Chapter 43... Could it really be the Fairy Tale of the Snail Goddess? ...

The controversy surrounding the bone pencils gradually subsided. Holding the newly polished, smooth bone pencils, the children were more careful when writing, and also felt a sense of pride in participating in the creation process.

With the double protection of the red antiseptic and Xu Junjun's careful examination, Tiger's finger quickly swelled up and scabbed over, becoming a small badge of honor representing his bravery.

Life seemed to have returned to its previous rhythm. But Shu Ran's anxiety about the scarcity of supplies remained. The chalk would run out sooner or later; the stone chalk was too dusty, and it would blur after only a few words; the scrap reports were also almost gone, the backs covered with dense writing, and when flipped over, there wasn't even room for new strokes in the corners.

That morning, as usual, Shu Ran was the first to arrive at the tool shed classroom. She pushed open the door and habitually glanced around. When her gaze fell on the wicker basket in the corner of the teacher's desk, which was used to store spare items, she froze.

The basket was originally cluttered with some smooth pebbles that I had collected, a few spare red willow pointers, and some anonymous plaster powder from last time. But now, on top of that pile of things, there were several small bundles of things.

It's a pencil!

Brand new pencils! Three neatly bundled bundles, tied with thin hemp rope, lay quietly on top of the miscellaneous items in the wicker basket.

Shu Ran almost held her breath as she stepped forward and carefully picked up the bundle of pencils. The pencils were smooth, without a single shaving or splinter. These were definitely not the ordinary pencils from the company's supply and marketing cooperative that required ration coupons and were often out of stock; they were more like... high-quality goods that could only be obtained from the division or regimental headquarters.

She quickly looked around. The door lock was intact, and the reinforcing wooden strips of the windows were unmoved. The classroom was exactly the same as when she left yesterday, except for this pencil that had appeared out of nowhere.

Another anonymous shipment! Last time it was chalk stubs and plaster powder, this time it's pencils!

Shu Ran clutched the bundle of pencils, her mind a jumble of emotions. There was gratitude, confusion, and above all, unease—who was behind this silent gift, and what was their motive?

She didn't make a sound, carefully placed the pencil in the teacher's desk drawer, and locked it. She began sweeping and tidying as usual. But her mind was already far away.

After school, Shu Ran immediately locked the classroom door and went straight to the infirmary.

"Jun Jun!" Shu Ran pushed open the door and went in. Xu Jun Jun was packing medicine for a young man who was coughing.

"What's wrong? You seem to be in a real emergency." Xu Junjun finished wrapping the medicine, handed it to the young man, and gave him a few words of advice.

After the young man left, Shu Ran lowered her voice, sounding a little anxious: "The Snail Fairy is here again!"

"What?" Xu Junjun didn't react.

"Pencils! Real pencils! Three bundles, just put them in my classroom basket!" Shu Ran gestured. "Just like the chalk stubs and plaster powder last time, they'll be gone without anyone noticing!"

Xu Junjun's eyes widened instantly: "Really?" She leaned closer to Shu Ran, "Tell me quickly, are there any clues?"

Shu Ran described in detail the appearance of the pencil, how it was tied, and its location. "The door lock was intact, and the window wasn't moved. Tell me, how did this person get in? They couldn't have walked through the wall, could they?"

Xu Junjun stroked her chin, paced a few steps in the small clinic, and frowned: "Hiss... This is strange. Last time, chalk stubs and plaster powder could be explained by slipping them in during the chaos or when there were too many people around. This time, the door was firmly locked! Unless... this person knows how to pick locks? Or has a key?"

"Only Shi Tou and I have backup keys. Shi Tou, the accountant?" Shu Ran shook her head. "Impossible. He's a very business-like person. He takes forever to approve a note. He would never sneak something in."

"Then who else could it be?" Xu Junjun counted on her fingers. "Sister Wang? She's kind-hearted, but she doesn't have the connections to get such good pencils. Li Xiulan? She's even less likely to. The Party Secretary? If they wanted to give them, they could just issue a note to the custodian; why would they need to sneak around? Zhao Weidong?" She scoffed, "He'd love for you to catch up sooner!"

