Chapter 12 — Wind and Snow Falling, Ancient People Return

Clues In Old Drawers

That Sunday, Diep Khanh decided to clean up the small room upstairs in the flower shop, which her mother used to use as her private room before she passed away. During the past two years, she had never had the courage to touch her mother's old things, only cleaning them lightly when necessary, leaving everything as it was when she was alive. But recently, when events suddenly came, she felt the need to find a little peace, a little connection with her mother, to have more strength to face all difficulties.

She asked Mrs. Tam Nghien, a neighbor who had lived next to the store for many years, and a close friend of her mother's during her lifetime, to come over and help. Mrs. Tam is over sixty this year, her hair is almost gray but she is still alert, her kind eyes always shine with sincere concern every time she looks at Diep Khanh.

"Daughter, you seem very stressed lately. If you have anything, just tell me. I'll pretend that I'm listening to you on behalf of Aunt Yen." Mrs. Tam spoke while cleaning the old wooden cabinet, her voice was warm.

"Yes, I'm also very confused, grandma." Diep Khanh sighed, briefly told her about the false debt from Van Hoa Cao Nguyen, about the risk of the flower shop being foreclosed, and about meeting Bach Du again after five years of separation.

Mrs. Tam listened attentively, occasionally nodding. Her eyes flashed with a thoughtful look when she heard the name Bach Du. "I still remember Mr. Du. In the past, he used to come by my mother's shop to help her with the groceries. He was gentle and honest. Aunt Yen also liked him very much."

"Does your mother like him?" Diep Khanh was a bit surprised, because she didn't remember her mother ever talking much about this.

"Yes, I often praise him for being thoughtful and thinking about others." Mrs. Tam nodded and continued her cleaning work. "I remember one time Aunt Yen said, before he went abroad, she stopped by the store to look for me. While I was at the hospital, he left something for me to keep, saying he wanted to send it to me but it wasn't convenient to give it directly."

Diep Khanh was stunned, his hand wiping dust on the bookshelf stopped mid-step. "What do you say? Did he stop by the store before leaving? I've never heard you mention this."

"It was so long ago that I probably forgot to tell you. Besides, you were busy taking care of your mother at the hospital at that time. I probably didn't want to confuse you even more." Mrs. Tam tried to remember, her face wrinkled as she tried to search through memories that had faded over the years. "I think I kept that somewhere in this room. Let me help you find it."

Diep Khanh looked around the small room, the afternoon sunlight filtered through the dusty window, shining into dim streaks of light on the old wooden floor. Everything in the room seemed to remain the same as when her mother was alive: the single bed against the wall, the wool blanket she knitted herself years ago still neatly folded at the end of the bed, the small dressing table with a mirror that had yellowed over time. There were times, standing in the middle of this room, Diep Khanh still felt like her mother just stepped out to buy some things and will return at any moment, even though she knew clearly that will never happen again.

The two searched the room, opening every drawer and every box of old things. After nearly an hour of searching, Diep Khanh discovered a small wooden box hidden deep in the bottom drawer of her mother's old dressing table, covered with the dust of time. She opened the box, inside was a yellow envelope, along with a small silver bracelet engraved with two interlocking letters.

Her hands trembled when she recognized that bracelet, a gift Bach Du had said he would give her on her birthday, but had not yet given it to her because the incident happened so suddenly. She opened the envelope, inside was a handwritten piece of paper in Bach Du's familiar italic handwriting.

"Diep Khanh, I know you're having a hard time because of her, I don't dare bother you right now. I just want to say, no matter what happens on the upcoming trip, my feelings for you will still not change. I will try to contact you when things are stable, I hope you stay healthy and take good care of her. I will wait for you."

Diep Khanh read those words over and over again, tears silently falling uncontrollably. If this letter had reached her at that time, perhaps things would have been completely different. She looked up at Mrs. Tam, her voice choked. "Grandma, why didn't this letter reach me? Why did you keep it here and not give it to me?"

Mrs. Tam was equally shocked, trying to recall her memories. "I vaguely remember, Aunt Yen was also confused by her own illness at that time. She probably planned to wait until you were less stressed before giving it to her. Then her illness continued to get worse. She probably forgot, or didn't have enough strength to remember this anymore. You know, in the last few years of her life, she often mixed up many things because of medication."

Diep Khanh hugged the letter in her arms, tears falling continuously. She doesn't blame her mother, she spent the last years of her life fighting illness and no longer had enough strength to take care of everything around her. But the truth is that a letter, a testament to Bach Du's sincere feelings, has been lying dormant in a drawer for the past five years without her knowing, making her heart ache.

"So what about that message..." Diep Khanh muttered, her mind starting to piece together the events. If Bach Du really came to find her and left this letter expressing his sincere feelings, then the cold text message he received the night before the flight became even more suspicious than ever. Someone must have intentionally prevented this letter from reaching her, and perhaps, that same person sent the fake message.

She remembered the conversation with Bao Tram at the party a few days ago, remembered the sharp eyes, the threatening words hidden behind a friendly appearance. A vague but increasingly clear premonition began to form in her mind, although she still did not dare to confirm anything with certainty.

"Mrs. Tam, do you remember, during that time, besides your mother, did anyone else often visit the store?" Diep Khanh asked, her voice had regained some calm, replaced by a determination to find out to the end.

Mrs. Tam thought for a long time. "Let me remember... it seems like there was a girl friend of mine who often stopped by to visit me in those days, bringing fruit, gifts of cakes, and showing a lot of interest. I don't remember her name clearly, but the impression was that she was a girl who dressed quite elegantly and often drove her own car."

Diep Khanh's heart beats faster. That description perfectly matches the image of Bao Tram that she remembers from her college years. Even though at that time Tram was not necessarily as well-off as she is now, she always tended to take care of her appearance better than her peers.

Diep Khanh put the letter and bracelet in a small bag and carried it with her like a precious treasure. She knew, this might just be a small piece in a big picture with many gaps, but it was enough to arouse a strong determination in her: she needed to find the truth, not only for herself, but also for Bach Du, who had probably also suffered a similar injustice for the past five years.

That evening, while sitting alone in her room, Diep Khanh picked up her phone, her finger scrolled through Bach Du's name in her contacts many times, and finally decided to send him a short message: "Do you have time? I need to talk to you about something important." She sent it, then put the phone down, her heart pounding, not knowing what the upcoming conversation would open up.

While waiting for a response, she reopened the wooden box, looked at the silver bracelet under the soft nightlight, her fingers gently tracing the two interlocking letters engraved on the metal surface that had become slightly tarnished over the years. She tried wearing the bracelet on her wrist, the size fit strangely, as if it had been waiting for five years just to be worn on the right person to whom it belonged. She gently twisted the bracelet around her wrist, letting the metal rub against her skin, mixed with regret for the time lost, for what could have been different if this letter had arrived on time.

The phone vibrated, a response message from Bach Du appeared on the screen: "I'm free, where do you want to meet?" Diep Khanh looked at that short line and felt the readiness and trust that was always present in him, even though there were still many problems between the two that had not been completely resolved. She took a deep breath, quickly typed out a reply to meet the next morning at Viet Bang lawyer's office, which she believed would be a neutral, suitable space to face truths together that might be very difficult to accept.

She knows one thing for sure: her journey to find the truth has officially begun, and she will not step back until all the hidden secrets are completely exposed to the light.