Chapter 7 — The Inn at the End of the Pass

Every year, Back Deo hamlet has a custom of holding a small mountain god worship ceremony at the beginning of the rainy season, praying for good weather, peaceful roads, and few landslides. This year, the neighbors discussed organizing the event a week earlier than usual because they heard on the radio that a tropical depression was about to hit. Thao was busy all morning preparing offerings with other households, while Khai Dang, even though not a native, also rolled up his sleeves to help carry tables and chairs and set up the tent, making Mr. Bay Trinh nod and compliment "this guy is reasonable, not the type to ride a horse to see flowers."

While everyone was busy, Gia Binh suddenly came home earlier than usual, his face looking tense, and pulled Thuy Duong to the back garden to talk privately. Thao happened to pass by and heard a few words, enough to realize that the two brothers were talking about their biological mother - Mrs. Ha.

"I received news from my mother." Gia Binh said, his voice was small but full of tension. "An acquaintance in town happened to meet my mother in an industrial park and said she was still healthy and working as a worker in a garment factory."

Thuy Duong was silent for a long time, her hands tightening her shirt. "Did mom ask anything about us?"

"People only said they met briefly, didn't ask much." Gia Binh replied, his voice lowered. "But I thought, maybe we should go look for mom? It's been three years, don't you miss her?"

"Remember, why don't you remember?" Thuy Duong replied, her voice choked. "But I'm also angry with my mother. She left without a proper goodbye, leaving Thao to bear everything. Don't you think that's unfair to Thao?"

Gia Binh was silent and did not answer. Thao stood hidden behind the corner of the wall, her heart aching as she listened to the conversation between her two younger siblings, feeling both sad and helpless. She never told the children about the strange amounts of money that were regularly transferred into their accounts every month — partly because she wasn't sure whether it was Mrs.

That night, after Thuy Duong had gone to bed, Thao found Gia Binh sitting alone in the small garage behind the shop, which he often used to repair small items.

"Did you hear what happened this afternoon?" Gia Binh asked, without raising his head, his hand still holding the wrench tightly.

"I just happened to hear a few words." Thao replied, sitting in the chair opposite. "Do you really want to go find Miss Ha?"

Gia Binh was silent for a long time, then put down the wrench and sighed deeply. "I don't know. On the one hand, I'm angry at my mother, angry because she left us for you to take care of, while you have no obligations to us - we're not your father's biological children. But on the other hand..." He stopped, his voice hoarse. "On the other hand, I'm still my mother's child. No matter how wrong my mother is, I still want to know how she lives, whether she's okay."

The words "we are not your father's biological children" made Thao's chest ache, but she tried not to show it, just gently responded.

"Gia Binh, I never thought about that when I decided to stay and raise you guys. To me, you are my younger siblings, not because of blood, but because we grew up together under the same roof, ate the meals our father cooked, and listened to our father tell stories every night. For me, that's enough to call it family."

Gia Binh looked up at her, his eyes were complicated, a bit suspicious and touching. "You say that, but sometimes I still feel like I'm an extra person in this house. Especially when you and Nhat Minh talk, I clearly see that we have the same blood, the same facial features left by our father. As for Duong and I, we are not like anyone else in this family."

That was the first time Gia Binh openly expressed his deep feelings like that, making Thao both surprised and heartbroken for not recognizing sooner the feeling of loneliness that had been lingering in his younger brother's heart for so many years.

She remembered the years when Gia Binh was young and had just come to live under this roof. The boy was only twelve years old at that time, taciturn, quiet, often standing behind his mother whenever a stranger came to the shop, his eyes always watching and alert like a small animal that had just been uprooted from its familiar den. Mr. Chinh, with rare patience, took nearly a year to get the boy to call him "father", even if it was only in a whisper. Thao was fifteen years old at that time, too young to fully understand the trauma that a child must carry when forced to leave his old house, his old biological father, to live with strangers under a new roof, just because his mother needed a new support after a broken marriage.

Now, looking at Gia Binh who has grown up, his shoulders are broader, his face is stronger but the wounds from his childhood are still intact, Thao suddenly realizes that she has been so focused on shouldering responsibilities that she forgot to stop and really listen to the silent pain of each person in her family.

"I'm sorry for not noticing sooner." Thao said, her voice trembling. "But listen to me - my father, when he was alive, never made a distinction between you and Nhat Minh. He still taught me how to fix cars, still took me fishing every weekend, still saved the best meat for you at every meal. I remember those things clearly, because when I was little, I used to be... jealous of you, because I saw that my father loved you no less than he loved me."

Gia Binh was stunned by that unexpected confession. He did not expect that his sister, who always seemed strong and tough, would have such weak and complicated emotions in the past.

"Were you ever jealous of me?" He asked, his voice mixed with surprise and amusement.

"Yes, at that time I was thirteen or fourteen years old and still very damp." Thao smiled slightly, even though her eyes were still a little wet. "But then I realized, a father's love is not a piece of cake that is all divided. Loving one more child does not mean loving the other less. I hope you also understand that, about the part I have for you now."

The atmosphere in the small garage became quiet, with only the sound of crickets chirping outside in the garden and the sound of the wind blowing through the gaps in the corrugated iron roof. Gia Binh bowed his head, his hands clenched and unclenched, as if trying to digest pent-up emotions for so long.

"About finding your mother," Thao continued, her voice softer, "I won't stop you. If you really want to, I will help you find a way to contact you. Just, I hope you will give me time to mentally prepare for the whole family, especially Duong, don't let this happen too suddenly."

Gia Binh nodded, did not say anything more, but his eyes were noticeably softer than when the conversation first began. Before Thao stood up to leave, he suddenly spoke, his voice so small that it was almost a whisper.

"Thank you. For everything." Having finished speaking, he quickly bent down and pretended to be busy with the wrench, as if he had just blurted out something that made him embarrassed.

Thao smiled, said nothing more, quietly left the garage, leaving her younger brother alone with his chaotic thoughts. On the way back to her room, she passed by Thuy Duong's room, saw the study light still shining through the door, and the steady sound of turning pages echoed out. She stopped for a moment, wondering if she was really concentrating on studying, or if she was also tossing and turning with thoughts about her distant mother like her brother.

That night, Thao struggled to sleep for a long time, her mind kept echoing Gia Binh's words about feeling redundant. She told herself that this family, despite her efforts to preserve it over the years, still had too many cracks that had not been completely healed, and perhaps, one-sided love from her side was not enough - the whole family needed frank conversations like tonight's more, even though each time it made her heart ache no less than the arguments.

The next morning, when Thao went out to the yard to prepare to continue setting up a tent for the mountain god worship ceremony, she saw Khai Dang had woken up early and was carrying several wooden planks to the middle of the yard with Mr. Bay Trinh. Seeing her, he stopped, his eyes questioning when he noticed the tired look on her face.

"Did you not sleep well last night? You look tired."

"Just a small house matter, nothing more." Thao replied, trying to smile reassuringly, even though her mind was still filled with thoughts about her conversation with Gia Binh last night.

Khai Dang didn't ask further, just quietly gave her a glass of warm water mixed with a little honey that he had prepared in advance, a small gesture but enough to make Thao feel cared for without needing a long explanation. She received the glass of water, nodded slightly in thanks, and then they both started preparing for the upcoming ceremony, while in the distance, Nhat Minh and the children in the neighborhood were playing, helping the adults hang five-colored flags on the newly erected bamboo poles, signaling that a festival was approaching on the pass, which was only used to the sound of traffic and mountain winds all year round.