The two of them went through all the notable people in the company in their minds, and both thought it was impossible.

"Could it be..." Xu Junjun's eyes suddenly lit up, and she lowered her voice, whispering, "Chen Yuanjiang?"

The name immediately flashed through Shu Ran's mind. Only he, with his special identity and mysterious actions, had the ability to obtain such scarce resources. Li Xiulan had guessed it was him last time with the plaster powder. Moreover, he had indeed passed on information about the stone pen at a crucial moment, which could be considered a form of indirect support.

“But,” Shu Ran voiced her doubts, “if it was him, why didn’t he just give it to him directly? Or have the company commander pass it on? Isn’t it stranger for a security officer to do it so secretly? If he gets caught, it will be hard to explain.”

“That’s true.” Xu Junjun’s spark of inspiration died down again. “He’s a very principled person, and he does things very meticulously. Secretly slipping things in isn’t like him at all. Besides, did he really need to be so mysterious? If he just said he was supporting literacy programs, who could argue with him?”

"Could it be... Zhou Wenbin?" The thought suddenly popped into Shu Ran's mind, startling even herself. The idea made her instantly feel that the pencil in her hand was burning hot.

"Him?" Xu Junjun raised her eyebrows high, her face full of disgust. "He wouldn't be so kind. It's like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken! His motives for approaching Xiulan are impure. Giving you pencils? What's he after? Does he want you to put in a good word for him with the leaders? Or does he want to shut you up and tell you to mind your own business with Xiulan? The price is too high, isn't it? He thinks he can bribe you, Shu Ran, with just a few pencils?"

Xu Junjun shook her head repeatedly, "No, no. He's an exceptionally shrewd man. If he were to give you anything, it would be some cheap old books, and you'd have to thank him for it. Would he really give away such a good pencil?"

Shu Ran also felt that this possibility was very low. Zhou Wenbin's investment target was clearly Li Xiulan; with her, it was more of a trial and error. Sending pencils? The motive was really far-fetched.

"Then who else could it be?" Xu Junjun scratched her head. "It can't really be the Fairy Tale of the Snail Goddess, can it? Or... is it some leader from the division headquarters who's secretly keeping an eye on our school?"

“If the division leadership is concerned, it should be done through official channels.” Shu Ran sighed. “Jun Jun, I’m a little panicked. Should we use this ambiguous thing or not? If we use it, what if it causes trouble in the future and we can’t explain its origin? If we don’t use it, the children are eagerly waiting to write…”

She looked at Xu Junjun and said, "Next time, if he sends it again, we have to find a way to catch him! At least we need to know who it is!"

"That's it! Catch him red-handed!" Xu Junjun perked up. "Let's set a trap! Let him slip up!"

The trap plan quickly took shape during their secret plotting.

The goal is clear: when anonymous supplies reappear next time, leave a mark or try to witness them.

Shu Ran was in charge of the classroom interior. She carefully checked the doors and windows, confirming there were no other entrances. The only thing she saw was a keyhole and a latch; she fell into deep thought.

“A hair! A thin thread!” Shu Ran said to Xu Junjun, “Isn’t that how it is in the movies? They stick a very thin hair or thread near the latch or keyhole, and when the door opens, the thread breaks or the hair falls off, and they know someone has been in!”

“That works!” Xu Junjun’s eyes lit up. “Our clinic has suture thread that’s fine and strong enough! We can use glue if we want to stick it on! It’s sticky enough and won’t be noticeable when it dries.”

“Wait a minute,” Shu Ran frowned slightly, realizing the key issue, “No way. I have to open the door every day to come in. If the thread is stuck in the door crack, won’t it break as soon as I push the door open? The same goes for the drawer lock. I have to unlock it every day to get things.”

Xu Junjun was also stunned: "Oh dear! I forgot about that! What should we do? We can't just stake out every night, can we? We might not even run into them."

The two of them stared at the reinforced, thick wooden door and the brass lock, deep in thought.

