Chapter 9 — The Inn at the End of the Pass

Nearly a week after the festival, the warm atmosphere that remained in the inn was suddenly overshadowed by unexpected news. Uncle Tam Nghi, when he stopped by the restaurant for lunch as usual, brought a carefully folded local newspaper in his pocket and placed it on the table in front of Thao with a serious expression different from usual.

"You read this." He said, his voice lowered.

Thao opened the newspaper, her eyes quickly glanced at the big headline on page three: "Vuc Suong cross-mountain tunnel project officially included in phase 2 planning - Construction expected to start in the next two years." Below is a short article quoting a statement from a traffic department official about the importance of the new tunnel in shortening travel time and promoting regional economic development, accompanied by a preliminary planning map showing that the tunnel will directly connect the two ends of the pass, cutting through the mountain right behind the Back Deo hamlet area.

Thao's hand trembled slightly when holding the newspaper. Even though her heart was more or less mentally prepared from previous rumors, when she read the official words printed on the newspaper, the feeling was still completely different - like a real knife cutting into her, instead of just a vague ghost that had been lingering in her mind for so long.

"It must have been done by Mr. Dang's survey team." Uncle Tam Nghi said, his tone was not reproachful but it still made Thao feel guilty.

"I'll ask him." Thao replied, trying to keep her voice calm, even though a complicated feeling that was difficult to name arose in her heart - both worry for the future of the inn, and a bit of hurt when thinking that the person she had feelings for was part of the organization that was pushing her family to the brink.

That afternoon, when Khai Dang returned from the survey site, as soon as he entered the yard, he noticed a strange atmosphere in the shop. Thao stood waiting for him at the door, still holding the newspaper, her stern eyes were rarely seen.

"Did you know about this?" She asked directly, holding the newspaper out in front of him.

Khai Dang received the newspaper, skimmed it, his face suddenly changed color. "I... I just heard the news this morning, my superiors called to inform me. But the information in the newspaper was a bit more rushed than I thought. There should have been an official announcement first to follow the process."

"So it's one hundred percent true, right?" Thao asked, her voice trembling a little and she couldn't hide it.

"Yes, the project has been approved and included in the planning. But—" Khai Dang hastily added, clearly seeing the panic rising on Thao's face, "—there is still a stage of detailed survey, preparation of an impact assessment report, and then the stage of compensation and site clearance. There will be at least one or two more years before construction actually begins, and during that time, there is still an opportunity to..."

"For what? Let me sit here and wait for the day someone comes to read the clearance order?" Thao interrupted, her voice began to rise, her pent-up emotions suddenly exploded. "You know, this shop is my father's entire life. He built it with his bare hands, raised me with it, and now I'm trying to use it to raise my three younger siblings. But now just because of a decision on paper from some guys somewhere, it can all go up in smoke."

"Thao, I understand—"

"You don't understand!" She interrupted, tears starting to flow even though she tried to hold it back. "You are an engineer for the company that is planning to wipe this place out. No matter how kind and kind you are to my family, you are still receiving a salary from them, and are still contributing to drawing a map that will destroy the lives of so many people here."

The words came out like an unstoppable flood. Even as soon as they finished speaking, Thao felt regretful for her harshness, but the fear and helplessness that had accumulated over the past few days found a way out, and Khai Dang, even though he didn't mean to, became the one to suffer.

Khai Dang stood still, his face carrying an undisguised pain, not because he was unfairly blamed, but because he knew that what Thao said, although harsh, was not wrong. He was indeed part of an organization that threatened their livelihood, even though his heart had long leaned in the opposite direction.

"I'm sorry." He said, his voice low and heavy. "I cannot deny my role in this matter. But I want you to know, from the first day I met your family, I have never stopped thinking about how to minimize the impact of this project on this place. I have no right to decide whether the project will be implemented or not, but I promise, I will use all my abilities to find the best possible solution for the inn and the whole neighborhood."

"Do those promises mean anything when your company has already decided?" Thao asked, her voice softened somewhat but still full of bitterness.

Khai Dang did not have a definite answer to that question. He could only stay silent, his eyes full of helplessness, looking at the woman standing in front of him, whom just a few days ago, by the campfire, he secretly thought about a long future with her and that small patchwork family.

That night, Thao didn't come down to eat with everyone, excused herself as being tired, and stayed in the room alone. Gia Binh, when listening to Thuy Duong recount what happened that afternoon, his face showed complexity - partly he felt he was right to doubt the survey team from the beginning, partly he felt sorry for his sister for placing her trust, perhaps even her affection, in a person carrying such an awkward responsibility.

Nhat Minh, sitting huddled at the corner of the dining table, looked bewildered, not fully understanding what was going on, only feeling the unusually heavy atmosphere covering the whole house. The boy pulled Thuy Duong's sleeve and asked in a low voice.

"Sister, did Uncle Dang do something wrong? Why is Thao so angry at him?"

Thuy Duong sighed, pulled her brother closer, trying to explain in the simplest possible terms. "It's not that Uncle Dang did anything wrong. It's just that his company is planning to build a new road, which might make our restaurant less popular. Ms. Thao is worried."

"So I won't have a home anymore?" Nhat Minh asked, his voice trembling, his eyes began to water, causing Thuy Duong to hug her, even though in her heart she was also carrying the same fear and did not know who to share it with.

"No, you and Thao will take care of it, don't be afraid." Thuy Duong reassured her, even though her own voice could not hide her uncertainty.

The scene of two children hugging each other nervously in the corner of the dining table, even though Thao did not witness it with her own eyes because she was in the room, was still enough to make Gia Binh, who accidentally stood nearby and heard the entire conversation, feel her heart ache. For the first time, he clearly realized that the worry about a new path was not just about money and livelihood, but also the very real fear of children about losing the only home they had ever known.

As for Khai Dang, that night he sat alone on the porch for a long time, looking up at the wooden sign engraved with the words "Stop and go home" and now, under the dim moonlight, it seemed like he was quietly questioning himself about his role in the unfolding story - whether he would be the one to contribute to the destruction of this place, or would he find a way to keep the promise engraved on that wooden sign, for an entire community that is placing its trust, however fragile, in an outsider like him.

He took out his phone, intending to call his superiors to ask more about the actual progress of the project, about the possibility of interfering in the design plan, but then stopped, because he knew no one would answer the phone when he called at this hour. He closed the phone, looked up at the rare starry sky that appeared after the afternoon rain, thought of Thao's tearful face in the afternoon, thought of Nhat Minh's innocent and trusting eyes in the past days, thought of Gia Binh's gradually disappearing reserve. All of those people, in a short period of time, had become an important part of his lonely, wandering life, and now, the very job that had sustained him for the past ten years was threatening to take away everything he had just found.

He told himself, no matter how difficult the road ahead is, no matter whether he faces pressure from his superiors or from his own professional conscience, he will not stand by and watch everything collapse without doing anything. Perhaps, this is when he needs to find another path - not the path on technical drawings, but the path between his work responsibilities and his heart, a path that until tonight, he still doesn't know where to start.