Chapter 19 — The Code in the Tangerine Garden

The dialogue with the district committee was held in a larger cultural house, with a tape recorder and official minutes.

The cold storage company appointed a legal director, without Ms. Van. Tran Khai did not come. Dang Dung was present with his personal lawyer. Six households, Mai, Mrs. Man, three brothers and Huy sat opposite.

Thu knows they haven't won yet. The original is just a piece of evidence; Use rights must be determined according to current status, land records and irrigation regulations. She doesn't want anyone in the village to think a touching story can replace the law.

The irrigation expert presented the measurement results: the tank is located under the packing house and hut; The pipeline splits into six branches; two branches are still active; The test suction flow from outside has reduced the pressure; Water samples contain mineral oil due to external influences. He did not conclude who caused it, but confirmed that the system was not a separate supply pipe for Tan's household.

The legal director asked: “If the system is old and not fully registered, who is responsible for maintenance?”

Quan replied: "Those who use it together, according to the temporary records."

"The Tan family is managing the main valve. So they have the biggest responsibility?"

“There is operational responsibility, not total ownership.”

The letter presents the irrigation schedule, pump repair invoice and the amounts you have paid back. She clarified the family has benefited from keeping the valve, but has also spent money on maintenance. If the land is sold, the liability does not disappear; it needs to move to a mechanism with representatives of households.

Mai brought up the original.

"My mother's name has no land. But the right to name is not a reward. It is a way for those who have done the work to participate."

The legal director asked: "You asked the company to pay Ms. Luu?"

“No. I request that the company not treat your name as if it never existed.”

Dung presented testimony. He admitted that he had changed the book and entered the garden, but said that Khai directed the trees to be destroyed to create an "unsafe obstacle area". The company lawyer objected, saying that Dung was shifting responsibility to mitigate.

Dung did not argue. He placed a voluntary recording on the table:

"If asked, I don't remember who told me. But I remember Ms. Van said the appendix must disappear before signing."

Ms. Van's voice was unclear, but her words were enough for the investigation agency to request clarification.

Huy stood up last. He confirmed that he had signed for the survey, had received the industrial well design and knew that his house would receive support money. He submitted an internal email and said the company knew the area where the tank was located before giving the purchase price.

The legal director looked at him. “You are admitting to violating your labor obligations.”

“I'm saying what I know.”

“The company can sue.”

"I get it."

Quan looked at Huy, then stood up. He talked about Na, about the money for treatment, and about how he wanted to sell immediately. He didn't turn himself into a hero.

"I still need money. If there is a plan to buy a piece of land without absorbing water, I will listen. If the plan of keeping the garden leaves my child untreated, I will not pretend to be noble. But no one can use my deficit to buy the rights of six houses."

The meeting room was silent.

Prepared plan proposal: establishing a tangerine preservation cooperative group with capital contributions from households; keep the tank and the sixty-six foot zone under a protection agreement; allowing the company to rent a hard-surfaced land in the south, away from the tank, with a closed water circulation system; the company pays the rental fee, Support for upgrading small warehouses and reimbursement of legal survey costs, but do not have the right to drain common water sources.

The legal director asked: “What if the company does not agree?”

“We will not sell,” Thu replied. “And will ask the management agency to identify protection corridors.”

“Does the cooperative group have enough operating capacity?”

Quan gave the spreadsheet. He called an agricultural product preservation unit in the neighboring district, they were willing to rent a seasonal warehouse. Lam had a filmmaking team advance the cost of branding and recording the process. Mai is in charge of the membership book and meeting schedule, Mrs. Man keeps the seed garden, and Thu is in charge of finances.

“I don't want to turn tangerines into beautiful stories,” Lam said. “I want buyers to know what water source it goes through, who takes care of it and who is responsible.”

Huy added a technical plan: the company can use rainwater recovery and a circulating system, without needing an industrial well. He said he would help with the independent appraisal but would not act on behalf of the cooperative group.

“Do you still work for the company?” Quan asked.

"Don't know."

“What if they refuse?”

“I will find another job.”

“If they agree?”

“I still won't go back to the land department.”