"Got it!" Shu Ran's gaze fell on the corner of the threshold below the inside of the door, where there was a very thin gap formed by the uneven ground, which usually accumulated dust.

"Jun Jun, look there!" She squatted down and pointed. "We'll stick the thread to the very bottom of the door panel, close to the ground! Stretch the thread taut, cross the threshold gap, and stick it to the ground on the other side of the threshold! Cover the thread ends with ash!"

Xu Junjun also squatted down to take a closer look: "Ingenious! When this door is opened, there is a gap between the bottom of the door and the ground, but when people enter or exit, they step on the inside of the threshold, not on the part of the thread sticking to the outside of the threshold! Only if someone tries to pry open the door from the outside or reaches in from the outside to grab something and touches the thread, the thread might break! When you open and close the door normally, the door panel slides horizontally and won't touch it!"

Without further ado, Xu Junjun contributed a small, extremely thin piece of thread. Shu Ran cooked some thin paste, and the two of them stuck the thread end firmly to the bottom edge of the door, near the corner. They stretched the thread taut, making sure it almost touched the ground as it crossed the narrow gap in the threshold. They then stuck the other end of the thread into a small indentation on the ground directly opposite the threshold, and quickly covered the indentation and the thread with a little dust on their fingertips.

After doing all this, the two stepped back a few paces and looked closely, but could hardly see any trace.

Shu Ran tried opening and closing the door normally a few times, then squatted down to observe. The wire outside the threshold remained unmoved, and the wire inside the threshold was not scratched by the door panel.

"It's done!" Xu Junjun patted the dust off her hands. "If this snail fairy comes again, unless she can walk through walls or take things from a distance, she'll have to move the basket or make some noise to touch the door if she wants to put something in it! As long as the string is broken or the basket has been moved, it proves that someone has been in!"

After arranging everything, Shu Ran and Xu Junjun exchanged a smile, a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. They agreed that every morning when Shu Ran opened the door, Xu Junjun would try to find an excuse to "bump into" her. Shu Ran would immediately squat down to check if the loose threads outside the threshold were intact, if their positions had been moved, and if there were any unusual traces of dust on the ground.

The next two days were calm and peaceful. The willow baskets were empty except for the pretty pebbles the children had collected.

Every day after opening the door, Shu Ran would squat down to check. The loose thread outside the threshold was neatly stuck in the small indentation, half-covered by dust; the loose thread under the basket was also neatly stuck in the shallow indentation, covered by dust as usual. Xu Junjun would always happen to pass by the classroom door shortly after Shu Ran's inspection, and the two would exchange a "nothing's wrong" look.

On the morning of the third day, Shu Ran walked to the classroom door, took out her key, and opened it. The lock clicked open, and she pushed the door open and habitually looked at the willow basket.

She breathed a sigh of relief, yet felt a little disappointed, and took out her key to open the door. The lock clicked open, and she pushed the door open and went inside. Her gaze habitually fell on the wicker basket.

Inside the basket, a cardboard box with a simple blue pattern lay quietly.

Shu Ran walked over quickly and picked up the box. Two clear Chinese characters were printed on it: Eraser.

Upon opening the box, I found a whole dozen square drawing erasers inside, emitting a faint rubbery smell.

It's a drawing eraser, which is much better than those hard erasers that easily tear paper in the supply and marketing cooperative.

The thing has appeared again! Right under her nose, without the door lock wire trap reacting at all, the thing has reappeared!

Shu Ran, disregarding her excitement, immediately checked the trap.

The loose thread was still in the small indentation on the outside of the threshold, firmly stuck together, covered in dust, and its position seemed unchanged. She gently blew away some of the dust; there was no sign of a break.

How is this possible?! The thing has clearly reappeared! Does the other party have special abilities?

Unwilling to give up, she brushed aside the dust, wanting a closer look. The black thread, which should have been taut, was still stuck to the bottom of the pit, but it had clearly lost its tension. Moreover, the area near the end of the thread where the paste was stuck together seemed to have been slightly pulled. It didn't seem like it had fallen off naturally; it looked more like the adhesive point had been loosened very precisely and slightly, so that the thread remained sticky while actually being detached.

