Chapter 22 — The Tea House at the End of the Street

Three days later, Viet Khuong arranged a trip to the plantation, this time with Nhien accompanying him. She thought a lot before deciding to accept, finally convincing herself that this was not a forgiveness, but simply a need to know the complete truth, to see with her own eyes what had been hidden for half a century.

Mr. Ba Le, when hearing Nhien tell about the trip, insisted on going with him, saying that he also needed to see the place that had originated from a long story that he only knew through Mr. Bach Tuong's story for many years. The three of them got in the car together early in the morning, when the fog was still covering Nguyet Tra street.

During the three-hour journey, Nhien spent most of the time silently looking out the window, watching the rolling mountains gradually appear as the car left the plain area, her mind was cluttered with all kinds of emotions - curiosity, anxiety, even a little hope that she tried not to let herself get carried away with too much. Viet Khuong drove carefully, occasionally glancing at her through the rearview mirror, but did not try to break the silence, understanding that she needed her own space to mentally prepare for what was about to happen.

When the car stopped in front of the plantation gate, Mr. Khai Vu had been waiting for a long time. His appearance was a bit more trembling than when Viet Khuong met him before, as if age suddenly weighed heavily on his shoulders in just a few short days because of the psychological burden of the upcoming meeting.

"Mr. Ba Le," Mr. Khai Vu said when he recognized his old friend, his voice choked. "It's been a long time..."

"Fifty years, Mr. Khai Vu," Mr. Ba Le replied, his voice unable to hide the complexity of his emotions - both a bit of caution on behalf of his deceased friend, and an understanding of someone who had witnessed the entire story from the first days.

Mr. Khai Vu turned to Nhien, his old eyes sparkled with an emotion that was difficult to suppress. "You are Bach Tuong's niece," he said, his voice trembling. "You look a lot like your grandmother, especially your eyes."

Nhien stood still, not knowing how to react to that comment, just nodded slightly in greeting. "I'm Tinh Nhien."

"I know," Mr. Khai Vu said. "I've heard your name a few times, through the local press writing about Nguyet Dinh tea house, but I've never had the courage to find out more, afraid that if I know more, I won't be able to forgive myself."

He invited all three into his house, brewed a pot of tea for the guests - not the commercial tea of Dong Xuan Group, but a tea that he himself took care of in a corner of his private garden, with a rustic, simple flavor. While drinking tea, Mr. Khai Vu began to tell the whole story again, this time directly in front of Nhien, his voice choked up as he mentioned every detail - the friendship in his youth, the silent love for Dieu Khanh, the wrong decision during the financial crisis, and the entire fifty years of living in unrelenting torment.

"I'm not asking for your forgiveness right now," he said, his voice shaking with emotion. "I know I have no right to ask for that. I just want you to know the truth, to know that your grandfather lived a life full of dignity despite the pain he caused, and that he himself, in the past fifty years, has never felt at peace for a single day."

Nhien sat quietly listening, tears rolling down her cheeks but she didn't try to stop them. "I don't know what to say," she said, her voice choking. "I grew up knowing that my grandfather was a calm, gentle person who never complained about anything. I didn't know that behind that calmness was such great pain."

"That is his dignity," Mr. Khai Vu said. "Bach Tuong was always a much stronger person than him. He chose to live on, rebuilding everything from scratch with his own hands, instead of letting pain engulf his whole life. He was different, he chose to hide, chose to bury himself in work, in material success to fill the void that his conscience constantly tormented."

After an emotional tea, Mr. Khai Vu personally led all three people to the ancient tea garden on the hill, the familiar trail now has new steps. Upon arriving, Nhien stood speechless before the sight of lush green tea trees standing tall like silent witnesses of a long story.

She walked closer to the oldest tea tree, raised her hand touch the rough tree trunk, feeling every fiber of the bark under her fingertips. "This is the original tea that my grandfather always mentioned in the recipe book," she said, her voice filled with emotion, turning to look at Mr. Ba Le for confirmation.

Mr. Ba Le nodded, his eyes were also red. "That's right. I remember clearly the shape of these tea trees, even though it's been more than fifty years. They're still alive, still healthy, as if waiting for the day they can return to their rightful place in the story."

Nhien plucked a tea leaf, brought it to her nose and smelled it, letting the unique aroma spread. A strange feeling arose in her heart - as if she had just found an important piece of the puzzle that had been missing all her life, a piece that she didn't even know she was missing until she found it. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, trying to imagine what her grandfather's face would look like if he were alive to witness this moment — would he be happy, or would he still hold on to the old pain, unable to let go easily even though there was a chance to heal right before his eyes.

"Can I use tea leaves from here to perfect the Van Coc recipe?" Viet Khuong asked, standing next to her, his voice full of hope.

Nhien looked around the garden, then looked at Mr. Khai Vu, who was standing quietly in a corner, his eyes filled with anxious anticipation like a child waiting to be judged. "I think I need to think more carefully," she said, her voice much softer than it had been in the past. "But I think, this might be something my grandfather, even though he never said it, always wanted to fully realize — not to erase the past, but to turn that pain into something more meaningful."

Mr. Khai Vu and Mr. Ba Le, after the initial emotional moment, gradually found the familiar conversation rhythm of old friends, although they were not close friends in the past, but shared the same memories of the past years. The two men walked slowly forward, occasionally stopping to point at a tea tree, telling each other discrete memories, leaving Nhien and Viet Khuong behind in a private silence.

"Thank you for bringing me here," Nhien said, her voice was soft, her eyes still looking at the rows of green tea trees stretching out in front of her.

"I'm the one who should thank you, for giving me the opportunity to correct part of my family's mistakes," Viet Khuong replied, stopping next to her, his eyes following her gaze toward the distant horizon. "Looking at her standing in the middle of this garden, I suddenly thought, maybe this is where everything should start again, not to forget the past, but to continue writing it in a different way."

Nhien turned to look at him, her eyes for the first time in many days were no longer as defensive as before. "I'm still mad at you," she said honestly. "But I also realize, standing here, in the middle of this garden, I can't continue to be angry forever. There are so many things bigger than my own anger."

"You don't need to rush to forgive," Viet Khuong said, his voice gentle. "I'm willing to wait, no matter how long it takes, as long as you give me the opportunity to be by your side and prove it with actions."

A light wind blew, carrying the faint scent of tea, causing a few strands of Nhien's hair to flutter lightly across her forehead. She raised her hand to cover it, then suddenly smiled, the first small but genuine smile since the day she received that fateful letter. "Okay," she said, her voice lighter than it had been in days past. "I gave you that chance."

The afternoon sunlight dyed a large tea hill area yellow. The gentle wind blew through, causing each tea leaf to gently sway, creating a gentle rustling sound like natural music. Standing in that scene, Nhien felt, for the first time since discovering the painful truth not long ago, a small peace was creeping back into her heart, even though the road ahead still had many uncertainties, and there were many other challenges quietly waiting for both of them, and the tea house, right at the end of this hill slope.