Chapter 19 — The Summer Contract of Western Beauty and Beasts

Three days after Trinh Khac Sang's threatening visit, Nha Khanh and Uncle Sau Lanh went to Doi Suong market to buy more supplies for the farm, complying with the agreement that the whole family had agreed not to go alone. While choosing to buy a few rolls of barbed wire at a familiar stall, she suddenly noticed two strange men, with bold looks, standing and observing her from afar, their eyes unable to hide their scrutiny. One of the two guys, she immediately recognized, was the figure standing next to the black car outside the gate the night before.

Uncle Sau Lanh, with the acumen of an experienced person, immediately recognized the abnormality and immediately pulled Nha Khanh towards the car, but the other two men quickly blocked the way, standing right at the entrance to the parking lot.

"Miss Khanh, right?" A taller man spoke up, his voice cold and threatening. "Boss Sang wants to invite you to talk privately for a bit."

"We have nothing to say," Uncle Sau Lanh stood in front of Nha Khanh, his voice tough even though his heart was filled with worry. "You guys get out of the way, or I'll call the police right now."

The other man smirked, took another step, his hand reaching out to grab Nha Khanh's arm. In that split second, her heart was pounding, her legs wanted to collapse instinctively due to the fear that had haunted her for nearly a year. But just as the other man's hand was about to touch her sleeve, a thought flashed in her mind, surprisingly clear - running was not the way, begging was not the way, the only thing these two men were afraid of was being seen.

She shook her hand away, took a half step back, then raised her voice, loud enough to make the entire crowded market turn their heads to look. "Everyone, these two people are the henchmen of Trinh Khac Sang, owner of Tin Phat pawn shop, planning to arrest me in the middle of the market to force me to pay a debt due to fraudulent appropriation of property! Can someone help me film it, I need to use it as evidence to report to the police!"

Her voice rang out decisively, not shaking like the other guy thought it would. Several nearby sellers stopped, a woman quickly pulled out her phone and held it up, whispers rose throughout the stall. The tall man was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting this slender looking young lady to react so quickly and calmly, completely different from his image of a timid, easily bullied debtor. He glanced around, saw more and more eyes focused on him, hesitated a bit, and quickly retracted his hand.

At that moment, a truck horn sounded loudly, at the same time Bach Son's familiar voice rang out powerfully from behind.

"Let go!"

Bach Son, having just received a quick call for help from Uncle Sau, drove as if flying from the farm to the market, promptly appearing at the most critical moment. He jumped out of the car, took long, angry strides to block between Nha Khanh and the other man, his eyes were fiery, his tall body exuded a threatening aura that was not inferior to him.

"She is my wife," he said, his voice sharp as each word echoed throughout the market, causing many people around him to start paying attention and stopping to observe. "Whoever dares to touch a strand of her hair, I will not leave it alone, no matter who that person is, or who is behind."

The man was a bit stunned by Bach Son's sudden aura, but still tried to maintain an aggressive appearance. "Her debt has nothing to do with you. It's best not to meddle in matters that aren't yours."

"She is my legal wife, everything related to her is my business," Bach Son replied without hesitation, his voice resounding like a declaration to all those watching. "You guys go back and tell Trinh Khac Sang, if you continue to use threats and intimidation like this, I will not only report to the police, but also publicize all of his property appropriation scams to the whole society. At that time, what he will lose is not just a debt, but his entire honor and career."

Bach Son's unexpected toughness and determination, combined with the image of the girl he was about to capture shouting, making the whole market's eyes turn to him, and the phone that had been holding up and recording from a while ago, made the two men completely startled. They backed away, let out an empty threat and quickly left, not daring to cause more trouble in the crowd of people watching intently.

Nha Khanh stood still, her heart still pounding from fear, but more than fear, a stream of warmth ran down her spine - not only because of the image of Bach Son standing up to protect her without hesitation, openly admitting that she was his wife in front of so many strange eyes, but also because she herself, for the first time since the fateful night of her escape, did not stand still and endure the battle. She found a way to fight back on her own, with the presence of mind and courage she never knew she had.

"Are you okay?" Bach Son turned and hugged her shoulder, his voice soft and full of worry.

"I'm okay." Nha Khanh shook her head, tears threatening to flow again, but this time they were tears of peace of mind, of happiness that was hard to put into words. "I shouted for everyone to help, but luckily you arrived just in time. Thank you for arriving on time."

"You did well." Bach Son looked at her, his eyes could not hide the admiration mixed with sadness. "I didn't expect you to react so quickly. But from now on, I won't let you face anything alone, even the smallest thing."

