Chapter 55 School Desks and Chairs (Bug Fix)
In the afternoon, the company was quiet, with most people catching up on sleep or busy with their own personal tasks. Shu Ran and Xu Junjun, however, were not idle.
As Xu Junjun packed her precious medicine box, she said to Shu Ran, "Ranran, I still have some cold and diarrhea pills and ointments in my medicine box. I'll go for a walk in the pastoral area. Old Aken's leg looks so bad from last time; it needs some more treatment. What about you? You're really not going to learn to ride a horse?"
Shu Ran was wrapping a few pieces of fruit candy and a small packet of tea she had been saving in old newspapers when she heard this. She sighed and said, "Learning to ride a horse isn't something that can be done in an afternoon. Uncle Yerbol has also gone back. But you mentioned going to the pastoral area, I really want to go and take a look. Once the classroom is built, I should tell Old Aken and thank them for their help. We can't expect them to do everything they can when we need them."
"Hey, that's a pretty honest thing to say." Xu Junjun chuckled. "Then let's go together! Shall we walk?"
Shu Ran frowned: "It's too far to walk there, and it'll be dark by the time we get there and back." Her eyes darted around, "I heard that the logistics department has a tractor going to the west to collect sea buckthorn thorns this afternoon, and it seems to pass through the pastoral area. Let's go ask and see if we can give it a ride."
The two ran to the back of the company headquarters and sure enough, they saw an old tractor preparing to depart. The tractor driver was an experienced man surnamed Deng.
"Master Deng! Master Deng! Can you give us a ride? We're going to the pasture near Turdi's house!" Shu Ran called out.
Master Deng stopped the machine, and the roar subsided a bit: "Teacher Shu? Medical Officer Xu? What are you doing there?"
"Medical worker Xu is going on her rounds, and I'm going on home visits!" Shu Ran quickly said, grabbing a handful of candy from her bag and stuffing it into his hand. "Thank you so much, Mr. Deng, for giving us a ride. A bumpy ride won't hurt!"
Master Deng took the candy, put it in his pocket, and smiled: "Get in! The truck bed is dirty, find a place to sit down! I can only drop you off at the fork in the road, I still have to go haul some thorny bushes!"
"Hey! Thank you, Master Deng!" Shu Ran and Xu Junjun hurriedly climbed onto the dusty tractor bed.
"Put-put-put... Clang clang clang..." The tractor, belching black smoke, bumped its way onto the road.
Shu Ran and Xu Junjun clung tightly to the truck bed railings, feeling as if their internal organs were about to be shaken out. The wind blew their hair wildly, and they swallowed a mouthful of sand.
"This...this is too crazy!" Xu Junjun cried out, clutching her stomach.
“It’s better than walking!” Shu Ran responded loudly, grinning as she faced the wind.
After driving for about forty minutes, Mr. Deng stopped the car at a three-way intersection: "This is it! Follow the dirt road that has been churned up by the car northwards, and you'll see a grassland. Walk another two or three miles, and you'll see Turdi's yurt! I'll be heading back around five or six in the evening, and I'll probably pass by here again. If you want to go back, just wait here!"
The two men jumped off the vehicle, profusely thanking the tractor, still feeling the ground swaying beneath their feet. Only after the tractor had driven far away did the world return to quiet. All around them stretched endless Gobi Desert and undulating grasslands, a vast expanse of sky and land.
They followed the wheel tracks. After walking for a while, they finally saw a few white yurts on the distant slope, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys.
The Turdi family's dog was the first to spot them, barking loudly. Ayman ran out of the yurt, and upon recognizing them, cried out in surprise, "Teacher! Doctor Auntie!" Adil also came out, his steps more steady than his sister's, a smile on his face.
Turdi's wife came out upon hearing the noise, lifted her apron to wipe her hands, and warmly invited, "Come in and sit down!"
Old Akhen was sitting on a felt mat outside his yurt, basking in the sun, whittling wood with a small knife in his hand. When he saw them, he nodded as a greeting.
