Chapter 130 "Adil? What brings you here..."

The two went to the canteen, got their food, and found a corner seat. Eating together was now a common occurrence for them, and most of the people at the division headquarters were used to it, though occasionally curious glances would still fall on them. Shu Ran remained calm and composed, while Chen Yuanjiang completely ignored them.

During the meal, Chen Yuanjiang casually mentioned, "Little Li from the security department, his brother-in-law wanted to get a special approval slip last time, but I blocked it."

Shu Ran paused, her chopsticks still, and immediately understood. So this was the source of the problem. Deputy Director Li, not daring to directly confront Chen Yuanjiang, had taken his anger out on her.

"No wonder," Shu Ran snorted. "They're trying to make amends on me."

Chen Yuanjiang took a bite of rice, his tone flat: "You don't need to pay attention to it. Your work is solid, he can't find any major mistakes. At most, he'll say a few sarcastic things in the meeting, just pretend you didn't hear them."

Shu Ran, however, was not so optimistic. It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against a hidden arrow. Deputy Director Li is in charge of logistics, and in the future, she will inevitably have to deal with him. She can't always let Chen Yuanjiang bear the brunt of everything.

She slowly chewed her steamed bun, her mind racing. A direct confrontation wouldn't work, and showing weakness was even worse. She needed to find a way to get things done, keep Deputy Director Li from getting angry, and even get him to support her.

The next day, the education work exchange meeting was held on time. All the representatives and heads of relevant departments were present, and the meeting room was packed.

Shu Ran saw that Deputy Director Li was indeed sitting in the front row, talking to the person next to him, his eyes occasionally sweeping over her, with a hint of coldness.

After the host's opening remarks, Shu Ran was asked to give the main speech.

Shu Ran stood up and walked to the front of the stage. Her gaze swept across the audience, lingering briefly on Chen Yuanjiang—he was sitting in the back, looking at her.

She began her report.

From the establishment of the primary school to the promotion of literacy classes and the exploration of teaching points, she presented the significance and achievements of border education work to the public through a series of examples and data.

When she talked about the need for supplies, she paused for a moment, and many people in the audience perked up their ears. Deputy Director Li also sat up straight.

Shu Ran remained calm and changed the subject: "Of course, we also fully recognize that under the current conditions, a full rollout faces real difficulties in terms of materials and funding. Therefore, during the pilot program, we paid special attention to tapping into internal potential and advocating for thrifty school management."

“We’ve done the math,” Shu Ran said, taking out another prepared summary report. “If we adopt this frugal school management model and initially promote ten mobile teaching sites throughout the entire division, the additional material procurement costs can be controlled within 30% of the initial budget. Moreover, many materials can be sourced locally and reused repeatedly, greatly reducing subsequent maintenance costs.”

A murmur rippled through the audience. Director Sun smiled approvingly. Deputy Director Li frowned, seemingly surprised by Shu Ran's move.

Shu Ran looked at Deputy Director Li and said sincerely, "Deputy Director Li, the comrades in the Logistics Department work very hard to ensure the supply of materials for the entire division. We in the education sector cannot just wait and rely on others, thus increasing the burden on other departments. This plan for running the school frugally still needs the experts in the Logistics Department to review it and see where we can do better and save more money."

Since she has already said that, if Deputy Director Li continues to insist on her being wasteful, it would seem unreasonable.

Sure enough, Deputy Director Li opened his mouth, his expression changed several times, and finally, under Director Sun's gaze, he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Well, Comrade Shu Ran's idea... is very good and worth promoting. The Logistics Department will definitely support it."

Shu Ran breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for your support, Deputy Director Li."

She continued, offering a more crucial suggestion: "To utilize resources more effectively and avoid duplication of construction and waste, I propose that the Education Section of the Division Headquarters, in conjunction with the Logistics Department and the Publicity Section, establish a resource coordination group to regularly communicate needs, coordinate the allocation of materials, and share teaching experiences. This will not only improve efficiency but also ensure that every resource is used effectively."

This suggestion essentially brings the logistics department into the picture at the institutional level, changing it from the education section applying for supplies unilaterally to a collaborative effort involving several departments. If Deputy Director Li were to secretly sabotage this process, he would be undermining cooperation, and the responsibility would fall on him.

Director Sun immediately agreed: "That's a great suggestion! I think we can implement it as soon as possible. Old Li, is your logistics department okay with that?"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Deputy Director Li could only nod: "No problem, cooperating with the Education Section is what we should do."

Shu Ran's speech ended with applause. She stepped down from the podium, feeling a thin layer of sweat on her back, but she felt exceptionally happy.

After the meeting, the crowd gradually left. Chen Yuanjiang was waiting at the door. When she came out, he handed her a military water bottle.