That sentence, with the intimate pronoun "you" for the first time he used instead of the familiar polite "she", made Nha Khanh stunned for a moment, then a bright smile appeared on her lips, through the tears still on her cheeks.

On the way back to the farm, Bach Son immediately called to report the entire incident to the commune police, and at the same time contacted lawyer Khai to officially file a complaint denouncing Trinh Khac Sang's act of threatening and raping property, along with a video a kind seller recorded and sent to Nha Khanh immediately afterward. Uncle Sau Lanh sat in the back seat, looking at the two people sitting in front, couldn't help but smile with satisfaction at the obvious change - not only in the way Bach Son protected and cared for Nha Khanh, but also in her, who dared to stand up straight in the middle of danger instead of just trembling and waiting to be saved.

That evening, the news that Bach Son publicly stood up to protect his wife in the market, along with Nha Khanh himself calmly calling for everyone's attention, quickly spread throughout Doi Suong village, making people love and trust the young couple even more. For Nha Khanh, it was not only a moment of protection, but also the clearest proof of a truth she had gradually realized over the past many months - here, next to that man, she had truly found a home, a true family that she was willing to stand up for herself, and was no longer the young lady who only knew how to wait for others to decide her fate like more than a year ago.

The next morning, the couple and Mr. Sau Lanh went to the commune police headquarters to officially report the entire incident, from the threatening visit at home to the roadblock at the market, with video evidence as evidence. The commune police chief, a stern but dedicated middle-aged man, fully recorded the testimony, reviewed the recording Uncle Sau had saved along with the new video, then promised to coordinate with the district police to investigate and clarify, and appoint people to patrol more frequently around the Doi Suong farm area in the near future.

"We have a track record of someone like Trinh Khac Sang, who does business by lending at high interest rates and threatening debtors," the police chief said, his voice full of confidence. "This time there is more specific evidence, combined with information from the city police investigating the fraudulent appropriation of Ms. Khanh's family's property, the possibility of thoroughly handling it is very high. You can rest assured, we will do our best."

Leaving the police headquarters, Nha Khanh felt much more relieved, as if part of the burden had been shared. She held Bach Son's hand tightly and looked up at him with deep gratitude. "Thank you, for not hesitating to do everything with me, instead of letting me bear it myself like before."

"We are a family," Bach Son replied, gently squeezing her hand, a rare but warm smile blooming on his lips. "Families have to overcome everything together, whether it's good or bad. Besides, yesterday you were the one who started it, I just came to support you."

On the way home, they stopped by the kindergarten to pick up Tue An after a regular therapy session. Seeing both her father and Nha Khanh coming to pick her up, the baby's face lit up with a rare joy and she ran to hug both of their legs, an intimate gesture that she had rarely shown on the outside before. That simple moment, amidst countless worries and lurking dangers, is the greatest source of motivation, reminding both adults that all the efforts they are putting in are worth it for a small but loving home like this.

That night, after Tue An had fallen asleep, Nha Khanh called to inform Ha Bich Tram about the latest developments, about the police's official investigation, and about the fact that she herself dared to stand up and confront her in the middle of the market instead of just being afraid. Bich Tram was delighted, unable to hide the pride in her voice. "I knew right away, Khanh used to not even dare to disobey what his father told him, but now he dares to scream directly at the gangsters. You've really changed a lot." She promised to speed up the process of collecting evidence on the Saigon side, especially the text messages and emails exchanged between Lam Viet Cuong and Trinh Khac Sang, which she quietly sought to access through an acquaintance who once worked with Viet Cuong.

"I think with just a little more time, we will have enough evidence to completely overturn the situation," Bich Tram said over the phone, her voice full of determination. "You can rest assured there to take care of your family, let me and my lawyer friends take care of this part."

Hanging up the phone, Nha Khanh sat leaning against the window, looking out at the starry night sky, filled with a feeling of hope that she had not dared to allow herself to have during nearly a year of running away. She thought about the long journey that had passed - from an innocent young lady who was betrayed, trembling before all events, to a woman who dared to raise her voice in the middle of a crowded market to save herself, surrounded by the sincere love of a family she had never dared to dream of. And she knew, although there were still many challenges ahead, she will no longer had to face them in fear alone, nor will she be the person who can only wait to be saved like before. She gently placed her hand on the petal-shaped birthmark on her left wrist, feeling for the first time in her life that her mother's words from the past might have come true, just not in the way she had imagined - that peace did not come from being passively protected, but from the very feet she had learned to stand firmly, in the middle of a deserted farm on the plateau, next to a man who spoke little but was completely affectionate, and a small child who taught her to love in the most sincere way.