Chapter 10 — The Promise of a Demobilized Soldier

The next morning, Bao Chau began implementing the plan he presented, with full support from Thanh Phong and the company's management board. The first thing she did was review the entire list of receivables from small partners, wholesale markets and retail stores that had purchased goods on credit from Binh Minh for many months but had not yet fully paid.

"Many of these payments were long overdue, but because the company maintained stable revenue from large contracts, no one paid close attention." Bao Chau explained to Thanh Phong as the two of them sat down to review the long list. "Now I need to recover as much as possible. Even if I have to reduce the discount to get them to pay early, it's worth it, because cash right now is more important than paper profits."

She and the chief accountant made a priority list, classified each customer according to their ability to pay, then directly went with Ben to meet each small partner to negotiate and offer attractive discounts if they agreed to pay within the week. Many partners who had good relationships with the company before, when they heard that Binh Minh was having difficulties, also proactively arranged payment earlier than expected, partly out of goodwill, partly because the attractive discount that Bao Chau offered was carefully calculated and convincing enough but did not cause too much damage to the company.

At the same time, Bao Chau proposed a bolder idea: opening a direct sales channel to consumers through clean agricultural product markets on weekends, taking advantage of the company's veteran staff to directly introduce products and tell the story of Binh Minh to customers. She believes that the story of a company founded by veterans, creating jobs for people with disabilities, will touch the hearts of consumers, creating a new loyal customer base, independent of large distributors.

"Miss Chau, this idea is great, but do we have enough manpower to do it, when the company is seriously lacking people?" Toan asked during the implementation meeting, looking both excited and worried.

"We don't need a lot of people, just a few small rotating groups, each weekend in a different area of the city." Bao Chau replied, his voice confident. "The most important thing is the quality of the stories I tell, and the quality of the products I bring, both of which Binh Minh has available, it's just that no one has exploited them properly before."

Thanh Phong supported this idea immediately, and he volunteered to be the first person to directly sell goods at the first market, along with Ben and a few other workers. The first market was held right at a corner of Tan Hoa city's central park on Saturday morning, with a small stall displaying fresh vegetables and a sign briefly introducing the company's story.

Initially, the number of visitors was quite sparse, many people just looked curiously and continued on. But when Thanh Phong, with the calm demeanor of a soldier, began to tell the stopping guests about the company's story, about the disabled teammates working behind every product they saw, the atmosphere gradually changed. There were elderly guests who had experienced war and were moved to tears when hearing the story, buying donations in larger quantities than originally expected. There are young people sharing their stories on social networks, along with pictures of small stalls and sellers bearing traces of war but still smiling brightly.

Just after the first fair, the company's number of online orders unexpectedly skyrocketed, and many consumers in other areas of the city also began to contact them to order directly after hearing the story spread. Although this number cannot completely compensate for the lost revenue from three major contracts, it brings a new vitality, a real ray of hope for the entire company.

In the second week of the weekend market, little Bao An insisted that his mother let him go with him to help, even if it was just to put a few bags of vegetables in baskets for customers or stand next to him to hand out flyers introducing the company. Bao Chau was hesitant at first, but seeing her child's eager eyes, she had to agree, telling her child to only stand close to her mother, not to run around in the crowd. Baby An stood next to the stall, her face bright, occasionally politely inviting customers to try a slice of cucumber or cherry tomato, causing many passersby to stop because of her cuteness.

There was an older customer with an austere figure who stood silently looking at the company's introduction sign for a long time before walking over to ask about Thanh Phong. He introduced himself as a military engineer, retired from the army more than twenty years ago, and now lives alone because his children work far away. "You can do this, I admire you very much." He said, his voice shaking with emotion. "In the past, when my brothers and I retired from the army, no one paid any attention to us. We had to earn a living by ourselves. Now, having someone like you take care of our brothers is very precious, very precious."

He bought a large bag of vegetables, gave baby An a small bill even though Bao Chau tried to refuse, then quietly left, his gait was a bit limp but his back still tried to stay straight according to military habits. Thanh Phong stood looking at the old man's shadow, his heart filled with an indescribable emotion, both warm and sad, even more determined to maintain this company at all costs, not only because of the more than two hundred people working here, but also because of the countless other veterans out there who were still silently longing for a place to be recognized and respected after what they had sacrificed for the country.

On the bank's side, thanks to its reputation for repaying debt on time for many years and the detailed and convincing financial plan that Bao Chau personally drafted and presented, the bank finally agreed to defer the chain investment loan for another six months, significantly reducing the immediate payment pressure for the company.

In the evening, after receiving news that the bank agreed to postpone the debt, Thanh Phong went to the accounting office, where Bao Chau was still working hard as usual. He placed a small box of cakes on her table, a small reward he quickly bought on the way home to thank her for her tireless efforts over the past few days.

"Miss Chau, thanks to you, the company has a chance to survive this most difficult period." He said, his voice sincere. "I don't know how to thank you enough."

Bao Chau looked up, smiled tiredly but his eyes lit up with pride. "Don't thank me, Mr. Phong. It is this company, it is the people here who have given me the opportunity to prove my worth after many years of just being a wife and mother. I am the one who should thank you."

The two looked at each other in silence for a long time, the distance between them seemed to have narrowed a lot compared to the first days of being cautious and wary. But both of them understand that there is still a long and arduous road ahead, as the Diep brothers will definitely not give up easily after just an initial defeat.

The next morning, Thanh Phong announced the good news about the bank debt rescheduling to the entire company during a briefing. Applause echoed loudly throughout the factory, for the first time in many weeks the gloomy atmosphere prevailed. Ben stood up and, on behalf of the workers, proposed a special round of applause for Bao Chau, whom everyone now affectionately calls "the accountant who saved the company". Bao Chau blushed at that unexpected attention, just slightly bowed her head in thanks, but in her heart there was a simple happiness that she had not felt for a long time, the feeling of being an important part of a group, of being recognized for her own abilities and efforts, not because of pity for a lone widow.

From that day on, the relationship between Thanh Phong and Bao Chau also entered a new phase, closer and more trusting of each other. They no longer kept a shy distance like the first days, the late working sessions together discussing work gradually became the time they both secretly looked forward to during the day, even though neither one dared to say out loud the true feelings that were growing in their hearts. In the entire company, everyone seemed to realize that subtle change, but no one was in a hurry to mention it. They only silently congratulated the two people who had suffered many losses and were now gradually finding the warm light in their lives again, like a small sprout quietly growing in the middle of a land that had been swept by a storm.