Chapter 10 "Those are city people, they sit in offices..."

"And the children in the pastoral area." Shu Ran looked westward.

"The pastoral area?" Sister Wang frowned, a troubled look on her face. "Teacher Shu, things aren't easy there. They don't even speak the language, and there are so many rules. How about... we hold off for now? We can talk about it again once things are settled here?"

“Yes, Sister Shuran,” Li Xiulan also shrank her neck, “They…they don’t seem to like us bothering them, especially people we don’t know well.”

"If it's on the list, then we have to give it a try," Shu Ran said firmly.

She knew the real challenge was just beginning. She remembered the "old Akhen" Chen Yuanjiang had mentioned.

"Sister Wang, do you know which house Old Aken lives at? I'd like to visit him first."

"Old Akhen?" Sister Wang and Li Xiulan exchanged a glance and shook their heads. "He doesn't stay in a fixed yurt and often moves around between several grazing points. But Aishan's family is his son-in-law, so you might be able to find him if you go to Aishan's house."

The children who were following along were very excited to hear that they were going to the pastoral area. The three men led the six children westward toward the company.

After walking for about half an hour, we saw a patch of red willows and a few poplar trees. Nearby, there were several gray-white yurts scattered around, and flocks of sheep dotted the grassland like clouds.

They found Aishan's yurt, and Sister Wang explained their purpose with a combination of words and gestures. A shrewd-looking ethnic minority man sized up Shu Ran a few times before turning and entering the yurt.

A moment later, an elderly man with white hair and beard, wearing a traditional felt hat, slowly emerged, leaning on a well-worn wooden cane. His eyes were deep, and he possessed an air of quiet authority. It was Old Akhen.

Shu Ran stepped forward respectfully, bowed slightly, and greeted them with the greeting she had just learned.

Old Akhen's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then swept over the group of curious Han Chinese children and Sister Wang behind her, and asked in heavily accented Mandarin, "Girl from Shanghai? Do you need something?"

Shu Ran tried to make her tone humble and sincere: "Old Aken, I am Shu Ran, a new teacher in the livestock company. We have set up a school in the company and want to teach the children to read and learn. I heard that there are also many children of school age in the pastoral area. I would like to ask you for your help to see if we can let the children come to study as well? Learning Chinese and Chinese characters will make it easier for them to communicate with the company, read notices, and learn new technologies in the future."

She specifically emphasized communication and new technologies, hoping to impress this knowledgeable elderly man.

Old Akhen listened quietly, his wrinkled face expressionless. After Shu Ran finished speaking, he paused for a moment before slowly saying, "Girl, your heart is good, like a rare spring in the Gobi Desert."

He paused, tapping the ground lightly with his cane. "But even the best spring water depends on whether the camel is thirsty and willing to bend down to drink."

His gaze swept over the teenagers who were helping their family herd sheep not far away, then returned to Shu Ran's face: "The children here are born knowing how to follow the stars, how to smell the rain in the wind, how to deliver lambs, and how to protect their flock from wolves. Their strength is used for herding, shearing, milking, building yurts, and taking care of their younger siblings. Their intelligence is used to remember which pastures are good, which well water is sweet, and which season is the right time to move the livestock."

He shook his head slightly, his tone indifferent: "Learning to read? Will those crooked symbols help them catch an extra lamb? Will they help them find their way home in a blizzard? Will they make the yurt warmer? No. That's something city people, people who sit in offices. The eagles of our grasslands have wings for flying, not for holding pens."

He looked at Shu Ran one last time, his eyes showing no hostility, but rather a profound understanding born of experience: "Go back, young lady. I know your good intentions. But what our children need now is strength in their hands, not ink from books."

Old Aken's words extinguished Shu Ran's hope.

Old Akhen's attitude represents a deeply ingrained concept in pastoral areas: pragmatism reigns supreme, and labor is valued. Reading is a useless luxury.

Sister Wang and Li Xiulan listened intently, barely daring to breathe. The Han children also sensed the heavy atmosphere and huddled together, afraid to move.

Shu Ran's heart sank to the bottom. She knew that Old Aken's path was completely blocked. Even this most respected elder had clearly opposed it, let alone other families.

"Thank you, old Arken. I'm sorry to bother you." Shu Ran maintained her politeness and bowed slightly again. At this moment, any argument would be pointless and would only make her seem more tactless.

The atmosphere was somber as they left Aishan's yurt. Sister Wang whispered, trying to comfort her, "Teacher Shu, let it go. Even the old Akhen said so..."

Shu Ran pursed her lips, gazing at the direction of the other two yurts, her eyes stubborn: "There are three families on the list. Old Aken is just an elder of the Aishan family. I'll go ask the other two families myself."

The subsequent visit confirmed the weight of old Akhen's words.

At Seri's house, the male head of the household was indifferent, only saying in broken Chinese through the yurt curtain, "The children have to work, I don't have time," and then there was no further response.

