Chapter 7 — The Man Behind the Rain in Old Street

While waiting for an official response from Bao Long Group, Bao Ngoc decided to return to meet Mrs. Bay Lieu again, hoping that time and patience might have softened the fear that had been ingrained in her heart for the past thirty years. This time, she brought a small gift — some cakes that Mrs. Bay Lieu loved, according to other residents in the street.

"Mrs. Bay," Bao Ngoc called, sitting down in the chair opposite her at the familiar cafe. "I brought you some cake, I heard you like this kind."

Mrs. Bay Lieu looked at the cake package, then at Bao Ngoc, her eyes were slightly touched by that thoughtfulness. "You still haven't given up?" she asked, her voice somewhat softer than the last time we met.

"I can't give up, grandma," Bao Ngoc replied, her voice sincere. "Miss Nhat Lan's family has been waiting for the truth for thirty years. Her younger brother, Nhat Quang, grew up never knowing what really happened to his sister. I think, she is the only person alive who can help them find that truth."

Mrs. Bay Lieu was silent for a long time, her trembling hands opened the cake package, but did not eat it, just held it in her hand as a way to have a job while her mind was in a fierce internal struggle. "Poor little Nhat Lan," she said at last, her voice choking. "I watched him grow up from a young age, an obedient, filial child."

"What did you see the night he disappeared?" Bao Ngoc asked softly, not wanting to break this fragile moment.

Mrs. Bay Lieu took a deep breath, as if gathering all her remaining courage after thirty years of silence. "It rained very heavily that night," she began, her voice shaky but steady. "I was cleaning up the shop to go home when I saw little Nhat Lan running out of the mansion gate, looking panicked, drenched in rain. She ran toward the end of the street, where there is a wild garden behind the mansion."

"What happens after that?" Bao Ngoc asked, her heart beating fast, carefully recording every detail.

"A few minutes later, I saw Mr. Long running behind, also wet, calling his name," Ms. Bay Lieu continued, her voice trembling more and more with emotion and fear as she reminisced. "I heard him scream something, but because the rain was so heavy, I couldn't hear clearly. I was so scared, I quickly closed the shop door and hid inside."

"Can't you see anything more?" Bao Ngoc asked, trying to keep her voice calm even though she felt this was an extremely important detail.

Mrs. Bay Lieu shook her head, tears began to roll down her wrinkled cheeks. "The next morning, I heard that she was missing," she said. "I intended to report to the police what I had seen, but that afternoon, someone came to my shop, a strange man, dressed politely. He said that if I knew what was good for myself and my family, I should forget what I saw the night before."

"He threatened you?" Bao Ngoc asked, her voice full of indignation.

"He didn't say it directly as a threat," Ms. Bay Lieu replied, her voice filled with bitterness. "But he gave me a large sum of money, much larger than what I earned all year selling water, and said it was the Ton family's 'gratitude' for their kind neighbors. I immediately understood it was a disguised warning. I had three small children at that time, I didn't dare to take the risk."

Bao Ngoc felt a deep anger and sympathy rising in his heart before the old woman's story. "I understand, grandmother," she said, holding Mrs. Bay Lieu's trembling hand. "She had to make an extremely difficult choice to protect her family. No one has the right to blame her for that."

"But for the past thirty years, I haven't felt at peace one day," Ms. Bay Lieu said, her voice choked. "Every time I see the image of little Nhat Lan in my memory, I feel like I betrayed her, betrayed the truth."

"Are you willing to officially testify about what you saw and experienced?" Bao Ngoc asked, her voice cautious but full of hope.

Mrs. Bay Lieu was silent for a long time, her eyes looking out at the distant mansion gate, where the secret had been hidden for thirty years. "I'm old, my children are grown, there's nothing left to lose," she said finally, her voice more determined than ever. "I will testify. It's time for little Nhat Lan to get the justice she deserves."

Bao Ngoc felt a deep relief spread throughout his body, along with a stronger determination than ever. Ms. Bay Lieu's testimony, combined with previously collected evidence, forms an increasingly clear and undeniable picture of what really happened on that fateful rainy night — and of Ton Bao Long's direct role in the entire tragedy.

"Do you remember what the man who gave you the money looked like?" Bao Ngoc asked further, wanting to thoroughly exploit every detail he could still remember. "Does he work directly for the Sun family?"

Mrs. Bay Lieu frowned, trying to recall memories that had faded over the years. "I remember him wearing a black suit and speaking very politely but coldly," she said. "He introduced himself as the personal secretary of the mansion's owner, that is, Mr. Long's father. I think his father must have known what happened, or at least participated in arranging to hide the incident afterwards."

That information opened a new aspect in the investigation - not only Ton Bao Long, but possibly his father, the original owner of the mansion, was also involved in hiding this secret. "Is that old man still alive?" Bao Ngoc asked.

"I heard that the old man passed away more than ten years ago," Mrs. Bay Lieu replied. "But if he was involved in the arrangement, perhaps there was still someone in the mansion at that time who knew the whole story, not just the secretary."

Bao Ngoc notes this detail carefully, realizing that the network of people who know about this secret may be much larger than she had originally imagined. She thanked Mrs. Bay Lieu again, promising to arrange an official testimony with the presence of a lawyer to ensure legality, before saying goodbye to the old lady and leaving the cafe.

On the way home, Bao Ngoc stopped by the Late Night bookstore to share the good news with Nhat Quang. When he heard her recount the entire testimony of Mrs. Bay Lieu, especially the details about her sister being chased by Ton Bao Long on a rainy night, Nhat Quang's face turned pale, his hands clasped tightly on the edge of the bookshelf.

“So it's true,” he said, his voice shaking with a suppressed anger that had been simmering for twenty years. "He chased my sister that night, and she never returned."

"We still don't know exactly what happened after that," Bao Ngoc said softly, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Maybe it was an unintended accident, not necessarily an intentional act. But no matter what, the truth needs to be revealed, and he needs to be held accountable for hiding it for all these years."

Nhat Quang nodded, trying to control the emotions that were rising strongly in his heart. “I just want to know the truth,” he said, his voice gradually calming. "No matter how painful it is, I need to know what really happened to my sister, so I can finally let her rest in peace."

Bao Ngoc hugged him in a simple comforting hug, clearly feeling the emotional weight that Nhat Quang had to carry for more than twenty years. “We will find out the whole truth,” she whispered, her voice filled with determination. "I promise you, and I promise Nhat Lan."

They stood like that in silence for a long time, between the old bookshelves of the Late Night Light shop, the warm yellow light covering both of them like a fragile layer of protection against the impending storms. Nhat Quang slightly stepped back and looked into Bao Ngoc's eyes. His eyes contained a deep gratitude mixed with an increasingly clearer affection that both of them could no longer deny.

"You know," he said softly, his voice deep and warm, "for the past twenty years, I've always felt like I was carrying an invisible rock on my shoulder, no one could share it, no one could fully understand. But since the day you appeared, that rock seems to have become much lighter."

"I'm very happy to be able to help you, even if it's just a small part," Bao Ngoc replied, her voice filled with just as much emotion.

"It's not just a small part," Nhat Quang said, shaking his head gently. "She became the guiding light for my seemingly hopeless journey."