Chapter 9 — The Sweet Taste After Criticism

After the unexpected success of the livestream, Kien proposed a new idea: organize a "test launch" for the improved breadstick line, inviting a group of loyal customers and a few followers of the "Vi Giac Tru" channel to taste it for free and give direct feedback.

“This will be the last step before completing the video,” Kien explained, rearranging the cake samples on the table in a meticulous order. “Actual feedback from customers is more important than any of my personal judgments.”

“Sounds reasonable,” Mai nodded, although she was still a little nervous about letting her passionate formula face directly into dozens of unfamiliar eyes.

The test took place on a sunny Sunday morning. Banh Nang shop was decorated with a few small details according to Kien's suggestion - a wooden board recording the story of the shop's three generations, a few small vases of flowers placed on the table, creating a warmer atmosphere than usual.

Guests came in large numbers, filling the small tables in the shop, eager to taste each type of baguette with newly improved fillings based on Kien's suggestions over the past few weeks. The sounds of laughter and praise echoed continuously, making Mai unable to hide the joy evident on her face.

“This melted cheese filling is so delicious,” a young customer exclaimed, giving a thumbs up in approval, “I will definitely come back to buy it often.”

“The crust is much crispier than the last time I tried it,” another older lady commented, “but maybe we should reduce the salt a little, we old people are used to eating bland food.”

Mai took note of each comment, her eyes sparkling with happiness at this warm reception, completely different from the gloomy atmosphere of the days after the disastrous review.

Kien stood next to him, observing the entire test session with a rare expression of satisfaction, occasionally taking notes in his familiar notebook, but this time the words he wrote were all more positive than in the early days when he rigorously scrutinized every small detail.

“What do you think?” Mai asked, taking advantage of the guests' time to go to Kien's side.

“I think,” he replied, closing the notebook and looking at her with respectful eyes, “Sun Cake Shop is ready to shine according to its true potential.”

That sentence touched Mai, not only because of the compliment, but also because of the long journey they went through together to achieve this moment - from a stormy review, through stressful working sessions, to now a launch filled with joy and hope.

While the test was going smoothly, Mai accidentally glanced out the window and saw a familiar car parked across the alley - Dat Long's car. She didn't see him get out, only saw his silhouette sitting in the car, seemingly observing the bustling atmosphere in front of the store through the window, holding the phone and talking about something with an unusually serious expression.

A feeling of insecurity flashed through Mai's heart, but she quickly pushed it aside to focus on the experiment that was going well, telling herself that perhaps she was thinking too much.

The test ended successfully beyond expectations, with most guests leaving positive feedback and promising to come back to support regularly. When everyone had left, only the small group left to clean up, Linh ran over, holding the electricity in her hand phone with a worried look on his face.

“Mai, I just heard the news from the owner of the grocery store in the alley,” Linh said, her voice urgent, “she said someone came to ask to buy the premises of her house, paying a price one and a half times higher than the market price, and that person introduced himself as working for a large real estate company.”

Mai stopped, her heart beat faster. “Is it Dat Long's company?”

"She doesn't remember the name of the company," Linh shook her head, "but from the description, it seems very similar. Besides, it's not just her house, I heard that there are a few other houses in the alley that are also asked to buy the same thing."

Kien, standing nearby, heard the story and his face became serious. "It seems Tung's prediction was correct. They are targeting this entire area, not just your store."

“So what to do now?” Mai asked, her voice had completely lost the cheerfulness of the morning, replaced by a real worry at the prospect that the entire alley she had been with throughout her childhood could disappear at any time.

“First of all,” Kien said, his voice becoming firm, carrying the determination of a person ready to stand up to protect what he cherishes, “we need to find out clearly about that company's plans, see what legal powers they have, and whether there is any way to protect the rights of the households in the alley.”

Mai nodded, clenched her fists, clearly feeling that this morning's joy was probably just a short silence before a bigger storm was gradually forming, threatening not only her bakery, but also a small community that had been close together for generations.

That afternoon, Mai decided to go around the alley, visit a few familiar neighbors to ask about the situation. First was the grocer's house, the person who told Linh the story that morning.

"It's true that someone came to ask to buy it," the grocery store owner confirmed, her voice filled with worry, "the price is very high, but I haven't agreed yet, because this house was left by my grandparents. If I sell it, I don't know where it will go."

“Do you keep that person's phone number or business card?” Mai asked, hoping to find more clues.

The grocery store owner rummaged through the drawer and gave Mai a simple business card, without a specific company name, just a name and phone number, completely different from the formal business card that Dat Long gave her the day before.

“Not Dat Long's people,” Mai muttered, somewhat disappointed that she hadn't found a clear connection, but also realizing that the problem might be more complicated than she thought — it wasn't just one company, but maybe many different parties were targeting this area.

She continued to visit a few other houses, collecting two more similar cases, all of which had received offers to buy real estate at unusually attractive prices recently, all from individuals claiming to represent different parties but sharing an identical convincing scenario.

Late at night, Mai called and reported all the information collected to Kien. He listened attentively, occasionally interrupting to ask for more details, his tone becoming increasingly serious.

“It sounds like there was a well-organized land collection campaign,” Kien commented after hearing the whole story, “using many different focal points to avoid attracting attention, to avoid people joining together to protest at the same time.”

“So yes meaning,” Mai said, her voice trembling with anxiety, “our whole neighborhood is being targeted in an organized way, not a random thing?”

“There is a high possibility,” Kien replied, “I will ask Tung to dig deeper and see if I can find out who is behind this entire campaign. You should also be careful, don't rush to sign any documents if someone comes to offer to buy back the premises."

“I understand,” Mai replied, clutching the phone tightly, a feeling of anxiety gradually spreading throughout her body when thinking of the prospect that this entire beloved alley could disappear just because of the greed of a few faceless people behind anonymous business cards.

After hanging up the phone, Mai sat quietly alone in the kitchen, looking back at the old photo hanging on the wall - a black and white photo of her mother standing in front of Banh Nang shop on the opening day, smiling brightly and proudly of a young woman who had just built her first career in life. She thought about how much sweat and effort her mother had poured into maintaining this bakery through many ups and downs, and about the silent promise she made to herself when taking over - she would not let the bakery fall into anyone else's hands, no matter what happened.

Ms. Nga, who had just come down from upstairs to make a pot of late-night tea, noticed her daughter's unusually thoughtful expression and sat down next to her. “What's wrong with your face so heavy?”

Mai told the whole story about the offers to buy land that were spreading throughout the neighborhood, her voice unable to hide the worry. After listening, Ms. Nga was silent for a long time, her eyes looking far away as if recalling something.

“This alley,” she said, her voice slow, “I have lived here since I was a girl, watching so many families grow up, so many generations succeeding each other. If anyone really wants to demolish everything to build something new, I don't think our whole neighborhood will easily accept it."

“I think so too,” Mai nodded, feeling a little more courageous from her mother's words, “but I'm afraid if they have enough money and power, our protest will be ineffective.”

“Strength lies not only in money,” Ms. Nga said, holding her daughter's hand, her eyes unusually steady, “but also in solidarity. If the whole neighborhood agrees, no one can easily divide or coerce."

Her mother's words made Mai feel somewhat relieved, although the worry about the future of the bakery and the entire alley was still there, smoldering like a storm gradually gathering strength offshore, just waiting for the right time to hit the shore.