Chapter 14 — Second Floor Library Girl

The proposal to buy Block B was sent to the school board in a brown envelope, but the whole school knew before the envelope was opened.

The news spread from the teacher's room to the 12th grade, from the 12th grade to the cafeteria, then stopped at the bread counter because Bao asked the customer if he wanted to hear the summary.

“No one asked,” Phuc said.

“I am preparing the need.”

“You are about to sell cakes.”

“Cake helps people listen longer.”

Ngoc received a copy of the proposal from Ms. Hanh. An Nhien wants to buy the right to use the house and adjacent land, in exchange for building a community reading center, supporting scholarships and renovating the sports area. In the alternative, the second floor reading room could be partially retained, but there is no final commitment.

“What does partial retention mean?” Lam asked.

“Maybe just keep the facade,” Phuc said.

Ngoc read the terms. “The project must still be approved by the school board and public asset management.”

Minh Chau looked at her. “Did you know in advance?”

"I know dad is considering it. I don't know the content of the proposal."

Bao asked: "If your father buys it, can you ask to keep it all?"

Ngoc shook her head. “It's not enough to just ask.”

“But you can ask harder than others.”

"Maybe. And that's something I have to be careful of."

Phuc stood by the window. “We need to read carefully, not react to the headline.”

The group held an open discussion in the reading room. Students from all classes come, some want to keep the same building, some like the new center because there will be more books. A 12th grader said that if we keep everything old, the school will not develop. A 10th grader said he just needed a quiet place to read, and didn't care about the company name.

Ngoc writes opinions on the board, without highlighting any side. Bao suggested adding the item "need free cake", which was deleted.

Phuc asked each person: "What cannot be lost?" One person said the window, one person said the opening hours, one person said the right to borrow books without any achievements. Some people say you can't lose the names of people who donated books.

Ngoc realized that the debate is not between old and new. It is between specific values and general promises.

In the evening, father called. He asked Ngoc if he had read the proposal yet.

“I read it.”

“What do you think?”

“There are good points, but not enough details.”

“Dad can add.”

“Are you willing to keep the entire reading room?”

“If the structure is safe and the financial plan allows.”

“Father still said as reported.”

“Because this is work.”

“For me, this is where I began to understand myself.”

Father sighed. “I don't want to disappoint you.”

"So don't promise to keep it. Promise to listen fully before deciding."

He was silent for a moment then said: "I promise."

Ngoc hung up the phone, seeing that this promise was small but powerful.

The next day, the group accepted an invitation to attend a dialogue between the school, neighborhood representatives and An Nhien. Ms. Hanh said students can speak, but are not the ones who decide.

“Is it helpful to speak without deciding?” Bao asked.

“Yes, if you decide to really listen,” Phuc replied.

Ngoc prepares the data presentation. She does not include individual photos of students, only uses aggregated data and approved messages. Lam edited so as not to turn the message into an advertisement. Minh Chau created a list of questions. Bao made a cake for the meeting, but Ms. Hanh asked for an ingredient list.

“This is a dialogue, not a culinary conference,” she said.

“But hungry people have a hard time hearing,” Bao replied.

Phuc said he would take care of the water.

On meeting day, the council room was crowded. Father Ngoc sat next to An Nhien's representative, wearing a blue shirt and a serious face. He looked at his daughter but did not greet her personally. Ngoc sat with students, taking notes.

Company representatives presented benefits: open book center for the community, renovated sports area, stable funding source. School representatives said building B has deteriorated and maintenance costs have increased. The neighborhood asked about traffic.

When it was the students' turn, Minh Chau talked about usage hours. Lam talks about access. Phuc presented the cost of repairing the roof and shelves, proving that keeping a reading room is not impossible. Bao talks about people who only dare to step in after seeing their friends being respected.

Ngoc is the last one. She did not say her father was rich or the school was poor. She said:

"A good proposal can add many things. But to be accepted, it must answer specific questions: how many hours the library is open, who manages it, how students have the right to comment, how the names of book donors are protected, and if the plan fails, whose responsibility is it? We are not against the new center. We are against calling every change progress before knowing who will be left behind."

