Chapter 12 — Summer On The Terrace

Uncle Sau opened the maintenance warehouse at seven o'clock and placed the thick notebook on the table. The cover is stained with oil and the spine has come off, but each roof repair is marked with the date and person who performed it. Quan read slowly, comparing it with Ms. Huong's drawing.

“This crack is from last year,” he said. “It's not because of the garden.”

Uncle Sau nodded. “But the wrong tray of soil can cause wide cracks.”

Vy asked: "What about the advertising frame?"

Uncle Sau turned to the last page. A wind load calculation sheet is stuck in a book, without a signature. Four frame legs are placed exactly on the old drainage pipe, the remaining two legs are near the engine room.

Quan looked, his face tense. “If the wind is strong, the concentrated force transmitted to the roof layer is already weak.”

“Can it be reinforced?” Vy asked.

“Yes. But we have to change positions and check everything.”

Long called the board of directors and requested an appraisal. They replied that the new company is being completed.

“They plan to test disassemble it before having a copy,” Quan said.

Uncle Sau pointed to the book. “This one doesn't need another trial and error.”

The team prepares a technical report, attaching photos of cracks, maintenance schedules and old drawings. Vy presented with a simple diagram, without using brand colors. Quan signed the load calculation, Ms. Huong signed to confirm the drawing source.

Ms. Nhan responded that student reports do not replace professional appraisal. Quan replied that they did not replace it, but only asked the school to complete appraisal before construction.

“Aren't you afraid of being seen as opposing?” Vy asked.

“I'm more afraid of the roof collapsing.”

“You say that in front of the council.”

“I'll say it in numbers.”

Uncle Sau instructed the group to temporarily reinforce the tree tray. They use lightweight aluminum bars and do not drill into the roof. Quan checked each connection, Vy wrote down the diagram. Ha and Ngoc participated and learned how to recognize a tilted tray.

While working, a company worker appeared and said they were assigned to remove a planter that was "not on the list." The army requested a warrant. That person called, then said he would come back.

My took a photo of the name tag and asked the worker's permission first. He agreed but said he didn't want it posted online.

“No one was posted online,” My said.

That person looked at her and said softly: "We just follow the schedule."

Vy clearly sees the boundary between workers and decision-makers. She didn't want to turn the people on the roof into enemies just because they held tools.

In the afternoon, the school laboratory tested the sensor. The device was hooked up to a cheap adapter, but the original data was still recoverable. Actual temperatures are seven to eleven degrees higher than advertised depending on location.

Long asked if it should be announced immediately. Hanh said she must send it to the board of directors and the company first, giving them time to respond.

“If they shut up?”

“Silence is also noted.”

Long sent a letter. Ms. Nhan replied that the company is not responsible for self-installed equipment. Quan is right, but the advertising data used the value from the replaced sensor.

“They cannot not be responsible and use data at the same time,” Vy said.

That night, Quan received news that his father had to take more rest. He wanted to go to the countryside, but the report needed to be completed. Vy suggested sharing the calculation with another engineering student, Quan refused because that person did not know the system.

“You're not the only one who knows,” Vy said.

“But I'm the one who signed.”

“Signing means taking responsibility, it doesn't mean doing it alone.”

Quan looked at her, then sent the documents to a senior in the lab. They agreed to cross-examine. He booked a bus ticket back home for the weekend.

The trial dismantling date was announced earlier than expected: two another day. The board said it would only remove an old frame next to the water tank, but the company's drawings put the new frame's legs in the same position.

Uncle Sau technically locked the door. “There are no inspection records, no one touches the roof.”

Long asked what if they used their contractual rights.

“Contracts do not replace safety,” Quan replied.

Vy looked at the report and saw that there was a missing signature from the administration department. Ms. Huong said the council will meet irregularly, but the group needs to present to the students to get user opinions.

My prepared the open meeting. She wrote the title: "What is the terrace used for?" Do not use the words “save” or “fight”.

That night, when everyone returned, Quan discovered that a page in the maintenance book was torn. The page records an inspection of the roof frame six years ago.

The pages of the notebook were torn, making Uncle Sau angry. He checked the locker and found no signs of prying. Ms. Huong requested the archives department to provide a digitized copy. Quan and Vy compared each page and discovered that the scanned copy had a line hidden due to a scanning error.

