Chapter 10 — When the Wind Crosses the Porch

The receipt signed by Mai's father was in the waterproof bag, but the final recipient of the money was not among the seven families. Lawyer Thu discovered that the account name was "Bay Ben Fund", an unregistered fund but with the cooperative's seal. The money was withdrawn one day after Mai's father passed away.

“Who withdrew?” Mai asked over the call.

“The account is in your father's name, but the authorized person is Hanh.”

Mai turned to her mother. Hanh sat at the sewing machine, her face free of blood.

“Mom withdraw money?”

“I don't know that account.”

Letter sending photo of withdrawal order. The authorized signature looks similar to Hanh's, but the last stroke is unusually long. The person making the ballot is Luu Van Thanh.

“Mom has never been to a bank,” Hanh said. "After the funeral, Phuc gave his mother a bag of money, saying it was tuition support money. Mother did not sign the withdrawal."

“Mom received money?”

"Mom accepted it to pay hospital fees and tuition. She thought it was money from the cooperative."

Mai finds it difficult to breathe. “How much do you use?”

"One part is for you. I'll send the rest back to Hau."

Hau confirmed by phone: he once received a bag of money from Hanh and transferred it to someone from the cooperative, but there was no receipt. The amount is exactly equal to the remainder in Mai's father's book.

The letter said this is the point that can save both: the cash flow has returned to the fund. But the fake signature made the case more criminal.

“I need to prove that your mother's name was used,” Thu said. “Ask the bank for transaction history, withdrawal date camera, and original signature sample.”

Mai and Quan went to the old bank branch. Records from seven years ago were stored in an electronic warehouse, but staff requested documents proving the inheritance relationship. Mai presented the missing will, death certificate and old household registration book. Manager makes a three-day appointment.

“We only have three days,” Mai said.

“I understand, but the process cannot be abandoned.”

Quan asked if he could get a lawyer's order. The manager shook her head, but talking to Thu over the phone made her agree to provide a copy of the day's transactions.

The withdrawal line reads 14:03, the applicant is Luu. The camera only saved for seven days and was overwritten. But in the "employee confirmation" section, there is the signature of a teller named Lan.

Mai remembers this name. Ms. Lan used to sell bread in front of the school gate. They found her apartment in the old area. Ms. Lan did not want to open the door, but when she heard Hanh's name, she let them in.

“I miss your mother,” she said. "She didn't come to the bank that day. The person who came was a woman wearing glasses and said she was a family member. I suspected the signature so I called the manager, but Liu said it was verified."

“Is the woman Hao?”

"I don't know the name. But the right hand has a burn on the wrist."

Hao was burned while working in the kitchen at the market, according to Sau Luu. One more piece of the puzzle.

Ms. Lan gave a handwritten note, which she kept because she felt uneasy. On it was the woman's phone number and case code K-17.

Thu called Hao. Hao didn't listen, but later emailed his lawyer, claiming all the documents were legal. Ms. Thu responded with a request to preserve data and a warning not to destroy records.

The next day, the machines arrived in front of the house. A survey vehicle parked close to the embankment, two officers set up stakes. Seven households came out to stand, no one was holding a stick or shouting. They only hold copies of papers with their names on them.

Vinh did not appear. Phuc arrived with three guards. He asked people to avoid the construction area.

Mai turned on the camera. “We are waiting for the explanation at nine o'clock.”

“This is inventory, not construction.”

“The inventory must be notified to the landowner in advance.”

“Reported.”

Hanh held the seal. “This sheet does not have the recipient's signature.”

Phuc looked at her. "Mrs. Hanh, you have signed many papers. Don't act like you don't know."

The words made everyone silent. Hanh walked out of the porch and stood in front of the gate.

"I signed a paper because you said my child would lose his scholarship. I never signed to sell the land."

Phuc smiled. “Do you have proof?”

Mai raised the phone. “There is a recording of him saying that.”

Phuc turned pale, but quickly regained his composure. “An audio clip of unknown source.”

“So tell me again in front of the camera: you never mentioned the scholarship.”

Phuc did not speak.

Sau Luu held up the money statement. “And please explain how the funds were withdrawn with Hanh's fake signature.”

Phuc turned to protect. “Please get them out of the area.”

Quan called the area police, reported a dispute and asked to maintain the status quo. No one was arrested, but the measurement team had to pause while local officials came to verify.

At exactly nine o'clock, the presentation took place online at the commune meeting room. Phuc attended with the lawyer, Vinh appeared late. The letter represents Hanh and seven households. Mai sat in the back, placing files in chronological order.

