Chapter 4 — Reef Keeper

Three days after the first survey dive, Mr. Tam called to report that the fishery inspection team had gone to the scene but could not find any further evidence beyond what Khue had recorded. There were no strange ships, no witnesses, no one willing to come forward and declare anything. The file was created, but just left there, like dozens of similar files that had been created in the past, according to Uncle Tam's helpless admission.

Khue is not discouraged. She understands that coral reef restoration work cannot wait for justice to be served first, but must go hand in hand, even one step ahead. She and Thao started the main work: taking healthy coral samples from the eastern area of the reef, carefully trimming each small section according to asexual propagation techniques, then attaching them to pre-prepared hexagonal metal frames, preparing to lower them to the seabed in the nursery area.

The work requires meticulousness down to every millimeter. Each coral branch must be cut at the right angle, at the right length, and tied tightly to the frame with specialized fishing line so that it is not too loose, causing the coral to be swept away, nor too tight, causing living tissue to be suffocated. Khue worked for many hours under the hot sun on the boat. Her hands were familiar with this work from her years of internship in other coral restoration projects, but she had never done it with as much concentration and enthusiasm as she did now, knowing that each branch of coral she transplanted today was part of the promise she was making to her father.

In the afternoon, while Khue was sitting and sorting coral samples in her yard, Mrs. Bay Xuyen stopped by, carrying a basket of fish she had just bought at the market.

"I heard that you and Thao have been extremely angry these past few days?" Mrs. Bay asked, sitting down next to Khue's father, rearranging the coral frames.

"It's hard but fun, Mrs. Bay." Khue smiled, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "I feel like I'm doing the right thing."

"I believe you can do it." Mrs. Bay nodded. "My father was like that in the past. Whatever he did, he did it to the fullest, and didn't give up halfway."

Mentioning her father, Khue stopped and looked at Mrs. Bay Xuyen. "Mrs. Bay, can you tell me more about Dad's last days? I was still young, there were many things I didn't understand, and Mom and Dad didn't want me to know too much."

Mrs. Bay Xuyen sighed, put down the fish basket, her eyes looked distantly towards the sea as if searching for an old memory. "Your father back then was very different from a few years ago, Khue. He was often pensive, quiet, and often went to Mom Vong to sit alone all day. Once I asked him what was going on, he just said he was worried about the reef, worried about the future of his neighborhood."

"What specifically are you worried about, Grandma?" Khue asked, her voice more urgent than she wanted.

"I don't know everything. He didn't tell anyone clearly, not even your mother." Mrs. Bay Xuyen shook her head. "All I know is that a few months before he passed away, there was a group of strangers who went to the island, saying they were doing some geological survey, and hired a boat from some neighbors to take them to and from the area near Da Bac reef. My father and a few boatmates objected, saying the group was making noise and causing all the fish to run away, but the commune authorities at that time said it was a proper permit and no one could stop them."

Khue felt her heart beat faster. "Whose survey team is that? Is it a survey to build a resort?"

"I don't remember the name of the company. It's been so long." Mrs. Bay Xuyen frowned, trying to remember. "But after that project didn't see anything done for a long time. Only recently did people start construction again, building a resort on the southern tip of the island. It's probably the same place, just changed owners and names."

This information was like an important piece of the puzzle that fell into the blank space in Khue's head. A controversial geological survey team appeared just before her father disappeared, and now, twelve years later, a resort is being built near that area, and the reef shows traces of a new explosion. These coincidences are too numerous to ignore.

"Mrs. Bay, I think I need to learn more about that survey team, and the resort that is being built now." Khue said with a determined voice.

Mrs. Bay Xuyen held Khue's hand, her eyes worried. "Son, I understand that you want to find out the truth about your father, I also want that as much as you do. But you have to be careful. This island is small, everything can reach people's ears very quickly, and people with money and power don't like anyone digging up old stories."

"I'll be careful, Mrs. Bay." Khue promised, even though in her heart she knew that once she started, she would not be able to stop halfway.

That evening, after Mrs. Bay Xuyen returned, Khue sat on the porch and flipped through her father's diary again, this time with a completely different perspective. She carefully read every page during the six months before his death, looking for any small details that might be related to the survey team that Mrs. Bay had just mentioned.

