Chapter 20 — The owner of the car shop behind the school gate

The spare parts festival almost collapsed because of a cake.

The group plans to organize a small market to raise funds to buy anti-humidity cabinets and new lights. Students can exchange books, sell used items, and repair cars for free in ten minutes, and donations are optional. Quynh Chi is in charge of permits, Huy sets up the booth, Khoa makes the equipment list. Vy asked Mrs. Man to make donuts to sell to raise funds.

That morning, the cake truck arrived late. The dust and rain made the tarpaulin wet, and the power outlet was disconnected because a leak was detected. One parent asked to remove the free car repair part because he was afraid it would dirty the yard. Huy ran to borrow an extension cord and received news that the sponsor wanted to place a large banner right at the gate.

“If there is no banner, they don't transfer money,” Huy said.

Khoa was checking the pump and looked up. "If there is a banner, the entrance will be narrow. Choose it."

Huy was upset. “You keep talking like money isn't important.”

“Money is important. But not all money is worth receiving.”

Vy pulled the two people out. She called the sponsor's representative and proposed that the banner be placed on the information board on the side, be smaller in size, not cover the aisle, and not collect student information. The other party refused, saying that if they didn't get a good location, they would withdraw.

Huy looked at Vy. “Do you know how much is missing from the fund?”

"I know. But if you accept this condition, tomorrow someone else will ask for the same thing."

They decided to organize on a smaller scale. Quynh Chi canceled two stalls that were not safe enough. Khoa moved the car repair table to dry ground near the security room. Huy left the stage and wrote the price list himself with cardboard.

At noon, students started arriving. A friend brought an old camera in exchange for two inflatables. A teacher contributed a whole box of reference books. Mrs. Man sold out the first batch of cakes, then she and Vy fried more in the cafeteria kitchen.

A 12th grade boy asked Khoa if it would cost money to repair a chain. Khoa said it depends on the situation, but he does not charge for work done in the first ten minutes. He instructed his friend to do it himself, then only received one promise: next time if another friend's car breaks down, don't pass by.

Huy recorded each item on the board. When a parent gave a large amount of money, Huy asked if there were any conditions. That person laughed and said he just wanted his child to have a well-lit parking space.

At the end of the day, the amount collected was nearly a third lower than expected, but enough to buy lights and materials for the slope. Not enough moisture-proof cabinets. Huy sat on the steps, looking at the license plate.

“I thought I just needed one sponsor,” he said.

Vy gave him a bottle of water. "A sponsor can help quickly. But this place has to be viable even when they leave."

Faculty opens the list. "The cabinet can be made in compartments. Buy the materials first and build the frame yourself."

Huy asked Mrs. Man if she could lend a corner of the old cabinet. She agreed, but asked to clearly state the shop's items and the club's items. Huy wrote two different colored labels, more carefully than usual.

An incident occurred while clearing the goods. The last cake fell to the ground, and a junior classmate burst into tears because he had spent his savings to buy it. Mrs. Man did not scold her, took another piece of cake and gave it to me, then asked me to help clean the table. Vy sees a very small but very important thing: no one is considered troublesome just because of an error.

Huy looked at that scene and said: "I will make a table of rules for handling incidents. Not to find someone to blame, but to know the next step."

Quynh Chi teased: "You finally know how to use the board for things other than advertising."

Huy laughed. “Don't tell the media team.”

In the evening, they publicly summarized on the board: revenue, costs, number of participants, remaining materials and unsatisfactory items. No one covers the missing part. After reading it, a student suggested organizing a car repair class on the weekend to save labor. A parent asked for an old locker but needed the lock repaired.

Vy took a photo of the summary and sent it to her father. He responded with a suggestion: Van Hung could sponsor the remaining part, no banner required, no name attached to the list of participants. Vy passed the proposal on to Ms. Van and the whole group, but did not decide on her own.

Khoa read the news and said: "This time you ask everyone first."

“I'm making progress.”

“Slowly but surely.”

Vy pretended to push his shoulder. They both laughed. The festival didn't make as much money as they wanted, but it showed a place where the community could fundraise on its own, own up to its mistakes, and remain open. It's something that can't be printed on a banner, but can be seen in every refilled car.

