Chapter 22 — The Lantern That Never Goes Out

On the last day before the night of the parade of lights, the whole Nguyet Giang ancient town seemed to be wearing a new shirt. From early morning, people everywhere voluntarily hung lanterns in front of their houses, without anyone's encouragement, as a spontaneous response to the spirit that the craft village has spread over the past weeks. The familiar small alleys suddenly became more sparkling, rows of lights of all colors and shapes hung along the eaves, creating a scene like something out of a fairy tale.

Uyen Chi, while making a final inspection of the stalls, couldn't help but be moved by the obvious change in the whole street. She remembered the first days of initiating the plan, when many people were still skeptical and afraid. Now, looking around the street filled with the colors of handmade lanterns, she felt a great community strength that perhaps even she did not expect.

"Look at that," Mr. Bay Tuyen pointed towards an old house, where a family that was previously quite indifferent to the plan was now busily hanging up homemade lights, simple but full of enthusiasm. "This spirit is what money can never buy."

At noon, a group of students from the elementary school in the city, guided by teachers, came to the communal house yard to participate in a special extracurricular lesson - learning how to make simple lanterns under the guidance of artisans. The chirping laughter of children echoed throughout the courtyard, mixed with the patient instructions of older workers, creating a warm scene, full of life.

Uyen Chi stood watching from afar, an indescribable emotion rising in her heart. She thought of her grandmother, of what she had cultivated throughout her life, and felt that, even though she was no longer present to witness this moment, her spirit was still alive, continuing to inspire a new generation, today's children could become tomorrow's artisans.

In the afternoon, when all the preparations were almost completed, a small truck suddenly stopped in front of the communal house yard, not the vehicle of any of the households on the list. Uyen Chi went out to take a look and was surprised to see that it was a cargo truck from a large construction materials store in the area. The store owner came down, introduced himself and offered to contribute all the string light bulbs and safety wires for free to decorate the festival area.

"I've been following your story through the media for several weeks," he said, his voice sincere. "I'm also from the old town. Seeing how persistent you are, I want to contribute a small part, even though I'm not a craftsman."

That unexpected contribution made Uyen Chi extremely touched. She realized that the story of Van Nguyet workshop and the entire craft village is no longer the private story of a small group, but has spread, touching the hearts of many people in the community, those who may not directly work in the craft but still appreciate the values it represents.

In complete contrast to the warm, bustling atmosphere of the old town, at Han Phat company headquarters not far away, a different tense atmosphere is taking place. Thien Vu, taking advantage of his lunch break, stopped by his father's office to update the situation, although the relationship between the two still had many rifts that had not been completely healed.

Mr. Vuong sat behind his desk, surrounded by screens displaying business data, in complete contrast to the warm image of handmade silk lamps that Thien Vu had just left. "Tomorrow is your lantern parade night, right?" he asked, his voice unclear whether it was sarcasm or genuine concern.

"Yes," Thien Vu replied, keeping his voice calm. "Dad, do you want to come see?"

Mr. Vuong was silent for a long time, his eyes looking out the window, where he could see in the distance that the lantern lights had begun to sparkle throughout the old town even though it was not yet completely dark. "I don't know yet," he replied, his voice wavering slightly away from his usual toughness. "Dad needs more time."

Thien Vu looked at his father, did not push further, just nodded. "I understand. But I hope, whether you come or not, you will take the time to think carefully about what is really important, not only to the company, but to your whole family, to your own conscience."

Leaving his father's office, Thien Vu felt both heavy and had a faint glimmer of hope. He realized that the fluctuation in his father's eyes, even though small, was also a positive sign, a sign that the efforts over the past time, even though they had not yet brought complete results, had begun to reach some deep part of the heart of the man who had always put on a tough, cold exterior.

On the way out of the company building, he happened to meet his mother, Ms. Dieu Hanh, waiting in the lobby, seemingly standing there for quite a while. "Mom came to pick me up?" he asked, a little surprised.

"I wanted to see you for a moment," she replied, pulling him aside to a quiet corner. "I heard your father tell you about the confrontation in the meeting the other day, and also heard about you moving out. I just want to tell you, I'm proud of you, even though your father may not have said it yet."

Thien Vu looked at her mother, touched by that rare word of encouragement. "I'm afraid, because of this, mom will have a difficult time between me and dad."

Ms. Dieu Hanh shook her head slightly, her eyes determined. "I have been in a difficult situation for more than twenty years, since the day I received Mrs. Tuyet Nga's letter. Now, when the truth has come to light, I feel much more relieved, even though I know there is still a long road ahead between your father and son. I just hope you don't rush to close the door completely on your father. He is stubborn, but not heartless, he just needs time to accept that he was wrong."

"I will try to be patient," Thien Vu promised, holding her mother's hand. "Thank you mom, for everything you've done, even silently but always at the right time."

Mrs. Dieu Hanh smiled and patted her son's hand before seeing him out the door. "Tomorrow, I will come to watch your parade of lights. Whether your father goes or not, I want to see with my own eyes what you have put all your heart and soul into building."

That promise made Thien Vu feel warm all the way back to the old town, like a reminder that, although his relationship with his father still had many problems, he still had his mother, Uyen Chi, and a whole community standing by his side, enough for him to confidently continue on the path he had chosen.

Returning to the Van Nguyet workshop, he saw Uyen Chi standing in the middle of the yard, holding in her hand the small nine-petal lamp that the two had completed together last night. Her eyes looked at it in the afternoon sunlight with a mixture of satisfaction and nervousness. "Done," she said when she saw him enter, her voice filled with excitement. "The lamp is finally completed, ready for tomorrow night."

Thien Vu looked at the lamp, unable to hide his admiration at its delicate beauty. The pale yellow light mixed with the traditional pink color created an overall look that was both familiar and strangely new. "Indescribably beautiful," he said. "I think, this will be the lamp that gets the most attention tomorrow night."

"I hope so," Uyen Chi replied, placing the lamp back into the wooden box carefully lined with soft cloth to protect it during the final day of waiting. She told him about the unexpected donation from the owner of the construction materials store, about the group of students who came to learn how to make lamps in the morning. Her voice was filled with joy as she mentioned every small detail of a long but meaningful day.

Thien Vu also recounted the meeting with his mother, about her promise to attend tomorrow night. Upon hearing that, Uyen Chi had a new hope in her heart, not only for the success of the parade night, but also for a future in which two families with a sad past can find a path to full reconciliation, not just stopping at fragile promises.

That evening, the whole craft village held a small rehearsal right at the communal house's yard, to ensure that every step from the parade, the order of the stalls, to the ceremony of dropping the lanterns into the river would go smoothly tomorrow. Uyen Chi stood in the middle of the field, watching each person rehearse their positions. Her heart was filled with an indescribable feeling of both nervousness and pride.

Mr. Khoan, although unable to directly participate in the physical stages, was still present from beginning to end, sitting on a familiar rattan chair that was carried to the communal house yard, observing and giving comments on every small detail with many years of experience in the profession. "The parade should go a little slower," he suggested when he saw people rehearsing walking too fast. "Lanterns need time for viewers to see. If you go too quickly, you will lose the beauty of every detail."

Everyone listened, adjusted their pace according to his advice, and indeed, when walking more slowly, the whole parade exuded a solemn and leisurely look, exactly the spirit that a festival honoring traditional crafts should have. The rehearsal ended late, but no one seemed tired, everyone was full of energy and excitement waiting for the important moment that will take place tomorrow night.