Xu Junjun put down her medicine box. "Old Aken, let me take another look at your leg. It's been raining lately, has it stopped hurting?"
Old Akhen mumbled a few words, and Adil said from the side, "Grandpa said it's much better, the plaster works."
Xu Junjun examined her carefully and left a few more plasters: "You still need to keep warm and avoid catching a cold." Then she listened to Ayman's heart and lungs, looked at Turdi's wife's slightly cracked hands, and gave her some ointment.
Shu Ran then shared the fruit candies with Ayiman and Adil, and the two children's eyes lit up. She handed the packet of tea to Turdi's wife: "Sister-in-law, here's a little tea, please don't mind."
“Oh dear…” Turdi’s wife declined repeatedly. She didn’t speak Mandarin well and rubbed her hands on her apron.
"Take this," Shu Ran said, stuffing the tea leaves into her hand. "Last time, when we built the classroom, we were very grateful for the help from Brother Turdi and the brothers in the pastoral area. This is just a small token of our appreciation."
Shu Ran sat down next to Old Aken, looking at the distant grassland: "Aken, our new classroom is completely finished. The division even gave us a brand new national flag as a special reward, it's big and red, so beautiful!"
Old Akhen slowly whittled the wood, and after a while he said, "It's a blessing for children to have a place to study properly." He stopped what he was doing, looked at Shu Ran, and said, "You are a man of your word, a truly honest person."
Shu Ran and Xu Junjun drank a bowl of milk tea and ate some milk curds in the yurt, and chatted for a while about everyday things, mainly listening to Old Aken talk about the pastures and sheep this year.
As the sun began to set, Shu Ran and Xu Junjun got up to say goodbye. Tuerdi's wife packed them a small bag of milk curds for them to eat on the way.
The two hurried as fast as they could and finally returned to the fork in the road before sunset. After waiting for a while, they heard a "putt-putt-putt" sound; Master Deng's tractor was returning, fully loaded with sea buckthorn thorns.
"Master Deng!" Shu Ran and Xu Junjun waved to Old Deng.
Old Deng drove the tractor to Shu Ran and stopped it. He got off the tractor, pressed down the sea buckthorn thorns in the trailer, and then spread a tattered felt on top of it. "You two can make do with this! There aren't any more vehicles going back to the company at this hour!"
The return journey was even bumpier, but both of them were in good spirits. The wind blowing on their faces didn't bother them anymore because of the choking sand.
“It seems that Old Aken has completely accepted you,” Xu Junjun said loudly.
"Time will tell," Shu Ran replied with a smile. "Take it slow, things will get better."
The tractor dropped them off at the company gate. The two jumped off, brushed the dust off each other, and couldn't help but laugh at each other's disheveled appearance.
Sunday is a half-day workday. This time, the work is no longer the heavy production tasks, but rather decorating the new classroom.
Shu Ran mobilized his family and children the night before.
So, just after the midday break the next day, the enthusiastic Sister Wang went door-to-door in the residential area, calling out: "Listen up, everyone! If you have any spare benches or tables, move them to the new classroom! Let's fill the new classroom for the kids!"
Before Shu Ran even reached the classroom, she could already hear a commotion. The children were the fastest to arrive, carrying all sorts of things as they gathered at the entrance of the new classroom. Some brought old but cleaned stools and small folding stools from home; some carried long desks made of wooden planks; and some ran to the tool shed and worked together to move the old desks and teacher's desk over.
The adults, in twos and threes, carrying, shouldering, and lifting all sorts of things, came out of their homes and gathered at the classroom door.
"Make way! Make way! My stool leg is a bit loose, don't let the child bump into it!"
"Anyone want to lend a hand? This plank is really heavy!"
"This kang table is just right for my little grandson!"
As soon as Shu Ran arrived, she was immediately surrounded.
"Teacher Shu, do you think this long bench in my house is okay? It's just that the paint is all chipped off..."
"Teacher Shu, I had Lao Li plane this old door panel flat. Can it be used as a table if we prop it up?"
