Chapter 22 — The Light Keeper at the Sea Gate

A year has passed since Hai Yen was born, Cua Vong entered its annual festival season, a new cultural event organized for the first time by the local government to honor the traditional profession of lightkeeping and the contributions of lighthouse stations along the coast. The festival, called "Night of Lighthouses," recreates the history of the formation and development of lighthouses over many decades, with craft booths, folk art performances, and especially, a special exhibition right at Cua Vong, displaying the entire journey of the Khoi family.

Hoai An, now an expert respected by many colleagues in the maritime industry, was invited to be the main speaker at the opening seminar of the festival, sharing about his journey from a simple technical survey to changing the entire lighthouse management system nationwide.

"Sometimes, tasks that seem purely technical contain profound human stories that we never dared to imagine," she told the large crowd gathered in the small square in front of the lighthouse. "The job of an engineer, sometimes, is not just to evaluate economic efficiency, but also to listen to values that cannot be measured in numbers."

Hai Yen, now able to take her first steps, was carried by Khoi in her arms, standing in the front row, her eyes wide and bewildered, looking at her mother speaking on the small stage. Occasionally, the girl would clap her hands along with the applause of the crowd, making many people around her laugh affectionately.

After the discussion, the small family walked around the festival's stalls together, stopping by the stall of Mrs. Tu Nhan, who this year was invited to demonstrate how to make traditional dishes of the fishing village for tourists. "I've been cooking this braised fish dish forty years," she said to a group of young tourists who were watching curiously, her hands quickly seasoning. "The secret lies in low heat and long simmering time, you can't rush it."

Mr. Nam Vong, now older but still alert and agile, volunteered to be a tour guide for the exhibition area about the history of the lightkeeping profession, telling each story with a passion rarely seen at his age. When Hoai An and his family stopped by, he was passionately telling a group of students about the process of finding the truth last year.

"This is the person who helped change the entire management system after discovering the negligence that led to the tragedy of Khoi's family," he said, pointing towards Hoai An when he noticed her appearance, making the whole group of students turn to look at her with eyes full of admiration.

"Miss, are you scared when you have to confront such a large system?" a student asked, his voice full of curiosity.

Hoai An smiled and sat down at eye level with the boy. "Are you scared?" she replied honestly. "But she thinks, sometimes, truth and justice are more important than one's own fear. If everyone is afraid and stays silent, mistakes will never be corrected, and similar tragedies will continue to happen."

Leaving the exhibition area, the family stopped by a small booth displaying handicraft products from snail shells that Be Coi and a group of friends in the village have been making together over the past few months, under the guidance of Mrs. Tu Nhan. The boy, now much older than the first day Hoai An first set foot in Cua Vong, proudly introduced each beautiful little decoration to visitors.

"I made this myself, it took several weeks," Baby Coi boasted, giving Hai Yen a small necklace made from colorful sea shells. "Give it to me, so I can remember Uncle Coi when I grow up."

"You're so thoughtful," Hoai An said, touched by the warm gesture of the boy, who has now become a trustworthy big brother in Hai Yen's eyes. "Thank you very much, Hai Yen will definitely keep it carefully."

Khoi, standing and observing that warm scene, smiled slightly, his heart filled with a deep gratitude for the strong bond between his family and the entire Ha Trieu village community. This is not simply a place where he lives and works, but has become a big home, where people share joys and sorrows together, and work together to nurture future generations.

In the afternoon, when the festival gradually lights up, the entire area around the lighthouse takes on a shimmering, magical beauty under the light of colorful lanterns hung along the road leading from the village to the station. Khoi's family sat together in a small corner of the restaurant, enjoying the festive atmosphere while Hai Yen fell asleep in his father's arms.

"I still remember, exactly one year ago, on a sea breeze night like this, she was born," Hoai An said softly, looking down at the peaceful face of her sleeping daughter. "Time passes so quickly."

"And in that one year, so many things have changed," Khoi replied, putting his arm around his wife and children's shoulders. "From a small, quiet lighthouse station, it has now become part of a large cultural festival, where people come to learn about history, about truth, and perhaps, even about hope."

From afar, the sounds of folk music mixed with the bustling laughter of the crowd, creating a warm atmosphere covering the whole area. Hoai An looked up at the night sky, where rare sparkling stars appeared amid the festive lights, her heart was filled with a deep sense of gratitude for everything life had given her.

"I think, if I hadn't accepted the mission to survey Cua Vong that day, my life would have been very different," she said, her voice quiet and thoughtful. "I wouldn't have met you, without Hai Yen, without all these meaningful things."

"But I accepted that mission," Khoi replied, squeezing his wife's hand. "And I believe, it was not a coincidence, but part of something bigger, an invisible connecting thread that led all of us to the right place we needed to be, right when we needed to be there, to write together a story that none of us could have written alone."

They sat quietly together, amidst the music and lantern lights of the festival, in the middle of a lighthouse that had gone through many ups and downs to find its own complete meaning, feeling a complete peace that they both knew would continue to accompany them throughout the years ahead, as they together raised and taught their daughter to grow up amidst the most beautiful values they had learned from their own journeys — truth, courage, and a never-ending love. now shaking.

As the festival gradually ended late at night, Mrs. Tu Nhan and Mr. Nam Vong stopped by the family table. They were both tired after a long and busy day but still could not hide the joy on their faces. "An unexpectedly successful festival," Mr. Nam Vong said, sitting down to rest and sipping the hot tea that Mrs. Tu Nhan had just poured for him. "I never thought that one day I would live to witness the profession of a lightkeeper being appreciated by the whole community like this."

"It's thanks to everyone, not just me and Mr. Khoi," Hoai An replied, smiling and looking around at the familiar, warm faces that have become an indispensable part of her life. "A community can only revive and develop when each person in it contributes a part, no matter how small."

Mrs. Tu Nhan reached out and gently touched the sleeping Hai Yen's cheek. Her eyes were filled with the affection of a grandmother who was not related by blood but was closely related by blood. "She grows up in a community like this, surrounded by so much love, and will definitely become a good person," she said softly, her voice filled with confidence.

"I believe so too," Khoi replied, looking down at his daughter with proud eyes. "And I hope that no matter where I grow up in the future, I will always remember this place, the people who loved me from the first days of my life, and the lighthouse that witnessed my family's entire story."

The last folk music of the festival gradually subsided, giving way to the familiar silence of Cua Vong at night, leaving only the scattered footsteps of the last guests leaving, and the lighthouse light still quietly shining, like a promise for the festivals, springs, and the next generations still waiting ahead, continuing to write the story of a family born from truth and love.