Chapter 25 — Pottery Kiln Fire Keeper

The remaining days of the firing took place in a completely different atmosphere than the previous times - no longer the tension of struggling alone with difficulties, but a warm solidarity from the whole community. After Mr. Truong's emotional event, the news spread quickly, attracting more people to visit and learn, and many of them volunteered to help watch the fire and chop wood, even if it was just small tasks.

Mr. Nguyen, after the conversation with Mr. Vong, also frequently visited the workshop, sometimes bringing along a few technical experts from Tan Tho company, not to cause difficulties as before, but to learn about the wood-fired ceramic process, with the vague intention of some future cooperation between the two sides.

— I have a proposal, — he said to Van Khe one afternoon, when the batch had entered the sixth day, the most important stage of fire suppression. — My company can support the construction of a larger-scale display and product introduction area for Doi Sanh village wood-fired ceramics, combined with Tan Tho's existing distribution system. In return, we only hope to have the company's name attached as a companion unit, supporting the preservation of cultural heritage, without interfering in the production process or product quality.

That proposal made Van Khe think carefully. She consulted with her father, Khang, and Mr. Toai, all of whom agreed that this could be a reasonable direction, as long as the terms of cooperation were drafted strictly, ensuring the autonomy and traditional identity of Vong Nguyet furnace was maintained.

— I agree, on the condition, — Van Khe said, her voice firm but also full of goodwill, — all decisions about the production process, about quality, and about how to teach the craft to the next generation, still belong entirely to my family and the artisans in the village. The company only plays a supporting role in terms of market and promotion.

Mr. Nguyen nodded without hesitation.

— I completely agree, — he replied. — Actually, after everything I've been through, I realize that the real value lies in the difference and uniqueness that only handmade ceramics can bring. I don't want to turn it into a mass production line, that would kill the very soul that people are trying to preserve.

*

On Saturday, the last day before the kiln was completely sealed to cool down, the atmosphere at the pottery workshop became both thrilling and unusually warm. A large number of people in the village, along with members of the heritage survey team, gathered to witness this important moment, even though they understood that they would have to wait a few more days to know the final results when the furnace was opened.

Van Khe, Khang and Khac Ben together performed the final ceremony of closing the wind door, marking the end of the direct fire watch phase, giving way to the prolonged heat incubation phase in silence and waiting.

— Seven days, — Khac Ben said, his voice full of emotion as he looked back on the past journey. — Seven days that feel like a lifetime has passed, with so many events and so many pent-up emotions.

— But they were also the most beautiful seven days I have ever experienced, — Van Khe replied, smiling and looking around at the dear faces that had accompanied her throughout the difficult journey.

Ms. Uong Bich Thuy, her hand still holding the camera, recorded every precious moment of the kiln closing ceremony, her voice filled with emotion as she shared it with the heritage survey team standing nearby, observing.

— This is exactly what we need for heritage records, — she said. — Not only the technology, but also the community spirit, the human story behind each product. I believe, with everything we have witnessed, the appraisal board will have no reason to reject this application.

*

That evening, when everyone gradually left, Van Khe and Khang stayed in the workshop, sitting together in front of the gourd stove that was quietly cooling down, the fire inside now only flickering through the small gaps of the sealed air vents.

— In three days, I will know whether all these efforts will bear fruit or not, — Van Khe said, her voice both nervous and unusually calm, completely different from the extreme anxiety of the previous waits.

— No matter the outcome, — Khang said, holding her hand tightly, — I think, the journey we have gone through is a success in itself. The two families were reconciled, the whole village united for a common goal, and most importantly, she proved that love and perseverance can overcome any barrier, whether it be natural disasters, money, or deep-seated resentments over many generations.

Van Khe leaned her head on Khang's shoulder, looking up at the night sky sparkling with rare starlight, her heart filled with a peace that she had never felt so completely since the day her grandfather passed away. She knows that, in the next three days, there will still be a little bit of nervousness, a little bit of anxiety about the final result of Nguyet Bach glaze, but no matter what the result is, she firmly believes that what her family, Doi Sanh village, and both clans have gone through together, is enough to write a new chapter full of hope for the future of traditional wood-fired pottery, a future that is no longer struggling alone, but is supported by the consensus of so many hearts that beat together for the same cause. The fire should never be allowed to go out.

*

The three days of waiting passed in a strange atmosphere — no longer heavy anxiety like before, but excitement mixed with steadfast belief. The whole family prepares everything together for the day of opening the kiln, not only technically, but also mentally, as if they were preparing for a grand ceremony rather than a daily routine of pottery making.

Mr. Vong, whose health has recovered significantly after the surgery, spent time sitting with his daughter, reviewing memories of his grandfather, the firings he witnessed in his youth, and how his grandfather passed on to him the love for pottery before he passed it on to Van Khe himself.

— I remember, your grandfather once said, — he said, his voice full of nostalgia, — pottery does not teach people how to create perfection, but teaches people how to accept imperfection, and find beauty in that very imperfection. I think, whether Nguyet Bach enamel reaches absolute perfection as described or not, the journey you have gone through to find it is already a beautiful work in its own way.

Van Khe nodded, absorbing every word his father said. She realized that, through the many ups and downs of her recent journey, she had learned many things that were more valuable than a perfect yeast recipe - lessons about perseverance, about forgiveness, about the value of intimacy and love, things that no recipe notebook could completely record.

On the last night before opening the oven, Khang stayed with his family. The whole group gathered around a simple but cozy tray of rice, reviewing together every step of the way, from the day Khang first appeared in front of the factory gate, to the sleepless nights watching the fire, the tense confrontations, and even the emotional moment when the two families finally found a way to reconcile.

— Tomorrow, — Van Khe said, raising the tea cup as a wish, — no matter what the outcome is, I think, together we have written a story worth being proud of.

Everyone raised their cups together, everyone's eyes sparkled with hope, mentally preparing for the decisive moment that would come the next morning, when the door of Vong Nguyet furnace was opened for the last time, revealing the result of a long journey full of tears, sweat, and sincere love.

Before everyone dispersed to rest, Khac Ben, who rarely showed his emotions, suddenly stood up, his voice shaking a bit with emotion.

— I just want to say, — he said, his eyes slightly red, — accompanying Ms. Khe, Mr. Khang, and my whole family throughout this journey is one of the proudest things in my life. When my grandfather was still strong, he always said that in this profession, the most precious thing is not the finished product, but the people standing next to the fire with you. Now I fully understand what he meant.

The whole dining table was silent for a moment at that rare sincere confession, then everyone burst into laughter, mixed with emotional tears, raising their tea cups to congratulate each other once again, as an affirmation of the friendship and intimacy that had been forged through many hardships, no less strong than the ceramic products tempered through red fire for seven days and nights.