Chapter 13 — Tailor Shop at the End of Third Alley

The final order is delivered via three routes, avoiding one person holding everything. An gave the card, Ngoc confirmed, Chau checked the error, and Mrs. Van signed. One parent asked why so many steps, she said because their shirts are more important than a quick job at the store.

Chau made a list of people who had learned to sew, so that next time they wouldn't have to call the same group. Ms. Van said that list could become a new workshop. She asked her if she wanted to rest. Ms. Van said she would take a break and not leave through the back door.

News about the shop spread to other schools. A club wanted to visit, Ms. Thao asked them to ask permission and not bring automatic cameras. Khoa is sad to lose behind-the-scenes footage, but notes to himself that privacy is not a reward for those who know how to ask.

At night, Chau opened the book and saw that the anonymous customer line had marked the V button. She didn't know who that person was, but she knew they had chosen to share a part. An said every stitch needs the right timing.

Chau wrote an instruction sheet for newbies: wash hands before touching fabric, check needle, read order code, ask the recipient, record errors. Khoa further suggested "don't eat cakes on the machine". Ms. Thao approved and Ngoc printed two copies.

A tenth grader messed up the thread and was so scared that he asked to stop. Chau sat down and removed each ring. An holds the roll, Khoa counts the rounds, Ngoc records the time. After ten minutes, the thread is removed without breaking. That friend said it was the first time he saw an error that could be resolved without anyone scolding him.

Mrs. Van looked at Chau for guidance, telling her she did not need to do everything best; Just let someone else do it. Chau asked if that was the way to keep the shop. She said that's how the shop doesn't depend on one person.

The parents' association's order was delivered in full, but they asked for the name of the tailor. Chau writes down each person's name as desired. If anyone wants to remain anonymous, use the code. Ms. Van said the right to be recorded is as important as the right not to be recorded.

That night, the piece of cloth from the anonymous shirt recipient was placed next to the board. Chau read the line "Phuc did not go to sea", then wrote a question to Ms. Thao: "Can the appendix be given through a lawyer?" Ms. Thao answered yes, as long as the sender understands the rights and risks.

Thirty-two outfits make the shop look like a fabric ship. Chau had to make a schedule according to the school bell: first period cutting, second period measuring, third period sewing, and after class trying on shirts. Ngoc posted the calendar on the wall, and Khoa made a board "who is holding the scissors". Whoever took the scissors had to sign their name, making Chau the person who signed the most.

Mrs. Van lets students use machines number one and two, keeping machine number three for seams that require precision. An checks each gear, marking which machine vibrates. Chau learned to listen to the sound of the machine. The sound is all fine, the rattling sound is a lack of oil, the high squeaking sound is just being stretched too tight.

A classmate tore his shirt while trying it on, so panicked that he apologized repeatedly. Chau said the shirt could be repaired, he didn't need to apologize for a needle. You laugh, then ask if you screw up again, will you be kicked out? An said he would only be fired if he hid his mistake. Ngoc added that to the rulebook.

Ms. Van showed Chau how to cut fabric according to the grain. She used to think cutting was a decisive action, but a good cut needs to be slow and steady. If the blade is stuck, do not force it; must reopen, bringing the fabric to the right angle. Chau thinks of family conversations, the more forced they are, the more torn they become.

The ninth order's sleeve was askew, but this time they detected it right away. Chau admitted his mistake in front of the whole group. The customer agrees to wait. Ngoc adjusted the schedule, An found a replacement fabric, Khoa filmed a tutorial but did not insert funny music. You said you don't need to fix the error as advertised.

In the box of leftover fabric, Chau found a piece of paper with the name Phuc, the construction site manager. She asked Hanh, Hanh said Phuc used to be a middleman delivering papers. Tung confirmed that Phuc had quit his job, but his old address was at the end of the street.

The group went to look for Phuc after school. His house is closed, only his son is repairing the car. The boy said his father was going to the beach and didn't want to hear about the project. Chau left behind a T-shaped button and a piece of paper with Ms. Thao's phone number.

On the way home, An said she worked too fast when she heard Phuc's name. Chau asked him if he was scared. An said he was afraid, but what he was most afraid of was that they turned a person into a target and then forgot about the system behind it.

Chau gave him the repaired bag. “Then remember to remind me.”

“Are you angry if I remind you so much?”

"Have."

“I still remind you.”

In the evening, Ms. Van received news from the hospital that her blood pressure was stable. She refused to lie down and demanded to check Chau's seams. Chau showed off her hidden nose, she nodded. Then she looked at the application list and asked why one line was left blank.

"The customer hasn't given his name yet," Chau replied.

“Don't fill it in instead.”

“I know.”

"Knowing is one thing. Remembering is another."

At the end of the day, an anonymous customer sent a text message asking to receive the shirt during an unoccupied hour. Chau agreed, but asked to return the receiving code. An suggested that he stand outside the alley, not looking at the door. Chau told him he didn't need to be a bodyguard.

"I'm a delivery person. Bodyguards charge extra."