"Teacher Shu..."
Shu Ran smiled, quickly calculating in her mind, and responded loudly, "Anything will do! Put the long benches in the back row for the taller children, and the door-panel tables are sturdy and easy to sit on! Put the kang table in the front for the younger children! Everyone, move in first, and we'll set everything up slowly!"
Accountant Shi also carried over two wooden planks painted black, followed by a young man carrying a wooden frame.
Shu Ran went up to him, "Accountant Shi, what brings you here?"
Accountant Shi pushed up his glasses, a little smug: "I found some old slogan boards in the logistics warehouse, had the machine repair team paint them black, and made a stand for them. Do you think they'll work as a blackboard?"
Shu Ran touched it with her hand; the surface wasn't particularly smooth, but it was indeed quite dark.
"That's wonderful! Accountant Shi, you've solved a huge problem!" Shu Ran exclaimed in delight. "This is so much better than our old blackboard made of a door panel! No wonder you're our class monitor's parent; you really support education!"
Accountant Shi chuckled: "Of course, of course."
Sister Wang directed several women, as if directing traffic: "Tall ones, lean against the wall! Short ones, move forward! If it's crooked, put a piece of wood under it! Oh dear, whose basket is here? It's blocking the way!"
Li Xiulan, holding a notebook, followed Zhang Jianjun, diligently taking notes: "Zhang Guifen's family, two long benches..." "Zhao Tiechui's family, one kang table..." Zhang Jianjun would occasionally whisper reminders to her if she had misspelled a name or mixed up items.
The classroom was quickly filled. The desks and chairs varied in height and material, some new and some old, and there was even a tabletop that looked like an old cabinet door. They were crammed together, appearing a bit messy, yet full of the warmth of life and the sentiments of everyone.
The children couldn't wait to squeeze between the tables and chairs, vying for their favorite spots.
"I want to sit here! It's by the window!"
"This table is too tall, it's mine!"
"Brother Stone! Over here!"
Looking at the lively scene, Shu Ran realized that this was exactly what she wanted.
Xu Junjun wasn't idle either. She took a rag and wiped each window pane again, shouting as she did so, "From now on, the students on duty have to remember to wipe the windows! Otherwise, we won't be able to see outside!"
After a period of chaos, the general layout finally came into place. In the front row were low tables and stools, suitable for little ones like Ayiman; in the middle were various tables and stools of different heights; and in the back row were several sturdy benches and taller tables. Although it didn't look very neat and uniform, it could still seat more than twenty children.
Sister Wang put her hands on her hips, looked at the results, and nodded with satisfaction: "Hmm, it looks pretty good! It's just that the ground is still dirty, and it'll be steaming when you sweep it clean."
Shu Ran had already thought of this. She had spent a long time negotiating with the old master craftsman at the lime kiln, exchanging a few days of bookkeeping for them for half a bag of lime powder.
"Big sister, don't worry, look at this." Shu Ran took out a small half bag of lime and yellow mud. "After it disperses, we'll mix it with water, spread a thin layer on the ground, and press it down. That will reduce the amount of dust."
"Oh, Teacher Shu, you're so resourceful!" Sister Wang slapped her thigh. "This thing is great!"
Sister Wang, along with several other women, used old brooms and rags to thoroughly clean the classroom inside and out, and wiped the windows until they shone.
The children excitedly weaved between the tables and chairs, vying for their own spots.
In the afternoon, most people rested. Shu Ran, however, was still thinking about the bag of lumpy cement she had salvaged from the regimental headquarters' scrap heap and the flagpole sent by the division headquarters.
As she was pondering what to do, she saw Chen Yuanjiang walk over, carrying a shovel, a hammer, and a wooden bucket with half a bag of new cement inside.
"Officer Chen?"
"Where's the cement?" Chen Yuanjiang asked succinctly.
Shu Ran quickly pointed to the half-bag of hard cement lumps in the corner.
