Chapter 93 Day of Investigation

The day of the inspection finally arrived.

That morning, the livestock farm looked as if it had been washed clean, almost unreal. Water had been sprinkled on the main road to weigh down the loose soil.

Shu Ran also got up very early. She changed into a clean Lenin suit and combed her hair neatly. When she arrived at the classroom, Sister Wang and Li Xiulan were already there, wiping the desks and chairs one last time.

The children arrived exceptionally early, their faces sparkling clean and their hair neatly combed. Even the most mischievous child sat obediently in their seats.

"Teacher Shu, when will the leader arrive?" Shi Tou asked in a low voice.

"It'll be soon." Shu Ran smiled reassuringly at him. "Don't be nervous, just act like usual."

Lin Xuezhou arrived early as well. He was wearing his dark blue Zhongshan suit again today. He looked serious and his lips were tightly pursed, showing that he was under a lot of pressure.

Around noon, the sound of car engines could be heard from the entrance of the department. Several jeeps drove up through the dust and slowly came to a stop.

Secretary Liu, Company Commander Ma, and Zhao Weidong immediately led the company officers to greet them. Shu Ran and Lin Xuezhou also waited at the school gate as arranged.

The car door opened, and Director Sun and Yang Zhenhua got out of the first car. Then, a middle-aged man in his fifties, slender, wearing glasses and possessing a refined air, stepped out of the second car. He wore a cadre uniform with four pockets, and his gaze was calm yet authoritative. This was Deputy Political Commissar Lin.

Secretary Liu and the others quickly stepped forward to salute and shake hands. Deputy Political Commissar Lin, with a gentle expression, shook hands with everyone, but his gaze had already passed over the crowd and landed on the classroom on the slope, and on Shu Ran and Lin Xuezhou standing at the classroom door.

"Is that Qiming Elementary School?" Deputy Political Commissar Lin asked in a calm voice.

"Yes, sir! That's the classroom we built ourselves!" Secretary Liu quickly introduced, his tone filled with pride.

Immediately, Deputy Political Commissar Lin turned his gaze and spotted Chen Yuanjiang, who was standing at the side and rear of the crowd, responsible for security and guard duty.

Deputy Political Commissar Lin stopped in his tracks. The formulaic gentleness on his face faded, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, followed by an expression of understanding. He walked straight toward Chen Yuanjiang.

This move stunned everyone.

“Yuanjiang?” Deputy Political Commissar Lin stopped in front of Chen Yuanjiang. “What are you doing here?” His tone was familiar.

Chen Yuanjiang saluted, his voice steady: "Reporting to Deputy Political Commissar Lin, I am currently the special commissioner of the xth Division, responsible for the security work of this inspection."

Deputy Political Commissar Lin looked at him intently, seemingly patting him on the shoulder, his tone filled with emotion: "Good, good... It's good to be here. The old commander often talks about you; go to Beijing to see him when you have time."

"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Commander." Chen Yuanjiang's reply remained concise.

This conversation was incredibly informative, and the astute people present understood a great deal. It turned out that this Special Envoy Chen had such a background. Someone whom Deputy Political Commissar Lin addressed as "Old Chief" and held in such high regard must be an extraordinary figure.

Deputy Political Commissar Lin didn't say anything more, but glanced at Chen Yuanjiang again before refocusing his attention on the main process and said to Secretary Liu and the others, "Let's go and take a look at the school."

Secretary Liu, Company Commander Ma, and the others exchanged glances, said nothing, and led the group up the slope.

The inspection officially began.

The leaders first visited the classrooms. Deputy Political Commissar Lin looked very carefully. He touched the rammed earth walls, looked at the newly replaced doors and windows, and his gaze lingered for a moment on the adobe desks, stools, and the box of lime blocks and slate pencils on the teacher's desk.

Shu Ran's heart skipped a beat.

However, Deputy Political Commissar Lin did not comment, but only asked Shu Ran, "Did you make these desks yourself?"

"Yes, sir. The company staff and children did it together," Shu Ran replied truthfully.

Deputy Political Commissar Lin nodded without saying anything.

Afterwards, the leaders sat in on Shu Ran's class for the basic students. Today, Shu Ran taught about "spring plowing," "sowing," and "watering." She used her usual method, taking out real wheat seeds, drawing simple sketches, and explaining in connection with the current farming season.

The children were a little reserved at first, but under Shuran's guidance, they gradually relaxed and began to raise their hands actively and answer questions loudly. When Shuran asked, "What should we pay attention to when sowing seeds?", Shuanzhu even eagerly answered, "They have to be spread evenly! Not too densely or too sparsely! That's what my dad said!"