The meeting room was silent. Her father looked down at the file.

A council member asked An Nhien if she could commit to keeping the second floor. Company representatives said the structure needed to be checked. Ngoc did not look at her father. She knew that if he spoke up right away, everyone would think she had asked.

Her father did not speak.

The meeting ended with a decision to postpone, requesting a plan to compare three options: maintain, partially renovate, or build a new one. Each option must have student opinions.

On the way out, Phuc asked Ngoc if he was disappointed because his father didn't say anything.

“No. If I speak for you, the group's lesson will become the family's lesson.”

“Do you think he will keep his promise?”

“I don't know.”

“Are you afraid?”

"Have."

Phuc gave her a piece of bread. “Eat it.”

“I'm not hungry.”

“This is not a question.”

Ngoc accepted and took a bite. The sauce is spicier than usual.

“Did you do it on purpose?”

“I want you to stay awake.”

“I was very awake.”

“Then eat more.”

Bao, walking behind, heard it and announced that the two of them were using bread to solve public policy. Lam said it is a method that has not been researched.

In the evening, my father sent an email to Ngoc, not using family language. He attached a request for planning and said An Nhien would not announce a decision before an independent assessment.

Ngoc replied thank you. She wanted to write "I'm proud of you dad", but deleted it. She wasn't ready to turn a correct step into a reward.

Phuc asked the group if they believed Mr. Nguyen. Ngoc said no one should give all their trust before seeing action.

“You talk about your father like you talk about an unread book.”

“I'm on the middle page.”

“Then read on.”

Ngoc nodded. The second floor hasn't been saved yet, but for once everyone has the same set of questions. It's a small step, and small steps often require many people to accompany them so they don't get blown back by the wind.

The team began gathering opinions from people who had never been to the second floor. Bao stood at the gate asking customers if they knew where the reading room was, but he promised not to lure them into buying cakes first. A delivery lady said they only knew the second floor through the boxes of books being delivered, and had never sat down to read it. Ngoc wrote that sentence in the "people outside the map" section.

An employee said The security guard said that the evening shift often has students waiting for their parents to pick them up. I don't want the room to open later if there's no one in charge. Phuc asked when it was safe, Minh Chau asked who could hand over the key. They do not promise to open more immediately; They set up a two-week trial plan, with a registered teacher or parent on each shift.

Ngoc discovered that people who have not been to the library do not always need it. Many people don't know who is allowed in, are afraid of making noise or think books are only for good students. Lam suggested posting a sign outside the stairs, using a simple sentence: "You can come in to read, ask questions or sit quietly." Bao wanted to add a picture of bread, but this time he gave up his opinion.

In the afternoon, a 10th grader stood under the stairs for a long time. Ngoc came down and asked if there was anything he needed to find. You say you just want to watch, but are afraid of being asked by Ms. Hanh which book to borrow. Ngoc leads you up, shows the rules and says you can sit for ten minutes without needing to borrow. You choose a short story, read it in the corner of the window and then put it back on the right shelf.

Ngoc recorded that visit by number, not name. She understands that a person entering for the first time is also data, but not evidence to show off. Phuc asked if there were ten more people like that, would the group have enough seats? Ngoc answered no, but they can know in advance to find a solution.

That evening, dad sent a text message that he had read the plan and had six questions left, including one about operating costs after the first year. Ngoc passed it to the group. Hoang Duy said that was the most difficult question. Response: "It's difficult to write clearly." Ngoc opened a new page, titled "inconclusive things".

Ms. Hanh said that page was not locked. Whenever there is new information, the person in charge must write down the update date and source. Ngoc asked what if the answer changed. Ms. Hanh said we must keep the old version, so readers can understand what steps the decision went through.

Minh Chau set up a small box next to the board, called "pending questions". Students can put paper in, but they cannot write other people's names. Bao intended to place the box next to the cake counter for ease of sale, then realized that this would make people think they had to buy it to ask. He moved the box into the library door.

One friend wrote: "If the second floor is repaired but I no longer study here, will the next people know who did it?" Ngoc read, without writing names, then replied below: "There's no need to remember just one person. Just remember how to continue."