Chapter 108 "Special Envoy Chen, your skills..."

The truck bumped along, getting closer and closer to the livestock farm.

She could already see the outline of the company's low-rise buildings and the five-star red flag fluttering on the slope.

Just as the truck was about to enter the company's road intersection, Shu Ran saw a familiar figure standing on the slope by the roadside, leading a horse.

It is Chen Yuanjiang.

He seemed to have just happened to be patrolling this area, or perhaps... he had been waiting here all along.

The truck slowed down, preparing to turn. Chen Yuanjiang's gaze fell on Shu Ran inside the truck bed.

He didn't wave or shout; he just stood there, upright, quietly watching her.

Shu Ran stood up, holding onto the partition of the carriage, and looked at him.

As she drew closer, she could see the dust on his military uniform, his hair which was slightly disheveled by the wind, and his deep eyes.

The truck drove into the company, and his figure was obscured by the houses and disappeared from sight.

But Shu Ran knew that he was right there.

The truck stopped at the entrance of the company headquarters, and Shu Ran jumped off with her luggage. A group of children, including Shi Tou and Shuan Zhu, who had already received the news, rushed over, shouting all at once, "Teacher Shu is back!" "Teacher Shu, we missed you!"

Xu Junjun, Sister Wang, and Li Xiulan also greeted her with smiles and took the things from her hands.

"You're finally back! The journey must have been tiring."

"It's alright." Shu Ran smiled and patted the children's heads. Looking at the familiar smiling faces in front of her, her heart was filled with joy.

She looked up in the direction where Chen Yuanjiang had just stood. Although she could no longer see him, she knew that he must be somewhere watching over her, protecting this land, and protecting her as well.

Back at the livestock company, Shu Ran quickly returned to her familiar work rhythm. The trip to the division headquarters felt like a brief dream; when she woke up, she was still Teacher Shu.

Everything seemed the same in the company, yet subtle changes had occurred. The children were even more affectionate towards her, and the families greeted her with smiles tinged with genuine respect. Zhao Weidong, upon seeing her, still wore that "production is the priority" expression, but the criticism in his eyes seemed to have lessened. Even Company Commander Ma would proactively ask her, "Teacher Shu, is the school facing any difficulties?"

Shu Ran was well aware of this change, which stemmed from her successful report to the division headquarters, as well as from the "division of labor arrangement" that had not yet been officially issued but whose rumors had already spread.

Lin Xuezhou returned two days later than her. He brought back a draft for comments issued by the division's education department, which indeed emphasized standardization, systematic approach, and theoretical advancement. Lin Xuezhou appeared full of energy and plunged into a small office that the company headquarters had set aside for him, beginning to draft the "Three-Year Development Plan" for the livestock company's demonstration site.

Shu Ran neither confirmed nor denied this. She continued teaching her classes, managing the literacy classes, and regularly visiting the pastoral areas. However, in her teaching, she began to consciously guide the children to make more systematic summaries; in the literacy classes, she incorporated more practical writing instruction closely related to the production and life of the production team, such as simple work reports; when she went to the pastoral areas, she not only taught the children but also began to try to talk to the herders about cultural integration in a simpler and more straightforward way.

She is using her own methods to both align with the general direction of standardization and firmly grasp the fundamental principle of practicality.

That afternoon, Shu Ran was leading the children in sweeping fallen leaves outside the classroom. In the late autumn Gobi Desert, the wind already carried a biting chill.

Chen Yuanjiang rode his horse from the direction of the company headquarters, the sound of hooves growing louder as he approached. He reined in his horse and stopped by the roadside not far from the school, his gaze sweeping over Shu Ran and the children who were busy at work.

He wore a thick military overcoat with the collar turned up, obscuring most of his face except for a pair of calm eyes. The horse carried some cargo, covered by a canvas, making it impossible to discern its contents.

"Special Envoy Chen," Shu Ran greeted him, straightening up. The children also stopped what they were doing and looked at him curiously.