She found a few scattered notes: "There has been a strange ship anchored near the reef all week, not a fishing boat." "I heard they measured something on the seabed, the purpose is unknown." "Suu told me not to get involved, but I don't think it's right." The name "Suu" caught Khue's attention. She remembered that it might be the name of a close friend of her father's, but she couldn't remember the face clearly, because at that time she was too young.

She brought this question to Thao the next morning. "Do you know anyone named Suu in the neighborhood? Probably around my dad's age."

"Suu? Are you talking about Mr. Suu, Mr. Nguyen's father from fishery control?" Thao asked again, looking surprised. "Uncle Suu is a veteran fisherman in the neighborhood, his house is near the beginning of the hamlet, his son works at the provincial marine conservation station, he's about to return here for work."

"His son works for marine conservation?" Khue asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, Mr. Chiem Bao Nguyen, I heard he's very good, he's really good at oceanography, and he's as good at diving as a professional. He also followed his father to the sea when he was young." Thao said, her voice a bit admiring. "I heard he'll come back here next week to take a job and be in charge of this area. He'll probably work with your project."

This information makes Khue both curious and a little pressured. Someone who is both knowledgeable in marine science and the son of a veteran fisherman involved in the mysteries surrounding her father's death — this person will certainly play an important role in both her work and her quest for the truth.

In the afternoon, Khue decided to visit Mr. Suu's house, for the simple reason of wanting to ask about the situation of the fishing grounds in the Da Bac reef area before his son returned to take up work. The small house is located near the beginning of the village, the front yard is full of fish nets, the smell of dried fish wafts in the wind.

Uncle Suu was sitting under the porch mending nets when he saw Khue enter the yard. He stood up, his face flashed with an indescribable expression - both recognition and avoidance.

"You are... Mr. Dam's daughter, right?" He asked, his voice shaking slightly.

"Yes, I'm Khue." She nodded, trying to keep her voice gentle. "I heard that you and my father used to be very close."

"Yeah... very close." Uncle Suu nodded, but his eyes looked away, his hand still holding the needle to mend the net but no longer moved. "Your father is a good person, good at his job, and understands the sea better than anyone in this neighborhood."

Khue noticed the confusion in his attitude, a hunch told her that this man was hiding something. But she didn't want to ask directly right away, for fear of making him wary and completely closed off.

"I'm working on a project to restore Da Bac reef, you know, right?" She switched to another topic. "I hope in the future I can work smoothly with everyone in the neighborhood, including Mr. Nguyen when he returns to work."

"Nguyen also loves the sea like your father." Uncle Suu said, his voice lighter as he turned to talk about his son. "He studied well, but I'm worried that he'll come here to do this fishery inspection job, he'll interact a lot, and he'll easily upset people."

"I understand, our work will probably encounter many difficulties." Khue admitted. "But I believe if we do it right, and do it for the common good, people will understand."

Uncle Suu was silent for a long time, then suddenly spoke, his voice lowered. "Miss Khue, I'm telling the truth, it's good that you're doing this project, I support it. But there are things... there are things that I think are best left alone, don't dig too deep. The sea is very deep, there are many things sunk down there that people don't want anyone to pick up."

That sentence sent chills down Khue's spine. She looked straight into Uncle Suu's eyes, trying to find some clue in his avoiding eyes. "What are you talking about, uncle?"

But Mr. Suu stood up, took the net and walked into the house, leaving his answer ambiguous. "Okay, you go home and rest, so I can take care of business. If you need help with any fishing techniques or fishing grounds, just stop by and ask, I'll tell you what I know."

Khue stood silently in Mr. Suu's yard for a while, feeling both disappointed and more confident that he was on the right track. This man knew something, something closely related to her father's death, but some fear was preventing him from saying it.

On the way home, she passed by the commune committee headquarters and saw a new notice that had just been posted on the bulletin board: announcing the establishment of a temporary mining restriction buffer zone around the Da Bac reef area, along with a schedule of public meetings on the weekend to get community opinions. The crowd gathered in front of the bulletin board, chatting loudly, many people showing obvious discontent.

"Ban again? If you ban it so hard, how can you live?" A voice rose from the crowd.

Khue stood from afar looking at that scene, her heart heavy. She knew the weekend meeting would not be easy, and she would have to directly face the anger of the entire fishing community, whom she truly wanted to help, not cause more difficulties. Between her scientific mission, her promise to her father, and the responsibility of reconciling with the community, Khue feels the burden on her shoulders is getting bigger and bigger, but she also knows that there is no way forward without having to go through these challenges.