Chapter 24 — Vegetarian Restaurant Behind the Temple Gate

Less than fifteen minutes after Little hurriedly ran inside, an old wheelchair was pushed out from the row of monks' houses behind the main hall, slowly passing through the brick yard, towards the roof of the bamboo pavilion where the whole festival was taking place. In the wheelchair, monk Thich Giac Vien sat leaning against a small pillow, a thin blanket covering his knees. His face was much thinner than the last time Yen Nhi saw him, but his eyes were still bright, still maintaining the calm, warm look that she had been familiar with since childhood.

The whole temple yard was silent for a moment, then each person, one by one, stood up, clasped their hands and turned towards the monk, the whispers "Mo Buddha, the monk has come out" spread quickly throughout the crowd like a small wave. Venerable Thich Tue Thong walked right next to the wheelchair, one hand lightly supporting the chair's armrest. His face was still shocked - clearly he tried to dissuade him but could not stop the old abbot's wishes.

"The doctor told me to only go out for half an hour," Tue Thong said softly, his voice both worried and as if he was explaining himself to himself, "but the monk insisted on going out, saying that he had never seen his temple yard this crowded in his life, and it would be a pity if he didn't go and see it once."

Yen Nhi quickly let go of the ladle she was holding, quickly walked away from the kitchen table, knelt down next to the wheelchair, and held the monk's thin hand with both hands. "Master," she called, her voice choked, "I... I can cook a pot of sour soup with chopsticks, just like my mother used to cook."

Monk Giac Vien looked at her for a long time, his old eyes shining with a warm light, then nodded slightly, his voice weak but each word clear. "So I found it again." People turned their heads to look around the crowded pagoda yard, looked at the long rows of tables, looked at the wooden board in the mindfulness corner that was covered with the handwritten words of so many people, looked at the faint smoke of incense blending in the midday sun. "I have kept this temple all my life, I just hope that one day it will still be a place for people to come back to, not a place for people to pass by." The person stopped and took a long breath, tired but calm. "I saw it today. That's enough."

Little Uncle came closer, holding a small plate with a few hot vegetarian cakes with gai leaves, the scent of hemp leaves and shredded coconut emanating in the air. "Sir, this is Yen Nhi's cake made especially for you." Monk Giac Vien smiled, reached out his trembling hand to take one, took a small bite, nodded with satisfaction, his eyes briefly looked far away as if remembering the old afternoons sitting and chatting under the Bodhi tree with Cam Thi Xuan.

Right in the middle of that quiet, emotional moment, Sai Trong Phat's decisive footsteps echoed on the brick floor of the temple yard. He approached the small stage area, where Che Hoai Nam was still holding the microphone connected to the speaker, and without waiting for anyone to invite him, he raised his hand to ask permission to say a few words.

"Dear monks, representatives of the Church, the government, and all relatives." His voice rang out through the speakers, still maintaining his usual warm and professional look, but Yen Nhi standing nearby noticed a very small tremble in the way he held the microphone. "Today, witnessing the love of people for this place, I am truly touched. Dai Phu Khang Group has never intended to erase those values." He paused, his eyes quickly glanced at the Venerable representing the Church sitting in the front row, then continued, his voice somewhat more urgent. "That's why, today, in your presence, on behalf of the group, I would like to request a grant to restore Tinh Lien Pagoda, three times the amount we gave in the previous meeting - an amount enough for the pagoda to build a new Sangha area and repair the roof of the main hall, without having to wait for any project."

A short silence spread through the crowd. A few people whispered and discussed, their eyes fell on Venerable Thich Tue Thong, who was standing silently next to the monk's wheelchair, his face visibly pale.

Sai Trong Phat continued, this time his voice changed to a different tone, calm but something like a tactful reminder. "I would also like to reiterate that the land where An Tam restaurant is located, legally, still belongs to the pagoda, has been leased under a verbal contract for decades, without any official documents. If there is not a clear planning plan, I am afraid that in the long run there will be many legal problems for both the pagoda and Ms. Yen Nhi's family." He looked straight at Tue Thong. "Our proposal, in addition to the sponsorship, also includes legalizing all land documents for the temple, in a transparent and safe way."

