Chapter 3 — Summer On The Terrace

Diem My did not start the podcast with an image of a garden. She started in the dormitory kitchen, at six in the morning, when the first pot of porridge had just boiled. The woman in charge of the kitchen, named Co Mai, does not like being called an "inspirational figure". She just wanted to say how much the vegetables from the terrace help reduce the cost of the market.

“Last month it was reduced by more than three million,” she said. "But in the rainy month there are not enough vegetables. Don't exaggerate."

My took notes, asking if she wanted to listen to it again before playing it. Miss Mai nodded.

At the dormitory, My met students who used the kitchen. Ha introduced a guy named Tuan who is allergic to some vegetables bought outside, a senior who works the evening shift so she can only eat cheap meals, and a group of international students who often help water the plants. My does not turn anyone's face without their consent.

Vy asked: "How long are you planning to make the podcast episode?"

“Twelve minutes.”

“Only twelve?”

“Enough for the listener to understand, not enough to turn anyone into material.”

Quan sat next to him, editing the data sheet. “If you have data, don't let the background music cover your voice.”

My looked at him. “Are you planning on doing sound engineering?”

“I'm trying to avoid people listening to music and ignoring the numbers.”

Vy saw My laughing, but Quan didn't know he had just said a joke.

At noon, the group meets on the rooftop. Vy presented three values that need to be demonstrated: reducing surface and classroom heat, supporting the kitchen, and creating study and working space. Military added safety items: load capacity, drainage, walkways and door locking procedures.

Long asked: “Is there a need for safety details in media records?”

“Need,” Quan replied.

“Outsiders don't understand.”

"So explain. Don't ignore it because people don't understand."

Long looked at Vy. “Are you going to send it all to the administration?”

“The necessary part.”

“The advertising agency will take the design.”

“Our design belongs to the student group, but user data must be consulted.”

My nodded. “I will model consent to use the interview.”

Long said no more. He opened his phone, read the message, then turned off the screen.

In the afternoon, Vy and Quan inspected the area that used to be the technical room. The door is locked with an old lock, inside there is an electrical cabinet and a pipe going down to the second floor. The army measured the wires and discovered that the irrigation pump system was using the same source as the ventilation fan.

“If the pump runs too long, the fan shuts off,” he said.

“So why hasn't it happened yet?”

“It might have happened when no one was here.”

Quan opened the maintenance book and saw three lines stating "short power outage - self-recovery". No one signed.

Vy took the photo and asked Uncle Sau. He said the power outages were always on weekends, when students closed without notice. "I reminded someone to take responsibility. The children like to do good work but don't like to make schedules."

Vy blushed slightly. “We will set up.”

"Don't build it to look good. Build it so others can do it."

Ha gave a list of volunteers, but there were only ten people for the whole month. Quan calculates irrigation time, checks for leaks and closes valves. The schedule is so tight that each person has to be on duty twice a week.

“Exam season is coming,” Ha said. “If no one replaces it, the garden will dry out.”

Vy looked at the calendar. “We need an automated system.”

Quan shook his head. "Automatic doesn't mean there's no need for people. If the sensor fails, who knows?"

“I didn't say leave people.”

“But you often design as if you will always get it right.”

Vy put down her pen. “And you design as if everyone is going to do it wrong.”

The air on the terrace is hot despite the sun was tilted. My turned off the recorder and Ha brought down the vegetable basket. Long said they should focus on the school's solutions competition, not petty arguments.

Quan replied: "Small arguments are a way to see mistakes before they become big."

Vy walked towards the railing. Downstairs, students are lining up to buy water. She knew Quan was right, but the way he said it made her want to prove the opposite.

That night, My sent the podcast draft to everyone. She cut off Co Mai's breathing because she thought it would make the beat smoother. Ms. Mai responded that the breathing sound was when she remembered the price of vegetables and did not want it to be deleted.

My immediately corrected, apologized and rewrote the process. She told the group: “I can also make people disappear if I pay too much attention to the product.”

Vy read it and saw that that sentence was for her too.

The next morning, Long sent an invitation to participate in the "Summer Roof for the City" contest. New Sun Company sponsored the first prize, and the jury included company representatives. Contest conditions require submission of all drawings and research data.

Quan said: "This is not an opportunity. This is a legal way to get ideas."