Deputy Political Commissar Lin listened attentively, his face expressionless, occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones with Director Sun beside him.

Next, the leaders moved to a corner of the classroom to observe Lin Xuezhou teaching the advanced group of children. Lin Xuezhou was clearly a little nervous, speaking rather quickly when explaining pinyin, but the content was solid, and his handwriting on the blackboard was neat. The children he was teaching had a good foundation and were able to keep up with his pace.

Deputy Political Commissar Lin looked at Lin Xuezhou's class, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

After the classroom observation, the leaders listened to a brief report at the company headquarters. Secretary Liu and Company Commander Ma spoke in turn, focusing on the company's support for education. Shu Ran, as the school's principal, gave the core report. She neither exaggerated achievements nor avoided difficulties, truthfully introducing the student composition, the exploration of teaching methods, the progress of communication with pastoral areas, and the current practical problems faced, such as textbooks, teaching aids, and teacher training.

She specifically mentioned the positive changes brought about by Lin Xuezhou's arrival in terms of systematic knowledge teaching and teaching records, and also frankly acknowledged the initial friction caused by differences in philosophy.

"Our goal is the same: to educate the children well," Shu Ran concluded. "Here, education cannot be divorced from life. The methods we use may be old-fashioned, but we hope to lay a solid foundation for the children's lives."

Throughout the report, Deputy Political Commissar Lin listened quietly, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

After the report, Deputy Political Commissar Lin did not give lengthy instructions, but simply said a few words, leaving the rest for other leaders to speak:

"We saw it and heard it, and we all thought it was good."

"The teaching methods are adapted to local conditions and are based on facts, which is very good."

"There are indeed many difficulties, and all levels must find ways to solve them."

"Children are the future, and we thank the grassroots educators for their hard work."

The comments were few, but they made Secretary Liu, Company Commander Ma, and others secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

After the inspection, Deputy Political Commissar Lin and his entourage did not stop for a meal and left directly by car.

Before leaving, he shook hands with those who came to see him off again. When it was Chen Yuanjiang's turn, he shook hands firmly and whispered, "Take care. If you need anything... you can contact me."

Chen Yuanjiang saluted him again.

After the jeep left, the livestock company resumed its usual routine, though a trace of excitement and discussion remained among the members.

"That's it? What did the boss say?"

"It seems...there was no criticism?"

"When Teacher Shu was reporting, Deputy Political Commissar Lin nodded!"

"I think there's a chance! Maybe we can actually get some approval!"

Shu Ran stood on the slope, watching the departing convoy, her heart filled with mixed emotions. The storm that had been stirred up by Lin Xuezhou seemed to have passed peacefully. The leader hadn't praised her teaching methods highly, but neither had he criticized them; that understated attitude left Shu Ran somewhat puzzled.

Chen Yuanjiang had walked up to her at some point, his tone still indifferent: "It's over."

"Hmm." Shu Ran responded, then turned to look at him. "Officer Chen, what do you think of Deputy Political Commissar Lin's opinion of our school?"

Chen Yuanjiang gazed into the distance of the Gobi Desert, and after a long while said, "He's looking at the results."

The result? Shu Ran seemed thoughtful.

At this moment, Lin Xuezhou also came over. He looked much more relaxed, but his eyes still held a thoughtful expression.

“Teacher Shu,” he began, his tone much more serious than before, “Deputy Political Commissar Lin just said something to me privately.”

Shu Ran and Chen Yuanjiang both looked at him.

Lin Xuezhou adjusted his glasses and repeated, word by word, "He said, 'Here, a good teacher is one who can make students' eyes light up.'"

Shu Ran was stunned.

A teacher who can make students' eyes light up...

She suddenly remembered the bright eyes of the children when they raised their hands enthusiastically in class, the smile on Ayman's face when she wrote her name for the first time, and the focus on Adil when he drew a sheep... She subconsciously glanced at Chen Yuanjiang beside her, who was gazing into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and the first relaxed smile she had shown in days appeared on her face.

Chen Yuanjiang looked at the smile on her face, his gaze flickered slightly, and then he also curved the corners of his mouth slightly before turning around and walking away silently.

*

The most direct impact of Deputy Political Commissar Lin's inspection was felt a month later.

First came the allocation of cultural and educational supplies. The Education Section of the Teachers' Headquarters directly allocated a batch of local literacy textbooks, several large boxes of pencils and exercise books, chalk, and even several steel plates, styluses, and a large roll of wax paper. For Qiming Primary School, this was a complete transformation.

