Chapter 15 — Sunlight on the Red Book

While the expanded review work was still progressing smoothly, an unexpected incident occurred that made Ha Vy worried - Mr. Ba Dat, who played a key role in the entire incident at Con Sen, was suddenly hospitalized due to a mild heart attack, and was promptly discovered by surrounding people and taken to the emergency room.

Upon receiving the news, Ha Vy immediately arranged work to visit him at the district hospital. When she arrived, Mr. Ba Dat was out of danger, but still quite weak, lying on the hospital bed with a tired look on his face. "I came to visit you," Ha Vy said, her voice filled with sincere concern, placing a bag of fruit on the bedside table.

"Thank you," Mr. Ba Dat replied, his voice weak but still maintaining lucidity. "I think it's probably due to old age, plus I've been in a bad mood these past few days."

"Don't think too much, it will affect your health," Ha Vy advised, her voice kind. "Everything is being handled smoothly. Mr. Sau Tam's family has received their land back, and the Lam family has also gradually overcome the difficult period."

Mr. Ba Dat smiled slightly, although that smile still had a hint of fatigue. "I'm glad about that," he said. "Since the day he told the truth, even though he had to face many difficult things, he felt much lighter in his heart, as if a heavy rock had been lifted from him for many years."

During the conversation, Mr. Ba Dat suddenly mentioned something that caught Ha Vy's attention. "Vy, I heard that you are expanding your review to other communes, right?" he asked, his voice somewhat cautious.

"Yes, sir," Ha Vy replied. "Do you know any more information related to this matter?"

Mr. Ba Dat pondered for a moment, then told something he had never shared before. "Back then, I wasn't the only one who did such 'flexible' measurements," he said, his voice low as if trying to suppress a complicated emotion. "There is a small group of cadastral officials in the district who occasionally meet and exchange experiences with each other. I remember hearing a few of them mention 'helping' acquaintances in a similar way."

This information made Ha Vy startled. "Do you remember the names of those people? This could be an important clue to help us identify more cases that need to be reviewed."

"I only vaguely remember a few names, it's been too long," Mr. Ba Dat replied, his voice somewhat apologetic for not being able to provide more specific information. "But I will try to remember more carefully. When I remember, I will let you know right away."

"Thank you very much," Ha Vy said, her voice respectful. "But don't try too hard, your health is more important. I will continue the review carefully, step by step."

Before leaving the hospital, Ha Vy did not forget to tell Mr. Ba Dat to take care of his health, promising to visit him often during his recovery. On the way back, she couldn't help but think about what he had just revealed - the possibility that there exists a small network of officials who have committed similar acts, although not tightly organized, could still have silently caused many injustices in many different localities over the years.

She reported this information to Mr. Tran Quoc Hung as soon as she returned to the office. "This is an important clue," Mr. Hung commented, his voice serious. "Although there is no specific name yet, it further confirms that this problem may be more systematic than we previously thought. I will propose increasing resources for the working group, and coordinating more closely with other authorities for comprehensive verification."

That evening, as she sat alone and drafted her work plan for the following weeks, Ha Vy clearly felt that the journey to seek justice that she was pursuing now had a much greater meaning than what she had imagined when she first started handling the single dispute at Con Sen. It is no longer just solving a specific case, but has become a systematic mission, aiming to restore people's trust in fairness and transparency in land management.

A few days later, when Ha Vy visited Mr. Ba Dat for the second time at the hospital, his health had improved somewhat, and his spirit was also much more cheerful. "I remember a few more things, Vy," he said as soon as he saw her walk in, his voice somewhat excited. "I remember, in the group of cadastral officials at that time, there was a man named Tran Dinh Thang, working in a commune not far from here, this person seemed quite close to Mr. Duc, Dang Phong and Dang Khoa's father."

Ha Vy carefully recorded that information in her notebook. “Thank you so much,” she said, her voice filled with appreciation. "I will let someone verify this information immediately."

"I also want to say one more thing," Mr. Ba Dat continued, his voice becoming more serious. "He knows that his disclosure of this information may make some people in the district unhappy, and may even cause trouble for himself. But he has decided to tell everything he knows, to atone for some of his past mistakes."

"I really admire your courage," Ha Vy said, her voice sincere. "Not everyone has the courage to face their own past like that."

After leaving the hospital, Ha Vy immediately contacted Mr. Tran Quoc Hung to report on the new name that Mr. Ba Dat had just provided. "We need to verify this information carefully," Mr. Hung said, his voice carefully considered. "If it is true that another officer has committed similar acts, we need to collect sufficient evidence before taking any official action."

In the following days, Ha Vy and the interdisciplinary working group conducted a thorough review of records at the commune where the officer named Tran Dinh Thang used to work. The work requires extreme meticulousness and patience, as you have to compare hundreds of pages of old documents, looking for unusual signs that may have been hidden for many years.

Dang Khoa, despite being busy with managing his family's garden, still tries to arrange time to support Ha Vy whenever possible, becoming a strong spiritual support to help her maintain motivation throughout this challenging journey. "You seem a lot more tired than before," he commented on a rare evening they both had time together. "I remember to take more care of myself."

"I know," Ha Vy replied, her voice was somewhat tired but still full of determination. "But I feel like, with each passing day, I am getting closer to bringing justice to many other families, like what was done for Mr. Sau Tam. That gives me more motivation to continue, no matter how tired I am."

Dang Khoa gently held her hand, his eyes filled with understanding and respect. “I will always be here, by your side, throughout this journey,” he said, his voice warm. "No matter how long or difficult the road is, you will not have to face it alone."

Initial review results in the commune where Mr. Tran Dinh Thang used to work showed similar suspicious signs - a few plots of land had boundaries that did not match between the original map and current records, although the difference was much smaller than the case at Con Sen. Ha Vy carefully recorded each discovery and prepared complete documents to present to the interdisciplinary working group for review and decision on the next verification steps.

"We need to approach this issue cautiously, not rush to conclusions without enough valid evidence," Mr. Tran Quoc Hung reminded in a working group meeting. "Each case needs to be considered separately, based on the specific historical context, avoiding mechanically applying conclusions from one case to another."

Ha Vy nodded in agreement, noting that reminder as an important working principle. She understands that although the ultimate goal is to bring justice to all those who may have suffered, the implementation process still needs to strictly comply with legal principles, ensuring absolute accuracy and objectivity in each conclusion made.

Closing a long working day, when night fell across the Con Sen river region, Ha Vy sat quietly at her desk, looking back at the journey she had gone through since the first day she set foot in this land. From a seemingly simple family dispute, she gradually discovered a much bigger story, about the mistakes of the past, about the courage needed to face and correct them, and about a sincere love that silently blossomed amid those challenging days.