Chapter 102 "Broaden your horizons, expand your perspective..."

The road to the division headquarters was still the same bumpy dirt road. Shu Ran sat on the pile of supplies in the back of the truck, holding a canvas package full of materials in her arms. She tightened her grip on Chen Yuanjiang's military overcoat, but the cold wind still stung her cheeks.

The journey was long and tedious. Also traveling in the same vehicle were two young men from the tractor team who were going to the division headquarters to collect parts, and an older employee from the logistics department who was going to run errands. The young men were initially a bit reserved, but seeing that Shu Ran was approachable, they started chatting about all sorts of things, from the tractor's malfunction to the regimental propaganda team's performance, which helped to alleviate some of the boredom.

"Teacher Shu, I heard that Qiming Primary School is doing really well these days?" a young man asked, his tone filled with admiration. "Even children from pastoral areas are coming to school?"

"It's all thanks to everyone's support," Shu Ran said with a modest smile. "The children's willingness to learn is the most important thing."

The older employee adjusted his glasses and interjected, "Yes, education is fundamental. Teacher Shu has it tough, single-handedly supporting the entire school. When you go to the teachers' headquarters this time, you'd better have a good talk with the leaders and ask them to approve more workbooks for our students."

"I'll do my best." Shu Ran nodded, but in her heart she thought that what she wanted was probably more than just a notebook.

After chatting for a while, the young man and the older employee closed their eyes to rest. Shu Ran's mind was not idle; she was repeatedly considering the key points she would need to report to Director Sun later, and how to phrase her words to showcase her achievements without appearing arrogant, while also subtly raising the current difficulties, such as the shortage of resources.

The truck drove into the division headquarters. Shu Ran put down her simple luggage at the guesthouse, carefully brushed off the dust, tidied her wind-blown hair, and walked straight towards the red brick building where the division's education department was located.

Compared to the mud-brick houses and dugouts of the livestock company, the division headquarters was a completely different world. The neat brick and tile houses, the walls painted with slogans, the occasional jeep passing by, and the relatively decent clothing of the passersby all demonstrated the social class of the place.

Shu Ran, familiar with the area, first went to the Education Section to report for duty. The clerk, Xiao Zhang, was even more welcoming than last time, immediately getting up to pour her a cup of hot water.

"Comrade Shu Ran is here! You must be tired from your journey! Director Sun is talking to someone inside, please have a seat for a while." Xiao Zhang lowered his voice, with a mysterious smile, "Teacher Shu, you're quite the celebrity in our division now. When you came back from the last Corps work conference, Deputy Political Commissar Zhang specifically praised you!"

Shu Ran took the water glass, thanked them, and smiled modestly: "It's all thanks to the organization's training, the leaders' guidance, and the hard work of everyone in the company. I'm nothing personally involved."

"Hey, don't be so modest!" Xiao Zhang waved his hand, leaned closer, and lowered his voice even further, "I heard that Deputy Political Commissar Lin is particularly interested in that demonstration site you set up!"

Shu Ran's heart skipped a beat, but she remained outwardly calm: "Oh? Is that so? That's because the leader is concerned."

"That's right!" Xiao Zhang seemed quite happy to share this news. "Deputy Political Commissar Lin is in charge of the entire division's cultural and educational work. Your livestock company is doing so well; it makes him proud! I heard..."

He glanced down the corridor to make sure no one was there before continuing, "It seems he's interested in making your location a model and promoting it extensively!"

Shu Ran warmed her hands with a cup of water and asked casually, "Director Sun, have you been busy lately?"

"Busy! Of course I'm busy!" Xiao Zhang lowered his voice. "The whole corps' education work conference just ended, and everyone is looking for exemplary cases and promoting best practices! In our division, your animal husbandry company is a model site!" He spoke with pride.

Shu Ran felt a little more at ease; it seemed that her superiors were indeed taking it seriously.

As they were talking, the door to Director Sun's office opened, and a middle-aged cadre wearing a Zhongshan suit and glasses came out. Director Sun personally saw him to the door, and his attitude was very polite.

"Take care, Section Chief Yang. We'll proceed with the textbook revision as we discussed," said Director Sun.

"Don't worry, Director Sun, our printing plant will fully cooperate." Section Chief Yang smiled and nodded, glancing at Shu Ran sitting outside, giving a slight nod in acknowledgment, before leaving.

When Director Sun saw the large bag of materials Shu Ran had brought, his eyes visibly lit up. "Comrade Shu Ran has arrived? Come in quickly!"