After four hours of debate, the district committee reached a provisional conclusion: recognizing the tank and pipeline system as a public use structure that needs to be protected; Temporarily suspend suction drilling and all tree cutting and pipe connection activities; request the company to explain the contractor; Instruct six households to prepare documents to register use and maintenance rights; Allows studying the option of renting the southern area if it does not affect water.

That is not the final certificate of ownership, but it is enough to prevent hasty sale and destruction of the garden.

The company asked the family to return Huy's mother's reservation money before withdrawing the offer. Huy agreed to pay the personal portion. The letter requested that that amount be recorded in the minutes so that no one would say that Huy's house had been sold.

Taking responsibility does not mean carrying it alone. Six households agreed to contribute part of the valve repair fund to repay the invalid amount. Quan contributed with money from the tangerine crop, Thu contributed from an advance payment, Huy contributed with savings. Mai only signed to confirm and did not receive any money in her mother's name.

On the way home, Quan received a call from the doctor. Na is stable enough to schedule treatment. He burst into tears in the car, this time without hiding it.

“Miss Thu,” he said, “I still want to sell my share if in the future there is a plan that does not affect the water line.”

“You have the right to want it.”

“But I don't want to sign alone.”

Letter overlooking the garden. “No one signs alone anymore.”

That night, Lam set up a projector in the yard. They watched the video of their father with Mai, Huy, Mrs. Man and six households. Father appeared on the screen, saying:

"If you are watching, don't ask who keeps the garden. Ask who keeps the person who has the right to pass through it."

Na puts seven dots on the white board. She added an eighth dot.

“Who is this dot?” Lam asked.

“Later buyer.”

Thu looked at her child. “You let them into the ring?”

“If they use the water, you have to come in. If they don't use it, then stay outside.”

Huy laughed.

The next morning, the company sent a document agreeing to negotiate a lease plan for the south, but with the condition that the family must sign within a month. The letter underlines the deadline, do not rush to celebrate.

At the end of the text there is a handwritten line that is not part of the printed form:

"The last door is not under the tree. It's in the way you divide the money."

Thu looks at the income and expenditure of the cooperative group. She realized what her father had not been able to solve: preserving the water source was just a step head; If one person is always paid less because they don't have land, the circle will break again.

She opened a new notebook and wrote the first line:

“Each person receives a portion of the task, each decision must state the name of the person responsible.”

Outside in the garden, the sound of the valve opening on time for the first time of the new calendar rang out.

The letter does not close the book immediately. She took the list of contributors, added Mrs. Man's name in the maintenance section, Mai's name in the naming rights representative section and Huy's name in the house authorization section. Landless names are not pushed to the bottom; They are placed next to the land owner because the job is not less just because there is no red paper.

Quan read through the screen. “How should I record the part where I receive support money?”

“It says emergency fund, no voting rights attached.”

“What if I can't pay later?”

“Note the deadline and how to handle it before receiving.”

Quan nodded. He didn't like the terms, but understood they protected him from being endlessly indebted.

Huy asked the cooperative group if they needed a transporter. You can get a small refrigerated vehicle under a rental contract, but would like you to check the price and conditions first.

The letter replied: "I gave the proposal. No decision."

Mai plays her mother's tape one last time during the meeting. Ms. Luu's voice echoed faintly, saying she did not need anyone to call her a landowner. She just wants when water flows through the ditch she dug, children know that it is not water that naturally falls.

Na sat next to him, drawing a larger circle. She left some space.

“What is space for?” Lam asked.

“Let those who don't know the story ask.”

Lam did not film the scene immediately. He put down the phone and asked everyone if they agreed to record the video. Everyone nodded, except Mrs. Man; She wanted to only use the audio from the local recording. Lam respects.

Lawyers send instructions for registering protection corridors and maintenance rights. The letter records a regular meeting schedule each season, not waiting until there is a buyer to open the book. They agreed that each decision on the tank must have at least four representatives, including one person who does not own land in the area.

“That's the last door,” Thu said.

Quan asked: "Which door?"

“The door is so that a person cannot close it himself.”

No one clapped. They just signed the last line, then put their pens away.

The cooperative has not made any money yet. The southern area has not yet signed a contract. The company can change its mind. But for the first time, the unknown is no longer hidden under a promise.