Holding the box of erasers, Shu Ran stood in the empty classroom, feeling a chill creep up her spine. The other person was not only cautious and skillful, avoiding the obstacles she had carefully set up, but had even anticipated this last step she had laid out – it was practically flawless.

Xu Junjun came running, panting, clearly also thinking about the trap. "How is it? Any movement?"

Shu Ran handed her the rubber box, pointed to the intact thread, and shook her head with a wry smile: "The things have arrived. The threshold line was well disguised. If I hadn't brushed away the dust to take a closer look, I would have been fooled."

Xu Junjun took the eraser, looked at the thread again, and gasped: "My God... this person even knew you could check for dust? And even loosened the thread before disguising it? What... what kind of person is this?"

The two women exchanged bewildered glances, both seeing fear in each other's eyes. This mysterious snail fairy's caution, experience, and predictive abilities were completely beyond their comprehension.

“Jun Jun, do you think… could it really be…” Shu Ran pointed again to that name that they both knew the unspoken truth about.

“Besides him, I really can’t think of anyone else.” Xu Junjun didn’t immediately refute this time. She rubbed the eraser. “But…why is he doing this? What’s he after? He’s being sneaky, which is completely different from his usual style.”

“Perhaps…it’s because he’s a security officer?” Shu Ran pondered. “His identity is sensitive. Giving him supplies directly might cause gossip? Or he might be worried about attracting unnecessary attention and trouble for me? After all, given my background…” She paused. “Or perhaps he’s carrying out some mission we don’t know about? And he did it on the side? But this would be far too convenient…”

"Sigh, I can't figure it out, I really can't figure it out." Xu Junjun scratched her hair in frustration. "So what do we do now? This eraser... should we use it?"

The eraser box and the pencil were like two hot potatoes. Using them would solve the immediate problem; the children wouldn't have to use saliva or stones to erase their mistakes anymore, they could erase them cleanly. But these things of dubious origin—what if someone traced them later…

No need? Watching the children scribbling and drawing on the back of discarded reports, smearing large areas because of a single mistake, or even tearing them up to start over—the extreme scarcity of resources is a reality, and any opportunity to improve learning conditions is invaluable.

More importantly, Shu Ran thought of the person who delivered the items. Whoever it was, going to great lengths to deliver these things unnoticed, why? Wasn't it to provide the children with better stationery and to support her school? If she refused to use them because of her concerns and instead reported it, wouldn't she be betraying their good intentions? She might even be causing trouble for the person who delivered them. This would be a huge loss for both the children and herself.

After much deliberation, Shu Ran's gaze gradually hardened.

“Use it!” she said to Xu Junjun decisively. “So that the children can write well, so as not to disappoint the person who gave us this, and so for ourselves—with a good eraser, we can write many more words on the scrap paper we save! As for the risks…”

She took a deep breath. "I'll take responsibility! If anyone asks, I'll say I don't know who put it there. Maybe it was the organization secretly helping out, or maybe it was an anonymous donation from some kind person. Anyway, the things were used for the right purpose, for the children, and I have a clear conscience!"

"Okay! I support you!" Xu Junjun slapped her thigh. "Even if the sky falls, there's still the organization! We didn't embezzle anything! Use it!"

In the first class of the afternoon, Shu Ran did not immediately begin teaching new characters. She solemnly placed the bundles of pencils and the brand-new box of erasers on the teacher's desk.

The children's eyes were instantly drawn to it. A pencil! A real pencil! And what's that pale yellow square? An eraser? They'd seen them at the supply and marketing cooperative, but they were always small and hard. This one looks so big and beautiful, teacher!

"Classmates," Shu Ran said candidly, "today, our classroom has gained two more precious learning supplies."

She picked up a pencil: "This is a pencil. Writing with it is smoother, clearer, and produces more beautiful strokes than our bone pencil."

She picked up another eraser. "This is an eraser. When we accidentally write the wrong word, we can use it to gently erase it and rewrite it without having to blacken it out or tear up the precious paper."