Shu Ran quickly followed Director Sun into the office.

"Sit down." Director Sun gestured to the chair opposite him and sat down behind his desk. "Was the journey smooth?"

"It went smoothly, thank you for your concern, Director." Shu Ran sat down and placed the canvas bag she was holding on her lap.

"Did you bring all the materials?" Director Sun's gaze fell on the bag.

"I brought it." Shu Ran opened the canvas bag and handed over a thick stack of materials with both hands. "This is a summary of the teaching at Qiming Elementary School recently, the progress of the literacy class, some drafts of practical teaching materials that we have tried to compile, and a student learning analysis done by Teacher Lin Xuezhou."

Director Sun took the materials and began to look through them. He examined them very carefully, occasionally pointing to a particular spot with his finger or nodding slightly, his eyes revealing obvious appreciation.

"Good, very good!" Director Sun put down the last page, looked up at Shu Ran, and said, "Comrade Shu Ran, your work is very solid and creative! Especially these preliminary teaching materials that combine production and daily life are very valuable and in line with the general direction!"

Receiving affirmation from her direct supervisor made Shu Ran feel much more at ease. "You flatter me, Director. We're just feeling our way in the dark, mainly trying to integrate our learning with practical needs more closely."

"This direction is absolutely correct!" Director Sun affirmed. "What we urgently need right now are teaching materials and models that allow the masses to truly feel the usefulness of learning. Your livestock company's demonstration site has been successfully established!"

He stood up and paced around the office a couple of times: "I plan to compile all your materials, along with the summary written by Professor Lin Xuezhou, into a more systematic report, and try to promote it within the division first, and even report it to the Corps!"

Overjoyed, Shu Ran suppressed her excitement and said, "Thank you, Director! We will definitely continue to work hard to make the work at the demonstration site even more solid!"

"Hmm," Director Sun nodded in satisfaction, then changed the subject slightly, his tone becoming somewhat meaningful, "However, Xiao Shu, the work at the demonstration site needs to be more in-depth, and more replicable experiences need to be generated. It's not enough for you to just bury yourself in hard work. You need to broaden your horizons and open up your perspective."

Shu Ran keenly noticed something, but she remained expressionless and listened attentively.

“You’re a good candidate; you have ideas, you’re hardworking, and you’ve built a solid foundation among the masses,” Director Sun said, looking at her. “But you’re still young. You need to accumulate grassroots experience and also need to think about issues from a higher perspective. As for Comrade Lin Xuezhou, although you and he are both formally trained, he has a more solid political background and his vision is probably broader…”

He didn't finish his sentence, but Shu Ran already understood the implied meaning. Director Sun seemed to be suggesting that the work at the demonstration site required a "broader perspective," and Lin Xuezhou's background was an advantage.

"What does the section chief mean?" Shu Ran asked tentatively.

"Oh, it's nothing specific, I just wanted to chat with you." Director Sun chuckled and sat back down in his chair. "Here's what we'll do: you stay at the division headquarters for the next couple of days and work with the comrades in the section to sort out and refine these materials. We'll try to come up with a preliminary framework before you go back. The subsequent writing and revisions may require you to come over frequently."

"Yes, Director." Shu Ran suppressed her doubts and got up to take her leave.

Following instructions, she found Officer Li, who was in charge of specific tasks in the Education Section, and began the intensive work of organizing materials.

The conditions at the division headquarters were indeed much better, with a relatively sufficient supply of paper and ink, as well as a typewriter. Shu Ran, Officer Li, and another female officer who had been temporarily assigned to the position worked at their desks, categorizing and refining the scattered yet vivid information that Shu Ran had brought, attempting to construct a clear system.

During a break from work, Shu Ran went to the water dispenser and ran into Yang Zhenhua, who was also there to get water. Yang Zhenhua was doing very well in the publicity department and was very happy to see Shu Ran.

"Shu Ran! I heard you were here, I was just about to finish up and come find you!" Yang Zhenhua turned on the tap for her. "So? Are you here for a performance review?"

"Officer Yang," Shu Ran greeted him with a smile.

“We’ve known each other for so long and are quite familiar with each other, so don’t be so polite. Just call me Zhenhua.” Yang Zhenhua smiled and looked her up and down. “Just came from Director Sun’s place? I heard that your livestock demonstration site is doing very well. Director Sun praised you a lot at meetings.”

"Yes, Director Sun asked me to stay and help organize the teaching materials." Shu Ran filled the kettle with water and put the lid on.

