Chapter 24 — Tailor Shop at the End of Third Alley

People sewed red cloth strips themselves for the landmarks. Each strip has the name of the person tying it, the time it was tied and the person checking it. A doctor who didn't know how to write asked me to sign it, and then pointed it out myself. Chau clearly stated the way of confirmation, so that no one would think that signature was the only way to have a say.

Hanh posted the full version of the video, covering the witness's face. She wrote an explanation, apologizing to those who were filmed without asking. Some comments still scolded her, but she did not delete them. She only answers questions with information, turning off notifications when there are too many.

The science of citing sources. He records video time, device and file status. Ngoc said he turned the camera into a notebook. Khoa said at least the notebook doesn't run out of battery.

An and Chau found the person who built the stake. Mr. Hau said that the night he cut fabric, he stayed at home. He handed over the V button and asked to pick it up from the company car. They did not interrogate, only asked permission to record the story.

Tung asked the company to bear the cost of returning the mold. Ms. Van said cost cannot buy the right to apologize, but money transparency is a must. The new contract clearly states:

Chau sewed a file bag from a cut strip of red fabric. Every time she held it, she remembered that the line did not come naturally. An buttoned the T button and said this bag needed two people to hold.

Cloth maps are spread in the school yard. Students stand around, do not step on the red line. A gym teacher set up a goalpost, Khoa asked if it could be called a catwalk. Ngoc Bao calls it a no-step area, which sounds more serious.

People came bringing old photos, bus tickets, bills and paperless stories. Ms. Thao divided them into groups and recorded them with permission. Chau instructed each person to say three things: who they were, what they saw, and what they weren't sure about. Ms. Sau said that way made her less afraid of saying the wrong thing.

An re-measured the walkway with red cloth. A company official said the wire is not a legal landmark. An agreed, but said it was a way for everyone to look at the same point. Tung recorded this sentence in the minutes.

The local reporter returned. This time they asked Hanh. She said she received the shirt, was silent, and is now asking the company to fix the map. She did not use the word "scandal", only said "errors that affect people". Chau finds that a calm sentence can be stronger than a scream.

Khoa discovered that the old cut video had been reposted by an anonymous account. The cut only shows Hanh receiving the shirt, there is no part where she asked permission to keep it for herself. Ngoc said this is how to turn a person into a character. Hanh decided to post the full version herself, but hid everyone else's faces.

Chau checked the citation. She added time, origin, and feedback rights. Hanh read and corrected a sentence about her mother, then agreed. The video was posted and views increased rapidly. Comments were divided into two sides, but many people in the alley recognized themselves in the story.

That night, someone from the company sent a request to remove it, saying the video was affecting his reputation. Tung responded with the minutes, Hanh responded with the right to control her image. Ms. Thao reminded students not to argue in comments.

An asked Chau if she was afraid that the video would bring too much attention to the shop. She said yes, but hiding the shop wouldn't protect the people. Mrs. Van listened and told her that she needed a back door; Anyone who wants to enter must know where they are going.

A strip of red fabric was cut in the night. This time the camera captured the figure, but the face was not clear. Faculty do not search for themselves. He sent the file to Ms. Thao, recording the time and location.

The next morning, a person calling himself Hau came to receive it. He is a worker once removed the pile. He said he was just following orders, but he wasn't there last night. Chau asked if he knew anyone who used red scissors. Hau said Phuc used to hold scissors, but not that night.

In Hau's pocket there was a T-shaped button. He asked the stranger to give it to him and asked him to return it to the store. Mrs. Van received the button, saying the sender understood they couldn't cut the entire line with a pair of scissors.

The inspection unit finalizes the official survey schedule. In three days, all milestones will be measured again in front of representatives of residents, schools and companies.

Red line on the map

The power outage prevented the shop from sewing, but it didn't stop them from measuring. Chau took a roll of red fabric and cut it into strips one meter long. Ngoc numbered each strip, An took it away and tied it to old stakes, Khoa spun it with a machine with a flashlight.

They rebuilt the boundary with cloth. From a distance, the alley resembles a giant shirt with its threads removed, the red line winding through the awning, the almond tree and the shop wall. People stood and watched, some laughed because of the strange image, some remained silent because they realized their yard was being dragged into the project.