Chen Yuanjiang walked over, picked it up and weighed it in his hand, then took out a hammer and smashed the large chunk of cement into pieces with a few clangs, carefully picking out the impurities inside. He poured the cement fragments into a wooden bucket, added an appropriate amount of new cement and water, and then began to stir it with a shovel.
Shu Ran could tell from his practiced movements that he was no novice.
Shu Ran wanted to help, but couldn't get involved and could only watch from the sidelines.
After mixing the cement, Chen Yuanjiang chose a spot in front of the classroom's main entrance, dug a shallow pit with a shovel, and then began to build a square platform up to his calves using bricks and cement.
He did it very carefully, using an old wooden board to smooth the surface and then meticulously adjusting the level.
Shu Ran ran to fetch some clean water and handed it to him when he needed it.
The two didn't exchange many words; the only sounds were the mixing of cement, the stacking of stones, and the occasional brief exchange of tools.
The flagpole gradually took shape, becoming square, stable, and with a smooth surface.
Chen Yuanjiang did a final check, took the flagpole with the metal tip he had brought, put the national flag on it, inserted the bottom of the flagpole into the pre-drilled hole in the center of the cement platform, and then carefully reinforced the surrounding area with the remaining cement to ensure that it stood straight and firm.
After doing all this, he straightened up and rinsed the shovel and tools with the remaining water.
"Just wait for the cement to dry completely." He looked at the flagpole and said calmly, "From now on, the flag will be raised here. I'll take down the old one later."
"Thank you, Officer Chen," Shu Ran said, looking at the dusty cement flagpole.
Chen Yuanjiang grunted in agreement, packed up his tools, and turned to leave.
He took two steps and then stopped, looking back at the open space by the classroom door and the newly built flagpole. "The location of the flagpole is good. From now on, the whole company can see the children raising the flag."
After saying that, he picked up his tools and strode away.
Shu Ran stood alone beneath the newly erected flagpole, gazing up at it and imagining tomorrow's flag-raising ceremony.
She could almost hear the children's loud singing.
The news of the completion of the new classroom and the delivery of the national flag by the division headquarters quickly spread throughout the livestock company and even the surrounding pastoral areas.
On Monday, before dawn, the open space in front of the new classroom was already crowded with people.
The children were dressed neatly, and the Young Pioneers wore red scarves. Their eyes sparkled with excitement and anticipation.
The adults also came, wanting to witness the first flag-raising ceremony in this new classroom.
Shu Ran was wearing a faded old military uniform, her hair neatly combed. She stood under the flagpole, with children lined up behind her.
Shi Tou and Adil, as student representatives, solemnly went to raise the flag.
Without music, Shu Ran began: "Arise! Ye who refuse to be slaves—"
The children sang along, and the adults murmured in agreement. All eyes were on the rising five-starred red flag, fluttering brightly in the morning breeze of the Gobi Desert.
As the national flag reached the top, Shu Ran led the children in saluting as Young Pioneers, while the adults stood at attention. At that moment, a solemn and proud atmosphere permeated everyone.
Even after the flag-raising ceremony ended, the crowd did not disperse. Many parents who had been observing earlier pulled their children to Shu Ran's side.
"Teacher Shu, look at my child, he's old enough to come to school, is he able to come?"
"Teacher Shu, my daughter might have been able to do it, but she missed the first batch. Can she come now?"
“Teacher Shu, Bayan and Saidar went back and said that we also want to send our children here to learn a few words…”
Several older employees even rubbed their hands together, asking shyly, "Teacher Shu, we're all roughnecks. We have to work during the day, and at night... can we learn to read a few words? At least we need to be able to write our own names and understand the work points book!"
Looking at the pairs of eager yet timid eyes before her, Shu Ran was overjoyed. She laughed and said loudly, "Welcome! Welcome everyone! Qiming Elementary School is for everyone! Children of school age can come tomorrow! Those who want to learn to read and write, let's discuss a class time for Saturday and Sunday!"
