Chapter 12 — The Sweet Taste After Criticism

Three days after the tense meeting with Mrs. Kim, Mai received another phone call that made the situation even more confusing - the landlord of the Banh Nang shop, Mr. Tam, called with a somewhat hesitant and awkward voice.

"Mai," Mr. Tam said, his voice not sounding as natural as usual, "I have something to discuss with you. Can I come over to your house for a bit?"

Feeling bad, Mai quickly arranged her work and went straight to Mr. Tam's house, located not far from the shop in the same alley. He received her in the living room, looking somewhat guilty, avoiding looking directly into her eyes.

"I'm sorry to be blunt," Mr. Tam began, his voice hesitant, "but I plan to double the rent from next month. I know it's too sudden, but... I also have my own reasons."

Mai was stunned. "Double? Uncle, the current rent is already the highest I can manage. If I double it, I won't be able to afford it."

"I understand," Mr. Tam sighed, his expression even more awkward, "but someone offered me a much higher price than what you are paying. If I don't increase the price according to the market, I feel sorry for my family."

“Who is that person?” Mai asked, sensing a connection with what Linh had told her earlier.

Mr. Tam hesitated for a moment before answering. "A real estate company, they said they were surveying to develop a project in this area, offered to rent the entire premises from you at three times the current price, as long as you don't renew the contract with me anymore."

Mai's heart sank. This was exactly what she feared most — not simply a rent increase, but a deliberate attempt to push her out of the premises that had been in her family for three generations.

“Do you know the name of that company?” she asked, trying to keep her voice calm even though she was confused inside.

"I don't remember the name clearly," Mr. Tam shook his head, "but the representative who came to meet me was a guy who dressed very well, drove a nice car, his name... seemed to be Long or something."

That name sent chills down Mai's spine. “Dat Long?”

“That's right, that's the name,” Mr. Tam nodded, “do you know him?”

“Yes, I know,” Mai replied, her voice stiffened, all the pieces of the puzzle were now clearer than ever - Dat Long was not simply an old friend who happened to visit, but was secretly implementing a systematic plan to take over the premises of Banh Nang shop, perhaps along with this entire alley.

"I'm really sorry," Mr. Tam said, his voice sincere, "I don't want to make things difficult for you, your family and mine have been close for many years, but I also have my own burdens, I understand."

"I understand," Mai replied, even though her heart was heavy, "can you give me more time to think? I need to find a way to manage."

“Okay,” Mr. Tam nodded, “I'll give you until the end of the month, but after that I really can't delay any longer.”

Mai left Mr. Tam's house with a heavy heart, walking slowly down the familiar alley that now suddenly became more fragile than ever before the risk of being wiped out. She immediately called Kien and told him the whole incident, her voice unable to hide the panic.

“Dat Long,” Kien repeated the name, his voice deepening, “so he is personally behind this entire plan, not just one of many contacts like I thought before.”

“Now yes What should I do? Mai asked, her voice shaking.

“Calm down,” Kien said, although his own voice couldn't hide the tension, “I'll be there soon. We need to sit down and discuss carefully, we can't let him do whatever he wants."

Hanging up the phone, Mai stood in the middle of the alley, looking around at the familiar houses and neighbors' faces that had been with her since childhood. A strong determination rose in her heart - no matter what Dat Long planned, she would not easily let him take away her home, her childhood and her future.

Kien arrived at the store less than twenty minutes after the call, his expression a rare seriousness. At the same time, Tung was also present, holding a laptop, ready to look up more information on the spot.

“Tell me the beginning and the end,” Kien said, sitting down across from Mai, his eyes full of concentration.

Mai recounted the entire conversation with Mr. Tam, from doubling the rent, to Dat Long's name being mentioned as the company representative offering to sublease the entire premises at triple the price.

“So it's clear,” Tung said, typing quickly on the keyboard, “I looked further and found that Dat Long was the project development manager of the company behind the plan to survey this area. It seems like from the beginning, his appearance at the shop was no coincidence at all.”

“You mean,” Mai asked, her voice shaking, “from the moment he met me again, he had a purpose in mind?”

"It's very possible," Kien replied, his voice low, "maybe he knew you were the owner of the bakery in the project area from before, approaching as a former classmate is just the first step to make it easier to negotiate."

Mai felt a surge of anger mixed with hurt when she realized that a seemingly harmless old friendship could hide such a cold calculation. “So what should I do now? My rent book is not enough to compete with the prices offered by big companies.”

“First of all,” Kien said, his voice becoming firm, “I think I need a lawyer who understands land and housing to advise on whether there is a way to protect the rights of a long-time tenant like you. At the same time, it is necessary to connect with other households in the alley who are also facing similar situations, forming a common voice instead of letting each household deal with it individually."

“I know an old classmate who is a lawyer,” Tung suggested, “let me contact him to see if I can arrange a consultation soon.”

Mai nodded, feeling somewhat more reassured when Kien and Tung accompanied her, but the worry about the deadline set by Mr. Tam at the end of the month still hung like a blade ready to strike at any time, threatening to sweep away everything she had worked hard to build and protect over the years.

In the evening, Mai decided to go around the neighborhood to inquire about the situation of other households, to see if anyone was in the same situation when the landlord announced a sudden increase in rent. The result was not surprising but still made her heart ache — three more households in the alley had received similar notices just this week, all related to the same real estate company.

"My house has also doubled in price," the woman selling vermicelli noodles in the alleyway lamented when Mai stopped by to inquire, "I'm thinking of closing the shop and moving to another place, but I can't afford this price."

Hearing similar complaints from house to house Another family, Mai feels her responsibility is not only to protect the Sun Cake shop, but also to protect a small community that is at risk of being pushed out of the place where they have been all their lives.

She returned to the shop, sat down with Linh, and recounted what she had just heard. "It's not just my shop," Mai said, her voice filled with determination, "the whole neighborhood is being targeted at the same time. If we don't do anything, there will definitely be many houses that will have to be vacated in the near future."

"So we have to call on everyone to speak up," Linh proposed. "It's difficult to fight a big company alone, but if the whole neighborhood agrees, at least we can create public pressure, making it easier for them to act rashly."

Mai nodded, feeling empowered by that idea of solidarity. She remembered what her mother once said - power lies not only in money but also in solidarity - and told herself, it was time to turn those words into concrete actions, before the deadline set by Mr. Tam at the end of the month really became a reality and swept away everything that this small alley had kept together for many generations.

That night, Kien texted Mai before she went to bed: "I've contacted a lawyer through Tung, see you on Friday morning. Don't stay up too late and worry too much, stay healthy so you can fight for a long time." Mai read the message, smiled slightly amid all the worries, typed a short line: "Thank you, having you by my side makes me feel much more confident." She put down the phone, closed her eyes, trying to clear away the confusing thoughts to save strength for the long days of struggle ahead, even though in her heart, she knew clearly that this was just the beginning of a battle that would test both her love and her will more than anything she had ever experienced.