Chapter 24 — The Ao Dai Shop at the End of the Street

After the romantic proposal, the whole family entered the wedding preparation stage with an excited yet cautious spirit. Doan and Quang Duy decided to choose their wedding date at the end of the year, when the weather is coolest and most pleasant, and also when both of their businesses are relatively stable so they can devote all their energy to the big day.

"What style should we have a wedding?" Mrs. Ngoc Huong asked during a family meeting to discuss plans, her eyes were as full of excitement as Doan's.

"I want to keep the most important traditional rituals," Doan replied, having thought carefully about this for a long time. "But I also want to incorporate more modern elements, so that the ceremony is both solemn, close and cozy."

Quang Duy nodded in agreement. "I think, the wedding should be held right on this street," he proposed. "There's no need to rent luxury locations elsewhere. Hoai Xuan street has been the place to witness our entire story, it should also be the place to witness the most important day."

That idea received absolute approval from the whole family. The whole street, when hearing about the upcoming wedding of Doan and Quang Duy, could not hide their excitement. Many households even proactively offered to contribute to the preparations, considering this as a common event for the whole community, not just for one family.

***

True to his promise, Doan began designing and sewing his own wedding dress, spending his rare free hours amid his busy work to meticulously perfect every smallest detail. She chose a high-quality ivory white silk background, combined with delicate hand-embroidered lotus motifs - a symbol that she has always loved and is also associated with the love story of her and Quang Duy from the memorable proposal night.

"Let me help," Bich Ngan suggested, when she saw Doan working hard on the embroidery frame late in the evenings. "This wedding dress is so important, it will be very difficult for me to do it alone."

"Thank you," Doan replied, smiling gratefully at his student's dedication. "But I want to complete most of the work myself, as a way to cherish this special moment. You can help me with the final finishing touches."

Thanh Truc, with a delicate aesthetic eye that has been honed through her studies, also contributed many valuable ideas on how to coordinate colors and arrange patterns to be both luxurious and enhance the traditional beauty of the wedding ao dai.

***

Meanwhile, Mrs. Xuan, although her health has weakened with age, still insists on personally participating in the preparations for her niece's wedding. She spent many afternoons sitting with Doan, telling stories about her own wedding sixty years ago, and about the traditional customs that the family has kept for many generations.

"In the past, her wedding was very simple," Mrs. Xuan said, her voice full of nostalgia. "There aren't as many elaborate rituals as there are now, but the feelings are no less profound. The most important thing in a wedding is not the extravagance, but the sincerity of the attendees, blessing the young couple."

"I'll remember that, grandma," Doan replied, holding her grandmother's hand tightly. "I want my wedding to be both solemn and warm and simple like the spirit you just shared."

Mrs. Xuan also gave Doan an antique silver hairpin, the only piece of jewelry left from her own wedding sixty years ago. “I want you to wear this brooch on your wedding day,” she said, her voice shaking with emotion. "Let it continue to be a connecting link between generations of women in our family."

Doan held a silver brooch that had faded over time, unable to hide his deep emotions. “I will cherish it all my life, grandma,” she said, her voice choked up.

***

Along with wedding preparations, both Doan and Quang Duy's businesses continue to grow steadily. The pottery village project has entered the expansion phase, with many other households in the area also starting to apply the model of tourism experience combined with preserving traditional crafts. Vinh Xuan shop also continues to receive more orders from the cooperative store chain, and at the same time, Doan's ao dai sewing class is preparing to open its second course with an even larger number of registered students than the first course.

"Do you feel pressured to balance wedding preparations and business?" Quang Duy asked one evening, when the two of them reviewed the list of tasks that needed to be completed before the wedding day.

"Sometimes," Doan admitted honestly. "But I think this is proof that our lives don't just stop at one happy moment, but continue to move and develop in many different directions. I like that feeling - the feeling of building many meaningful things for our future at the same time."

Quang Duy smiled and hugged her from behind while she was sitting at a desk filled with papers. "That's also what I love most about you," he whispered in her ear. "Consistency, constant effort, but always knowing how to appreciate the important moments of life."

***

One weekend afternoon, Quang Duy took Doan to choose a location to take wedding photos, walking around the most beautiful corners of Hoai Xuan ancient town - from the ancient village gate where they once fought to protect together, to the banks of the romantic Thu River where the two had countless evenings to confide and share difficulties throughout the past journey.

"I think we should take a photo shoot right at the shop's garment factory," Quang Duy proposed, when the two stopped in front of the Vinh Xuan shop in the gentle afternoon sunlight. "That's where it all started, where I first met you."

"I think so too," Doan replied, smiling emotionally as she looked at the familiar scene that had been with her since childhood. "Perhaps, we should also take photos in the pottery village, where you have devoted so much enthusiasm to building another meaningful project."

The invited photographer was an old friend of Anh Tuan, specializing in wedding photography in a natural reportage style, not too fussy, focusing on capturing the most authentic moments. The photo shoot took place in a happy, warm atmosphere, with the enthusiastic support of Bich Ngan and Thanh Truc in adjusting costumes and accessories for both.

"Smile naturally, you two," the photographer shouted, capturing the moment Quang Duy whispered something that made Doan burst out laughing amidst the sunlight-filled garment factory and colorful silk fabrics.

***

That evening, when reviewing the photos he had just taken on the computer, Doan could not hide his emotion at the recorded moments - not only were the photos beautiful in appearance, but also fully preserved the sincere and natural feelings between the two people.

"Look at this," she called Quang Duy closer, pointing to a photo of the two standing in front of a sign introducing the history of the street, hand in hand, their eyes full of happiness. "This picture is so beautiful, it seems like it tells our whole story."

"That's right," Quang Duy agreed, wrapping his arms around her from behind as they both looked at the photos. "I think we should choose this painting to print large and hang it right in the shop's history display area, as a way to mark the new chapter in our family's story."

Doan nodded in agreement, resting her head on his shoulder in complete peace and happiness. She clearly feels that every step of preparing for the wedding, no matter how small, is contributing to weaving a new meaningful chapter in the book of life that she and Quang Duy are continuing to write together, on the solid foundation of love, trust and precious traditional values that they both cherish and preserve.

***

A few days later, Doan and his mother went to meet the neighborhood's traditional matchmaker to discuss the engagement ceremony according to ancient customs, a ritual that Mrs. Xuan specifically emphasized could not be ignored despite many changes in modern life. The matchmaker, a woman over seventy years old but still lucid, meticulously guided each step in preparing the fruit tray and how to arrange the offerings in accordance with the traditional standards of the region.

"Although the engagement ceremony is simpler than the official wedding, it has no less sacred meaning," the matchmaker explained, her voice slow and full of experience. "This is the first official commitment between two families, which needs to be carefully prepared and respected."

Quang Duy's family, even though there are not many relatives nearby, still tried to arrange for a full representative to attend the engagement ceremony, showing respect for Doan's family and the traditional values that both sides value. Quang Duy's mother, who has visited Vinh Xuan shop many times over the past time, could not hide her joy at officially becoming in-laws with a family that she deeply loves and admires.

"I am very happy that my son found a talented and capable future wife like Doan," she told Mrs. Ngoc Huong during the meeting to prepare for the engagement ceremony. "I believe, you two will have a happy, fulfilling married life."

"We are also very happy to welcome Quang Duy into the family," Ms. Ngoc Huong replied sincerely. "He has proven through his own specific actions that he is truly worthy of Doan's love and trust."

The meeting between the two families took place in a warm, friendly atmosphere, further strengthening everyone's belief in a happy future waiting for the young couple ahead.