Chapter 20 — Summer On The Terrace

The closing day did not have large banners. The user council placed a wooden table at the entrance, on which were regulations, drawings, budget and maintenance schedule. Newcomers can read before entering. No one has to listen to a speech to be allowed to use the terrace.

The Board of Management announced the decision: area C will not install advertising frames in the old location; The garden is kept under self-management regulations, with a two-year evaluation period. New Sun Company sponsors the waterproofing layer and part of the sensor, non-exclusively, unnamed. All aggregated data is periodically checked, all content has the right to withdraw.

Not an absolute victory. The garden had to remove part of the trays, the kitchen no longer accepts vegetables year-round, and the current group of students will graduate. But the roof was not turned into a billboard according to the dangerous design.

Ms. Huong read the minutes and asked each person if they agreed. Ha signed the kitchen part, Uncle Sau signed the maintenance part, and the freshman representative signed the transfer part. Vy signed as a member of the design team, not the leader.

Quan signed the technical part, then added an appendix: all structural changes must be independently verified. Uncle Sau nodded.

Bao Long read the sponsorship report in front of everyone. He clearly stated the data that was sent incorrectly, how to recover it, the amount of money the company sponsored and the portion of community money. Some people still don't forgive right away. Long did not request it.

Diem My releases the last podcast episode of the season. She let Co Mai, Ha, Quan, Vy and other users listen first. The episode has the sound of a pen signing, the sound of a water valve, the sound of someone pulling a chair and periods of silence. There was not a single voice that did not agree.

“What is the name of the episode?” Ha asked.

My said: “The roof is usable.”

“There is no word for summer?”

“Summer exists in the sound of fans.”

Everyone laughed.

The waterproofing layer is completed before the first heavy rain. Quan checked each trench, Vy drew a new path, Ha planted seeds. First-year students receive shift schedules and name replacements. No one calls it the legacy of the old group.

Vy must submit the project. She did not use the best photo of the terrace. She uses drawings with corrections, error tables and regulations. Ms. Huong commented that the project was not perfect but responsible.

“Will you continue to make a living place?” she asked.

“I will try.”

“Don't promise too big.”

Vy nodded.

Quan returned home for two days, fixed his father's roof, then returned before the exam. He carried a bag of seeds sent by Ha. Vy asked if she needed care.

"Need. But not just you."

They stood on the rooftop, without spotlights or promises. Quan gave Vy a piece of paper, writing down three terms they had set for the job: don't send drawings without asking, don't use other people as content without permission, and if you need to stop, say so clearly.

“This term applies to both,” he said.

“I know.”

“What about personal terms?”

Vy looked at the new seed trays. “Don't make a garden the only reason to be together.”

The army remained silent for a few seconds. "Okay."

“Are you disappointed?”

“No. I want to be with you for more reasons.”

Vy looked at him, for the first time not trying to make fun of him. “So let's start by eating.”

“After checking the valve.”

“Let's check.”

They went to the water tank. Valve closed, no leaks. Quan wrote it in the book, Vy signed next to it. He didn't hold her hand right away; Just ask with your eyes. Vy proactively placed her hand on his arm, short and natural.

The sun lowered behind the building. The concrete floor is still hot, But under the arbor there is wind. A bee flew through a luffa flower, but no one took a picture.

Ngoc Ha called from the stairs: "Vy, Quan, the new tray needs to be named after the person in charge!"

“Come here,” Vy replied.

They returned to the group. Seeds are marked with date, plant type and replacement person. Uncle Sau locked the technical door, My saved the podcast, Long updated the budget. No one stands in the middle of the frame.

Summer does not save anyone from all difficulties. It only leaves behind a roof with a path, a book that admits mistakes, and seeds that don't need the old person to stay forever. Vy and Quan walked down the stairs together, not knowing what the next season would be like, but knowing that when one needed to stop, the other wouldn't write the missing part themselves.

The official regulations are twelve pages, not one plaque. It records usage, load, water, shift, data, images, funding and stopping procedures. Newcomers must read and sign confirmation before going to the technical area.

