Chapter 9 — Sunlight on the Red Book

The official notification was sent to Lam's family one morning early in the week, right when Ha Vy had just completed the necessary procedures. She personally brought it, along with Mr. Tran Quoc Hung, to ensure all information was communicated fully and clearly, avoiding any misunderstandings that could make the situation more tense.

When Dang Phong finished reading the text, his hands shook with anger and panic. “It can't be,” he said, his voice almost shouting. "My family has used this land stably up to now, with all legal documents. How can it suddenly be cut down just because of the testimony of a retired old man whose memory may not be clear?"

"Mr. Ba Dat's testimony has been carefully confirmed, compared with specific technical evidence, sir," Mr. Tran Quoc Hung replied, his voice patient but no less decisive. "This is not a hasty decision, but the result of a serious verification process, following the legal process."

Dang Phong stood up and walked back and forth in the living room with a tense expression. "I have already signed a deposit contract with Song Xanh company," he said, his voice choked with worry. "If this land is reduced, I will have to pay compensation for breach of contract. Where will I get that money to pay?"

Ha Vy, although sympathetic to Dang Phong's difficult situation, still needs to maintain her professional stance. "I understand, this is a difficult situation for you," she said, her voice gentle but firm. "But I think you should discuss with Song Xanh company about the actual situation, so they can have a suitable adjustment plan. Signing a contract on a part of land that has not clearly defined legal use rights, itself also has many potential legal risks that you need to consider."

Dang Khoa, sitting silently from the beginning of the meeting, finally spoke up, his voice was low but firm. "Mr. Phong, I know you are under great pressure, but I think the most important thing right now is not to fight the verification results, but to work together to find a solution, so that no one in our family suffers too much damage."

"You say it so easily because you're not the one carrying the debt," Dang Phong turned to snap at his younger brother, his voice filled with pent-up anger. "You only know how to take care of the garden, keep your noble ideals, but in reality, you don't understand anything."

The atmosphere in the living room became tense and stuffy. Mrs. Gam, standing quietly in the corner of the room until now, finally walked over, her voice choked. "Children, stop arguing," she said, tears starting to fall from her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mom, for not having the courage to tell the truth sooner, so that you two wouldn't have to fall into this situation."

Dang Phong turned to look at his mother, his face slightly confused. "Did mom know about this before?" he asked, his voice unable to hide his surprise.

"I only know vaguely, I'm not sure," Mrs. Gam replied, her voice trembling. "Mom told Ms. Vy what she knew, because she thought the truth needed to be told, even though it might cause our family difficulties."

Dang Phong was silent for a long time, his eyes looked down at the file on the table, the words officially confirming the land boundary adjustment seemed to be dancing before his eyes. Finally, he sighed, his voice less harsh than before. "I need time to think," he said, his voice tired. "I will contact Song Xanh company again to see if they have any plans."

After that stressful working session, Ha Vy and Mr. Tran Quoc Hung left, leaving behind a family that is facing great turmoil in their daily life. "I hope their family will find a way to get through this difficult time," Ha Vy said, her voice thoughtful as she sat in the car back to the office.

"I believe they will do it," Mr. Hung replied. "Family relationships, no matter how stormy, often have the strength to overcome material challenges, as long as everyone truly wants to preserve it."

As soon as Ha Vy and Mr. Hung left, Dang Phong immediately called Mr. Vo Thanh Dat, his voice still filled with panic. "Mr. Dat, something's wrong," he said, trying to keep his voice calm even though he was in turmoil. "The cadastral department has just announced that a part of the land I intend to sell may be adjusted or reduced according to the new verification results."

The other end of the line was silent for a moment, before Mr. Dat's voice rang out, no longer as warm as before. "This is serious, Mr. Phong," he said, his voice much colder. "If the actual land area is reduced, we will be forced to renegotiate all contract terms, and may even have to reconsider the entire agreement."

"So what should I do now?" Dang Phong asked, his voice filled with desperation. "I've already used part of the deposit to settle my debt."

"I will send someone down to work directly with that cadastral officer," Mr. Dat replied, his voice full of calculation. "Perhaps, we need to speed up this process in a direction that is more beneficial for both sides, to avoid making things longer and more complicated."

The conversation ended, leaving Dang Phong with a vague feeling of insecurity, although he could not clearly determine what made him so worried. He sat absent-mindedly in the living room alone, his eyes looking out at the large garden that his father had worked hard to cultivate all his life, now becoming the center of so many troubles and disputes.

Meanwhile, on the way back to the office, Ha Vy couldn't hide her worry when sharing with Mr. Hung about the call she suspected Dang Phong would make right after the meeting. "I'm afraid, Song Xanh company will find ways to put more pressure, even directly interfere in our processing," she said, her voice filled with concern.

"We need to prepare ourselves for that," Mr. Hung replied, his voice serious. "I will report the situation to my superiors and request stricter supervision of the entire process of handling this file to prevent anyone from taking advantage of loopholes to illegally interfere."

That evening, Ha Vy received a call from Dang Khoa, his voice sounded tired after a stressful day. "Thank you for being patient with my family today," he said. "I know, Mr. Phong is a bit harsh, but he's not a bad person, he's just under too much pressure."

"I understand that," Ha Vy replied, her voice gentle. "I don't blame Mr. Phong at all. Everyone has their own difficulties, and his reaction, after all, is understandable in the face of such a big change."

"I just hope, in the end, everything will be resolved in the best way for everyone," Dang Khoa said, his voice thoughtful. "Both my family and Mr. Sau Tam's family."

"I hope so too," Ha Vy replied, her eyes looking out the window, where the night sky of Con Sen was sparkling with stars. "And I believe, even though the road ahead is still difficult, we will overcome it together, to bring about a fair and good outcome for all."

The conversation continued for a while, no longer revolving around stressful work issues, but gradually turning to simpler everyday stories - about Ha Vy's childhood in this very land, about Dang Khoa's dream of turning the family garden into a model ecological agriculture model for the whole region. Both of their voices gradually became softer and warmer, as if the pressures of daytime work were temporarily put aside, giving way to a sincere connection that was gradually forming between the two people.

"I remember, when I was little, I used to follow my grandmother to the river bank to catch fish, even though I didn't catch any fish, I only came home covered in mud," Ha Vy said, her voice had a rare cheerfulness after a long and tiring day. "Unexpectedly, now I am back here, doing work directly related to the land where I spent my childhood."

"Maybe it's fate," Dang Khoa replied, his voice gentle. "Con Sen seems to have been waiting for her to return, right at the time when a truly impartial person is needed to resolve the problems that have existed for so long."

Ha Vy smiled slightly at those words, feeling a warmth spreading in her heart, even though she had gone through a lot of stress and fatigue today. Before ending the call, both of them implicitly understood that the relationship between them was gradually going beyond the boundaries of a cadastral officer and a citizen involved in the case, to become something much closer and more sincere.