That sentence, even though wrapped in a generous wrapper, still made the atmosphere in the temple yard slacken a beat. Yen Nhi felt her heart tighten - this was the final trick, more sophisticated than anything Sai Trong Phat had ever offered before, directly targeting the real worries about the land documents that her family had carried for many years.

Lang Thien Tam was the one to step forward, not waiting for Yen Nhi to react. He gently took the microphone from Che Hoai Nam's hand, his voice was low but echoed clearly throughout the yard.

"I was a monk at this temple for nearly ten years, before returning to secular life not long ago." he said, his eyes scanning the crowd, stopping at the monk sitting in a wheelchair. "I returned to the secular world not because I lost faith, but because I understood that service does not only lie within the four walls of the main hall, but lies in using my hands, using my heart, to keep the most precious things from being swept away by numbers." He looked at Sai Trong Phat, his voice still calm but firm. "You're right, land needs clear documents, that's the right thing to do, and the temple can completely take care of that in accordance with the law, without having to trade off land for a commercial project. But what you didn't take into account is that the bowls of rice and bowls of soup given out today cannot be bought with any donation, no matter how big."

Yen Nhi stepped up to stand next to him, took the microphone from him, her hands shook slightly but her voice, when she spoke, was so steady that she even surprised herself.

"Twenty-five years ago, my mother lost her husband in a flood and built this shop from scratch, right next to the temple gate, because she believed that where there is Buddha, there people will not let each other go hungry or be alone." She looked around the yard, looked at Mr. Lanh Van Dat standing still with red eyes, looked at Ms. On Bich Ha who was clutching the shoulder of a strange woman, looked at Ms. Cam Thi Nu standing leaning on a stick at the kitchen table. "I used to think I came back here just because there was nowhere else to go. But today, standing here, looking at everyone, I understand that An Tam restaurant and Tinh Lien pagoda have never been just a piece of land. It is where my mother left her soul in every recipe, where Mr. Dat found his wife every week through a bowl of mushroom soup, where Ms. Ha kept her son over a bowl of lotus seed sweet soup. Mr. Sai Trong Phat said he wanted to bring opportunities for development. But there are things that, once lost, no amount of money can buy back."

Applause erupted like waves, some people cried, some people chanted the name of the restaurant and the temple. Sai Trong Phat stood silently in the middle of the yard, his face could no longer maintain its original calmness, his shoulders sagged slightly, his eyes glanced over monk Giac Vien sitting in a wheelchair, past the Venerable representing the Church who was attentively observing, and finally stopped at Venerable Thich Tue Thong.

All eyes in the temple yard, like a wordless agreement, were focused on Tue Thong. He stood there for a long time, his hands clasped together, his face experiencing a fierce struggle that only those closest to him could recognize - between the real financial worries of the deteriorating temple, and what he had just witnessed all day.

The teacher walked up to the monk's wheelchair, bent down very low, and said something very softly, just loud enough for the monk to hear. Monk Giac Vien put his trembling hand on his shoulder and nodded, his old eyes shining with quiet trust.

Tue Thong stood up straight, turned towards the crowd, turned towards the Venerable representing the Church sitting in the front row, and raised his voice, this time without any hesitation.

"On behalf of the Temple Protection Committee of Tinh Lien Pagoda," the teacher said, his voice was clear, a little shaky but determined, "I would like to officially decline the cooperation proposal of Dai Phu Khang Group, including the sponsorship just given today. The pagoda will find a restoration plan that suits its ability, and will complete the land documents in accordance with the law, without going through any commercial agreements." The teacher looked at Yen Nhi, his eyes had something both guilty and relieved. "I'm sorry for letting this matter drag on so long that it's made everyone worry for so many months. But today, I believe this is the right decision."

The whole temple yard burst into applause and cheers, some people knelt down and bowed to monk Giac Vien. Sai Trong Phat stood still amidst all that noise, not saying anything for a long time, then bowed slightly to the monk, turned and walked out of the temple yard, his gait no longer had the familiar confidence, but carried the silence of a person who had just realized he had lost, not to an opponent, but to something bigger than the numbers he was used to calculating.