"Textbooks? Is it the same set from your livestock company?" Yang Zhenhua was well-informed. "This is a big deal! It's a model project personally overseen by Deputy Political Commissar Lin."

Shu Ran smiled but didn't reply, though she was pondering the weight of the term "model project."

Yang Zhenhua looked around and lowered his voice, "Come on, let's go to my office. I also have something I want to talk to you about."

When they arrived at Yang Zhenhua's office, he poured Shu Ran a cup of hot tea, closed the door, and his smile faded, replaced by a serious expression.

Shu Ran's heart tightened, but her face remained calm: "Officer Yang, just say what's on your mind."

Yang Zhenhua hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Shu Ran, when you came this time, did Director Sun discuss the follow-up development of the demonstration site with you?"

Shu Ran's heart stirred, and she nodded: "The director said that we should broaden our horizons and open our minds."

Yang Zhenhua sighed: "I knew it. I've heard that phrase before."

"Officer Yang, did you hear something?" Shu Ran asked directly.

Yang Zhenhua hesitated for a moment, seemingly choosing his words carefully: "Shu Ran, we've known each other for quite some time now, so let me tell you something practical. Your demonstration site has achieved results and become a model, which is like a tree bearing fruit, attracting more attention."

He paused, lowering his voice even further: "Deputy Political Commissar Lin... came to the Education Section for research a few days ago and specifically inquired about the situation of the demonstration sites, especially learning in detail about Teacher Lin Xuezhou's work. He expressed his great satisfaction that his nephew was able to work diligently at the grassroots level and utilize his professional expertise. He also mentioned that for exemplary figures to be established and firmly established, subsequent summarization, refinement, and improvement are very important, and that... it requires talents with greater theoretical depth and forward-looking vision to grasp the direction."

Shu Ran's heart sank. Yang Zhenhua's words, along with the vague hints she heard from Director Sun, pieced together a gradually clearer picture—Deputy Political Commissar Lin hoped that his nephew, Lin Xuezhou, could play a more leading role, or rather, reap greater credit, from the already established foundation of the demonstration site.

Perhaps this wasn't out of malice; in fact, he might have seen it as an expression of his dedication to his work and his intention to nurture his nephew. But to Shu Ran, it was tantamount to undermining her central position and influence in this project.

She worked tirelessly, building Qiming Elementary School and literacy classes from scratch on the saline-alkali land, and figured out this effective method. Now, just because of Lin Xuezhou, she has to give it all up?

She did not let any loss of composure show.

Looking at Shu Ran's face, which turned pale instantly but quickly regained its composure, Yang Zhenhua felt a pang of unease. He advised, "Shu Ran, don't take it too hard. This matter is probably still in the planning stages, and Director Sun's attitude is still somewhat ambiguous. After all, everyone has witnessed your abilities and contributions. It's just... sometimes, things aren't as simple as just abilities and contributions."

Shu Ran picked up her teacup and took a sip, the bitter taste spreading from the tip of her tongue to her heart. She put down the teacup, looked up, and her face was no longer undisturbed.

"Officer Yang, thank you for telling me all this." Her voice was unusually calm. "I understand."

Seeing her like this, Yang Zhenhua became even more worried: "What...are you planning to do?"

Planning? Shu Ran looked out the window at the division headquarters compound, her mind racing. A direct confrontation? Definitely not; that would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Giving up easily? She was unwilling. Moreover, she knew better than anyone that, outside the context of the livestock company and her methods, the extent to which Lin Xuezhou's theoretical framework could be effective was still unknown.

She had to find a way to break the deadlock.

"I don't have any plans." Shu Ran stood up, smiled at Yang Zhenhua, and said, "I'll report on the work that needs to be reported, and try to get the support I need. I'll just do my job well."

She couldn't afford to lose her composure, nor could she reveal any dissatisfaction or resistance at the division headquarters. The most important thing now was to remain calm, gather more information, and find a balance that would both protect herself and preserve her achievements.

Yang Zhenhua reassured him, "Don't worry too much. These are just rumors and may not be true. Besides, the livestock company can't be run smoothly without you. Director Sun still values ​​you a lot."

He seemed to remember something, and his tone became more relaxed. "Oh right, the movie tickets I gave you last time, we didn't end up seeing them. Luckily, they're showing a new movie at the division auditorium tonight, and I managed to get two more tickets. Shall we go together? It'll be a good way to relax; you've been working too hard lately."