Chapter 8 — The Inn at the End of the Pass

The ceremony to worship the mountain god took place on a rare clear morning, with light sunlight penetrating the thin mist remaining on the treetops. The entire Back Deo hamlet, nearly twenty households, pulled together into the large yard in front of the inn - the most spacious place in the hamlet - to set up an altar and arrange a feast including five-colored sticky rice, boiled chicken, corn wine, and all kinds of seasonal forest fruits.

Thao woke up at three o'clock in the morning to prepare, her hands quickly wrapping each batch of cakes, cooking each large pot of sticky rice according to the recipe her biological mother left in an old notebook. This is the only occasion of the year when the whole neighborhood comes together to contribute, temporarily forgetting daily worries, eating, singing, and dancing around the big fire lit when it gets dark.

"Do you need any help?" Khai Dang appeared next to Thao early in the morning, his sleeves rolled up, ready to do whatever was assigned.

"I'll help you carry the chairs out to the yard, and ask me and Mr. Bay to set up a sunshade over there." Thao pointed, her voice busy but unable to hide her warmth when she saw that he was willing to roll up his sleeves and help without being reminded.

All morning, Khai Dang worked tirelessly, from setting up the theater, setting up tables and chairs, to helping the children in the neighborhood hang five-colored flags on bamboo poles. The neighbors, who were initially wary of the stranger appearing in the construction survey team - which everyone implicitly understood was a sign of big changes to come - gradually became more open when they saw that he was enthusiastic, not seeming condescending or keeping a distance like other project officials who had visited before.

"I'm an engineer and my hands and feet are very agile, unlike those officials who only know how to sit at a desk and give other people errands." Mr. Bay Trinh commented while setting up the theater, his voice full of sympathy. "How long have you been here?"

"Yes, it's been almost two months, including both installments." Khai Dang replied, still quickly tying the tent rope.

"So you probably have feelings for my pass then." Mr. Bay Trinh laughed, his mischievous eyes glanced at Thao who was busy preparing the tray not far away, making Khai Dang blush, confused and not knowing how to respond properly.

In the middle of the morning, while taking a break to drink a sip of water, Thuy Duong sat down next to her sister, helping pick vegetables, her eyes watching the scene of Khai Dang diligently setting up the theater with Mr. Bay Trinh.

"Miss Thao, I see that Uncle Dang is completely different from the day he first arrived there." She said, her voice had a rare bit of mischief. "Back then he looked polite, now he looks like someone in our neighborhood."

"Yeah, probably because I've been here for a long time so I'm used to it." Thao replied, trying to keep her voice calm even though she was a little confused at her sister's probing eyes.

"I see he likes you." Thuy Duong let out a cold sentence, making Thao almost drop the basket of vegetables she was holding in her hand.

"You little girl, who taught you to talk nonsense?" Thao glared at her, her face red, but did not deny it outright like the previous times she was teased about her love life.

Thuy Duong giggled, did not say more, just quietly continued to pick vegetables, but her eyes still shone with genuine joy for her sister - who had sacrificed her entire youth to support the whole family. She rarely saw her sister have the opportunity to think about her own happiness.

The ceremony officially began at noon, when the village elder - also the oldest person in the village, respectfully called Elder by everyone - stood up to pray in front of the mountain god altar, praying for a peaceful rainy season, no landslides in the roads, and favorable business for the neighbors. The solemn atmosphere enveloped the entire yard in the deep, steady prayer of the elder, and the bustling sound of gongs and drums echoed throughout the valley.

After the ceremony, when it comes to the festival, the atmosphere becomes bustling. Children played around the yard, adults gathered around the feast, chatting loudly. Nhat Minh pulled Khai Dang's hand to show off around the neighborhood, introducing him to his peers in a proud voice, as if Khai Dang had been an official member of the family for a long time.

"This is Uncle Dang, he taught me how to draw maps, very good!" Nhat Minh showed off, causing his friends to surround him and ask him all sorts of questions.

Thuy Duong gathered with a group of classmates, but occasionally glanced at Thao and Khai Dang, her eyes were a bit curious and happy when she saw her sister smiling and talking more naturally than usual.

In the afternoon, when everyone began to clean up the trays to prepare for the evening campfire, Gia Binh suddenly appeared, carrying a small speaker box borrowed from the garage in town, and volunteered to be in charge of the music for the evening - a rare act that showed his integration with the general atmosphere of the neighborhood, causing many elders in the neighborhood to nod and praise "Binh is really reasonable these days."

At night, a campfire was lit in the middle of the yard, the flickering firelight clearly illuminating the radiant faces gathered around. The sound of lute and flute mixed with traditional dances of ethnic groups living around the region, creating a warm and united atmosphere that is rarely seen in the busy pace of daily life.

Thao sat next to the fire, holding a cup of corn wine, looking around at the familiar scene but this year was a bit more special - there was Khai Dang sitting next to him, there was Gia Binh chatting happily with some young people in the neighborhood, there was Thuy Duong laughing with friends, there was Nhat Minh dancing to the music even though it wasn't at the right beat at all.

"Are you happy?" Khai Dang asked softly, sitting a little closer to her than before.

"It's fun." Thao replied, a genuine smile rarely appeared so fully on her face. "It's been a long time since I've seen the whole family happy like today."

"I feel lucky to be here at this time." Khai Dang said, his eyes in the flickering firelight looked at her earnestly. "Hey, I..."

He hesitated, as if considering whether to say what was in his heart or not. Thao turned to look at him, her heart beating faster than usual, waiting for his next words.

"I just want to say, the days here, although short, have been the most meaningful days in the ten years I've been doing this job." He said, his voice sincere. "And I hope, no matter what happens with the project, I can continue to be a part of days like this, with you, with your family."

Thao remained silent, feeling her chest choked with emotion. She didn't respond verbally, just nodded slightly, letting her hand gently touch his hand that was placed on the ground between the two of them - a small gesture but enough to say everything that words could not express.

The flickering firelight reflected in both of their eyes, the sound of the guitar was still humming somewhere in the distance, mixed with the chatter and laughter of the neighbors gathered around unfinished trays of corn wine. Neither of them was in a hurry to break that moment of silence with any more words, as if the silence at this moment was more real and complete than any promise that could be uttered.

The festival night lasted until late at night, when the fire gradually faded into embers, the neighbors filed out, carrying with them the warm afterglow of a rare day of solidarity. Thao stood watching the silhouettes of people leave gradually in the night, thinking to herself, this is the most precious thing this pass has - not the road, not the passing vehicles, but the connection between the people who have stuck together here for many generations, something that a new tunnel, no matter how modern, cannot replace.

Before leaving the field, Mr. Bay Trinh stopped by Thao, patted her shoulder, his voice was warm and full of affection of someone who had witnessed her grow up from a young age. "If your father was still alive, he would be very happy to see you keeping this neighborhood happy like today."

Thao heard that, her eyes were stinging, she could only nod, not daring to open her mouth for fear that her voice would tremble out of control. She looked around the now deserted yard, only a few mangled chairs and ashes from the campfire remained, then looked at Khai Dang who was helping Gia Binh clean up the speaker box, the sound of the two of them chatting loudly echoed, mixed with the laughter of Nhat Minh who was sleepy with his eyes closed but still trying to follow along and lend a helping hand.

The whole family, along with the whole small village, came together to create a perfect night, and in Thao's heart, a vague thought began to form - that perhaps, what makes this pass worth fighting to preserve, is not just the livelihood or the money collected from passersby, but moments like tonight, the invisible strings that connect people together that no modern tunnel can rebuild once severed.