The children gasped softly, their eyes sparkling as they stared intently at what the teacher was holding.

"Teacher wants to tell you all," Shu Ran said, looking at the eager and curious little faces below, "that these things weren't issued by the company, nor were they bought by the teacher. The teacher doesn't know exactly which kind person quietly and silently placed them in our classroom."

The children were stunned, exchanging bewildered glances. Who had sent it?

"The teacher knows everyone is curious, and the teacher is curious too," Shu Ran said frankly. "Maybe it's an uncle or aunt who cares about everyone's studies, or maybe it's the organization that knows about our difficulties and is helping us in this way. They don't want to leave their names, maybe they're afraid of causing us trouble, or maybe they just want to quietly watch everyone study hard."

She paused, then spoke with even greater seriousness: "Regardless of who sent them, this gesture is meant to help us learn more and understand the world. Therefore, the teacher has decided to distribute these pencils and erasers to everyone!"

Cheers erupted in the classroom, but quickly fell silent as the children watched Shu Ran with bated breath.

"But!" Shu Ran raised her voice, "Precisely because they are precious and hard-won, we must cherish them even more! Pencils should be used sparingly; if you can't hold them anymore, you can tie a small stick to them and continue using them! Erasers should not be played with, and they should not be wasted; you should erase gently! Can everyone do that?"

"Yes—!" the children answered in unison.

"Okay!" Shu Ran smiled. "Now, the teacher will distribute them to each study group. The group leaders will keep them and everyone will take turns using them, supervising and cherishing each other! Shi Tou, Shuan Zhu, Adil, and Chun Cao, you are the group leaders, come up and get them."

The four children walked forward excitedly and nervously, carefully accepting the pencils and erasers distributed by Shu Ran, and returned to their groups as if holding rare treasures. Holding the pencils and looking at the magical erasers, the children seemed even more enthusiastic about learning.

As Shu Ran watched this scene, her initial unease and concerns were gradually soothed by the children's innocent gaze. As a teacher, isn't the most important thing to create learning opportunities for children and guide them towards the light? As for who lit the candle behind that light, as long as the candle itself is pure and illuminates the path ahead, why insist on seeing the face of the candle-bearer?

She turned around and forcefully wrote a large character on the blackboard: "珍" (Zhen).

"Classmates, today we will not only learn new characters, but also understand the significance of these characters." Shu Ran pointed to the blackboard, "'珍' means precious and to cherish. It tells us that some things are hard to come by and we need to cherish them as we cherish our eyes."

"Just like the pencils and erasers in our hands. Where did they come from? We don't know which kind-hearted person gave them to us anonymously. But it is precisely because we don't know who it was, and we don't know if there will be a next time, that we understand their 'preciousness' even more!"

The children instinctively gripped their stationery tightly, their little faces showing a serious expression. Even the most mischievous Tie Dan put down his eraser.

“We should not only cherish these stationery items,” Shu Ran’s tone became more serious, “but also cherish the opportunity to sit here and read and learn to read! Think of those children in the pastoral areas who haven’t been able to come to school yet, think of the effort we’ve put into learning! Think of our parents who worked hard to dig ditches and earn work points! All of this deserves to be cherished in our hearts!”

She picked up the chalk and, next to the large character "珍" (zhen, meaning precious) on the blackboard, forcefully wrote two words: 珍珍 (zhen zhi, meaning cherish/value).

treasure.

“Cherish all the learning opportunities we have now! Treat every word we learn as a treasure! Store them in your minds and remember them in your hearts; no one can steal them away! This is the best way to thank that kind-hearted person, and also the best way to be true to ourselves! Don't you all agree?”

“Yes!” the children answered loudly.

Shi Tou nodded vigorously and carefully placed the pencil back into a pencil case made from an old tin can in the group. Adil looked at the character "珍" (zhen, meaning precious) he had written, then at his sister Ayman carefully stroking the eraser, pursed his lips, and carefully put the pale yellow eraser into the small cloth bag he had sewn.