"Have some water," he said succinctly.

Shu Ran took it, unscrewed the cap, drank a few sips, looked up at him with a smile, a hint of smugness in her eyes, and whispered, "How was it?"

Chen Yuanjiang looked into her bright eyes, then looked away at the bustling crowd in front of him. His expression remained normal, but his tone carried a hint of doting: "Not bad."

The two walked out with the flow of people.

A resource coordination team was quickly established. The atmosphere at the first meeting was somewhat awkward. Deputy Director Li sent a section chief to attend, but did not show up himself. The section chief was polite but distant, repeatedly emphasizing the difficulties of the material list proposed by Shu Ran and requesting further reductions and a review.

Shu Ran was prepared. She explained the frugal school management plan in detail again, emphasizing how to do the most with the least amount of money. Yang Zhenhua from the publicity department was also present and chimed in, emphasizing the political significance and publicity value of the matter.

Seeing that there were no major problems, the section chief reluctantly signed the preliminary list of preferences.

"Comrade Shu Ran, it's not that our logistics department doesn't support our work, it's just that we're short of resources." After the meeting, the section chief spoke in an official tone, "We'll try our best to procure these items, but we can't guarantee the timeline."

Shu Ran smiled as she saw him off: "I understand, I completely understand. Thank you for your hard work, Section Chief. We will also try our best to find ways to alleviate the pressure on the logistics department."

After seeing the logistics department staff off, Yang Zhenhua gave Shu Ran a thumbs up: "Impressive, a strategic retreat."

Shu Ran shook her head: "There was no other way, it was forced out of us." This is only the first step. There's still a lot of work to be done to truly put it into practice.

To her surprise, a few days later, Chen Yuanjiang came to see her in the evening and handed her a form.

"What is this?" Shu Ran took it and saw that it was a list of supplies, which listed the quantities of some supplies and indicated their possible sources—stuffed goods from a regimental warehouse that needed repair; old items discarded by a company's logistics point that could be transferred.

"You... how did you get these?" Shu Ran looked up at him in surprise. These were the more difficult parts of her list.

Chen Yuanjiang remained calm, as if he had done something insignificant: "I looked around. These things are just sitting there anyway. Submitting a report to request a transfer is a legitimate reason, so there shouldn't be any problem." He paused, then added, "Don't make a fuss."

"Thank you," she said softly.

Chen Yuanjiang glanced at her and said, "Don't be polite with me."

With the information provided by Chen Yuanjiang, Shu Ran was much more at ease when she went to see the section chief in the logistics department again. She no longer made vague requests for support, but instead put forward her specific needs and alternative solutions, even suggesting that the education department could send people to participate in the repair of some of the old items.

The section chief clearly hadn't expected Shu Ran to be so knowledgeable about the supplies below, so his attitude softened considerably, and his coordination efficiency improved. Although the process was still fraught with difficulties, the first batch of basic supplies for expanding the three new mobile teaching sites finally arrived gradually after half a month.

Shu Ran immediately sprang into action, taking two officers who had been seconded to the site and several parents of students who had some carpentry skills and had been seconded from the livestock company, and threw herself into the preparation of the teaching point. She personally oversaw everything, from site selection and coordination with the local company and pastoral area to leading people to build simple sheds and make desks and benches.

The Gobi Desert was windy and sandy, and the sun was scorching. After a few days, Shu Ran's face was sunburned and peeling, and her hands were blistered. The officers who came down with her complained in private, but seeing that Shu Ran, a woman, could endure more hardship than them, they could only grit their teeth and persevere.

Chen Yuanjiang would occasionally glance at the nearby dwelling from afar, but never approached to disturb it. Sometimes, when Shu Ran returned to the dugout where she was temporarily staying at night, she would find some cooled mung bean soup or other food placed at the door.

As Shu Ran drank the refreshing mung bean soup and looked at the exceptionally clear Milky Way in the sky, her tired body was filled with renewed energy.

A month later, three new mobile teaching sites were finally completed. Although still rudimentary, at least they provided shelter from the wind and rain, blackboards for writing, and sturdy desks.

On the first day of school, workers from nearby production teams and herders from pastoral areas gathered with their children in front of the newly built shed. Shu Ran stood on the podium, looking at the children below, feeling a great sense of accomplishment.

She didn't preach any grand principles; she simply told the children that here they could learn to write their own names, recognize numbers, read work point books, and understand more stories on the radio.

The first teaching point was staffed by a young cadre. Shu Ran personally taught the first lesson, instructing them on common characters and basic science. The children studied diligently, and their voices, accompanied by the sound of the Gobi Desert wind, carried far and wide.

For the other two teaching sites, one hired a family member from the local company who had completed junior high school as a substitute teacher, while the other was run by another officer from the education department on a rotating basis. Teacher quality remained the biggest weakness, but at least the first step from scratch had been taken.

