the furnace, but instead there was a silent worry that covered everyone present - Van Khe, Mr. Vong, Khang, Khac Ben, and even Ms. Uong Bich Thuy and her assistant, who still persisted in coming to record even though she had heard about the incident that happened on the night of the storm.

Van Khe started from the oven compartments that were not directly affected by the crack, carefully taking out each item. Fortunately, most of the products in the first and middle chambers still retain relatively good quality, although not as beautiful as the previous batch due to the indirect influence of fluctuating temperatures during the stormy night. But as she approached the sixth oven compartment — the one with the fateful crack, where the special tea set was located — her hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

She pried open the sealing layer of soil and carefully put her hand inside. The first touch is not the familiar smooth enamel surface, but jagged fragments. Her heart seemed to stop beating for a moment. She took out pieces, one by one, and the scene before her eyes made the whole pottery factory fall into a heavy silence.

Nearly half of the teapots in the special tea set were completely cracked, with cracks running across the surface due to sudden heat shock on a stormy night. Although the rest did not break, the glaze only achieved a very small part of the expected effect - no magical jade green light, no deep clarity like the light of the full moon, just a rough, opaque layer of white glaze, almost a complete failure compared to the formula that had been painstakingly researched.

— No... — Van Khe dropped the broken ceramic piece in her hand, tears began to flow uncontrollably. — It can't be like this...

She knelt down in front of the stove, her hands covering her face, her shoulders shaking. So much effort, so many sleepless nights, so much borrowed money, it all seemed to have disappeared in one fateful stormy night that no one could predict or prevent.

Khang immediately knelt down next to her, wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort her even though he couldn't hide his disappointment.

— Honey, — he said, his voice choking, — it's okay, we'll do it again. This is just one batch, not all.

— But the money, — Van Khe sobbed, — your father borrowed to make this deal, and now the most important part has almost been lost. I don't know what to say to dad...

Mr. Vong, standing nearby, witnessed the entire scene, his face also turned pale. He walked closer to the furnace compartment, looked at the scattered fragments, his trembling hand picked up a small fragment, turned it around in his hand as if trying to find a last ray of hope in it.

Suddenly, he staggered, one hand clutching his chest, his face contorted in pain.

— Father! — Van Khe screamed in panic, rushing to catch her father when he was about to collapse to the ground.

Khac Ben quickly called an ambulance, while Khang helped Van Khe carefully lay Mr. Vong down, loosening his collar to make it easier for him to breathe. His face was pale, sweat was beaded on his forehead, his breathing was rapid and shallow, an acute heart attack was clearly tormenting him amidst the great mental shock that had just struck him.

— Dad, please try to endure, the ambulance is about to arrive, — Van Khe said, her voice trembling with tears, her hand holding her father's hand tightly, trying to convey warmth and reassurance in that moment of life and death.

*

The ambulance took Mr. Vong to the district hospital in critical condition, doctors had to intervene urgently as soon as he was brought into the emergency room. Van Khe sat outside the hospital hallway, her hands still covered in clay and ash from the unfinished kiln opening, her mind completely paralyzed by the events that happened in just a few short hours.

Khang sat next to her, saying nothing, just quietly holding her hand, transmitting a steady presence amid the storm of emotions raging in her heart. Khac Ben ran back and forth to take care of hospital admission procedures, while Ms. Thuy called to inform Mr. Toai of the situation, who immediately arranged to go to the hospital to assist.

Near midnight, the doctor on duty came out, his face serious but not too gloomy.

— Where is the family of patient Thach Dinh Vong? — the doctor asked.

— Yes, I'm his daughter, — Van Khe quickly stood up, her voice trembling.

— The patient is out of danger, — the doctor announced, making Van Khe breathe a sigh of relief for a moment, but the doctor's next words made her heart sink again. — But the condition is quite serious, requiring stent surgery as soon as possible, otherwise the risk of recurrence is very high and can be life-threatening at any time. The cost of this surgery is not small, the family needs to prepare mentally.

Van Khe stood still, her hands clasped together until they turned white. A failed firing, a new debt, and now an expensive surgery that she doesn't know where to turn. All the burdens seemed to accumulate at one time, crushing all the hopes she had tried to build over the past months.

Khang squeezed her hand tighter, his voice steadfast in the dark hospital night.

— We will find a way, — he said. — I promise, no matter what I have to do, I will help you get through this period.

But even with that sincere promise, in the most desperate moment of her life, Van Khe did not know whether she could still believe in a brighter future, when everything seemed to be collapsing right before her eyes, piece by piece, no different from the broken tea cups left in that fateful furnace.

*

Mr. Toai went to the hospital that night, bringing with him some hastily donated cash from a few close households in the village who had just heard the news, along with sincere words of encouragement.

— Don't be shy, — he said, thrusting a thin envelope into Van Khe's hand. — Everyone in the village loves Uncle Vong and loves me. Although this number is not much, it still helps a bit in the short term. The remaining amount will be calculated slowly.

Van Khe choked up with gratitude. She didn't expect that in the midst of the most difficult times, the love between the neighbors would still be so warm. She remembered the slanderous words and shy looks of some neighbors during the previous article scandal, and realized that the majority of people still stood by her family's side when truly necessary.

That night, Van Khe did not go home and stayed at the hospital to stand by her father's bedside. Khang also insisted on staying with her, even though she advised him many times to go home and rest. The two sat on the hard plastic chairs of the hospital hallway, leaning against each other in silence, listening to the steady sound of the heart rate monitor echoing from the hospital room like a fragile reassurance.

— I keep thinking, — Van Khe said softly, her voice cracking with fatigue and pent-up pain, — wondering if I'm doing the right thing. Have there ever been times when the path you choose only brings suffering to the people you love the most?

Khang turned to look at her, his eyes full of sadness but no less steadfast.

— You're not wrong, — he said firmly. — Natural disasters are something no one can predict, my heart disease was pre-existing, it's not your fault. I'm just trying to protect something that I believe is right and precious. Sometimes, the right path doesn't mean the easy path, Van Khe.

She leaned her head on his shoulder, her tears finally subsided, giving way to a deep exhaustion. In that fragile moment, in the cold hospital hallway at midnight, she felt more clearly than ever that no matter how much the world outside collapsed, at least she still had a solid fulcrum by her side, someone willing to accompany her through the darkest hours of her life.

Near morning, Khac Ben came back with some hot porridge that he quickly bought at a night restaurant near the hospital, forcing both of them to eat to gain strength.

— You and Mr. Khang must eat and drink properly, — he said, his voice rarely serious. — My uncle still needs his healthy sister to take care of him. If she falls ill too, it will be even more miserable for the whole family.

Van Khe forced a smile and took the hot bowl of porridge from her close friend's hand, silently grateful that there were people who always stood by her side in the most difficult times, even though the road ahead was still unclear with so many challenges waiting for the whole family.