Chapter 21 — Second Floor Library Girl

The parent meeting was unexpectedly held in the reading room because the hall was being repaired, causing Bao to say the second floor was finally invited to be an adult.

“Parents will sit on plastic chairs,” Lam said.

“They will understand the students' suffering,” Bao replied.

Ngoc and the group arrange chairs in a circle. Ms. Hanh wants parents to hear reports about the use of the reading room and housing plans. Some parents came early, looked at the bookshelves and asked why they didn't use the new room.

“Because the new room is not yet available,” Phuc said.

Ngoc reminded him to answer more softly.

“I'm answering truthfully.”

“It really doesn't have to be beautiful.”

“I will sharpen my sentences.”

The meeting begins. The school representative presented maintenance costs, An Nhien presented the survey plan, and the student group presented usage data. One parent asked why students were allowed to participate when they had no management experience.

Minh Chau replied: "Because we are users. Management experience is necessary, but does not replace user experience."

Another parent worried that the dark reading room would not be safe. Phuc presented the duty schedule, minimum number of people and how to lock the door. He added that no one should stay alone, even if he had bread.

Ngoc presented the accessibility section. She said the stairs were difficult for some people to get up, so any option would need appropriate access. One parent asked why they didn't bring the library to the ground floor immediately.

“Because the ground floor currently lacks light and is close to the parking area,” Ngoc replied. “But that is a problem that needs to be solved, not a reason to ignore it.”

Hoang Duy's parents asked if they kept the second floor, who would pay for the repairs. The school representative said he would propose a budget. Father Ngoc was not present, only Mr. Khai represented An Nhien. He said the company is willing to sponsor independent research but does not require changing the room's name.

Phuc asked: "Is there any conditions for sponsorship?"

Mr. Khai replied: "No commercial conditions. But the amount of money must be disclosed."

Ngoc looked at him and saw that he had used the correct language the group requested.

One parent said that if their child is late for the library, the family may not let them go. Bao asked if the school could set a clearer schedule. Ms. Hanh noted.

The meeting was long and tense at times. One person said students only liked the second floor because they romanticized the old place. Ngoc did not object with emotion. She gave data showing that many students use the room because of quiet, not because of nostalgia.

After the question and answer session, Ms. Hanh invited parents to see each corner of the room. A mother tried a chair near the window and said the light was nice but the shelf was high. Phuc notes. A father checked the fan and asked if there was a maintenance schedule. Lam gave the book.

Bao stood at the door handing out water. A parent asked how much his bread sold for. He said the price is unchanged for serious inquirers.

“So do you get a discount?” one mother asked.

“You asked about safety so you got more vegetables.”

Phuc pulled Bao away, but everyone laughed. The air is less tense.

At the end of the meeting, the parties agreed to form a consulting group including students, teachers, parents, neighborhood and An Nhien. This group will not make the final decision, but will consider the options. Ngoc cannot represent An Nhien; she is just a student.

On the way down, Phuc asked her if she felt light.

"A little. At least everyone is sitting at the same table."

“Does the table have enough chairs?”

"No. There's someone standing."

“Next time need more chairs.”

Ngoc smiled. He always drags every problem back to a specific object.

Evening, father sent The message said he had heard the report. Ngoc asked him if he was disappointed because he couldn't speak directly.

“No. I hear more when I sit still.”

Ngoc didn't expect her father to realize that.

“Are you going to join the consulting group?”

“If invited as a company representative.”

“Not as your father?”

"I'm your father here. But in the meeting, I need to make it clear who I represent."

Ngoc smiled. She thought maybe adults could learn the rules too.

The next day, the school opened a live feedback board. Some words are unpleasant, some words are very detailed. Someone suggested removing the reading room because there are few users, but the record doesn't know the opening hours. Some people want to keep it the same because they met friends there.

Ngoc did not delete dissenting opinions. She only marked the sentences that needed verification. Phuc said that if they delete it, they won't know why there are people objecting.

“Are you ever tired of having to respect people who don't respect you?” Ngoc asked.

"Have."

"What do you do?"

