Chapter 12 — Sunlight on the Red Book

While the work of adjusting the land use rights certificate was being carried out according to the correct process, Ha Vy received a call from Trinh Thi Hong Loan, the daughter of another cadastral officer who worked at the same time as Mr. Ba Dat, currently living in the district town. Ms. Loan, after hearing about the incident through an acquaintance, proactively contacted her, wanting to provide some additional information that might be useful.

"I heard that you are handling a land dispute related to measurement errors from the nineties," Ms. Loan said when meeting Ha Vy at a small cafe in town. "My father, before he passed away, once mentioned that at that time, not only the Con Sen area, but also a few other neighboring areas, had a similar situation - land boundaries were adjusted incorrectly, based on acquaintances or personal interests of some officials in charge."

That information made Ha Vy startled. "Can you tell me more specifically? This could be very important information, helping us review more comprehensively."

Ms. Loan pondered for a moment, then recounted what she could remember from the stories her father had shared during his lifetime. "My father once said that at that time, land management was still very loose and flawed. Some cadastral officials, because of life pressure or greed, took advantage of that loophole to profit. But he also said, Mr. Ba Dat was the person he knew best who was tormented and repented of what he had done. Unlike some others, he didn't seem to feel any remorse."

"Do you know, what other areas might have had a similar situation?" Ha Vy asked, her voice full of professional concern.

"I don't remember the details, I only vaguely remember my father mentioning a few neighboring communes," Ms. Loan replied, her voice somewhat regretful for not being able to provide more specific information. "But I think, if you can access the archives of those communes, you may discover more similar cases that need to be reviewed."

After the meeting, Ha Vy returned to the office with a troubled mind. She realized that the case she was handling could be just the tip of a much larger iceberg, related to systematic errors in land management many years ago, not limited to Con Sen commune.

She reported all the information to Mr. Tran Quoc Hung, proposing to expand the scope of the review to neighboring areas. "This is an important proposal," Mr. Hung commented after listening, his voice thoughtful. "But expanding the review on such a large scale will require large resources and approval from higher levels. I will report the situation to the District People's Committee for guidance."

"I understand, sir," Ha Vy replied. "But I think, if it is true that similar situations occur in many other places, early detection and handling will help prevent many injustices that may be silently existing, affecting the rights of many other families."

While waiting for instructions from her superiors, Ha Vy decided to spend her free time personally reviewing some old archived records at the commune, looking for any unusual signs that could be related to similar issues. The work is meticulous and time-consuming, but she persists in doing it, with the belief that every small discovery can contribute to bringing justice to more people.

Dang Khoa, when he learned about this additional job, proactively offered to support her in his free time. "I can help you organize and classify documents, even though I'm not familiar with cadastral expertise," he said, his voice sincere. "At least, I can reduce your workload somewhat."

"Thank you," Ha Vy replied, smiling slightly at that enthusiasm. "I really appreciate your help."

In the afternoons after work, the two sat together in the commune's small archive room, meticulously reviewing stacks of old files covered with the dust of time. Between yellowed pages, they occasionally exchange daily stories, dreams, and plans for the future, making the inherently dry work much lighter and warmer thanks to each other's companionship.

After three afternoons of continuous checking, Ha Vy discovered another notable case in the neighboring commune, where the boundary between two plots of land also had similar unusual signs, although the severity was unclear. "Look at this," she called Dang Khoa closer, pointing to the old map open on the table. "It also seems like this is a case that needs further verification."

Dang Khoa bent down to look closely, his face could not hide his surprise. “If there are indeed many such cases, this will be a much bigger problem than we once thought,” he said, his voice thoughtful.

"That's right," Ha Vy replied, her voice filled with concern. "But I also understand that expanding the investigation will require a lot of time, effort, and approval from many different levels of management. I cannot act alone."

She carefully recorded all her findings in a separate notebook, prepared all documents to present in the official report sent to Mr. Tran Quoc Hung, along with specific proposals on expanding the scope of review. She understands that this is no longer simply her job, but has become a systemic problem that requires the coordination of many agencies and different levels of government to be completely resolved.

Late that evening, when seeing Dang Khoa off after an afternoon of hard work, Ha Vy couldn't hide her fatigue but also excitement. "Thank you for helping me these past few days," she said, her voice sincere. "If it weren't for you, it would have taken me much longer to complete this job."

"Don't be so polite," Dang Khoa replied, smiling slightly. "I'm really happy to be able to contribute a small part to the meaningful work she is doing. Seeing how dedicated she is to her work, I admire her steadfastness even more."

Ha Vy blushed slightly at that compliment, feeling a warmth spreading in her heart. Standing in front of the communal committee office gate, under the soft yellow streetlight, the two were silent for a while, as if no one wanted to end this rare peaceful moment too soon.

"Okay, I'm going home," Dang Khoa finally spoke, his voice somewhat nostalgic. "Remember to get enough rest, don't overwork."

"Me too," Ha Vy replied, watching his shadow disappear on the deserted village road under the moonlight. She stood still for a moment, feeling a rare peace amid the busy and stressful days of the past, before returning to the office to complete the final stages of the report.

The next morning, Ha Vy presented a full report to Mr. Tran Quoc Hung, along with new findings about the possibility of similar cases existing in neighboring areas. Mr. Hung read each page of the document carefully, his face becoming increasingly serious. "This is really a worrying issue," he said after reading it. "I will present directly to the leaders of the District People's Committee, proposing to establish a specialized working group to comprehensively review this issue throughout the district."

"I think that's the best direction in this situation, sir," Ha Vy replied. "If we only handle each case individually when there is a complaint, it will be difficult for us to detect all the injustices that still exist silently, hidden behind stacks of old files that seem to have been forgotten."

"I also appreciate your initiative and sense of responsibility in further discovering this issue," Mr. Hung said, his voice full of respect, his eyes unable to hide his pride for the young officer. "Many other officers would probably just stop at completing their assigned tasks, but she proactively went further, for the common good of the community."

Ha Vy smiled slightly at that compliment, although in her heart she clearly understood that this was just the beginning of a much longer, more complicated journey than what she had experienced at Con Sen. But she believes, with the support of her superiors, and the companionship of kind people like Dang Khoa, she will have enough courage to continue pursuing justice, even though the road ahead is long and thorny, and even though not everyone is willing to face the truths that she may unearth.