Chapter 18 — Tailor Shop at the End of Third Alley

Children's clothes are re-measured according to the data in the book. Chau discovered that the neck was a bit wide and asked Ms. Van if she should fix it. She said to keep it loose so the wearer can grow, but note clearly. An said that is a way to luck for the future without predicting the future.

Tung took the group to see the company's generator, but Mrs. Van asked for a loan contract. Hanh clearly writes who owns the device, the deadline and responsibility for repair. Chau saw that people had stopped being afraid of paper; They use paper to keep boundaries.

A student submitted the sound of a sewing machine as a project. Chau allows the use of sound if you write the name of the shop and agree to edit. You said you would let Khoa drop the buttons. Khoa objected, but Ngoc reminded him that it was history.

An received an email from the factory, informing him that he got an internship. He didn't answer right away, asking if the group needed him on the inspection day. Chau told him that he was not a stake, he did not need to stand still to hold everything. An smiled and accepted the job.

The metal box is placed on the table according to the procedure. Each person signed to confirm, then Mrs. Van opened it. The children's clothes inside still smell of old fabric. An picked it up and said he didn't remember ever seeing his father make such a small shirt.

Mrs. Van showed him the seam around the neck. The tailor left an extra two centimeters, as if knowing the wearer would grow. Chau took technical notes and Hanh asked to touch the fabric. She realized the blue piece was from her mother's shirt.

They listen to audio file number three. The sound of flywheels mixed with people talking about "milestones and debt". The accent could not be determined, but the time coincided with the contract date. Tung gave the file to the inspection unit and did not analyze it himself.

An and his father sat opposite. Mr. Thanh said he once received a box of needles from Khai but did not understand the value. An said he didn't need his father to know everything, he just needed to tell what he knew. He nodded and recorded his statement.

Chau asked Tung if he could return his company card. He said no, but he could ask for supervised access. Hanh said that's the way to correct authority: don't hide the key, don't give the key to someone.

In the afternoon, the generator ran fine. Class 11C came to learn sewing, and the sound of children laughing made Mrs. Van pretend to be uncomfortable. Khoa was assigned to clean the buttons and dropped a box. An helped pick it up, saying the number of daisies was not the number.

At night, the audio file sent back a clearer sentence: "The back door is for people who know what they need." Chau wrote that sentence on the board, then added "you are allowed to change your mind".

At the construction site, An learned how to stand next to his father without becoming his spokesman. He recorded the hours worked, the materials received, and the terms read. His father was initially upset, but after seeing that many details were left out, he asked his son to take another notebook.

Chau brought the repaired shirt to the workers. A worker received the shirt and asked why there was no charge. She said the shop has a support list, not everyone needs to know his situation. The tailor looked at the purple seam in the bag and said he had received the shirt from another shop, but the tailor asked too many questions so he didn't come back.

An listened, saying a well-fitting shirt should not come with a questionnaire. Chau wrote that into the principles of receiving goods.

Tung went to the warehouse and brought the paper to open the seal. He did not go alone; Hanh and a neighborhood official were present. The locked compartment contains the cartridge, but the seal number has been changed. Hanh took a photo of both numbers and made a record before opening.

In the box was an unfinished children's suit and a list of addresses. An address identical to the old station. Mrs. Van measured the sleeves and said Khai had not sewn them yet because the child had not yet been born. Ha confirmed it was a girl's shirt me.

An asked why Khai kept the shirt in the company warehouse. Tung said maybe he sent it to preserve it when he went to work in the alley. Hanh remembers Khai saying someone was watching the back door, so all the papers had to be divided into many places.

Chau read a note: "If you don't come back, send green cloth to Ha, send landmarks to Thanh, send maps to Van." Three people received three parts, but no one had the whole thing.

In the evening, An's father signed a new agreement with the neighborhood. He agreed to provide information about the old contract in exchange for a debt repayment extension. An sat next to him and did not sign for him. He asked his father if he was afraid. He said he was very afraid, but for the first time he was afraid of exactly what he needed to be afraid of.

Chau and An fix children's clothes. Short sleeves, slightly wide shoulders. They don't try to make the shirt fit an imaginary person; they sew according to the last measurements in the book. Ms. Van said to keep two centimeters so the wearer can grow.

Khoa arrived with a message from the woman in the gray shirt. Hanh asked to be called by her real name, but still wanted to keep her private address. She proposed a public dialogue with residents about her past.

Chau asked if she was sure. Hanh said that if she waited no longer to be afraid, she would never come out. She wanted to say that she had accepted the shirt, had been silent, and had chosen to come back.

Before sleeping, Chau received an audio file from an unknown number. There was the sound of sewing machine number three running, then a man's voice said: "The back door is still open, but the person with the key must choose."

After listening, An asked Chau if he intended to answer. She said she would ask Mrs. Van tomorrow. He said tomorrow was too much work. Chau replied that important things usually don't wait for an empty schedule.

