Chapter 21: Chapter 21 The final game — Where the Sun Returns

A week after the night of the argument, the atmosphere in the small house on the plateau has still not returned to the way it was before. Phong and Miên still worked together in the garden, still exchanging necessary sentences about work, but between them an invisible, polite but distant wall had been built, making both of them feel more suffocated than any natural disaster they had ever experienced.

Miên buried her head in work to avoid having to face that heavy silence. She took on the job of designing logos for a few small cafes in town to earn extra income, while still trying to maintain regular vegetable orders even though resources were shared much thinner than before.

Phong was the same, he immersed himself in reinforcing the drainage system, rebuilding the greenhouse frame with cheap materials he could manage, working from before the sun rose until it was dark before stopping. There were evenings when the two of them sat down to eat on the same tray without saying more than three sentences to the other, only the light sound of chopsticks and bowls and the chirping of insects in the garden filled the awkward void.

Uncle Bảy and a few households that have changed their farming model also began to feel the tense atmosphere surrounding Mộc Trại. Some people have even heard rumors that Việt Xanh Group is urgently meeting with each household in the village to persuade them to sell land, promising attractive prices with a clever warning that if they delay, the good opportunity will pass away. The atmosphere in the entire Đồi Thông village, therefore, also became stuffy, divided between those who wanted to sell and those who were still hesitant.

That afternoon, when Miên was rearranging the old barn to store new seeds, she overheard Mrs. Tám's conversation on the phone in the inner room. Her voice was whispering but clear enough to reach her ears.

"Hello, Miss Hà? I'm Mrs. Tám, Miên's grandmother," Mrs. Tám's voice trembled but she tried to stay calm. "I want to ask about that land purchase. I... I agree to sell my land separately, without having to go through the children. Can you tell me what procedures I need to do to receive the money as soon as possible? I still owe the hospital fees and medicine, I don't want them to have to bear that burden anymore."

Miên stood frozen behind the door, her hands trembled, the seed bag fell from her hand without realizing it, tiny seeds scattered on the ground. She couldn't believe what she had just heard: her grandmother, who always told her two grandchildren to be careful with people's sweet words, was now secretly contacting Việt Xanh herself to sell the last piece of land that her grandfather left behind, just because she did not want to become a financial burden for her and Phong.

She pushed the door open and walked in, tears welling up in her eyes. "Grandma! What are you doing?"

Mrs. Tám was startled and quickly hung up, her face clearly showing panic at being caught. "Miên, you... you heard everything?"

"Why did you do that?" Miên knelt down next to her, her voice choked. "Don't you remember that you were the one who told us to be careful with them? Why are you planning to sell the land to them now?"

Mrs. Tám held Miên's hand, her cloudy eyes filled with tears. "I'm old, my child. I don't want to see you and Phong arguing and having a rift just because of my hospital fees. I heard from the neighbors, the other day you two had a big argument, right? I only have this old life and the land left. Sell it so we can do business in peace and be a happy couple. That's enough for me."

Hearing those words, Miên hugged her, sobbing without a sound. She did not expect that the rift between her and Phong, even though they tried to hide it, still could not escape the sharp eyes of a grandmother who always silently observed and worried about her grandchildren.

"Grandma, you can't do that," Miên wiped her tears, her voice gradually becoming determined. "This land is not just an asset, it is my grandfather's entire life, where I found myself again after exhausting years in the city. I will not let it be sold just for a hospital fee. I promise, I will find another way."

At that moment, Phong walked in and accidentally heard the last part of the story. He stood silently at the door, watching the scene of the two hugging each other and crying, then slowly understood the whole situation. The anger that had been in his heart for the past week suddenly disappeared, giving way to a much more urgent worry.

"Mrs. Tám," Phong knelt down next to her, his voice gentle but firm. "Don't do that. We can solve the problem between me and Miên ourselves. But your land, once sold, is lost forever and cannot be redeemed again."

"But hospital fees—" Mrs. Tám was about to object.

"Your hospital bills, let us take care of them," Phong interrupted, his eyes looking at Miên, that look was still a bit awkward but no longer had the coldness of the past few days. "We will find a way, even if we have to work day and night, even if we have to sell off other assets, we will not let her sacrifice this land." Mrs. Tám looked at the two children, her eyes filled with love and worry. She nodded, didn't say anything else, just held both of their hands tightly as a silent plea that they please make peace, let's get through this difficult time together.

That night, after Mrs. Tám had fallen asleep, Miên and Phong sat facing each other on the porch for the first time after a cold week. The atmosphere between them was still awkward, but they both understood that this was the time to tell each other frankly everything that was unclear.

"I'm sorry for keeping things from you about meeting Ms. Hà," Miên spoke first, her voice sincere. "I was scared, I was confused, and I chose the wrong way to face that fear. But I have never, and will never agree to sell land to them, Mr. Phong."

Phong was silent for a moment, his eyes looking out at the dark garden outside. "I'm also at fault. I was too hasty in concluding that you were traitor without giving you a chance to fully explain. Perhaps, I also forgot that the financial burden is not only mine to bear, but you are also struggling with it alone."

"From now on, no matter what happens, I want you to tell me frankly," Phong continued, his voice much softer. "Even if you're scared, even if you think I won't agree. We are each other's shareholders, but more importantly, I want us to be each other's support."

"I promise," Miên replied softly, her voice trembling but sincere. "And I also want you to understand that, no matter how great the financial pressure is, I have never for a moment considered this land as just a commodity that can be bartered. It is where I learned to love work, where I found myself, and where I have you."

Phong turned to look at her, his eyes still shining with a familiar gentleness in the dark night. He gently reached out, grabbed the hand that was placed on Miên's knee, and gently squeezed it as a confirmation without needing further verbal explanation.

They sat silently together for a long time, hand in hand, and the distance between them seemed to have narrowed a little. Outside, Miên's phone suddenly vibrated. It's a text message from an unknown number.

**[Unknown number]:** *The two-week deadline given by Ms. Hà is almost over. The decisive meeting of Đồi Thông village will take place this weekend. I hope you think carefully before it's too late. - Dat (Việt Xanh)*

Miên showed the phone to Phong. They both looked at each other, a new determination appeared in their eyes that was gradually replacing the fear and misunderstanding of the past days.

"This weekend," Phong muttered, his hand tightening around the phone. "Only three days left. The bank refused, her hospital bills haven't been paid, and now the whole village has to decide in three days whether to sell the land to a corporation whose real intentions we don't even understand yet."

"We can't let them dictate the pace of this game," Miên said, her voice gradually regaining the familiar sharpness of someone who used to work in the media industry. "If they are in such a hurry to force a deadline, there is definitely something they don't want to reveal for too long. I need time to learn more about what really lies behind that 'eco-agricultural village' cover."

"Have you thought of a way yet?" Phong asked, his eyes looking at her full of trust, a trust that just a few hours before seemed to have been seriously damaged.

"I'll call Mai," Miên replied, decisively. "She has a wide acquaintance in the city. Maybe through her, I can find someone capable of further investigating Việt Xanh's legal records and true plans."

The final game was placed on the table, and they knew they didn't have much time to hesitate anymore.