After completing the initial setup and instruction at these three teaching sites, Shu Ran returned to the division headquarters. She had lost a lot of weight, but her spirits were high. She began to organize the experience gained from this expansion, especially how to efficiently utilize resources under conditions of scarcity and how to mobilize local resources to participate in running the schools, resulting in a detailed report.

Director Sun was very satisfied with the report and specifically praised Shu Ran at the department meeting, and decided to distribute this experience material to all regiments for reference and study.

Shu Ran's position in the teacher training system was further solidified.

That day, Shu Ran was copying materials in her office when the young man at the gatehouse ran over and said that a boy from the pastoral area named Adil had come to see her.

Shu Ran was stunned for a moment, then quickly put down her pen and ran out.

At the entrance of the division headquarters, Adil, looking travel-worn, was waiting there with a horse in his hand.

More than half a year had passed, and he had grown taller, with broad shoulders, and much of the childishness in his eyes had faded. When he saw Shu Ran, his eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over to her.

"Teacher Shu!"

"Adili? What brings you here?" Shu Ran was both surprised and delighted, looking him up and down. "You've grown so much taller!"

Adil grinned, revealing a familiar smile. "Teacher Shu, my mother sent me."

He turned around and took a bulging sheepskin bag off his horse, handing it to Shu Ran. "Jerky and milk curds, Mom said to bring them for you."

The heavy bag contained the heartfelt gift from the herders. Shu Ran felt a warmth in her heart and accepted it: "Thank you, Mom, and thank you for coming all this way."

“It’s not far.” Adil shook his head, then his expression became serious. He looked at Shu Ran and pleaded, “Teacher Shu, I’m here. I need your help.”

"What is it? Tell me." Shu Ran led him a few steps to the shady side.

Adil organized his thoughts and said, "Technician Liu from the company's veterinary station is going to take people to various pastoral teams to teach them how to prevent sheep diseases and how to vaccinate sheep. We need to find someone who can speak some Chinese and can travel to pastoral areas to help us."

He looked at Shu Ran with eager eyes, "I...I want to go. I told Technician Liu, and he said that my family has to agree, and...and you have to think I'm capable, Teacher Shu."

Shu Ran immediately understood. Technician Liu was organizing a livestock disease prevention and control science popularization team to go deep into the pastoral areas. This work was arduous, requiring long-distance travel, exposure to wind and sun, and interaction with herders. It definitely needed a clever, hardworking young person who could speak some Chinese and knew about the pastoral areas as an assistant.

Adil is undoubtedly a suitable candidate. He is familiar with the pastoral areas, speaks fluent and standard Mandarin, and has a tenacious spirit.

"Did Technician Liu personally select you?" Shu Ran confirmed.

Adil nodded vigorously: "Yes!"

Looking into his eager eyes, Shu Ran quickly weighed her options. This was indeed a good opportunity for Adil to gain access to more practical knowledge, broaden his horizons, and truly do something useful for the pastoral area. Although he was still young, children in the pastoral area matured early; at fourteen, he was already half a laborer.

"Do your parents agree?" Shu Ran asked the crucial question.

“Agreed!” Adil said hurriedly. “My dad said it’s a good thing to learn skills from a technician. It’s just… he’s worried that I won’t do a good job and will cause trouble for Technician Liu, and… and also embarrass you, Teacher Shu.” He lowered his head, his voice becoming softer.

Shu Ran smiled and patted his arm: "Adili, the fact that you thought of taking this opportunity shows that you've grown up and become responsible. Technician Liu is willing to hire you because he believes in your abilities. I think you can do it!"

"Really? Teacher Shu, you think I can do it?"

“Okay!” Shu Ran nodded firmly. “However, this job is very hard. You have to be obedient, learn diligently, not be afraid of being tired, and not give up halfway.”

"I'm not afraid!" Adil straightened his chest, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement and determination. "I will definitely study hard and work hard!"

"Okay." Shu Ran thought for a moment, "Wait for me, I'll write a note, you can take it to Technician Liu." She returned to her office and quickly wrote a note supporting Adil's participation in the epidemic prevention team, and affirming his character and ability, as a form of guarantee.

She handed the note to Adil and gave him a few more instructions on what to be careful about when going out with the technician. Adil carefully folded the note and put it in his pocket.

"Thank you, Teacher Shu!" He bowed deeply, mounted his horse with nimble and swift movements, and said, "I'm going back! I'll tell Technician Liu the good news!"

Watching his departing figure on horseback, she was filled with mixed emotions. This boy who once looked at her with hostility, this brother who kicked down the classroom door to protect his sister, was now embarking on a path where he could better realize his value.