Chapter 5 — Reef Keeper

The people's meeting was held in the communal yard of the island commune, a place originally used for holidays and important community meetings. When Khue, Thao and Uncle Tam arrived, the communal house's yard was filled with people, the murmur of conversation mixed with the sound of fans waving to dispel the hot heat of the weekend afternoon. Khue recognized many familiar faces in the crowd: Uncle Bon mending his net the day before, a group of young people led by Vu sitting in a corner, and even elderly people who had lived their whole lives attached to the sea, their faces deeply wrinkled from the sun and wind.

Mr. Nguyen Ba Cuong, Chairman of Vong Ngu Island Commune, sat at the chairman's table with several other officials, his imposing appearance in a neatly ironed business suit, completely different from the sincerity of the people sitting below. He held the microphone, his voice resounding with confidence.

"Dear people, today the commune organized this meeting to announce and collect opinions on the establishment of a temporary exploitation restriction buffer zone in the Da Bac reef area, to serve the marine ecosystem restoration project sponsored by the Institute of Oceanography Research." He spoke, his voice monotonous as if reading a prepared lesson. "This is the right policy, consistent with the sustainable development trend that the province is encouraging."

Khue sat in the front row, listening, clearly feeling the indifference in Mr. Cuong's voice, as if this was just an administrative procedure that needed to be completed for the sake of it, not an issue he really cared about. She noticed that during his speech, he did not mention any specific details about the Kinh Duong Bay resort being built on the southern tip of the island, even though everyone knows that project will have a much greater impact on this sea area than the small buffer zone proposed by Khue's project.

After Mr. Cuong's speech, it was Khue's turn to present about the project. She stood up, her hands shaking a bit but trying to keep her voice steady, briefly presented the purpose of the coral nursery, the buffer zone only accounting for a small part of the reef, the expected limited time for exploitation only lasting during the period when newly transplanted corals need time to take root, and the long-term benefits that people will receive when the coral reef recovers.

"I understand clearly that this is a fishing ground associated with people's livelihoods for many generations." Khue said, trying to convey sincerity in every word. "I'm not an outsider who comes here to impose rules. My father, Mr. Pho Van Dam, was also a fisherman in my neighborhood. I understand the value of each trip out to sea, and the worry when the fish season fails. That's why I want to save this coral reef even more, because as long as the reef is alive, only the fish and shrimp will survive, and the new fishing ground will last a long time for our children and grandchildren in the future."

A short silence covered the courtyard after Khue's statement, then the whispers arose again. Vu, the young man who had been harsh with Khue the day before, stood up from the crowd, his voice still a bit harsh but less vicious than the previous meeting.

"What you say sounds good, but I want to ask directly: while we wait for the reef to recover, what will we have to live on? That buffer zone is right in the deep water section where we often fish for squid at night. If we don't, we have to run further, waste more oil, and not necessarily have more fish." He said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Have you considered that?"

"I did consider it." Khue replied, not avoiding the question. "In the project, there is a subsidy for fishing gear and oil for households whose fishing grounds are directly affected by the buffer zone. Although not much, it partly compensates in the early stages. In addition, we are also asking for additional funding to organize training classes to convert part of the livelihood, for example, participating in the work of caring for coral nurseries, being paid by the day, or learning how to do ecotourism diving to see coral in the future when the reef recovers."

Khue's answer made a few people in the crowd nod, seemingly somewhat convinced, but Vu was still not completely satisfied. "Eco-tourism sounds good, but it's still far away. And now, right in front of our eyes, these guys are building a resort on the other side of the southern tip, releasing waste and releasing water loudly. Who can ban it? Why ban people from fishing first, and not ban that first?"

Vu's question was like an arrow hitting the target, causing the whole courtyard to stir, many voices of agreement rang out from everywhere. Khue glanced at Mr. Cuong and saw him frowning slightly, his hand holding the microphone a little tighter before speaking, his voice somewhat harsher than before.

"The issue of Kinh Duong Bay resort has been inspected by the provincial inspectors and confirmed to be in full compliance with environmental regulations. People should not listen to false rumors." Mr. Cuong said, his voice unusually tough. "Today's meeting is to discuss buffer zones for coral recovery. We ask everyone to focus on the right topic."

Mr. Cuong's stiff and somewhat evasive answer did not ease the discontent in the crowd, but on the contrary, it made many people more suspicious. Khue noticed that many people's eyes were focused on Mr. Cuong with obvious skepticism, even though no one dared to say it out loud in the middle of a crowded meeting.