That day, more than a dozen more children came to register, ranging in age from six to twelve or thirteen. If the original students were squeezed in, the classroom could probably fit nearly thirty children. Seven or eight employees also expressed their willingness to participate in the literacy campaign.
The joy of the surge in students hadn't even subsided when a real problem arose—the classrooms were available, but there weren't enough desks and chairs. So many children couldn't possibly stand or sit on the floor the whole time. For the time being, she had the children sit on small stools or worn-out mats she had brought from home.
After school in the afternoon, Shu Ran looked at the crowded classroom and started making plans again.
Desks and chairs are the biggest problem. Buy them? The company doesn't have that budget, and her own money is a drop in the ocean. Ask the company for them? Company Commander Ma and Zhao Weidong will probably frown again.
She thought about it for a moment and quickly came up with an idea.
She went to see Master Qian first. “Master Qian, do you think we can make these desks and chairs ourselves? They don’t need to be fancy, just sturdy and functional.”
Master Qian, with his pipe dangling from his lips, surveyed the classroom: "It can be done. But it's labor-intensive and wasteful of materials. Where will we get the wood? Good wood is being reserved for production."
"I'll figure out the wood," Shu Ran said. "Just tell me what kind of wood I need, how much, and how to make it."
She then went to the workers who knew a little carpentry and explained her idea. When they heard it was for the children, they all said they would definitely come to help when they had time, but they all raised the issue of wood.
Timber... Shu Ran thought of Old Jiang, the head of the regimental logistics warehouse, and the area where scrap materials were piled up.
The next day, she took a tractor to the regimental headquarters again. This time, she didn't go directly to Old Jiang, but instead went to find Officer Zhang first.
"Officer Zhang, I'm bothering you again." Shu Ran said with a smile, "There are more children now, and we don't have tables and chairs. I was wondering if there were any... um... scraps of wood, or old, broken tables and chairs that could be repaired?"
Officer Zhang laughed heartily: "Teacher Shu, you really know how to stretch every penny! Alright, I'll take you to see Old Jiang for a go!"
Old Jiang's face fell when he saw Shu Ran rummaging through the trash again. But Zhang, the clerk, pleaded on his behalf, and when he noticed that Shu Ran was carrying a small net bag containing a packet of milk curds, his expression softened slightly.
Old Jiang grumbled and complained, but still led them to the deepest corner of the scrap yard.
Sure enough, there was a pile of dusty scrap wood there, including broken bed boards, broken old table and chair legs, wooden planks taken from packing boxes, and even several badly damaged wooden crates. They were made of different materials and were of different sizes, but they were all made of wood.
"That's all! Take it or leave it!" Old Jiang said irritably.
"Yes! Yes! Thank you, Master Jiang!" Shu Ran thanked him repeatedly, as if she had found a treasure. Together with Zhang, she carefully picked out usable pieces of wood from the pile of garbage, long and short, wide and narrow, and bundled them up in a large bundle.
On the tractor back, Shu Ran stood guard over the bundle of timber, calculating in her mind: this should be enough to make desks and chairs.
Back at the company, she unloaded the timber behind the classroom. Sister Wang and several family members gathered around to look, all frowning: "What is all this? It's all broken and tattered, what can it be used for?"
"There's so much more we can do!" Shu Ran said confidently. "If we saw it open, plan it flat, and piece it together, we can make a table."
She asked Master Qian and other carpenters to start making them. A few days later, when more than twenty sets of desks and chairs were moved into the new classroom and neatly arranged, the children cheered and rushed in, eager to sit in their own seats.
Shu Ran stood in front of the podium, looking at the classroom filled to the brim. Although the desks and chairs were uneven and the children were of different sizes, everyone's eyes were shining.
She picked up a piece of chalk and wrote a set of idioms on the new blackboard: "Working together with one heart".
She turned around and pointed to the four characters with chalk.
"Class, do you recognize these four characters?"
The older children, like Shitou, Shuanzhu, and Adil, tried hard to recognize the characters, whispering, "Qi... Xin..."
"Yes, working together!" Shu Ran's voice was clear and bright. "Our new classroom is the best proof of these four words!"