Ms. Thao asked the school for permission to let students display the cloth map in the yard. The principal agreed on the condition that there would be no company logo. Ngoc said there is finally an easy-to-understand clause.

Tung arrived in the afternoon, bringing with him the confirmation of the independent inspection unit. Hanh and he signed a commitment not to interfere. They chose a survey date two days later. But the company's red pile is still close to the store.

Chau asked why he didn't remove it. Tung said no one is allowed to move arbitrarily, even if the pole is wrong. They must acknowledge it first.

After listening, Khoa secretly took the measuring tape, but Ngoc held his shoulder. “Do not act without witnesses.”

“I just measure with my eyes.”

“Your eyes are not certified.”

In the evening, An and Chau sewed red fabric into a folded map. She held the edge of the fabric, he stepped on the hand sewing machine. The sound of the needle moving slowly, each needle is a measuring point. An asked her if she was afraid the shop would lose. Chau said yes, but he was more afraid of keeping the shop by turning everyone into his debtors.

“Mrs. Van wouldn't want you to drop out of school.”

“You also don't want your father to bear the debt for anyone else.”

“I know.”

They were silent. When Chau reached out to pull the fabric, his fingers touched An's hand. He didn't pull out right away. The sewing machine still runs, but at a slower pace.

The next morning, the cloth map was hung in front of the school. A local reporter came to ask, but Ms. Thao said only residents and company representatives could speak. Chau refused to speak for Ms. Van. An refused to tell his father's story beyond what he had allowed.

The reporter left, but Khoa discovered that someone had taken a photo of the entire map from outside the gate. The image was posted to the neighborhood group with the caption "students against the project". Ngoc wanted to request to remove it, but Chau told her to keep it because the image was not wrong, just the caption was missing.

Hanh sent a correction, saying the group was just asking for a landmark inspection. Tung shared the survey time.

That night, a strip of red cloth was cut from the eastern stake. The fabric has sharp scissors marks, not torn by hand. Chau recognized the cut as a small pair of scissors in a metal box.

Inside the strip of fabric, someone sewed a piece of paper:

**The cutter does not want to take the land. The cutter wants to remind the children that every line has someone behind it.**

An looked at Chau. “Who do you think it is?”

Chau holds red-handled scissors. “Tomorrow I will ask the person who built the stake.”

The tape was listened to in the school's equipment room. The old cassette player was so noisy that the whole group had to sit close together. Lien's voice appeared after a few seconds of silence Quiet, low and calm. She talked about the wall landmark, the altered map, and the fact that Khai was asked to sign a confirmation.

"If I don't come back, please send the shirt to Mrs. Van. She knows where the third thread leads."

The tape cut off, then there was the sound of metal hitting metal. The second person is a man. His voice was unclear, but he mentioned “the one with the silver ring” as a nickname. Duc turned pale when he heard.

“That's my brother,” he said. "He passed away last year. I don't know how many copies he still has."

The machine stopped. Ms. Thao requested to back up on two devices, not giving the original to the press. Chau copied Lien's last sentence into her notebook. The “third thread” is not a seam; On the map, the old station intersection has three broken lines, the last line running through the shop floor.

An and Chau returned to the station with Tung. The eastern steps were covered with dirt, but the old woman's tin box still opened the iron door. On the ground is a line of purple paint, exactly four meters and two meters from the wall. Tung measured, Ms. Thao recorded, and An used his phone to film the entire scene with the clock.

A worker erecting a stake looked at them. His name is Lam, he just started working for three days. Lam said he was given a map without purple lines. When Chau asked who gave it, he pointed to the black car parked at the end of the street. The car has no logo.

Tung approached and asked for the construction schedule. The person in the car with the windows down was Duc. He said he came to stop his construction team, because he had just discovered that the old order was still being used.

“Can you stop them?” Chau asked.

"I can try. But tomorrow they will ask who is responsible."

Chau clasped her hands around the scissors. “Then we will be there to answer our part.”

Tung nodded and gave Ms. Thao a list of witnesses. Each name is written in a different stroke, but each has a phone number and available hours. Chau realized that a good plan does not make fear disappear; it only makes fear no longer have the right to make decisions for you.