Chapter 24 — The End-of-Day Train

The public hearing took place on a Saturday morning, at the large hall of the Provincial People's Committee in Qingzhou, attracting interest far beyond the group's initial expectations. Not only people along the Thanh Chau - Van Phong route, but also representatives of heritage conservation organizations, a number of independent traffic experts, and a large number of press reporters were also present, largely thanks to the spread of the news report by Doan Bich Ha and subsequent articles in many other newspapers.

Khanh Chi stood in front of the hall door, her hands shaking holding the thick file that the group had been completing together over the past few days - not only the technical plan for Thien An's heritage train line, but also documents about the history of the accident twelve years ago, compiled from her father's diary, Mr. Canh's notes, and what Thien An had quietly collected over the years.

"Are you ready?" Thien An asked, standing next to her, gently holding her hand as a way to reassure her.

"I'm ready," Khanh Chi replied, taking a deep breath.

Inside the hall, the seats were almost full. Khanh Chi recognized many familiar faces — Ms. Nhan sitting with a few friends selling at the market, still holding the stack of signatures she had collected; Mrs. Dang, even though her legs were weak, asked her nephew to drive her there early, sitting in a row of seats near the aisle to make it easier to get in and out; Nhat Ha took advantage of the break between shifts to show up, still in her nurse uniform. Mr. Thin stood at the back of the hall, not daring to sit in the front row because he felt guilty about what he had been silent about for so many years, but he still came, as a belated way of atonement.

Boi Linh and a group of classmates sat in the corner of the room, their phone cameras ready to livestream the entire hearing to the campaign's social networking site, which had more than twenty thousand followers up to that point. Doan Bich Ha and the camera crew from the provincial television station were also present early, choosing a convenient location to record the panorama.

The hearing began with a formal presentation from the Department of Transportation, reiterating familiar economic data. Then, it was the turn of community representatives to speak. Thien An presented the heritage train route plan in a professional and coherent manner, supplemented with specific investment commitments from travel partners that he had worked hard to convince in recent weeks.

At the open discussion, when an expert asked the question "whether this route really needs to retain its historical identity, or is it simply a nostalgia that hinders development", Mr. Canh stood up, walked forward with his cane, his voice echoing throughout the hall despite his old age and weakness.

"Let me tell a story," he said, "a story that I have kept silent about for the past twelve years, out of fear, out of cowardice. But today, I cannot stay silent any longer."

The entire hall fell silent as Mr. Canh told the whole truth about the night of the accident at Vong Pass — about the times landslide warnings were ignored, about the brave actions of both train driver Tong Van Lich and signal guard Quach Van Thang, about how the railway company at that time hastily placed all responsibility on one individual to avoid having to face its own systematic mistakes.

"Here," he said, holding up a stack of old notes, "are the notes I kept for myself right after the incident happened. I bring them up here not to rekindle an old pain, but to say that the history of this route is not just numbers on a financial report. It is the story of people who have lived, devoted, and sometimes sacrificed, for the safety of others. If we close this route just for economic reasons, that is not the case. admitting and not correcting the mistakes that caused tragedy in the past, we are repeating the same mistakes again."

Loud applause echoed throughout the hall, mixed with the choking sobs of many people present. Khanh Chi stood up and walked to Mr. Canh's side, her voice trembling but full of determination.

"I am Mr. Tong Van Lich's daughter," she said, and the whole hall fell silent, listening. "For the past twelve years, I have lived with the pain of losing my father, but I never knew the full truth about what happened that night. I used to think that I could only keep my father's memory by continuing to work on the train he drove. But now, I understand that the best way to honor him, and the colleagues who fought with him on that fateful night, is to ensure that their sacrifice is not forgotten, not exchanged for a hasty decision to close down. gold."

She turned and raised her hand to invite Thien An to step up. "This is Mr. Quach Thien An, the son of Mr. Quach Van Thang, the signal keeper that year. He spent many years to find the truth, to exonerate his father, and he is also the one who designed the plan for the heritage train route that you just heard presented."

Thien An stepped up and stood next to Khanh Chi, his eyes filled with emotion when he saw the unexpected support from the large number of people present. "My father died without ever being exonerated," he said, his voice choked but still trying to stay steady. "He lived the last years of his life in poverty and humiliation, just because he did his duty correctly but was chosen by the system as a scapegoat. Today, standing here with Ms. Chi, I not only wish to save a railway line. I wish, finally, after twelve years, the truth about that night to be recognized, so that my father's soul can rest in peace."

An independent traffic expert, sitting in the upper row, raised his hand to speak further. "I have to say, rarely have I witnessed a hearing where the human aspect was presented so clearly, so completely, alongside the technical data," he said. "Professionally, I highly appreciate the presented heritage train route plan, and I think the historical story that has just been shared adds more humanistic value and communication value to this plan, an element that many similar conservation projects around the world have taken advantage of very successfully."

Many applauses and applause rang out. Another elderly woman in the hall, whose identity was unknown, stood up and choked up to share that her family also had relatives who worked in the railway industry, and today's story reminded her of many memories of her deceased father, who also silently devoted his life to trains that few people paid attention to.

The atmosphere in the hall became extremely emotional. Mr. Cung Viet Bang, sitting in the chair, stood up, his face could not hide his deep shock.

"On behalf of the Provincial Department of Transport," he said, his voice was solemn and different from usual, "I would like to acknowledge all the information that has just been presented. We will conduct a review of all past case files, and at the same time seriously consider the heritage train route plan that the community has proposed. I believe, this is not only a decision on a railway line, but also an opportunity for us to correct a mistake that has lasted for too long."

When the official hearing ended after nearly three tense but emotional hours, many people surrounded Khanh Chi and Thien An, expressing their appreciation and sharing their own stories about the railway. Boi Linh ran to hug Khanh Chi, tears welling up with emotion. Y Van, Nhat Ha, Ms. Nhan, all were present, together celebrating an important milestone that had just been achieved, although the final results have not yet been officially announced.

In the midst of that noisy crowd, Khanh Chi turned to look at Thien An, the two exchanged a look full of understanding and love, as if everything they had experienced - from the pain, the doubt, to the moment of reconciliation and now this initial victory - had woven a bond that nothing could separate anymore.

Mr. Canh, after many people came to shake his hand and thank him for his courage, he turned to look for Khanh Chi, his old eyes filled with tears. "Your dad must be smiling somewhere, very proud of you," he said, his voice choked up. Khanh Chi hugged the old man, both crying with immense happiness and emotion, amidst the bustling noise of an entire hall that had just witnessed a small but extremely meaningful historical moment for their small community.