Chapter 24 — Second Floor Library Girl

Phuc returned to school on the weekend with a backpack full of tools and the look on his face of someone who had learned how to sleep on the bus.

Bao ran out to greet him and asked if he would receive a badge. Phuc said no, but was given a jacket with the program logo. Bao asked to borrow money to sell cakes, but was refused.

Ngoc stood next to the library door. Phuc saw her and just nodded. The two didn't know what to say after a week of only texting about work.

"Are you tired?" Ngoc asked.

"Have."

“Do you want to rest?”

“A moment.”

Ngoc opened the door and pointed to the chair near the window. Phuc sat down and put his backpack at his feet. He looked at the bookshelf and said the second floor was still intact.

“Are you disappointed?”

“I wish it had a fan.”

“We are asking.”

"I know."

The two sat still. Bao and Lam went to get water, so they could have some privacy.

Phuc said the new program is more work than he thought. He learned to repair brakes, build frames, calculate loads and instruct children to ride safely. There was a little boy who was so afraid of falling that it took him the whole day just to adjust his position.

Ngoc said the reading room was open extra hours, Hoang Duy joined the consulting group, and Bao lost a set of keys but found them in the cake box.

“I didn't lose it,” Bao protested from the door. “I put it in a safe place.”

“The cake box is not safe,” Lam said.

“No one takes my cake.”

“We're afraid you'll eat the key.”

Phuc smiled, then took a set of homemade book clips from his backpack. He is made from metal wire, shaped like a leaf.

“For the library,” he said.

Ngoc holds one. “How long do you do?”

“During the break.”

“You don't need a gift.”

“I want to do it.”

Ngoc looked at him and nodded. "Thank."

The group opens an after-hours reading room on Saturdays for neighborhood students. For the first time, people who didn't study in An Hoa came, including the younger brother of a 10th grade classmate and two aunts and uncles who are studying at night. The school requires guest registration, but does not charge a fee.

Ngoc designed the guest card simply, without writing too much information. Phuc checked the path. Lam created an easy-to-find category table. Bao stood at the door, for the first time, he did not ask the customer if he wanted to buy cake.

“You've grown up,” Ngoc said.

“I'm just doing free shifts.”

An uncle asked if he could read the electrical repair manual. Phuc handed over a few books, then pointed to the socket. A child wanted to read comics, Ngoc led him to the low shelf. I asked if it was the publisher's library.

Ngoc replied: "It's the school's library and its users."

Phuc heard it and smiled.

In the afternoon, the group collects feedback. One aunt said the opening hours on weekends are very helpful, but the stairs are difficult to navigate. A student wants a locker. One child wanted more books with female characters doing repairs.

Ngoc records it all. Phuc said the vocational program can donate some technical books if the school allows.

“You can suggest,” she said. “No self-promise.”

“I'm studying.”

At the end of the day, a shelf suddenly fell askew. No one was injured, but the books slid to the floor. Phuc immediately stopped the person and checked the shelf. He realized a screw was loose due to damp wood.

Ngoc does not blame the installer. They logged the incident, locked the area, moved the books. Hoang Duy suggested removing the old shelf. Phuc said it can be reinforced, but it needs to be completely inspected.

“If we're not sure, we give up,” Ngoc said.

Phuc looked at her. “You're playing it safe over nostalgia.”

“I learned.”

They make a list of shelves to check. Some books have scratches but are not damaged. The little girl helped pick it up and asked if the book was about to be thrown away.

"Are not. We're just looking for a safer place,” Ngoc replied.

Phuc listened and said: "This sentence can be hung on the board."

“Not every sentence needs to be a slogan.”

"I know."

At night, after the guests returned, Phuc and Ngoc checked the shelves together. He shows how to recognize damp wood, tilt and cracks. Ngoc recorded the diagram and asked before turning his hand.

“You can spin,” Phuc said.

“I asked because of the rules.”

“You are using the rules to cover up what you want to ask.”

“I want both.”

Phuc looked at her, then nodded.

As they put away their tools, Ngoc asked if the apprenticeship program was difficult. Phuc said the hardest part was realizing he couldn't do everything, and then still had to rely on others.

“Do you have a request?”

"Have. I asked the instructor to look at the drawing.”

“Do you feel weak?”

“There was a second. Then the drawing is more correct.”

Ngoc smiled. “It's a clear benefit.”

