Chapter 126 "...After all, Comrade Shu Ran is young..."

In the office of the Education Section of the Division.

Shu Ran was hunched over her desk, drafting a report on recommendations for mobile teaching sites. A thick stack of materials and data submitted by various groups was piled up on the corner of the table.

“Officer Shu,” Wu Jianguo at the opposite table looked up, adjusted his glasses, “I think the literacy graduation rate reported by Group Z is a bit inflated. Last winter they had a snowstorm there, so the actual teaching time was insufficient. This number looks ridiculously good.”

Shu Ran looked up at him: "Pull up their teaching logs and original assessment records and check them. Pay special attention to whether the signatures match and whether the timeline is logical. Numbers can be embellished, but details don't lie."

Wu Jianguo was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Shu Ran to react so quickly and to the point. He quickly replied, "Okay, I'll go check right away."

Shu Ran lowered her head and continued writing her report. She knew very well that with her being set up as a role model, many people were watching. She had to do her work more thoroughly to silence the gossip and truly implement her ideas. Selfishness? She never denied it. Only by securing this position could she do more of what she wanted and protect the people and career she cared about.

After the work bell rang, the office gradually emptied out. Shu Ran rubbed her throbbing temples, preparing to finish writing the last paragraph.

Familiar footsteps sounded at the door. She didn't look up, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

Chen Yuanjiang walked to her table, put down something wrapped in old military cloth, and made a clattering sound.

"What?" Shu Ran put down her pen and looked at the square package.

"Open it and take a look." Chen Yuanjiang stood to the side, his gaze falling on her slightly tired face, and his brows furrowed.

Shu Ran untied the cloth bag, revealing a horseshoe clock with a clean and clear glass dial, the hour and minute hands moving steadily.

"This is?"

"These were taken from the warehouse after the logistics department cleaned it out. I was thinking that it would be more convenient for you to have a clock to tell the time when you're writing reports and planning the teaching schedule." Chen Yuanjiang's tone was as if he were stating a very ordinary official matter. "You can see it just by looking up, which is more convenient than looking at a watch."

Shu Ran's heart stirred, and she looked up to meet Chen Yuanjiang's gaze.

"Thank you." She didn't refuse, her fingers brushing against the glass dial. "It's really necessary. Director Sun is pressing for the report, and I'm worried about the time."

"Hmm," Chen Yuanjiang responded, his gaze sweeping over the report spread out on her desk. "Have you run into trouble?"

“There have always been difficulties.” Shu Ran straightened the clock. “The situations of each group are very different, and it’s really not easy to develop a standard that can be promoted and adapted to the local conditions. Teachers, teaching materials, time coordination… these are all problems.” She seemed to be talking to herself, but also seemed to be confiding in him.

Chen Yuanjiang listened in silence for a long while before finally speaking: "What do you need me to do?"

Shu Ran smiled, a hint of slyness in her eyes: "Deputy Director Chen, wouldn't you call this abusing your power for personal gain?"

A hint of unease flashed across Chen Yuanjiang's face, but he quickly regained his composure: "The work of the Security Department also includes ensuring the smooth progress of production and construction. Education and literacy are an important part of this." He spoke with righteous indignation, but his ears were slightly red.

Shu Ran knew when to stop teasing him: "Not for now. When I've sorted things out and need to use your name to make a big difference, I won't be polite."

Just then, the sound of Yang Zhenhua laughing and talking with others came from the corridor, getting closer and closer.

Chen Yuanjiang immediately took half a step back, creating some distance between himself and Shu Ran.

"You're busy, I'll be going now." He turned and strode away, nodding slightly as he brushed past Yang Zhenhua who was entering.

Yang Zhenhua walked in, looked at Chen Yuanjiang's back, then at the conspicuous horseshoe clock on Shu Ran's desk, his eyes were complicated for a moment, then he smiled: "Shu Ran, you haven't left yet? Director Sun asked me to ask you, when will the report be ready? The Corps is waiting for it."

"The earliest is the day after tomorrow." Shu Ran picked up her pen again.

"Do you need any help?"

"Thank you, but not for now." Shu Ran smiled and lowered her head to continue her work.

Yang Zhenhua nodded and then left.

The office fell silent again, broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the horseshoe clock. Shu Ran watched the ticking second hand, knowing the path she had chosen was not easy, but she felt she could take a few more steps forward.

She threw herself back into the report.

A few days later, Shu Ran finished the first draft of her report. She took the draft to Director Sun to report on it.

Director Sun observed carefully and asked questions from time to time.

"The idea of ​​implementing tiered management based on local conditions is correct. But how do you plan to implement teacher training? Especially in pastoral areas, language is the biggest hurdle."

Shu Ran was prepared: "Director, I suggest we recruit from within each regiment and company. Some ethnic minority comrades are fluent in Mandarin and have a good cultural foundation. They can receive short-term intensive training and become the backbone of teaching points in pastoral areas. In addition, we can compile some simple bilingual textbooks and picture books to lower the teaching threshold."

"Where's the money? Where are the supplies?" Director Sun cut to the chase. "Printing textbooks requires paper and ink, and centralized training requires food, lodging, and transportation. Will the logistics department approve these expenses?"

Shu Ran pulled another sheet of paper from the folder: "This is my preliminary budget and resource request list, which I've tried to compress as much as possible. Director, we can start with a pilot program, on a small scale. If we see results, we'll have more confidence in applying for resources later. Also," she paused, lowering her voice, "I heard that the Corps has allocated special education funds this year..."