Shu Ran stroked the new textbooks, still smelling of fresh ink, her heart filled with emotion. She distributed them, and the children were overjoyed to hold their new books. Shi Tou wiped the covers with his sleeve, while Ayiman pressed her face against the pages, a look of pure bliss on her face.

"Classmates," Shu Ran's voice was tinged with excitement, "these books represent the organization's care and support for our studies. We must work even harder to live up to these expectations!"

Besides the cultural supplies, what delighted the entire company even more was the subsequent approval of a batch of much-needed production materials—high-quality fertilizers, pesticides, and even several urgently needed agricultural machinery parts. This was clearly an affirmation and support from higher authorities for the overall work of the livestock company, after comprehensive consideration.

Holding the supplies allocation form, Zhao Weidong wore a rare smile, which also improved his opinion of Shu Ran and the school. At least in terms of resource applications, he was no longer as meticulous as before.

The prevailing opinion in the company had changed, with the vast majority of people now praising Shu Ran as "capable" and "able to bring tangible benefits to the company."

The abundance of supplies made Shu Ran and Lin Xuezhou's work run much smoother. With standardized textbooks, Lin Xuezhou's systematic teaching finally had a foundation, and the advanced group he was in charge of made significant progress. Shu Ran, on the other hand, used the newly arrived materials to create more teaching aids, making the teaching in the basic class more intuitive and interesting.

The two worked together more and more seamlessly. Often after school, when everyone else had left, they would stay in the classroom to discuss the teaching progress and explore how to more cleverly combine systematic knowledge with real-life situations.

Lin Xuezhou was responsible for engraving wax paper on steel plates with an iron stylus, while Shu Ran used a simple hand-operated ink roller for manual printing, printing review materials and simple exercises.

The scratching sound of the pen cutting through wax paper, mixed with the rustling of poplar leaves in the wind outside the window, became a unique sound in the classroom on a summer evening.

"Teacher Shu, look at this sentence-making exercise. Using conjunctions to describe the scene of spring plowing, isn't it more appropriate than a simple metaphor?" Lin Xuezhou asked Shu Ran for her opinion, holding up the wax paper with the words just cut out.

Shu Ran leaned closer to examine the characters engraved on the steel plate and nodded: "That's a good idea! For example, 'Because spring has arrived, we need to sow seeds.' This teaches us conjunctions and also reviews the agricultural seasons."

The two stood very close, their heads almost touching, focused on the intricate engravings on the wax paper, completely unaware that a figure had been standing outside the classroom window for quite some time.

Chen Yuanjiang was there to confirm the outer patrol posts of the company. As he passed the school, he glanced at it as usual. Then he saw Shu Ran and Lin Xuezhou talking quietly, looking very focused.

His steps faltered, a tightness gripping his chest, as if something was blocking it. He wanted to turn and leave, but couldn't help staying.

Until Shu Ran looked up unintentionally and caught a glimpse of that familiar figure outside the window.

"Special Envoy Chen?" Shu Ran was somewhat surprised and stood up.

Lin Xuezhou also looked up, saw Chen Yuanjiang, and nodded politely: "Special Envoy Chen."

Chen Yuanjiang strode in, his gaze sweeping over the scattered engraving tools, wax paper, and paper on the table before finally settling on Shu Ran's face. His tone was as calm as ever, but a few degrees harsher than usual: "Still busy so late?"

"Yeah, I'm rushing to print some review materials," Shu Ran explained, sensing that Chen Yuanjiang's aura was different today; he seemed... colder, and his gaze was like a hook.

"Work is important, but safety is also important." Chen Yuanjiang turned his gaze to Lin Xuezhou, his eyes scrutinizing her. "Teacher Lin, you've worked hard too. This stencil writing is meticulous work."

Lin Xuezhou felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and pushed up his glasses: "It's just my job. Compared to Comrade Shu Ran's manual printing, this is easy for me."

Chen Yuanjiang frowned slightly, said nothing more, but gave Shu Ran another deep look. His eyes were complex and unreadable, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only said, "I won't disturb you anymore." After saying that, he turned around and strode away, his figure quickly disappearing into the night.

Shu Ran stared at the empty doorway, a strange feeling creeping over her. She felt that Chen Yuanjiang's glance had lingered for a moment on her ink-stained fingers, carrying a... indescribable emotion.

Lin Xuezhou was unaware and continued to write with his head down, remarking with admiration, "Special Envoy Chen is truly responsible, still patrolling so late."

Shu Ran withdrew her gaze and sat down again, her thoughts drifting away. The soft scratching sound of writing resumed, but it couldn't dispel the unease that had arisen in her heart. She looked down at the ink marks on her fingertips and sighed softly.