Chapter 16 — The Lantern That Never Goes Out

Thien Vu's fear that his father would retaliate turned out to be not unfounded. Just a few days after the conversation with Ms. Dieu Hanh, unusual signs began to appear in the craft village. First, the familiar silk supplier that Van Nguyet factory had been ordering from for many years suddenly doubled the price, citing "increased shipping costs", even though there had been no signs of such a sudden change before.

"This is not normal," Mr. Khoan said, his expression filled with worry as he looked over the new price quote. "My factory has been getting silk from this place for nearly twenty years, the price has always been stable, why has it suddenly skyrocketed like this right now?"

Uyen Chi called directly to ask the owner of the silk shop, an old lady in her seventies whom she often affectionately called Mrs. Tu. Ms. Tu's voice on the phone was somewhat hesitant and evasive.

"Mrs. Tu, why has the price of silk increased so suddenly? I heard that every year it doesn't change this much," Uyen Chi asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

Mrs. Tu sighed into the phone, her voice became quiet as if she was afraid someone would hear her. "Grandchild, I don't want to hide anything from you. A few days ago, someone from a big company came to see me, saying that if I continue to sell silk at preferential prices to craft households participating in a certain night of lantern parade, they will stop the contract to supply raw materials to my silk weaving factory, which has been the main source of income for my family for many years. I'm old, I don't dare to take risks, so I have to increase the price to protect myself, I hope you understand."

Uyen Chi hung up the phone, her heart heavy. She does not blame Mrs. Tu, understanding the pressure that an old woman with a small business must face in front of a large company like Han Phat. But that also means that Thien Vu's warning has come true, and Van Nguyet workshop and many other craft households are facing a really serious financial pressure.

The situation became even worse when, the next day, one of the factory's biggest customers, a restaurant specializing in serving high-end tourists at the top of the street, called to cancel the previously signed order of fifty lamps, with the reason that "another source of supply with a more affordable price had been found". Uyen Chi doesn't need to ask to know for sure, that source is Han Phat company, which is launching attractive promotional packages aimed directly at big customers of small craft workshops.

"This is fifty lamps, nearly a third of the factory's expected revenue this year's festival season," Mr. Khoan said, his voice lowering as he recalculated the books. He sat quietly at the table, his trembling hands rubbing his forehead, the deep wrinkles of anxiety becoming more obvious. "If this situation continues, I'm afraid our factory will have a hard time surviving this year's festival season."

Uyen Chi sat down next to her father, held his shaking hands, trying to reassure him even though her heart was equally confused. "Dad, don't worry too much, I will find a way to manage. I will find another source of silk, even if I have to go further, the price will be a little higher. As for customers, I will focus on promoting through the night of the parade, who knows, maybe I will get many new customers."

But in her heart, Uyen Chi cannot deny the anxiety that is rising every day. She recalled the image of her father many years ago, when he could still make sophisticated lamps by himself and shoulder the entire family's finances without having to worry as much as he does now. Now, with unsteady hands and increasingly heavy financial pressure, she feels the responsibility on her shoulders is growing larger and larger, not only to preserve a traditional profession, but also to shoulder the family's livelihood.

Mr. Khoan, seemingly reading his daughter's thoughts, gently held her hand tighter. "Don't blame yourself for anything that happens. I know, you've done everything you can, more than I could ever do at your age. It's just," he paused, his voice choked up, "I feel useless, unable to help you much in this difficult time, other than sitting here and watching you carry it all."

"Father is not useless," Uyen Chi immediately protested, her voice determined. "You are the one who taught me everything I know about this profession, who is always there to encourage me every time I feel discouraged. It's not a small thing, dad."

That evening, when Thien Vu came to the workshop as usual, he quickly realized the heavy atmosphere covering the whole house. After listening to Uyen Chi tell everything, his face darkened, his hands clenched into fists.

“I will find a way to resolve this,” he said, his voice filled with determination. "I cannot let my father continue to use his business power to oppress innocent people like that."

"What are you going to do?" Uyen Chi asked, worrying about him no less than worrying about her own workshop.

"I don't know exactly," Thien Vu replied, "but I know, I can't continue to watch from a safe distance anymore. It's time for me to face my father directly, bringing all the evidence, all the arguments I have, to force him to stop." He looked at Uyen Chi, his eyes contained a determination that she had never seen so clearly. "I will not let what is happening continue to hurt you and your family any further, even if it means I have to confront my own father head-on."

Hearing that, Mr. Khoan quickly spoke up to stop him, his voice full of worry. "Don't do anything too hastily. Your father is a powerful man. If you confront him head-on without careful preparation, it will most likely make things worse, not to mention affect your father-son relationship."

"I understand that," Thien Vu replied, his voice softening a bit at Mr. Khoan's sincere concern, "but I can't keep silently watching my father use such tricks to oppress others. If I don't speak up, it will be considered that I am also indirectly helping the wrong things that are happening."

Uyen Chi looked at the two people, her heart was confused between wanting to support Thien Vu's determination and fearing the consequences that could happen if he directly confronted his father too early, when everything was not really ready. "Perhaps," she said after a moment of thinking, "we should calm down, not to avoid it, but to find the right time, the right way. If you confront him now, while the situation is this tense, it may only make him more stubborn, more fierce in putting pressure on the craft village."

Thien Vu pondered, finally nodded, although the frustration still remained in his eyes. "You're right. I will wait, but not indefinitely. If the situation continues to deteriorate, I will not hesitate to confront you directly, regardless of the consequences."

That evening ended in an atmosphere that was both heavy and strangely warm - heavy because of the mounting difficulties ahead, but warm because all three people, despite coming from different circumstances, were standing side by side, sharing the same determination not to let outside forces extinguish the fire that generations had worked so hard to preserve.

The next morning, Uyen Chi woke up early, brought some savings, cycled out of the old town, and found another silk weaving village nearly twenty kilometers away, a place she had heard Mr. Bay mention in a conversation. The red dirt road was bumpy, with green mulberry fields on both sides, a peaceful scene in stark contrast to the storms that had been rolling in her heart for the past few days.

The owner of the textile factory here, a middle-aged woman who had never met her before, after listening to Uyen Chi explain the situation, agreed to sell silk at a reasonable price, even promising to prioritize fast delivery to keep up with the schedule for the night of the lantern parade. "Don't worry too much," she said, patting Uyen Chi's shoulder sympathetically. "Even though my weaving factory is small, it doesn't have any contracts with big companies, so I'm not afraid of being oppressed like the other side. Don't worry, if you need anything, just contact me, I'm willing to help within my ability."

Uyen Chi returned to the old town at noon, somewhat relieved after finding a new source of raw materials, although the distance was longer, the transportation would be more difficult than before. But at least, Van Nguyet factory will not lose its supply right in the middle of the most important sprint period. She cycled through the rice fields that were in bloom, the wind blowing gently carrying the faint scent of young rice, and in that moment, even though she was exhausted after a long morning, she still felt a strong belief in her heart that, as long as she didn't give up, there would always be another path open.