Chapter 24 — The Lantern That Never Goes Out

The next morning, when the whole old town was still immersed in the afterglow of the night of the successful parade of lights, Uyen Chi woke up later than usual, her body exhausted after many days of continuous lack of sleep but her heart filled with a rare relief. She walked down to the workshop and saw her father already sitting, holding a stack of newspapers that someone had just brought, his face unusually radiant.

"Look at this," Mr. Khoan said, handing her a stack of newspapers. On the front page of a prestigious local newspaper, the image of a brilliant lantern parade on the banks of the Nguyet Giang River was solemnly printed, accompanied by a long article praising the spirit of preserving traditional culture of the people of the old town, mentioning the name of Van Nguyet workshop as a typical example.

Uyen Chi skimmed through the article, an indescribable pride rose in her heart. But she also realized that this was just the beginning, there were still big questions ahead about whether the Management Board would really change the decision on the contract with Han Phat, whether the relationship between Thien Vu and his father could find a way out.

Near noon, when Uyen Chi was helping her father clean up the workshop after a busy day, there was a gentle knock on the door. She opened it and was surprised to see Mr. Han Vinh Vuong standing there, alone like last time, but this time, his eyes had a completely different look - no longer the toughness and pride as usual, but a look of fatigue and deep contemplation.

"Can I come in?" he asked, his voice unusually soft.

Uyen Chi invited him in and called his father out to continue the conversation. Mr. Vuong sat down, clasped his hands together in his lap, and said nothing for a long time, as if trying to sort out the chaotic thoughts in his heart.

"Last night," he began, his voice low, "I stood from afar, observing your parade of lights. I didn't dare come close, afraid that my presence would ruin the atmosphere that everyone had worked so hard to build." He stopped, took a deep breath. "But seeing that scene, seeing the happy eyes of my relatives and my son, I truly understood how empty what I have been trying to protect all these years - money, power, company image - is actually compared to the values you are preserving."

Uyen Chi and Mr. Khoan listened silently, not wanting to interrupt as they felt the rare sincerity gradually revealed in each sentence of Mr. Vuong.

"I have reread Mrs. Tuyet Nga's letter many times over the past few days," he continued, his voice choking. "I used to try to convince myself that my father did it because circumstances forced him to do so, that my family's success was worthy. But the truth is, no matter how difficult the circumstances are, not keeping a promise, letting a friend or a colleague suffer in silence for so many years, there is no way to justify it."

He stood up and bowed deeply to Mr. Khoan, a gesture that stunned both Uyen Chi and her father. "I'm sorry, on my father's behalf, for what his family has had to endure over the years. And I'm sorry, for myself, for what my company has done to his family recently."

Mr. Khoan, overcome with emotion, stood up and helped Mr. Vuong stand up straight. "You don't have to bow your head like that. What happened to the previous generation is not your fault. The important thing is that you dared to face the truth, dared to admit it, that is already a precious thing."

"I want to do more than just apologize," Mr. Vuong said, his voice firmer. "I will cancel all exclusivity clauses in the contract with the Management Board, to cede the main decoration space of the festival to artisans. My company will still sponsor, but in a different form, supporting materials and promoting the craft households themselves, instead of competing directly with them."

Uyen Chi felt a strong wave of emotions welling up in her heart, both surprising, emotional, and extremely relieved. "Are you sure about this decision? This is a big change that could affect the company's business interests."

"I'm sure," Mr. Vuong replied, his eyes more determined than ever. "There are benefits that cannot be measured in numbers on a financial statement. I've been missing out on that for a long time, and I don't want to continue missing out on it anymore, especially when I still have a chance to fix it."

He turned to Uyen Chi, his eyes contained sincere respect. "And I also want to say, I am very proud to know that my son has found someone like you to accompany him. You have shown him a path that perhaps, I myself had lost a long time ago."

That afternoon, when news of Mr. Vuong's decision spread, the whole village burst into joy. Thien Vu, upon hearing the news, rushed to Van Nguyet factory and found his father still there, sitting and chatting intimately with Mr. Khoan like two old friends who had not seen each other for a long time.

"Dad," he called, his voice choked up unable to hide his emotion.

Mr. Vuong stood up and looked at his son. For the first time in a long time, his eyes were no longer distant, but filled with sincere warmth. "I'm sorry," he said, "for making you wait so long to see me change. But from now on, I promise to try to be a father and a colleague more worthy of what you believe in."

Thien Vu walked over, hugged his father, and the two stood there in the middle of Van Nguyet workshop, among the lanterns still hanging sparkling everywhere, as a symbol of the late but sincere reconciliation between father and son, and also the last important turning point for the feud that had lasted for more than thirty years between the two families to officially end.

That evening, Ms. Dieu Hanh also came to the workshop, carrying a small basket containing a few dishes she cooked herself, called to "celebrate the fun" of both families. The whole family gathered around the wooden table in the middle of the workshop. For the first time since the story began, the atmosphere was no longer tense or reserved, but filled with warmth like a large family that had just been reunited after many years of separation.

"I still remember vividly the day Mrs. Tuyet Nga came to see me and gave me that letter," Mrs. Dieu Hanh said, her voice distant and nostalgic. "At that time I was very young and didn't fully understand the deep meaning of what she said. She just said, 'You keep it for me, maybe it will be useful later.' I didn't expect it would take more than twenty years for that message to really take effect."

"I think," Uyen Chi said, her voice also filled with emotion, "my grandmother must have trusted you a lot to entrust you with such an important thing. And you did not betray that trust, even though you had to wait a long time."

Mr. Vuong, sitting quietly listening to the story between his wife and Uyen Chi, suddenly spoke, his voice quiet. "I think, tomorrow I will visit Mrs. Tuyet Nga's grave, if my family allows me. I want to say sorry myself, even if it's late, even if she can no longer hear me, but I need to do it, for my own conscience."

Mr. Khoan nodded, his eyes filled with tears. "My mother will definitely be happy to see that, grandpa. She is someone who always believes that there is no conflict that cannot be resolved, as long as people are brave enough to face the truth."

The next morning, as promised, Mr. Vuong and Ms. Dieu Hanh, Mr. Khoan and Uyen Chi went together to the small grave site located on a gentle hillside overlooking the Nguyet Giang River, where Ms. Tuyet Nga had been resting for nearly twenty years. Thien Vu also went along, in his hand carrying a bouquet of white lotus flowers, the flower that, according to Mr. Khoan, was the favorite flower of Mrs. Tuyet Nga during her time.

Mr. Vuong stood in front of the simple grave, covered with moss over the years, lit a stick of incense, bowed his head for a long time in silence. "I apologize to you," he said softly, his voice trembling, "for what my father has caused, for the silence that has lasted for so many years that I should have broken much sooner. I promise, from now on, I will do everything I can to make what you have contributed to the lamp making profession worthy of recognition, not only in the hearts of your family, but in the whole story of this old town."

Uyen Chi stood next to her father, tears rolling down her cheeks, but her heart felt lighter than ever, as if an invisible burden had been lifted after many years of weighing down on the whole family but no one could really name what it was. The wind from the river blew up the hillside, carrying the faint scent of lotus, like a gentle response from the deceased, accepting the belated but sincere reconciliation of the next generation.