Chapter 21 — Pottery Kiln Fire Keeper

Two months have passed since Mr. Vong was discharged from the hospital, the situation of the Thach family's pottery factory has become much more stable thanks to long-term orders from the high-end restaurant chain and revenues from direct sales held regularly every month. The loan to buy pine firewood has almost been paid off, and more importantly, the whole family's spirit has recovered significantly after a series of consecutive days of crisis.

Ms. Uong Bich Thuy brought great news one morning at the beginning of the month, when she happily drove to the factory, holding a thick file in her hand.

— Van Khe, good news! — she exclaimed as soon as she got out of the car. — The Provincial Department of Culture has officially received the application to nominate Doi Sanh village's wood-fired pottery craft to the provincial intangible cultural heritage list! They highly appreciated the set of documents they provided, especially the story about Nguyet Bach yeast and the resolved feud between the two families.

Van Khe hugged Ms. Thuy, unable to hide her joy.

— So I have a real chance! — she exclaimed.

— That's right, but there's one more important step, — Ms. Thuy said, her voice becoming more serious. — The appraisal council will organize a field survey combined with a public event for direct evaluation. I proposed to organize an exhibition - a craft village fair, combined with a demonstration of the wood kiln firing process right here, inviting the media, cultural experts, and people to visit. This will be a golden opportunity to demonstrate the vibrant value of the profession, not just through paperwork.

Van Khe immediately discussed with Khang and her father, and the whole family unanimously supported this bold idea. They decided to hold the event on the occasion of the village's traditional festival, a time that usually attracts a large number of people and tourists, and planned a special firing that would take place publicly during the event - a firing that they hoped, this time, would completely perfect the Nguyet Bach enamel formula after many unfinished trials.

*

— This will be the most important batch ever, — Khang said during the planning meeting, his eyes shining with determination. — Not only because of the legacy profile, but also because this is an opportunity for me to prove to everyone, including my father, the true value of what we are doing.

— I recalculated the entire formula, — Van Khe said, opening a notebook filled with numbers and symbols. — Based on everything I learned from previous experiments, I think I need to extend the heating time by at least a day longer than usual, and control the temperature more tightly than ever at the end.

— This time I will be more prepared in terms of weather, — Khac Ben contributed, pointing to a long-term forecast calendar he had printed out. — I've been watching all month, this year's festival falls in the middle of the dry season, the possibility of encountering a tropical depression is much lower than last time.

Mr. Vong, although he still has to limit physical exertion according to the doctor's advice, also contributes ideas from the position of an experienced advisor, not directly watching the fire but always ready to give guidance when necessary.

- Remember, children, - he advised, - no matter how carefully you prepare, this profession always has an element of unforeseen luck. The important thing is not to guarantee 100% success, but to be prepared to face all possibilities, and not let a single failure defeat your will.

*

News about the exhibition event - a craft village fair combined with a heritage survey quickly spread throughout the region, attracting the attention of not only local people but also a number of central-level press agencies, which were looking for stories about preserving traditional culture amid the wave of massive modernization. Ms. Thuy was busy contacting and arranging schedules for the survey teams, while Van Khe and Khang put all their effort into preparing for the decisive firing.

One afternoon, while checking the amount of firewood stored, Van Khe received a call from Mr. Hua Dinh Toai, his voice seemed unusually urgent.

— Khe, I just heard the news, — he said, his voice full of worry. — Tan Tho Company has just applied to organize a large-scale product promotion event, right on the day of my village festival, right in the vacant lot next to the village communal house - the place I still plan to use as a parking lot for visitors to my event.

Van Khe felt a surge of anger mixed with worry. This is clearly not a coincidence — holding a competing event at the same time, in the same location, is certainly a calculated ploy to cause chaos and distract public and media attention from her family's event.

— What specifically are they planning to do? — she asked, her voice tense.

— I heard that they will display the latest industrial ceramic products, with big promotions, and busy traffic all day long, — Mr. Toai replied. — He was worried that it would cause traffic jams, affect the movement of the heritage survey team, and even cause his ceremony to be completely overshadowed by the bustle over there.

Van Khe held the phone tightly, filled with determination mixed with anxiety. She realized that the final battle to protect the Vong Nguyet kiln and the future of Doi Sanh village's wood-based pottery was entering the most tense phase, when opponents did not hesitate to launch sophisticated coordinated attacks right before the decisive event that her whole family had devoted all their efforts to preparing for many weeks.

She immediately called Khang and told the whole incident. He was silent for a long time on the phone, then spoke, his voice heavy.

— This was definitely my father's idea, — he said. — He still hasn't completely let go of his old behavior, even though he's admitted the truth about his past. Let me try contacting him directly again.

— No, — Van Khe said, her voice suddenly becoming determined. — This time, I want to face this myself. I think it's time for me to talk frankly with Mr. Nguyen, not as a rival's daughter, but as a professional who wants to be treated fairly.

The next morning, Van Khe alone went to Tan Tho company headquarters and asked to meet Mr. Nguyen directly. After a while of waiting, she was invited into his luxurious office, where his familiar cold eyes were still present, although less harsh than previous encounters.

— What are you doing here? — Mr. Nguyen asked, his voice not very welcoming but no longer openly hostile like before.

— I know you have submitted an application to organize a promotional event on the right day and in the right place with the village festival and the survey of my family's heritage, — Van Khe said frankly, without beating around the bush. — I'm not here to blame you, I just want to ask you a question: do you really want that to happen for business benefits, or is it simply because you still can't forgive the past?

That straightforward question made Mr. Nguyen pause, his eyes flashed with a rare embarrassment. He stood up, walked to the window, looked out at the large company yard below, and took a long time before speaking.

— You think, is everything that simple? — he said, his voice low. — I built this company from scratch, based on my own pain and hatred for Vong Nguyet furnace. Now you tell me to give up everything just for an emotional story, I don't know what I'll have left if I do that.

— I'm not telling you to give up the company, or give up what you've built, — Van Khe replied, her voice softening but still steadfast. — I just hope you let both sides co-exist and develop in their own way, instead of trying to oppress and erase each other. Believe me, the market is large enough for both industrial ceramics and handmade ceramics, each serving a different customer need.

Mr. Nguyen did not respond immediately, just stood silently looking out the window, his appearance more thoughtful than any time Van Khe had ever seen of this powerful man. She stood and waited, without urging him, so that he had enough time to face the conflicts going on in his heart, between the pride of someone who built his own business and a part of him, perhaps still glimmering, that longed to escape the shadow of the painful past that had followed him for so many years.