Phuc asked what she had cooked. Ngoc said she made eggs, but accidentally added sugar. Bao shouted from afar that it was a salty dessert.

Phuc said: "Next time I'll give you the recipe."

“Do you know how to cook?”

“I know how to read instructions.”

“So we are equal.”

On the way down, Phuc walked slower so Ngoc wouldn't have to run after him. She didn't say anything, but realized he remembered how she used to hate crowded stairs.

On Sunday, the feedback panel showed that the after-hours library was useful. The consulting group added a plan to open two weekend sessions per month, with a person in charge and a safe schedule. An Nhien agreed to sponsor part of the approach but did not name the brand.

Ngoc read the email and saw that her father had learned how to write clear terms. She sent him a sentence: "Thank you, Dad, for letting the plan stand on its own feet."

Father replied: “Thank you for making me check my legs.”

Ngoc laughed. Phuc asked who sent the message. She said father. You didn't ask about the content.

The after-hours reading room doesn't solve the housing decision, but it does demonstrate that the second floor is serving more people than a classroom. Ngoc looked at the leaf-shaped clips on the shelf, seeing a small gift that could connect two cities, two jobs, and two people who are learning not to hold each other by debt.

Phuc received news that the program would be extended for another month. He asked Ngoc if he was bothered. Ngoc replied that the library still had schedules, but she missed the times when the two of them argued about a chair.

“You can argue with others,” Phuc said.

“No one answers as annoyingly as you.”

“Is that an advantage?”

“I haven't decided yet.”

Phuc sent a photo of a new pair of gloves, saying the program provided them. Ngoc asked if he still repaired cars at the counter. He spoke less, but his grandmother hired an assistant. Ngoc was glad that the counter didn't have to wait for him to run.

At school, the group tries a session on safe car repair. Phuc participated via direct call from another city. A 10th grader was holding the wrong wheel, Phuc guided him step by step. Ngoc stood next to hold the phone, but asked before recording the screen.

“You have become a technical assistant,” Phuc said.

“I just kept the phone.”

“It's harder to keep the right angle.”

The tutorial ended with Bao trying to pump the tire and popping the valve cover. Everyone laughed, but Phuc did not scold him. He told Bao to write down the mistake to avoid it next time. Ngoc realized that good teaching does not turn the wrongdoer into a laughing stock, although it still allows everyone to laugh with each other.

At the end of the day, the group recorded an audio clip of Phuc to save in the guide. He does not appear in the photo, only his voice. Ngoc asked if I needed to write my name Are not. Phuc said to write down the program name and date, not the circumstances.

Ngoc saves the file, naming it clearly. A voice can be far away but still help someone fix something themselves.

The school approved a six-week trial of the expanded reading room program. The second floor is open two more evenings, but there must be an adult in charge and a record book. Ms. Hanh asked if the group had enough people. Phuc accepted one session, Ms. Mai took one session, and Ngoc called a few parents who agreed to support.

One parent asked if it was necessary to record every activity to demonstrate effectiveness. Ngoc said no. They just need the number of visits, the purpose of use and voluntary feedback. Bao is in charge of the old computer, creating forms that do not require email. Minh Chau checks whether data can be downloaded anonymously.

The first evening, a student forgot his study account password and was worried because his submission was about to expire. Phuc didn't know how to handle it, but he didn't second-guess himself. He took his friend to Ms. Mai, then recorded the error in the problem list. Ngoc feels that not knowing can also become data, as long as people record it so they know who to ask next time.

On the third day, the program held a bicycle safety instruction session. Phuc put the tools on the table, talked about brakes, lights and how to check tires. Ngoc supports illustrative projection. A student asked why the reading room teaches car repair. Responding because students need to get to school before they can sit and read. The answer made the whole room nod.

Ngoc asked permission to take a photo of his hand fixing the brake, not his face. One friend wanted to show up because she was happy, but her mother wasn't there yet. Ngoc promised to ask again later. She was a little disappointed, then picked up the lamp herself to check. Phuc said appearing is not as important as people being chosen.

After six sessions, the data showed that students stayed longer but also forgot to turn off the lights many times. The group does not hide that number. They added reminder boards and assigned end-of-shift inspection tasks. Ms. Hanh said the report is trustworthy because it includes bad parts.

That evening, Ngoc sent the summary to his father. He asked if the results could be used to present to the board of directors. Ngoc agreed on the condition that the method be kept intact and clearly stated that this was a school experiment. She didn't want the number to be separated from the story of its creators.