The technology department restored the text: "Do not place concentrated loads next to the old tank." The signer is the former head of the administration department, now working as a consultant for the company.

“This is a conflict of interest,” Long said.

Hanh reminded the group not to make false conclusions. They sent a request for explanation, asking the consultant not to participate in evaluating the new position.

Ms. Nhan replied that the company did not know this line when receiving the drawings. She agreed to invite an independent engineer. Vy acknowledged, but still requested to make it public.

Uncle Sau instructed to repair the water tank. The new waterproofing layer is placed in each area and has time to dry. The garden had to reduce watering for three days. Ha moved the tree to a temporary tray and wrote the name of the person in charge.

Quan returned home for the weekend. Before leaving, he handed over the sensors and load board to his seniors in the lab. Vy asked if she needed her to keep the key.

“The key is with Uncle Sau.”

“I just asked.”

“I know.”

Quan returned home and video called the group from the small kitchen. His father sat down to fix the chair and asked if the garden could be kept. Quan said he didn't know, but everyone was following the correct process. Dad laughed: "Doing it right is slow, but it saves you having to fix it."

Vy listened, did not speak. She found that sentence similar to Uncle Sau.

While the Army is away, the sensor sends stable data. Vy didn't edit anything herself, just wrote it down. Long sent the data to the laboratory, My checked permission.

Ha organized a cooking session using sprouts and invited maintenance staff. Uncle Sau sat down to eat on the terrace for the first time and said he didn't hate the students, he just hated that they didn't report.

“We will report from now on,” Ha said.

The trial dismantling date is still mentioned in the calendar by the company. The board hasn't canceled yet, but the new process requires three days' notice. The group prepares the safety board.

Quan called from his hometown, telling him that his father needed further examination. Vy told him to stay, the group would handle it. Quan agreed, not trying to return immediately for the first time.

“You are learning how to delegate,” Vy said.

“You are learning to let others go.”

The call ended. Vy looked at the calendar and saw an empty box that had been claimed by someone else.

In the evening, the laboratory sent the results: the company's equipment was placed in the shadow area, the data was not representative; Group sensors are accurate within tolerance. They didn't say the company did it on purpose.

Vy sent the report to the board of directors and Ms. Nhan. The company removed the low data post, but did not explain.

Long said: "If you don't tell, the reader won't know."

My request is to post a comparison, clearly stating the source and date. Hanh agrees.

In the loading map, a new red mark appears On the company version: the base of the frame is placed closer to the old tank than the version shown.

The red mark caused the team meeting to last an additional two hours. Quan opened each layer of the drawing, comparing the size of the old tank with photos taken at the scene. He did not conclude that the company version was intentionally moved, because it was also possible that the artist used a different background version. But the position of the frame's legs was only thirty-eight centimeters off, enough to change the load on the beam.

Vy called Mrs. Nhan during the meeting where Hanh was present. Ms. Nhan asked to send back the original file, saying the drawing had gone through three intermediaries. Quan requires the entire edit history, not just the PDF export. Ms. Nhan said she was not sure if the company was still there, but she would ask. Hanh clearly stated in the minutes: "If there is no original file, it is not considered verified."

Ha led the group down to check the old tank. Inside there was a layer of dirt and two broken bricks. Uncle Sau said the tank used to be used to store rainwater, but was abandoned because the lid was not tight. He did not remember who removed the valve. Long asked to write down his story, Uncle Sau agreed but did not want to take pictures. Vy just recorded the description, read it back to him, and then saved it.

My asked if they could tell old tank stories in the podcast. Uncle Sau said it was okay, as long as he didn't turn him into a know-it-all. My wrote that sentence correctly. Ha laughed and said this sentence should be posted on every project file.

In the evening, the data comparison was posted on the faculty bulletin board. No sensational photos, no false company labels. Each graph is annotated with location, time, error, and examiner. One student commented that the garden looked less effective than advertised. Vy replied that that's why they publish the data: readers have the right to know the bad parts.

Immediately after that, the company sent a letter requesting to remove the download map because it believed that there was technical information that was not allowed to be made public. Hanh forwarded the letter to the school's legal department and did not remove it herself. Quan turned off the right to download the original file, only keeping the viewing version on the bulletin board. The group waited for an answer, realizing for the first time that transparency also requires safety boundaries.