Vy looked at the invitation. “If we don't participate, we lose a channel of proof.”

Long asked: "So how to choose?"

Vy did not answer immediately. On the rooftop, a bee landed on a luffa flower, fluttered its wings, and then flew over the fence. No one owns that flight path, but everyone benefits while the flowers are still blooming.

My returned to the kitchen to listen to Ms. Mai approve the recording. Ms. Mai asked to keep the sound of the ladle hitting the pot and remove the phrase "the kitchen lives off the garden", because the kitchen still buys most of its food from outside.

“The truth is less beautiful but doesn't make the job any less,” Ms. Mai said.

My edit. She asked Ha about the list of vegetable recipients. Ha said she couldn't give her names out. My only records the number of slots by day.

Quan checked the kitchen and saw a vegetable box blocking the exit. He didn't scold me, just gave me a new diagram. Ms. Mai thanked her, then asked if the terrace was removed, the kitchen needed a replacement.

Ha said she would find a local supplier, but prices increased. Vy suggested writing a backup plan in the file, not just stating the benefits of the garden.

In the afternoon, My interviewed a security guard named Uncle Loi. He said he likes to go to the rooftop when changing shifts because the heat decreases, but he doesn't want his photo to appear. I wrote it down in words, so you can read it again. He changed one sentence: "I feel easier to breathe" to "I have a place to sit out of the sun for ten minutes."

“You fixed it so carefully,” My said.

“Because ten minutes is another lifetime.”

My keep the same.

Long sent notice that the sponsor's competition had accepted many teams. The charter requires submission of raw data. Vy asked if the student union could file a complaint. Long said yes, but needed the groups' signatures.

The group went to each club, explaining the terms. Some groups agreed to sign the request for correction, some wanted to participate to get money. Vy did not convince them with morality; She just made it clear that if submitted, what rights would they give.

Quan helped check another project and discovered that the group used drawings without sources. He advised them to ask the lecturer, not to denounce. Ms. Huong then asked all teams to write down their sources.

On the rooftop, Ha discovered a potted plant labeled "advertising property". No one in the group placed. Quan took photos, My recorded the time.

Vy asked Long if he knew. Long said no, but the student union access card was used to access the roof on weekends. He took responsibility for checking the log.

In the evening, My listened to the interviews again and realized the different background sounds: kitchen, hallway, terrace. She wanted to put together a seamless story, but keep each space separate. Vy said that difference proves that the garden does not exist independently; It connects many floors of the school.

Quan added heat data, but asked not to overlay the wind sound with music. My agrees.

The pilot episode is fourteen minutes long, with a period of silence in the middle. Long asked the listener if he would give up.

“Maybe,” My said. “But whoever stays will hear what others say.”

That night, a strange account sent My an invitation to pay to buy the interview transcript. She took the photo, did not answer, and passed it to Hanh. The sender uses the New Sun company logo in the signature, but is not necessarily an employee.

“This is why everything must have rights,” Vy said.

My looked at the terrace through the glass door. “I'm starting to understand why you don't want to post right away.”

On the bulletin board, a new note appeared: "The garden is only a temporary property. Do not invest emotionally."

Ha took it down, but Vy kept it to ask who posted it.

Vy asked My to let her listen to the draft without using loud headphones. She set the phone to medium level, and Quan listened to the sound of the kitchen and the terrace. Quan said the sound of the fan is too steady and can cover consonants. My adjusted the microphone position instead of reducing the background sound.

“You learn technology quickly,” Vy said.

“I learned not to let technology make people disappear.”

My did not answer, but wrote that sentence in the notebook.

Ha brought up the list of backup stoves. If the garden is gone, the kitchen needs four more suppliers, each with a different delivery schedule. She wanted the group to put that plan on file so no one said the garden was the sole source.

Vy agreed. She added a diagram of the flow of vegetables from the terrace to the kitchen and the flow of money from outside purchases. The diagram has more arrows than the original, but does not cover the missing part.

At the end of the day, My received a text message from the person who posted the "don't invest emotionally" sign. That person said they participated in the project and then quit when they graduated. My asked if he wanted to meet, and he agreed to go to the library.

The group discovered that the person was a former student whose design had been used by the lecturer without recording his name. The story is not directly related to the garden, but reminds them to credit the source from the beginning.