Uncle Tam, sitting next to Khue, softly whispered in her ear. "Do you see, I told you, the matter of that resort is very sensitive, Mr. Cuong defended it so openly."

The meeting lasted for nearly an hour, with many opinions going back and forth, most of which revolved around concerns about livelihoods and doubts about the resort. Finally, after agreeing on some small adjustments to the buffer zone boundaries to reduce the impact on the night squid fishing areas of the most difficult households, the meeting also came to a temporary consensus, although the general atmosphere was still cautious.

When everyone gradually dispersed, Khue stood for a moment, looking at Mr. Cuong's silhouette as he entered the shiny pickup truck parked in front of the communal house, a quite luxurious car compared to the general level of this poor island commune. She suddenly noticed a small detail: on the car door was printed the logo of Blue Ocean Group, faint but still recognizable if looked closely, as if the car did not originally belong to the commune but was a gift or vehicle sponsored by the business.

The doubt in Khue's heart grew even greater. She recorded this detail on her phone, reminding herself to learn more about the relationship between the commune government and Blue Ocean Group.

On the way home, Vu suddenly passed by and stopped for a few seconds as if he wanted to say something to Khue but hesitated. He finally spoke, his voice much softer than before.

"You said that about supporting fishing gear and training, is that true?" Vu asked, his eyes still a bit probing but no longer harsh.

"Really, I promise you and your relatives it's true." Khue replied firmly. "I will make the list of support and disbursement progress public, anyone can monitor."

Vu nodded, remained silent for a moment, then continued, his voice lower than just enough for Khue to hear. "I'll be honest, I've heard about explosives on the reef. There are a few strange ships, not familiar ships in the neighborhood, often going out at night near the resort under construction. I'm not sure, but you should pay attention."

"Thank you for telling me." Khue said, truly grateful for Vu's change in attitude. "If you hear anything else, please report back to me or the fisheries department."

Vu nodded, didn't say anything more, turned around and joined the stream of people dispersing out of the courtyard. Khue stood and watched, feeling a small glimmer of hope arise - perhaps, gradually, she would find support from the very people she initially thought were completely opposite to her.

In the evening, when returning home, Khue received a call from Dr. Le Xuan Vinh, the instructor and also the director of the research institute sponsoring the project. He asked about the situation, Khue briefly reported about the people's meeting, about the traces of the mine explosion that had been discovered, and even vague questions related to the resort.

"Listen carefully, Khue." Teacher Vinh spoke on the phone, his voice undisguisedly worried. "I trust you completely when it comes to coral restoration expertise, but when it comes to negative investigations that affect big businesses and local authorities, you shouldn't rush into it yourself. It's very dangerous."

"I know, teacher." Khue replied. "But you cannot ignore when you see the coral reef being destroyed right before your eyes, while you are trying to restore it. These two things cannot be separated."

Teacher Vinh sighed over the phone, seemingly not completely in agreement but also understanding his student's steadfast personality. "So remember to keep in regular contact with the teacher. If anything unusual happens, report it immediately. And remember to coordinate closely with the fishery control department, don't act alone."

After the call, Khue sat quietly on the porch, looking out at the quiet night sea, the moonlight spreading a strip of sparkling silver light on the water. A week has passed since the day she set foot back on this island, and in that short week, she found the first traces of the destruction silently taking place under the sea, revealed a small corner of the secret of her father's death, and also began to feel the glimmers of hope for change in the hearts of the fishing community that was once wary of her.

She thought of the young man named Chiem Bao Nguyen who was about to return to the island to take a job, the son of the man who was keeping a secret related to her father. She doesn't know what his appearance will bring — another ally in the arduous journey ahead, or a new layer of complexity in the web of mysteries slowly unfolding around Silver Reef. But no matter what, Khue feels ready to face it, because she is no longer alone like the first days she set foot back - she has Mrs. Bay Xuyen, she has Thao, Uncle Tam, and now, there is even a fragile glimmer of hope from people like Vu, who gradually realize that the real enemy is not her, but what is silently destroying the sea that feeds them all.

The night wind blew past, bringing with it the familiar salty air. Khue closed her eyes, took a deep breath, feeling the steady rhythm of the waves in the distance as a reminder that the journey ahead was still long, but she had taken the first solid steps.