School holiday

Take a break from school for three consecutive days. Ms. Thao called him absent without permission, but Ngoc still left his homework on the table. Chau texted and only received back a dot.

“Where does he deliver?” Chau asked Aunt Huong.

Her aunt gave her the order book, telling her that delivery people don't always want to be found. Chau looked at the addresses and realized that An had passed by places with new piles of the project: model houses, material warehouses, temporary offices, apartments under repair. She cycled along the route, carrying a bag of repaired clothes.

At the construction site, she saw An pulling a cart of fabric. He stopped when he saw her.

“What did you come for?”

“Hand over the shirt.”

“I don't bet.”

“I know. But you're wearing a shirt with torn elbows.”

An looked at his sleeve and couldn't help but smile. He told his father that he had accepted a new job: removing the old door in the model house. If you refuse, the debt will increase. He had to skip school to go with him, because his father had back pain.

Chau gave him his bag. “I'm not telling you to quit your job. But at least tell us.”

"We're trying to find a way to save the store. I don't want to become another problem."

"You're none of your business. You're the one being pulled out of class."

An looked at her for a long time. The sound of a tile cutter echoed behind me, each beat dry and sharp. He said he found a locker in the warehouse, with the old logo of the Khai-Van factory. The compartment is sealed with company paper.

Chau asked if he could open it. An shook his head, because if he opened it arbitrarily, he would be charged with trespassing. He took a photo of the seal number and sent it to Tung, but has not received a reply.

Chau took the phone and called Tung immediately. He picked up the phone after three seconds. She said they needed a witness if the seal was to be opened according to procedure. Tung was silent, then said he would come after work.

While waiting, An taught Chau how to distinguish between linen and mixed fabrics by gently rubbing them. She wrinkled both pieces, then asked what if she couldn't tell the difference.

“It says undetermined,” An said. “Don't be falsely confident.”

Chau glared at him, but studied again.

Tung arrived with a neighborhood official. They checked the seal, made a record, and then opened the compartment. Inside was a metal box, no map, just the number 32 shirt and a book with the date of delivery of the materials.

Mrs. Van came when she heard the news. She recognized the child's shirt and said it was made for a baby girl about to be born in 2014. The mother left the alley before the flood. No one knows where the baby lives.

In the material book, there is a line stating the person signing the receipt on the last day: **Vu Thanh — Pham Quang Tung**.

An looked at his father. Mr. Thanh admitted that he received the metal box from Khai, but was later asked by the company to hand it back. He thought it only contained tools.

“Dad, have you opened it yet?” An asked.

"Not yet."

Tung said he had never seen this line before. Hanh stood next to him, reminding him that the old warehouse records did not have a handover copy.

Chau opened the metal box. Inside was a pair of red-handled scissors similar to the ones Mrs. Van gave her, but smaller. The blade of the scissors stuck to a purple thread and a piece of paper:

**The person holding the scissors will ultimately have to choose: cut silence or cut promise.**

An folded some paper and asked Chau if he could come back to school tomorrow. She told him that if he came along, the whole class would force him to copy his homework. An said that was scarier than a construction site.

Before leaving the warehouse, Tung received a call. He listened for a few seconds and then informed that the company had sent an order to lock the store's power over the weekend.

That news made the whole group stand still. There is no electricity, sewing machines do not run, orders are late, and a small shop can easily turn into a "dormant place of business". Ms. Van did not complain. She opened the old foot pedal sewing machine, cleaned it of dust and placed it in the middle of the table.

“In the past, the whole alley was made of this,” she said. “It's not fast, but no one has the right to turn it off from outside the door.”

Chau and Ngoc split duty schedules. During the day the children go to school and in the afternoon go to the fabric cutting shop; At night, adults ride the motorbike. Khoa brought a rechargeable lamp, Phuc came to help fold clothes. The room was hotter and slower, but the sound of a needle piercing fabric made everyone less afraid.

An asked Tung to see the electric lock order. Tung explained that the company can temporarily cut off power if the store is in debt, but must notify in advance and must not hinder people's daily activities. Hanh immediately looked for the invoice, and Mrs. Van found the payment receipt in the button box.

At that moment, a local female reporter arrived. She asked if she could film students working. Chau refused to turn Phuc's face and did not allow her profile picture to be taken. She said if the story just turned into a touching clip, the alley would be seen as a backdrop again.

“So what do you want to say?” the reporter asked.

"We want people to look at the land mark, the notice period and the right to respond. The tailor shop is just where we find those things."

The reporter nodded and put the camera away. She asked for copies of documents through the school.

Late at night, An taught Chau to ride the motorbike. She stepped too hard, causing the thread to become tangled and the fabric to wrinkle into a wave. An laughed until he coughed. Chau threw the ball of thread at him, and then they both had to sit and untie it one by one.

“If the power really goes out tomorrow, will you still come?” Chau asked.

"I can deliver by bicycle. You can pedal the sewing machine."

Outside in the alley, the light switch turned on and off twice. A streak of light appeared on the wall and then disappeared. Someone was trying to see if the shop was awake or not.