Director Sun looked at her in surprise: "You're quite well-informed."

Shu Ran smiled but didn't speak. The source of the information was naturally a certain deputy director of the security department who "abused his power for personal gain." Chen Yuanjiang never directly interfered in her work, but he would always "inadvertently" provide some key information, allowing her to plan ahead.

"Leave the report with me for now," Director Sun finally decided. "I'll consider it further. But Shu Ran, you need to be prepared that even if the pilot program is approved, all the pressure will fall on you. If it succeeds, it's your job; if it fails, all your previous achievements may be questioned."

"I understand," Shu Ran said calmly. She was aware of the risks, but she also knew that opportunities were fleeting.

As I came out of the director's office, I saw Chen Yuanjiang waiting for me at the corner of the corridor, as if we had met by chance.

"How is it?" he asked, his gaze sweeping over the expression on her face.

"I'm waiting to get criticized." Shu Ran shrugged, trying to sound casual. "Director Sun thinks I asked for too much money."

Chen Yuanjiang looked at her and suddenly said, "In the Seventh Company of the Z Regiment, there is a veteran named Aini who speaks very good Chinese and works as a scorekeeper in the company. In the Livestock Team of the Y Regiment, there is a girl named Saren who went to junior high school. She is meticulous and good at drawing."

Shu Ran paused, then looked up at him.

Chen Yuanjiang looked straight ahead, his voice steady: "I just happened to see the file. It's your job to hire people; you can do the evaluation yourself." After saying that, he turned and walked in another direction.

Shu Ran watched his retreating figure and smiled helplessly. He always delivered the most difficult-to-obtain information to her in the most unassuming way, offering her support without ever interfering with her decisions.

After several rounds of discussion and revision, the pilot program was finally approved. It was smaller in scale than Shu Ran's application, covering only three regiments near the division headquarters, including the regiment where the livestock company was located. Resources were also reduced, but at least the opportunity was opened.

Shu Ran immediately threw herself into the work, selecting trainers and organizing the compilation of simplified teaching materials. She was so busy that she often didn't get back to her dormitory until very late.

That night, she dragged her tired body home and found a small cloth bag at the door. When she opened it, she found several clean apples and a small bag of roasted pumpkin seeds next to them.

She picked up an apple, took a bite, leaned against the door frame, and gazed at the cold moonlight in the division headquarters courtyard. The loneliness she felt from her busy life was gradually filled in.

However, even after the pilot program was just getting on track, things didn't go smoothly.

During a routine work meeting at the division headquarters, someone suddenly launched an attack.

"Director Sun, I've heard some feedback regarding our current pilot program of mobile teaching points." The speaker was a deputy section chief from the logistics department, surnamed Li. "Some comrades are saying that Comrade Shu Ran's approach is more about form than substance, wasting valuable resources just to show off. Especially those printed textbooks—they're all flashy and fancy, but how many characters can anyone actually read? It would be better to print more quotations!"

All eyes in the conference room immediately focused on Shu Ran.

Director Sun's expression remained unchanged: "Deputy Section Chief Li, which comrades specifically raised this issue? Are there any specific examples?"

Deputy Section Chief Li hesitated for a moment: "Well... I've only heard about it. Quite a few people have complained. After all, Comrade Shu Ran is young and a woman, so it's good that she has a lot of ideas, but we also need to be mindful of the impact and consider the practicalities."

These words were sarcastic and implied that Shu Ran was inexperienced, had a gender disadvantage, and was not reliable in her work.

Shu Ran's hands, resting on her knees, clenched slightly, but her face remained calm. She had long anticipated this turn of events.

“Deputy Section Chief Li,” she began, her tone devoid of any anger, “the teaching materials you mentioned mainly consist of picture flashcards and simple sentences related to production and daily life. The aim is to enable the staff, their families, and children in pastoral areas and remote production teams to quickly connect words with concrete things and actions. Printing quotations is certainly important, but wouldn't it be more effective to stimulate the masses' interest in learning and better align with the principle of seeking truth from facts to first let them recognize the words most relevant to their own production and daily life?”

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the attendees: "As for the waste of materials, all the paper and ink used in the pilot project are recorded, and every expenditure can be traced. If Deputy Section Chief Li is interested, he can come and review the accounts at any time. If there is indeed waste, I, Shu Ran, will take full responsibility. But if we reject a working method that is being tried and has initially shown results simply because of what we've heard or felt, I believe that would be unfair to the masses and to those comrades who persist in teaching under difficult conditions."

Her words were reasonable and well-founded, neither humble nor arrogant, directly refuting Deputy Section Chief Li.

The meeting room was silent. Some people showed approval, while others remained expressionless.

Director Sun cleared his throat: "Comrade Shu Ran's explanation is very clear. The pilot project was carried out with the approval of the division headquarters. If there are any problems, you can raise specific opinions, but don't just make vague accusations. Let's move on to the next topic."

After the meeting, Shu Ran walked back, her mind still unsettled. She knew this was just the beginning. She didn't know who was behind Deputy Section Chief Li, and this attack was likely just a test.

"Shu Ran." Chen Yuanjiang's voice came from behind.

She turned around.

He walked up to her and they walked side by side.

"You need me..." Chen Yuanjiang didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

"No need," Shu Ran interrupted him. "If you can't even handle this little bit of trouble, how will you do anything in the future?"

Chen Yuanjiang looked at her profile, hummed in agreement, and didn't insist any further.