Chapter 17 — Pride And Scholarship

While waiting for the results of the board meeting, Hoai An decided that he could not just sit still and wait for outside help. She discussed with Thao Nhi about organizing a small fundraising activity, both to cover additional treatment costs for her mother and to demonstrate the independent spirit that she is always proud to maintain.

“I thought,” Hoai An said, as the two sat discussing at a familiar coffee shop, “I could make small, beautiful handmade items, like bracelets, keychains, greeting cards, and sell them online or at school events.”

"That's a good idea," Thao Nhi nodded in agreement, "I know how to knit and make bracelets since middle school. I can teach you again. Let's do it together, it will definitely be faster."

The two of them immediately got to work, taking advantage of all their little free time to design and craft sophisticated handmade products. Hoai An, with his inherent ingenuity and creativity, quickly grasped the techniques and even came up with many unique designs, bearing a personal impression.

Lan Phuong, upon learning of this plan, also enthusiastically participated in supporting and promoting the product on the school's social network groups. “I will post an introduction,” she said, “telling the meaningful story behind these products, which will definitely attract support.”

After just a few days of posting, orders began to pour in, not only from students at the school but also from people who followed Lan Phuong's social networking page, moved by Hoai An's story of determination to overcome difficulties. Minh Khoi also contributed by introducing products to friends and acquaintances, although he always respected the principle of letting Hoai An be proactive in business, not directly intervening with money like last time.

“How much do you price the product?” Minh Khoi asked, looking through the exquisite bracelets that Hoai An had just completed.

“I think it's about fifty to one hundred thousand per product, depending on the complexity,” Hoai An replied, “I want the price to be reasonable, so that many people can access it, not just for those with good economic conditions.”

“That way of thinking is so precious,” Minh Khoi said, smiling at her thoughtfulness, “I believe your product will be warmly received, not only because of its meaningful purpose, but also because of its really good quality.”

At the end of the first week of implementation, the fundraising activity raised a significant amount of money, enough for Hoai An to cover part of her mother's urgent treatment costs without having to rely entirely on support from others. Joy and pride were evident on her face as she counted the money earned from her own labor and creativity.

“I did it, mom,” Hoai An told her mother during her hospital visit, her voice full of excitement, showing off her handmade products and the money she had just earned, “I don't have to depend completely on anyone, I can still take care of myself partly for you.”

Ms. Hanh looked at her daughter, her eyes filled with indescribable pride. "I know you can do it," she said, her voice filled with emotion, "you always find a way, no matter how difficult the situation is. That's what makes me most proud of you."

In the following weeks, Hoai An and Thao Nhi's small business continued to grow, attracting many new customers thanks to their good reputation for product quality and service. Inspirational story behind it. The two had to re-arrange their schedules more tightly, taking advantage of every break and weekend to complete the order on time.

“What do you think, I think we should open a new product line,” Thao Nhi proposed one evening when the two sat down to pack orders, “like bookmarks, or cute animal-shaped key chains, which will probably attract more young customers.”

"That's a good idea," Hoai An nodded, her eyes shining with excitement, "I'll sketch a few samples to test. Thank you for always accompanying and supporting me all this time, Thao Nhi."

"Friends," Thao Nhi smiled, waving her hand, "besides, I also learned many things from you through this small business. Seeing you so resilient and creative, I also have more motivation to try harder in my own studies."

Late in the evening, while recalculating the income and expenditure books, Hoai An received a text message from a strange customer, expressing admiration for her story and ordering ten products at once as gifts for colleagues in the company. This unexpectedly large order made Hoai An touched by the enthusiastic support from strangers, proving that kindness and sincerity always have a strong pervasive power, far beyond what she ever imagined when starting this small fundraising idea.

That weekend, Royal School held its annual charity fair, where clubs and student groups could register booths to raise funds for community activities. Lan Phuong, after hearing the news, immediately proposed that Hoai An register a small booth to display and directly sell handmade products.

“This will be a great opportunity to expand our customer base,” Lan Phuong said, her voice full of excitement, “plus, the fair has a lot of parents and guests attending, so who knows, I might even receive more support.”

Hoai An agreed, and together with Thao Nhi and Lan Phuong, spent a whole week carefully preparing the booth, from eye-catching decorations, to fully preparing a diverse number of products to serve the needs of visitors. Minh Khoi also volunteered to help carry and arrange booths on the day of the event.

The day of the fair took place in a bustling atmosphere. Hoai An's small booth quickly attracted attention thanks to its sophisticated products and small signs telling the inspirational story behind each item. Many parents, after hearing the story, did not hesitate to buy and support, some even proactively donated more than the product value as a way to express their admiration for the extraordinary strength of this poor, studious female student.

While the stall was most crowded with customers, Bao Tran suddenly appeared, standing from afar observing for a while before approaching. Hoai An was a bit surprised to see her, but still maintained a polite greeting. “Hello, are you coming to the fair too?”

“Yes,” Bao Tran replied, her eyes scanning the neatly and delicately displayed products on the table, “your products are beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Hoai An replied, a bit surprised by this unexpected compliment.

Bao Tran stood there for a while longer, then pulled out her wallet and chose to buy a few items without haggling or showing disdain like before. “Give me these three bracelets,” she said, giving money to Hoai An, the amount was much higher Listed price.

“I'll send you the change,” Hoai An said, intending to return the remaining money.

"No need," Bao Tran waved her hand, her voice had a rare shyness, "consider me more supportive of... your cause."

Having finished speaking, she turned around and left quickly, leaving Hoai An standing there with surprise and emotion at this unexpected gesture. She watched Bao Tran's figure disappear into the crowd, clearly feeling that, although slowly, the relationship between the two was gradually changing in a more positive direction, a change that she had never dared to hope for when their relationship began with a tense collision in the first week of school.

At the end of the fair day, when summarizing sales, the whole group was surprised by the impressive number achieved in just one day. “We have far exceeded our original goal,” Lan Phuong exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement as she added up the total amount collected.

“It's all thanks to everyone's help,” Hoai An said, her voice filled with gratitude, looking around at the lovely faces who had worked with her all week long — Thao Nhi meticulous with every little detail, Lan Phuong enthusiastically promoting, and Minh Khoi always on hand to assist with all the heavy lifting.

"You deserve everything you have achieved today," Minh Khoi said, smiling at her, "your ideas, creativity, and energy all come from you. We are just contributing a small part to support."

Hoai An smiled, clearly feeling a rare, complete happiness after the past series of turbulent days. She looked at the money she had just earned, calculated it in her head, and realized that, with this money plus the support from the school's emergency fund, she was able to cover most of her mother's treatment costs for the next month, without having to worry too much about violating the overtime regulation if it was still in effect.

“Thank you so much,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes, “I don't think I could have done this without all of you.”

The whole group cleaned up the booth together in the sunset that dyed the school campus yellow, with bustling laughter mixed with fatigue but satisfaction after a day of hard work, marking another memorable milestone in Hoai An's energetic journey at this prestigious Royal School.