Chapter 24 — The Tea House at the End of the Street

Three days before the "Moon Street Tea Festival" event, an unexpected call from Mr. Dong Ba Tuan caused the whole plan that seemed to be progressing smoothly to suddenly be at risk of collapse.

"Miss Nhien," Mr. Ba Tuan's voice rang out over the phone, no longer as polite as the previous face-to-face meeting, but with a distinct toughness. "I'm calling to remind you that the two-week deadline I gave will end tomorrow. I need your official answer about the proposal to buy back the tea house."

Nhien felt a cold run down her spine. She was so engrossed in preparing for the event that she almost forgot about the approaching deadline, even though it had been hanging like a sword above her head for many days.

"I still can't give a final answer," Nhien said, trying to keep her voice calm. "I'm organizing an important event this weekend. I hope you can give me a little more time."

"I heard about that incident," Mr. Ba Tuan said, his voice somewhat cold. "And I also heard about my son's active support behind the scenes, even though he officially refused the role of the company's negotiating representative. Ms. Nhien, I understand you are trying to find another path, but I have to say frankly, a community event, no matter how meaningful, cannot solve the bank debt hanging over your head. I am willing to extend it for another week, but that is the last limit I can accept before the board of directors."

The call ended, leaving Nhien standing there with a new pressure weighing on her shoulders, right in the middle of trying to concentrate all her mind on the upcoming event. She called Viet Khuong immediately afterward and recounted the content of the call.

"I'll talk to dad," Viet Khuong said, his voice filled with worry, his hand tightening around the phone. "But I also have to be honest with you. The relationship between me and my father is currently very tense. Since the call, I refuse to continue my role as a negotiating representative. I'm not sure if my words still have any weight with him or not."

"It's okay," Nhien replied, her voice more determined than she expected. "Let's just focus on doing this event well first. If Mr. Khai Vu really shows up and publicly apologizes, I believe that will have more weight than any other persuasion."

The next day, when the group was busy setting up an outdoor booth in front of the tea room, another incident happened - the person in charge of renting tables, chairs, and sound for the event suddenly canceled at the last minute, saying that they had just received a bigger contract from another event on the same day, bringing in much higher profits.

"This is not a coincidence," Thuy Duong said, her voice filled with doubt when she heard the news. "I bet someone influenced them to cancel their contract."

Nhien didn't want to believe in intentional sabotage, but she couldn't help but think about that possibility, especially after the pressured call from Mr. Ba Tuan the day before. Whatever the cause, the immediate reality is that they are seriously lacking in equipment with only two days left before the event.

Nhat Vy, after class, immediately ran to help, holding a stack of small portable speakers borrowed from the school's arts club. "It's not enough capacity for the whole event, but at least I can divide it into each corner, each with a small speaker, still enough for everyone to hear the introduction clearly," the girl said, sweat beaded on her forehead because she had just cycled a long distance.

The news spread quickly throughout Nguyet Tra street, and what moved Nhien endlessly was the reaction of the whole community to that difficulty. Mr. Ba Nghi brought all the old wooden tables and chairs in his bookstore warehouse, although old but still sturdy. Mrs. Tu Grocery mobilized a few acquaintances in the amateur audio profession, ready to support free of charge. Each house on the small street contributed a little something — a few lanterns, a few tarpaulins, even flower pots to decorate the event space.

"You see," Mr. Ba Nghi said, as he and Nhien rearranged the wooden tables in front of the tea room porch in the late afternoon. "This is what a large corporation can never buy with money — true connection between people who have lived side by side for generations."

Nhien nodded, her eyes stinging with emotion, her hands continued to clean and arrange, thinking to herself, perhaps this is the biggest lesson that a crisis has taught her - that what she always thought she had to shoulder alone, turned out to never really be her own burden. That evening, when everyone had gone home to rest to prepare their strength for the upcoming big day, Nhien stayed alone in the tea room, testing the original Van Coc recipe one last time, ensuring every ratio and every step was as perfect as possible for the official launch.

Viet Khuong stopped by late at night, bringing news of the call he had just made to his grandfather.

"Grandpa will be there," he said, sitting down opposite Nhien as she was rinsing the tea set for the final test. "He has arranged everything at the plantation and will leave early in the morning on the day of the event to be there in time."

"What about your father?" Nhien asked, unable to hide the worry in her voice.

Viet Khuong sighed. "I'm not sure. My father knew that my grandfather would show up, but he didn't say clearly whether he would come or not. I think, he is still trying to separate family love and business decisions, even though I know well, at some point, those two things will no longer be able to be separated."

Nhien poured him a cup of freshly brewed Van Coc tea, the first cup of tea from the batch she had just finished. Viet Khuong took a sip, closed his eyes to fully feel the new flavor - much richer, deeper than the first time he enjoyed Van Coc on the first evening entering this tea room.

"This is something worth fighting for," he said, his voice filled with emotion, his eyes still half-closed as if wanting to prolong the moment of fully enjoying that flavor. "No matter what happens tomorrow, I believe that what you are doing and preserving, deserves to be known by more people."

Nhien looked at him, a gentle smile on her lips, although in her heart she was still worried about what might happen tomorrow — whether Mr. Khai Vu was really brave enough to face the community, whether Mr. Ba Tuan would appear to ruin everything, and whether, after all, the Nguyet Dinh teahouse could find its own way to survive.

“Tomorrow is going to be a long day,” she said, her voice both nervous and hopeful. "But I think, no matter the outcome, at least we tried our best and did not choose to stay silent like previous generations chose."

Viet Khuong reached out and gently held her hand that was placed on the table, a gentle gesture but enough to convey everything that words could not express. Nhien did not withdraw her hand, just left it in his warm palm, feeling her heart beat gradually slow down, less panicked than the previous hours.

"No matter what happens tomorrow," he said, his voice quiet, "I will be here, by your side. Not as a representative of any company, but simply as me, on your side, on the side of what you protect."

They sat quietly together for a while longer, the oil lamp gently swaying with the wind blowing through the door, shining warm streaks of light on both of their faces. Outside, Nguyet Tra street has fallen into a quiet sleep, with only the sound of bamboo wind chimes gently swaying, but inside the small tea room, a new flame of hope is quietly burning, preparing to flare up stronger the next day, the day that will decide the fate of a long story spanning fifty years.

Before leaving, Viet Khuong stopped at the door and turned to look at Nhien again. “Thank you,” he said, “for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this story, even though I know I come from the other side of it.”

Nhien smiled, a sincere smile without any reserve. "This story is no longer divided into two sides, Khuong. There are only people left who are trying to continue writing it in a better way, even though the road ahead still has many thorns waiting for both of them."