Bayan and Saidar, the two pastoral children who were auditing the class, although their Chinese was not very fluent, looked at the word on the blackboard, listened to Shu Ran's powerful words, and saw the solemn expressions of their Han Chinese companions. They could vaguely understand the weight of the message, and their eyes were filled with longing and pride—they were also people who could share in this precious gift.

After class, Shu Ran had just seen the children off and was preparing to tidy up the classroom when Li Xiulan came running in with light steps, carrying a small bowl wrapped in a clean, damp cloth.

"Teacher Shu!" She handed over the bowl with a hopeful smile. "It's for the children!"

Shu Ran lifted a corner of the damp cloth, revealing several pieces of tofu inside. They were white and tender, with a fresh bean aroma, but instead of the usual square blocks, they had been carefully cut into small shapes. Although the edges weren't perfectly neat, it was clear that thought had been put into them.

"Xiulan, what is this?" Shu Ran was somewhat surprised, but more touched by the sentiment. She knew that the tofu from the side-work team was distributed by quantity and block, so making it like this must have involved using extra scraps or taking more effort.

"I tried making this at the tofu shop today!" Li Xiulan's eyes shone brightly, with a hint of pride like she was showing off a treasure. "I used the scraps that were cut off, and... well, I was thinking that the kids need to use their brains for studying, so this little bit of bean dregs stuff won't take up their quota. It's just something to eat for fun, and it looks a bit novel, so maybe they'll be happy?"

She paused, lowered her voice, and added, "Technician Zhou... Comrade Zhou Wenbin just happened to be passing by, saw it, and said... said the kids would definitely like something new and interesting..."

Shu Ran's guard immediately tightened. It was Zhou Wenbin again! He just happened to be passing by? And he even gave her pointers on how to shape the tofu? His attention to Xiulan was clearly beyond that of an ordinary colleague.

But looking into Li Xiulan's eager eyes, he just couldn't bring himself to refuse.

Shu Ran took the bowl and exclaimed sincerely, "Oh my, it looks so beautiful! Xiu Lan, you're so skillful! The children will be overjoyed to see it! You've thought of everything! Thank you, Xiu Lan!"

Li Xiulan's face flushed instantly, and her eyes brightened even more. She was a little flustered: "No...it's nothing! It's just some bean curd residue...I'm glad you like it, Teacher Shu! I'm glad the children like it!"

“

"I love it! I definitely love it!" Shu Ran carefully placed the bowl on the teacher's desk. "This is much more interesting than plain, square tofu! Xiu Lan, your thoughtfulness will be appreciated by the children!"

"Okay!" Li Xiulan nodded vigorously, a satisfied smile on her face. "Then... I'll head back now!" She turned and walked away with light steps.

Shu Ran's smile slowly faded, and her brows furrowed slightly. She looked at the bowl of tofu, her heart heavy. Xiu Lan's intentions were pure, but Zhou Wenbin's shadow clung to her like a persistent thorn, preventing her from peacefully enjoying this warmth.

He took advantage of Xiulan's naivety and desire for recognition, gradually infiltrating her life by giving her books and offering guidance on life's pleasures. His methods were both subtle and imbued with the romanticism of a cultured person, which was very attractive to Xiulan, a girl who had not seen much of the world.

"No, we can't wait any longer," Shu Ran muttered to herself. She had to go find Xu Junjun immediately; the "Little Sanitary Worker" program had to be launched right away, and with greater intensity! She had to find Xiulan a more valuable stage where she could showcase her abilities and learn truly useful knowledge, so that she could break free from the illusory cultural romantic fantasies woven by Zhou Wenbin.

She carefully covered the bowl of tofu and put it in the teacher's desk drawer, intending to share it with the children as a surprise snack at lunchtime. This simple and kind gesture from Xiulan should not be wasted.

As for Zhou Wenbin... Shu Ran's eyes sharpened; she needed to find a way to make Xiulan develop sufficient vigilance and self-protection awareness.

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Author's Note: It's late tonight, everyone. I've been sick these past few days and my mind is a bit foggy. If there are any bugs in the story, please be gentle with your criticism; just think of it as the author's brain being fried! [pity]