“I respect boundaries, not insults.”

Ngoc remembered.

In the afternoon, a parent donated ten folding chairs. They didn't want to give their names, just said their children used to sit on the second floor. The team checks each chair, records the condition and places it in the reading corner. Bao said the new chair makes the room look like a place where someone actually plans to stay.

Phuc nodded. “Things can also be a commitment.”

Ngoc looked at the chair and saw a small scratch on the back. She did not ask for a repaint. There are traces that remind you that the object was used, not just displayed.

The parent meeting did not resolve the fate of the second floor, but created additional people responsible for asking. Ngoc knew that was the hardest thing: holding on to a question long enough that people couldn't pretend it had never been asked.

After the meeting, a parent who stayed behind privately asked Ngoc if she felt pressured because her father was participating. Ngoc said yes, but pressure is not a reason to give up the right to speak up. The parent said she used to work in a large company, where people often called finished decisions "in consultation".

“So what do you think we should do?” Ngoc asked.

"Record who said what, when, and what was promised. Not to find fault, but so everyone remembers what they agreed to."

Ngoc wrote that sentence in the notebook. Phuc heard it and said adults also have tips on how to operate it.

Bao stood on the stairs and discovered a parent had forgotten his umbrella. He ran down to pay, then turned back up panting. Minh Chau asked him if he needed a break. Bao said no, but gave the roster to someone else.

Ngoc realized that was the first time Bao had seen his limits before being reminded. She wrote a line in the report: “Assignment not only divides work, but also allows people to stop at the right time.”

In the evening, the group sends minutes to all meeting attendees. Some people correct one question, some ask more questions, some don't answer. Ngoc does not call it complete consensus. She calls it a living document, in need of updating.

Phuc's message: "Have you eaten yet?"

"Already."

“Are there any photos?”

“Did you learn your testing habits?”

“I'm afraid you only eat one cake.”

Ngoc sent a photo of the bowl of rice her mother cooked. Phuc replied with a photo of a loaf of bread at the counter. The two of them didn't talk about the reading room, but they both knew they still had work tomorrow.

After the meeting, Ms. Hanh asked the group to make a public record. Bao complained that no one read the long minutes, but still accepted the recording of each opinion. Minh Chau divided them into three groups: supporting keeping the reading room, worrying about costs, and not having enough information. Ngoc reminded everyone not to call the third group protesters. A question mark is not a negative vote.

A parent looked for Ngoc at the school gate. She said her family sells goods in the evening, and her son often stays on the second floor waiting for his mother to finish work. If the reading room closes early, she doesn't know where to send her children. Ngoc recorded the story after asking permission, but she just wanted her name not to appear. Ngoc promised not to use her name and sent her the summary to check.

Bao, who had just returned an umbrella he borrowed the day before, stood nearby. After listening, he said that the reading room could not solve all the family's difficulties, but at least the school needed to know which difficulties would be eliminated if they changed buildings. Bao's words were clumsy but sincere. Ngoc recorded it in the minutes.

In the afternoon, the group held a short question and answer session for students. They placed a question box outside the door, allowing anonymous writing. Some people ask why we have to keep paper books when everything is available online. Phuc replied that not everyone has their own computer, stable internet or a quiet place to study. Someone asked if a new building would make the reading room more beautiful. Ngoc said it's absolutely possible, as long as that beauty doesn't take away the right to use it from those who need it.

At the end of the day, Bao sent the first minutes. He misspelled the name of a class and erased an important sentence. Ngoc pointed out the error and helped him restore it with the recording. Bao apologized, then added the column "checked with the speaker".

Phuc texted Ngoc asking if she had eaten anything. She looked at the lunch box still in her bag and admitted she hadn't eaten yet. He sent a frowning emoji. Ngoc smiled, closed the computer and went to find a restaurant near the gate. Small things also need to be recorded in the calendar, otherwise people can easily think they are doing big things by forgetting themselves.

Before leaving, Ngoc returned to the question box. A piece of paper asked: "If I don't know what I need, can I ask?" She taped it to the top of the board, and under it she wrote: "Okay. This is where to start."