Chapter 28 — Sunlight on the Red Book

After the wedding, Ha Vy and Dang Khoa spent a short week on their honeymoon in Phu Quoc, a surprise gift that Dang Phong and Mai Anh had quietly prepared in advance as a thank you to the couple for bringing so many good things to both the Lam family and the entire Con Sen commune. This is the first time after more than a year of hard work, documents, and stressful reconciliation meetings that Ha Vy truly allowed herself to fully rest, without worrying about anything.

"Can you believe it, I'm actually resting, no work calls to bother me," Ha Vy said, lying on the smooth white sand, her eyes looking out at the deep blue sea stretching to the horizon. "It feels strange, like I've forgotten what rest really feels like."

Dang Khoa smiled, lay down next to her, his hand gently holding his wife's hand. "Then just enjoy it, don't think about anything," he said. "Con Sen is still there, waiting for us to return, but these days are just for the two of us."

During the days on the island, the two of them explored pristine beaches together, snorkeled to see coral, enjoyed fresh seafood at small coastal restaurants, and simply sat together watching the sunset fall on the sea every afternoon. Away from the work cycle, away from files and stressful meetings, they have a rare opportunity to really get to know each other from a different perspective - not as a steadfast cadastral officer and a calm agricultural engineer, but simply as two people building a life together, learning to reconcile each other's unique habits and interests.

"I realized, you like waking up early to watch the sunrise rather than sleeping in," Dang Khoa said one morning, when they both sat on the sand, watching the sun slowly rise above the horizon, dyeing the sky pink with a hint of morning dew. "And I like the quiet feeling of late evening, when everything has calmed down."

"Then I'll have both," Ha Vy replied, resting her head on her husband's shoulder, her voice gentle. "I'll wake up early to watch the sunrise alone, then come back to wake you up for breakfast, and at night we'll enjoy the quiet together, okay?"

Dang Khoa laughed and squeezed her hand. “Sounds reasonable,” he said. "That's what I like most about you — you always find a way to reconcile everything, even the things that seem to be the most opposite."

Between days of relaxation, the two also spent time discussing their plans for the near future, when they officially returned to Con Sen to start their married life. "I'm thinking, we can renovate the small house next to the longan garden into a private home for the two of us," Dang Khoa shared, his voice full of excitement. "Still close to my mother's house, near the garden, but also with private space for the couple."

"I like that idea," Ha Vy replied, her eyes lighting up. "I want to have a small yard to plant a few vegetable beds and flower pots, like what my grandmother used to do when I was a child, when my family still lived here."

Speaking of her grandmother, Ha Vy's childhood memories in Con Sen came rushing back, the afternoons following her grandmother to the garden to pick vegetables, the nights lying down listening to her tell fairy tales under the moonlight, before her family left due to the loss of her father. "Sometimes I still wonder, if my family hadn't left that day, how different my life would have been," she said, her voice thoughtful. "But then I realized, perhaps, fate had arranged for me to return here, right at the time I needed it most, to complete an unfinished journey."

Dang Khoa looked at her, his eyes full of understanding and respect. "I believe, that is the true meaning of the word fate," he said. "It's not a coincidence that you came back just when my family needed someone like you, to help everything return to its rightful place."

Before ending the trip, the two walked on the beach one last evening, looking at the sparkling starry sky reflecting on the calm night sea. "Do you remember Con Sen?" Dang Khoa asked, smiling slightly at his wife.

"Yes," Ha Vy replied, nodding without hesitation. "Even though it's beautiful here, I still miss the smell of mud, coconut, and ripe longan in my garden. I miss the sound of the motorboat running along the river every early morning, and remember the sound of Mr. Sau Tam calling me every time I stopped by his house."

"Then let's go home tomorrow," Dang Khoa said, his hand gently squeezing her hand. "Returning to the land that gave us all the most precious things — from truth, to love, to a new family."

The next morning, when the plane landed and the bus took them back to Con Sen, Ha Vy clearly felt a warm, familiar feeling spreading in her heart when she saw the familiar rows of coconut trees appearing at the end of the village road. That is no longer the feeling of a young officer who just took office, full of confusion like more than a year ago, but the feeling of someone returning home - her real home, the place she has chosen to stay for the rest of her life.

Mrs. Gam and her whole family were waiting in front of the gate to welcome the young couple back, in her hand carrying a hot pot of sour snakehead fish soup, a familiar dish that she knew Ha Vy loved very much. "You're home, you two," she said, her voice warm. "Quickly come inside to eat, let me tell you, how many happy things are waiting for you two at home these days."

The reunion meal took place in a warm atmosphere, filled with laughter, as the whole family shared small stories during the days when Ha Vy and Dang Khoa were away from home. Looking around at the simple but loving tray of rice, Ha Vy silently thanked life for giving her the opportunity to find a perfect family, right in the land she once thought she had lost forever.

After eating, Dang Phong brought out a thick file and placed it in front of the couple with an excited expression. "While we were on our honeymoon, Uncle Sau Tam and I discussed further about expanding the ecological agriculture model," he said, his voice full of enthusiasm, unlike the person who only thought about selling land before. "The travel agency in the city has agreed to include our garden in the official garden experience tour, and is expected to welcome the first groups of tourists next month."

Ha Vy and Dang Khoa couldn't help but be surprised by the good news. They both attentively looked through each page of the documents that Dang Phong had carefully prepared. "You did great," Dang Khoa said, patting his brother's shoulder with proud eyes. "I believe, with your business acumen combined with my farming techniques, this model will develop further in the near future."

"It's all thanks to the two of you for giving me a chance to correct my mistakes, to start again," Dang Phong replied, his voice sincere. "There were times when I almost lost everything - both my ancestral land and my brotherly love - just because of greed and temporary impatience. Luckily, everything stopped at the right time."

Mrs. Gam, sitting and listening to her children talk, gently wiped tears of emotion from the corners of her eyes. "Looking at the scene where the three of us are now united and building our future together, I see that all the hardships that have passed have been worth it," she said. "The three children up there are definitely smiling with satisfaction when they see this scene."

That night, when returning to the newly renovated small house next to the longan garden, Ha Vy and Dang Khoa stood in front of the porch, watching the late moonlight shine down on the trees in the garden. "It feels so strange," Ha Vy said, her voice gentle. "Just a few days ago I was an outsider, coming here to do a mission, now this place has truly become my home."

"Because this has always been a part of me, I just need time to find it again," Dang Khoa replied, wrapping his arms around his wife, they both stood quietly looking at the beloved garden under the moonlight, listening to the chirping of insects, the sound of the wind gently shaking the coconut leaves, like a peaceful harmony welcoming them to officially start a new chapter of their lives at Con Sen.

Before going home to rest after the long flight, Ha Vy lingered a while longer, looking towards the end of the garden, where the moonlight was shining on the land that had been the center of so many storms and disputes over the past year, but had now returned to peace, covered with the shadow of green longan leaves. She smiled slightly, thinking, perhaps there is no need for any flowery declaration, just the silence and peace of the garden at this moment is enough to say that everything has finally found its rightful place.