After the festival, the group must return the field to the school. There were seventeen plastic chairs, three folding tables and an oil pot borrowed from the canteen. A chair was cracked and Huy planned to hide it in storage. Vy said to put it on the list. They informed the lady in charge and accepted responsibility for repair or compensation.

The lady in charge did not make amends immediately. She asked where the chair was used. Huy said it got wet in the rain. She said next time to raise her head higher. The group included that rule in the following event planning.

Mrs. Man recalculates cake sales. One tray was burned, one tray was sold at a discount. Huy wants to record total revenue in round numbers to look good. Quynh Chi said recording all losses helps the next person make a more realistic estimate. Huy corrected the board, clearly writing "broken cake: no payment".

A parent asked if the donated money could be used to buy chairs. Vy said no, because the announced goals were lights and sloping materials. Huy suggested opening a vote, but Quynh Chi reminded that donated money is not free money after collection. They sent notice and asked for opinions before changing the purpose.

Some people say the group is too disciplined. Khoa meets the principle of helping supporters know where their money goes. People who are not interested can not participate, but those who contribute need to be respected.

Van Hung sent a request to make up for the lack of banners. Vy forwarded the email to Ms. Van, then held a short meeting. One person asked if the company had the right to request the name of the garage if they accepted it. Ms. Van answered no, according to the commitment.

Huy suggested placing a general thank you sign, writing "students, parents, teachers, Mrs. Man and support units". He wanted no one to stand alone at the top of the table. Everyone agrees.

Khoa brought the cracked chair to Uncle Tu. He re-welded it, but asked the group to write instructions not to leave the chair out in the rain. Vy asked about the salary, he said it was considered a contribution. Quynh Chi still records the estimated price so that community assets are not considered unlimitedly free.

That night, Huy sent a summary to all participants, with a photo of the income and expenditure table. Someone asked why they didn't cut off the damaged part of the cake to report briefly. Huy replied: "Because next time we need to remember the smell of burning cake so we can place the stove further away from the canvas."

Vy read the message and smiled. A good project doesn't hide things that make it bad. It turns them into data so you don't have to pay the price again the next day.

The festival is over, but the garage has something more important than equipment left: the habit of looking at small things before making big promises.

The week after the festival, the group received two sponsorship offers: one from a local parts store, the other from an advertising agency. Store only want name on source table; The company wants to collect emails to send discount codes. Huy placed the two proposals side by side, without evaluating them himself.

Quynh Chi asked users if they needed a discount code. Many of you said you might need it, but don't want to provide an email to receive it. The group recommends that stores make their price lists public and do not collect data. The store agreed, the advertising company withdrew.

Huy was sad because he lost a large amount of money. Khoa said that for a small amount but for the right purpose, you can still buy a lamp. Vy reminded them not to think of advertising companies as bad guys; they just have a different business model. What the group needs is suitable conditions for the school.

Mrs. Man suggested using part of the fund to buy children's gloves, because the new class has many young students. Huy calculated and found the cost was not high. Quynh Chi asked users if they really needed it. They said the gloves were too large and made it difficult to operate. They buy three sizes instead of one.

On the day of sorting tools, one child did not want to wear gloves because of the heat. Khoa explained that when using oil, you need to wear it, but when inflating, you can not. Vy believes that safety should not be turned into hard rules for all situations, but must be guided at the right time.

Huy turned the festival report into an easy-to-read sheet, including a photo of the burned cake and the cracked chair. He said if people see the errors, they will believe the money spent on repairs. Vy said that trust is not the only goal, but it is the beginning of responsibility.

At the end of the session, the group sat on the steps and divided the remaining money according to categories. No one takes the money home on their own. Mrs. Man kept the receipt, Quynh Chi kept the electronic copy, Huy hung the printed copy. Khoa locked the box and gave two keys to two different people.

Vy suggested that each remaining amount have a review date, because material prices can change. Huy added a column stating who has the right to suggest adjustments, not automatically transferring money. Mrs. Man said that even though people have little money, they still have to be treated seriously.

That night, the group sent a summary to everyone involved. One student replied that he couldn't buy anything, but had learned to ask where the money went. Vy considered that sentence to be the most valuable result of the festival.