Chen Yuanjiang's gaze lingered on Shu Ran's face for a moment, then fell on her fingers holding the broom.

He responded, deftly dismounted, took a small cloth bag from under the canvas on the horse's back, walked up to Shu Ran, and handed it to her.

"What?" Shu Ran took it with some confusion.

"Mutton fat," Chen Yuanjiang said succinctly. "You can use it to make hand cream. It's also good for preventing frostbite."

Shu Ran paused for a moment, then opened the cloth bag. Inside was a block of solidified mutton fat. Here, this was considered a very good anti-freezing and skincare product. She looked up at him: "Thank you. Where did you get this?"

"It was exchanged in the pastoral area." Chen Yuanjiang avoided her gaze, looked at the pile of fallen leaves, took the broom from her hand and started sweeping. "Winter is coming soon, take care to keep warm."

His concern was always like this, hidden in seemingly ordinary actions and brief words.

Shu Ran carefully put away the piece of mutton fat. "I know. You're the same."

Chen Yuanjiang didn't speak, but just grunted again, and continued sweeping earnestly, showing no intention of leaving immediately.

Shu Ran thought for a moment and then brought it up: "Teacher Lin is back and is working on the planning for the demonstration site."

Chen Yuanjiang stopped what he was doing, looked at her, and asked in his eyes.

"The division headquarters' intention is that he will mainly be responsible for planning and upward coordination, while I will be responsible for the specific teaching and implementation." Shu Ran's tone was calm, as if she were talking about something that had nothing to do with her.

Chen Yuanjiang's eyes sharpened: "What do you think?"

"What can I think?" Shu Ran smiled. "Just follow the arrangements. Planning is the blueprint, implementation is the foundation. Only when the foundation is solid can the blueprint become a house; otherwise, it's just a castle in the air."

Her words were loaded with meaning. Chen Yuanjiang understood.

Looking at the girl before him, who had clearly suffered injustice yet remained clear-headed, he felt a gentle touch deep within his heart. She was resilient and intelligent.

"Do you need any help?" That was all he ever said.

"Not for now." Shu Ran shook her head, her eyes radiating confidence. "I can handle it."

She paused, as if suddenly remembering something, took the military water bottle from her old satchel, and handed it back to him: "Here you go. Thank you."

Chen Yuanjiang looked at the clean kettle but didn't immediately reach for it.

"Keep it for yourself," he said. "It's easy to get water from the division headquarters, but the company is short of water."

The reason he came up with... Shu Ran almost laughed. Water was scarce in the company, but as a teacher, she wasn't in a situation where she couldn't even guarantee her drinking water. He clearly wanted to leave the water bottle for her.

She didn't refuse again and readily put the water bottle back into her bag: "Okay, then I won't be polite."

Chen Yuanjiang watched her movements, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Just then, a stronger gust of wind blew by, stirring up dust and withered leaves that stung the eyes. Shu Ran instinctively turned her head and shielded her eyes with her hand.

Chen Yuanjiang took half a step forward, his tall figure blocking the direction from which the wind blew, shielding her from most of the sand and dust.

The movement was performed extremely naturally, as if it were just an unintentional choice of position.

But Shu Ran felt it; the shadow that suddenly enveloped her made her heart skip a beat.

The wind died down, and he quietly returned to his original position.

"I'm leaving." He finished speaking, then without lingering, nimbly mounted his horse, and gently spurred it on. The chestnut horse galloped away.

*

The weather grew colder day by day. The grass on the Gobi Desert had completely withered and turned yellow, lying flat on the ground by the wind. The trees were bare, their branches whistling in the wind. The desolate salt flats in the distance looked cold just looking at them.

Winter came early this year, and the weather is exceptionally cold.

Although the classrooms at Qiming Elementary School had their walls reinforced with rammed earth, the doors replaced with thick wooden ones, and stoves installed, they still didn't feel warm.

The children sat inside for class, and even though they were wearing thick winter clothes, their noses were running.

Shu Ran felt sorry for her and discussed with Lin Xuezhou how to keep her warm.