The chairman asked whether the two sides agreed on land boundaries. The company says according to the new map. The letter presented old maps and photos of measuring stations, requesting the establishment of an independent measuring team.

Phuc said Mai's father did not manage money transparently. Letter to submit payment book and thank you letter. Phuc said the notebook was written by himself and the letter had no accounting value.

Mai was invited to speak. She did not say her father was innocent. She said: "If my father misused money, we would be responsible. But that suspicion cannot be used to legitimize fake signatures, false maps and the taking of other people's land."

Hanh then told about being forced to sign a scholarship. Her voice trembled, but she did not retreat. When she said the ambulance caller was a fishing boy, Phuc bent down to take notes. Application letter to verify Mr. Khai's phone number.

Vinh was asked about the warehouse transfer file. He admitted that he signed the handover agreement, but said that Phuc directed it. Phuc objected, the two argued right in the meeting room.

The chairman requested to maintain order and made a temporary decision: stop measuring for seven days, form an independent team, and do not move records; The parties provide the original.

Seven days is not long, but enough for them to breathe.

After the meeting, Vinh looked for Mai in the hallway. “I will give the original email to the lawyer.”

“You don't need to ask my permission.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Are you sorry to my father or to the project?”

Vinh looked down. "Both."

Mai did not reply. She could not yet forgive an apology said after people were pushed to the shore.

Phuc did not leave immediately. He stood near Hanh and whispered: "You may still have a chance to withdraw your application."

Hanh replied: "I signed it once. This time I will read it."

Phuc looked at Mai, his voice cold: "You don't know who you're touching."

Mai said: "I know. I'm against those who think a mother who is afraid of tuition fees won't dare to speak."

Phuc left.

In the afternoon, the lawyer sent a notice to the bank: the authorization signature was fake according to preliminary inspection results. The applicant was identified from the camera outside the door as Hao.

Hao was invited to work, but has not yet arrived. Phone turned off. Her house is locked. A neighbor said she had gone to the city.

Mai opened the email Vinh sent. In an attached file, she saw the payment history for Huong Duong's subsidiary. There was a transfer on the day my father passed away, the recipient was an account named "P. Luu". Phuc may have received money from the project itself.

The account name made her stop. “P. Luu” is not Phuc, but could be Luu Van Thanh. They thought Phuc was the one behind it, but there was a flow of money upstream towards him.

Quan looked at the file. “Phuc is just the person in charge.”

“Save is the one who edits maps, keeps records, and withdraws money.”

“Who else is behind Liu?”

Mai remembers the fish-shaped ring with the letter P. Maybe P is Phuc, but it could also be the former homeroom teacher Phan, Phuc's father. The person died before the project was established.

Hanh heard Phan's name and her face changed color. "Father Phuc's name is Phan Huu Loc. He used to hold the position of homeroom teacher. But he passed away before I took the university entrance exam."

“Do you know him?”

"He came to the house once after your father died. He told us not to fight against the dead."

“He was still alive at that time.”

Hanh did not answer.

In the file box, Mai found a photo of the ring. The inside is not engraved with P but with the word "P.L.", short for Phan Loc. Phuc wears his father's ring, using it as a reminder of his old power.

That night, Season of Wind Through the Porch - Mai's name for the house in an old drawing - had people sitting on the porch for the first time. They ate noodles, divided copies, and checked every sentence in the report. No one said they would win. They just said they would arrive on time tomorrow.

Hanh brought out a pot of black bean soup. Mrs. Lai smiled and said it had been a long time since she had eaten at someone else's house without fear of being asked for her debt.

Mai heard that sentence, opened the book, added a line: "A house is not only about the area. It has the number of people allowed to enter."

Quan looked at the page. “Can this question be included in the file?”

“No. But put it in the drawing.”

Near midnight, Nhi sent a text message: "I remember your father gave the original copy. It wasn't the teacher. It was my grandmother."

“Where is she?”

"In the old house, across the salt flats. But she passed away."

“Original?”

"She put it in the altar box. Only my mother knows."

Mai called back, but Nhi didn't listen.

Quan said: "Let's go tomorrow."

Mai looked at her mother. Hanh had just fallen asleep, her hand on the report. She closed the book.

During the seven-day pause, they must find the original before those who have been looking for it for seven years. Vinh can testify. Hau can tell the truth. But if the original no longer exists, every word will be pulled back into a family story without evidence.

Mai put the clock on the table. She turned the minute hand from 9:17 to the current time. When the needle moved again, the ticking sound echoed throughout the house.

For the first time in seven years, one of her father's watches kept going.