The user council is recognized as a school-based group, with a small budget and the power to request accreditation. The garden no longer belongs exclusively to Vy's group, but their efforts are recorded in the records.

Ms. Nhan signed a non-exclusive sponsorship agreement. The company moved the billboard to the front, dimmed the brightness and turned it off after library hours. The company name only appears in the contribution report.

Long publishes the final report: community funds, school funds, grants, material costs, remaining balance and inspection schedule. He himself wrote down "initial data errors".

My released the summer podcast episode. Listeners can read transcripts, download subtitled audio, and submit requests to have lyrics removed. She doesn't call this a success story; she called the diary of a roof that learned to ask.

Vy submitted the project. She received good grades but not the highest. Ms. Huong said: "I gave up a beautiful photo to keep a way out. That was a career choice."

Quan completed the exam, sent money back home and got an internship at an inspection company. He asked Ms. Huong if she could join the user council after hours.

Vy completed the transfer instructions, not in her own name. She wrote “summer student group,” along with a list of who wanted to be named and who didn't.

Ngoc Ha received the key to the planting area, but Uncle Sau still kept the technical key. Ha sowed the seeds and did not call Vy every time a leaf withered.

A new student asked if the garden was still worth keeping if it only provided a few vegetables. Ha replied: "Whether it's worth it or not is a question many people ask. You can use it, contribute or suggest it elsewhere. Don't believe me."

Vy heard and saw that the answer had gone beyond the old group.

On the last afternoon of the semester, Vy and Quan checked the valve. No leakage. They signed the book together, then stood under the luffa trellis. No one goes on a date on the rooftop like in the movies; They talked about work schedules, car payments, and next season's classes.

Quan asked: "What do you want to eat?"

“It doesn't need to be photographed.”

“The restaurant under the school?”

"Okay."

Quan raised his hand and waited. Vy took it, not taking it as a promise to keep each other forever. It's just that two people have learned to ask before touching.

The wind blows through the trays of plants. A new luffa branch grows from the vine and needs to be gently guided. Vy turned back to tie, Quan held the ladder. Ha calls someone to change shifts, My keeps the books, Long checks the budget.

Summer doesn't end with everything being easy. It leaves behind a home that can be used, a process that acknowledges mistakes, and seeds that don't need the old person to stay. forever.

Vy and Quan went down the stairs. On the board, the last line was written in black pen: “If you're not sure, stop and ask.”

No one deleted it. That sentence will stay there until someone else sees the need to correct it.

A few weeks later, the first rain of the season fell in the afternoon. Water rushed to the north outlet cover, flowing faster than expected. The person on duty called according to procedure, pulled the barrier rope and moved the two light trays out of the depression. Quan arrived ten minutes later, without a speech, just a ruler and a flashlight. They recorded the time the water receded, took photos of the wet spot and sent a report the same day.

One corner of the waterproof layer is slightly swollen. No one blames the person who did the construction, because there weren't enough results. The management board called the warranty unit, Ha temporarily stopped watering the nearby row, and Vy updated the repair history table. The rain didn't destroy the garden, but it reminded them that regulations are not talismans. It just helps people know what to do before they panic.

The semester finale took place on the rooftop on a calm, windy morning. There is no stage. Four chairs are placed around the table, new people and old people sit alternately. Ms. Huong asked each person to say one thing they did wrong. Ha said she once received too many trays. My said she used to think asking permission once was enough for every use of her voice. Long said he sent data because he wanted things to move quickly. Quan said he used to think that if the number was correct, others would understand. Vy said she once designed a garden without leaving room for the person who had to take care of it.

No one clapped immediately. Then, a freshman asked what to do if he wanted to change a line in the regulations. Hanh gave her a pen, told her to write a proposal, write down the reason and wait for other users to comment. I added below the old sentence: "Let the path be wide enough for those who do not know the way."

Vy read that sentence and looked at Quan. He didn't say anything, just held the top of the ladder as she reached up and pasted the new copy. Summer has passed, but the terrace has not become a perfect place. It just becomes a place that can be used, debated and fixed without erasing the fingerprints of the previous person.