Lin Xuezhou looked up from the planning document and adjusted his glasses: "I've considered this issue. According to regulations, classroom heating should include additional firewalls or stoves. I've already submitted an application in the planning document to the company and am waiting for the division headquarters' approval. I estimate it will be implemented next spring."

"Next spring?" Shu Ran almost laughed in exasperation. "Then how will the children get through this winter? Freeze?"

Lin Xuezhou said helplessly, "That's the procedure, and supplies are also tight..."

“Programs are static, but people are dynamic,” Shu Ran interrupted him. “We can’t just sit here and wait.”

She stopped arguing with Lin Xuezhou, turned around and went out. She went to find Sister Wang first.

"The approval for the heated walls and stoves won't be granted anytime soon, and the children are freezing. Sister Wang, can we think of some simple solutions ourselves?"

Sister Wang, a martyr's family member, was well-regarded among the company's families and was known for her warm heart. Upon hearing this, she frowned: "That's right! Although there's a stove in the classroom to keep everyone warm, the children suffer sitting in it without warmth. Teacher Shu, what do you suggest? We support you!"

"I was thinking, could we find some old felt or plastic sheeting to seal up the gaps in the windows? Could we lay some dry grass on the ground? It won't be much of a help, but it'll at least keep out the wind and cold," Shu Ran said, sharing her ideas.

"That's a good idea!" Sister Wang slapped her thigh. "I'll ask around at a few other places for old felt. Hay is easy to get; the sideline production team has plenty of hay scraps. I'll talk to Li Xiulan about it."

With Sister Wang taking the lead, the families with children in school immediately sprang into action. One person contributed a tattered blanket, another donated some old cotton, and Li Xiulan also brought a lot of soft, clean bits of hay from the tofu shop.

Shu Ran, along with the older children and several enthusiastic family members, used their after-school time to start decorating the classroom. They used glue to stuff every gap in the doors and windows with rags and old cotton wadding, nailed plastic sheeting to the windows, and finally laid a thick layer of dry grass on the ground.

When Chen Yuanjiang passed by, this was the bustling scene he saw. Shu Ran, with an old headscarf wrapped around her head and some dust on her face, was tiptoeing and stuffing a wad of old cotton into the gap above the window frame. Several children were helping her by passing her things at her feet.

He reined in his horse, looked at it for a moment, then dismounted, walked over, took the cotton from Shu Ran's hand, stretched out his arm, and stuffed it into the highest crevice.

Shu Ran felt her hand go empty. She turned her head and saw Chen Yuanjiang's profile, which was very close to hers.

"It's drafty here," he said succinctly, then began checking the other windows, stuffing any leaks with old strips of cloth.

The children looked at him timidly, not daring to speak. Shu Ran, however, smiled: "Special Envoy Chen, your skills are quite good."

Chen Yuanjiang didn't turn around and continued what he was doing. "It's not great, but it shouldn't be bad either."

He helped fix several high and difficult-to-handle areas, nailed thick cotton curtains to the door frame, and finally checked the door hinges to make sure they opened and closed smoothly without any large gaps.

After finishing, he dusted off his hands and said to Shu Ran, "It's windy at night, so you should put a stick behind the door of your room."

"Okay, I've got it." Shu Ran nodded.

Chen Yuanjiang's gaze swept around the classroom, landing on the hay spread on the floor. He frowned slightly: "Hay is flammable, so be careful with fire. After school tonight, pile the hay outside the door and check it carefully to make sure there are no sparks."

Shu Ran quickly agreed: "Don't worry, I will definitely remind the children repeatedly and check them personally after school."

"Hmm." Chen Yuanjiang said no more and turned to leave.

With Chen Yuanjiang's help and reminders, the classroom's insulation and safety hazards were improved. Although it wasn't exactly a warm classroom, it was at least not as cold as before. The children sat in the classroom, which was covered with dry grass, and their feet felt a little warmer, making them more focused in class.

Seeing that the children were no longer shivering and had runny noses, Shu Ran felt much more at ease.