Finally, they arrived at Turdi's yurt. Turdi was a sturdy man.

He frowned upon hearing Shu Ran's hesitant and gesturing-filled request, and waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no! Adil needs to herd sheep! Ayman needs to help her mother milk cows and take care of her little brother. What's the point of learning those words? They're not for eating or drinking!"

The yurt curtain was lifted a crack, revealing a pair of bright, curious eyes—the eyes of a girl who looked about eight or nine years old. Behind her, a boy with eyes like a wolf cub also peeked out, watching Shu Ran and her group of uninvited guests warily.

Ayman's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the hardcover notebook and fountain pen in Shu Ran's hand.

Shu Ran noticed the curiosity in Ayman's eyes. Her mind raced, and she quickly opened her notebook, turning to the page with her lesson plan drawings. On it were simple lines depicting the sun, moon, stars, sheep, and horse, with the corresponding Chinese characters and pinyin neatly written beside them.

“Look,” Shu Ran squatted down, pointed to the picture, and said in slow, clear Chinese, “This is the sun…this is a sheep…this is a horse…If you learn this, you’ll be able to understand the notices posted in the company, and know when to get vaccinated and when to collect supplies…”

Ayman's eyes brightened, her little mouth opened slightly, and she couldn't help but lean forward, pointing her little finger at the sheep in the painting: "This... sheep?"

“Yes! Sheep! Ayman is so smart!” Shu Ran immediately repeated the pronunciation of “sheep” and pointed to the Chinese character.

A smile of surprise appeared on Ayman's face.

Turdi frowned and interrupted gruffly, "Alright! What are you looking at! Go back and milk the cows!"

Adil snorted, pulled his sister behind him, and said something to Shu Ran in a tone full of rejection.

Although Shu Ran couldn't understand what was being said, she could tell from the expression that it wasn't a compliment.

She stood up, knowing that conventional persuasion was ineffective. She took a deep breath, pulled out two national grain coupons from her pocket, and then took out a piece of milk candy that she had brought from Shanghai and had been reluctant to eat.

She held the food coupons and milk candy in her palm and handed them to Turdi. "Brother Turdi," she said, "I know that sending the children to learn will take up some of my time. These two national food coupons are a small compensation to help the family with our food. And this candy is for the children to sweeten their mouths. I genuinely want to teach the children something, not for any other reason than that they can learn more and have a wider path in life. Can Adil and Ayman give it a try? Just this morning, for an hour at most. If it really takes up too much time, or if the children don't want to learn, I won't force them."

In the border regions where resources are extremely scarce, the allure of this hard currency is immense.

Turdi's gaze lingered on the two small pieces of paper. The unfamiliar candy made Ayman, hiding behind her brother, swallow hard. Even the usually arrogant Adil's eyes flickered.

The struggle on Turdi's face was obvious. He looked at the food coupons and candy, then at Shu Ran's sincere face, and then at his two children.

He remained silent for a full minute. Finally, he abruptly reached out, grabbed the two grain coupons and the milk candy, and stuffed them into his pocket as if afraid she would change her mind. Then, in a gruff voice, he said to Ayman, "After you finish milking this morning, you can go and learn for an hour!"

He glared at Adil again, "You! Watch her! Don't let her run around! Come back to work as soon as you're done studying!"

That's an agreement! Although only Ayman was agreed to, a supervisor, Adil, was also attached.

"Thank you, Brother Turdi!" Shu Ran finally felt relieved and let out a long sigh of relief. Although the price was high, at least a crack had been pried open.

Ayman was so happy she almost jumped for joy, while Adil just pursed his lips and snorted, which was taken as tacit agreement.

With this, the mobilization concluded. The first batch of students at Qiming Primary School were officially enrolled.

Seven children of Han Chinese workers: Shitou, Shuanzhu, Huzi, Damao, Tiedan, Xiaoya, and Chuncao. Two children from herding families: Ayiman and Adil.

There were nine children in total, ranging in age from seven to thirteen, with vastly different levels of language proficiency, learning ability, and willingness to learn.

Shu Ran led this group of boy scouts of varying ages toward the tool shed by the company wall under the sun.

Her lecture hall only gained meaning when she had students.

Shu Ran led the nine children into the tool shed classroom.

Stone curiously touched the mud-brick platform and the blackboard made of door panels; Adil wrinkled his nose and looked at the simple environment with disgust; Ayman clung tightly to her brother's clothes; the other children chattered and looked at this strange place with curiosity.

"Find a seat, everyone." Shu Ran picked up the red willow branch pointer and tapped it gently on the mud-brick platform.

The children were intimidated by Shu Ran's imposing presence. Since there were no stools, they could only squat or sit around the three large mud-brick desks that Shu Ran had set out.

Shu Ran's gaze swept over the eight young faces below, then she walked to the door, picked up a piece of lime she had collected the night before, turned around, and wrote several neat, square characters on the door panel: Qiming Primary School.

A note from the author:

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