The recipient arrived at 9:12 p.m., took the shirt and left a piece of red cloth. It says: **Phuc doesn't go to the beach. He is holding the appendix.**

The shop owner was reluctant

Ms. Van had to be hospitalized for one night because of increased blood pressure. Before leaving, she gave Chau the key to the store and told her not to accept orders beyond her capacity. Chau agreed very quickly, then the next morning received thirty-two sets of shirts from the parents' association.

Ngoc looked at the list and asked if Chau had just forgotten his promise. Chau said this is an opportunity to prove that the shop can still serve the neighborhood. An told her not to turn a night of little sleep into a business strategy.

“I have a plan.”

“How many people are in the plan?”

"Three."

“One of them is sick.”

"She's resting, not losing her arm."

Chau divided tasks according to card color. An received the assignment, Ngoc calculated the materials, Khoa filmed instructions for changing the buttons, and Ms. Thao asked the school's craft room for students to work under supervision. Class 11C turned into a temporary garment factory. The sound of the overlock machine, scissors cutting fabric and Khoa's misreading of needle names mixed into a fun rhythm.

The mistake happened in the ninth set of shirts. Chau mistakenly cut the sleeves two centimeters shorter. She tried to fix it by joining the fabric, but the color was wrong. Ngoc discovered before delivery.

“Do you want to hide it?”

"Are not."

“So tell the customer.”

The customer was a tenth grader who said his mother only had enough money to order one set. Chau apologized, returned the money and offered to sew it again. An accepted the late delivery, while Ngoc wrote the error on the board to avoid repeating it. Chau thought everyone would be angry, but Ms. Thao said the mistake could be fixed if there was a record; Hidden errors become accidents.

In the evening, Chau sat alone at machine number three. She heard the sound of a needle piercing the fabric and remembered Mrs. Van's words: look at the seam before looking at the wearer. She realized she had been looking at orders like numbers, forgetting that each shirt had a person waiting.

An brought two lunch boxes. "One portion for the shopkeeper.”

“I haven't been paid yet.”

“Miss still owes me delivery money.”

“Do you have a spreadsheet?”

"Have. But I lost it because the owner used it as pad paper.”

Chau smiled and suddenly felt less tired. They ate by the door, watching people in the alley bring things to fix. A motorbike taxi driver brought torn pants, a tea seller brought a cloth bag, and two students brought shirts with missing buttons. The store didn't get rich quickly, but each person left with something that fit better.

On the third day, Ms. Van was discharged from the hospital. She saw the temporary workshop and did not scold him. She looked at the error board and asked who signed. Chau raised his hand. She nodded.

“If you know how to admit your mistakes, you can use scissors.”

She sat down and showed Chau how to connect the sleeves with a hidden seam. The two of them worked together, slowly but surely. An stood next to him, taking notes. Khoa returned, but this time asked each person's permission first.

Order completed one day late. The Parents Association does not punish, only requires the store to clearly state the time in the following applications. Ngoc said it was a victory of truth, but Chau said she still needed to learn how to do it on time.

That night, Chau discovered in the extra fabric box a piece of paper with the project company's red seal. On the paper is the new pile construction schedule, two days earlier. In the lower corner is the signature of the checker: **Pham Quang Tung**.

Chau grabbed the piece of paper and immediately put down the phone. She remembered Ms. Thao's words: records must be kept intact. The paper has a fold in the middle, the edge of the paper has blue fabric fibers attached to it. Mrs. Van looked at the red mark and was not surprised.

“It's true that Tung signed,” she said, “but a signature doesn't mean he knows the schedule has been changed.”

The next day, Chau brought the copy to class. Ngoc pulled the curtains, Khoa sat guard in the hallway. The group spreads the paper on the teacher's desk and uses a ruler to block the four corners. They compare the date on the ticket with the uniform delivery schedule. The two milestones overlap: the day the project staked out was also the day the store had to deliver more than sixty sets of shirts to lower grade students.

“If they block the road, the store can't deliver,” Ngoc said.

“And if the store doesn't deliver, they will tell people to protest because it's inconvenient,” Chau continued.

Khoa, who likes to joke, didn't laugh this time. He searched his phone and found a photo of a sign posted at the beginning of the alley. On the photo, the word "temporary road" is written in new paint, and below is an arrow pointing to a small, unprecedented path.

An looked at the photo for a long time. He said his father delivered goods through this alley since he was a child and had never seen the sign. He asked permission to ride his bicycle along the route, recording the time from the school gate to the old station. Chau came along, carrying a cloth bag containing a tape measure.

It took the two of them thirty-seven minutes because they had to go around the material yard. A woman selling water told them the company often blocked cars in the afternoon. An old locksmith showed them the purple paint on the brick floor, saying it was an old boundary mark.

Chau wrote everything down in the notebook, not turning the story into a conclusion. An slowed down when he saw her legs were tired. He asked why she always wanted to prove everything right away.

“Because I once cut a ribbon without asking who it belonged to.”

An looked at her, then pointed to the purple thread on the bag handle. “So this time ask first. I know someone who can answer.”

That night, they sent the time map to Ms. Thao. Ten minutes later, the teacher replied with a short sentence: **Don't go to the station alone. Someone asked her about the old photo.**