She stepped down from the podium, her fingers tracing the rough surface of the table: "Look at this table, its legs were probably sawed off from a broken bed board in the regimental warehouse." She then patted the surface of another table, "This board might have been a wooden box before."
The children curiously touched the wood of different materials and colors, and could even see the original nail holes and scratches.
“And the stools under your bottoms,” Shu Ran said with a smile, “some were pieced together from scraps by the carpenters in our company, and some were made from old furniture by your grandparents. They’re not the same, and they’re not pretty enough.”
She walked back to the front of the classroom, her gaze sweeping over the entire class: "But now, they are tightly pieced together, becoming the desks and chairs that allow us to write and read! This is 'working together'! Just like when we built this classroom, many people contributed their labor and offered their ideas. Even if they only handed over a brick or mixed a shovel of mortar, it all counts! When we work together, we can accomplish what seems impossible!"
The children seemed to understand, but they listened very attentively. Adil looked at the table in front of him, made of old door frames and planks, touched it with his hand, and a different look appeared in his eyes.
"From now on," Shu Ran continued, "we'll be in this classroom, built with everyone's collective efforts, and using these desks, made with everyone's collective efforts, for our classes. I hope everyone will remember these four words: help each other in your studies, and take care of each other in your lives. Just like these desk legs, if we stick together, we can stand firm and learn knowledge!"
"Teacher!" Little Ya suddenly raised her hand and asked in a childish voice, "Then...then will my desk be separated from Sister Chuncao's desk?"
Shu Ran smiled: "No! They will always be together, growing up alongside you!"
After school, most of the children ran off, leaving only the students on duty cleaning. Shu Ran looked at the desks and chairs, pondering her next move.
Sister Wang walked in, looked around the classroom, and exclaimed in admiration, "You really managed to do it! Although it looks colorful, it actually looks quite presentable!"
"It was all contributed by everyone," Shu Ran said with a smile. "Big sister, there's something else I'd like to discuss with you."
"What is it? Tell me."
"We have tables and chairs, but the children are almost out of notebooks and pencils. The supply and marketing cooperative is also in short supply. I was thinking... could we organize the families to do some side jobs? For example, spinning some yarn, weaving some baskets, or making some insoles, etc., and save up enough to exchange for some money at the regimental market. Families with children can also buy stationery for their children."
Sister Wang's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! Anyway, there's a long off-season in winter, so we women can get together and do something to supplement our income! I think this is a good idea! I'll go talk to them about it!"
Watching Sister Wang's hurried departure, Shu Ran felt much more at ease. She knew that as long as everyone had a clear goal and tangible benefits, this spirit of unity could continue.
After the new classroom was completed, the children read and wrote in it, and their voices were much louder than before. The national flag was raised every Monday morning and lowered every Friday afternoon, becoming a unique sight in the company.
Shu Ran is busy teaching during the day and preparing lessons and grading homework at night, keeping her extremely busy.
But she noticed that some subtle changes in the company seemed to always revolve around one person—Sister Wang.
That evening, Shu Ran had just seen off the last few children and was about to go back to her dugout to eat a cold bun when she heard a commotion coming from the family area, mixed with a woman's crying and a child's screaming.
She frowned and followed the sound. There, she saw several women gathered outside Zhang Guifen's house, watching the commotion. Inside, Zhang Guifen was struggling with a tall, thin woman. A broken earthenware pot lay on the ground, vegetable leaves scattered everywhere. Zhang Guifen's son, Tiedan, was hiding behind the door, crying in fear.
"What's wrong?" Shu Ran asked, squeezing in.
Li Xiulan, who was watching the commotion from the side, whispered quickly, "It's a place to dry clothes. The Sun family's daughter-in-law insisted that Zhang's clothesline was taking up her space and had dirtied her freshly washed sheets, so she came up and smashed Zhang's pickling basin!"
The tall, thin Sun family woman had a shrill voice: "They've taken over my land! How many times have I told them! Are they taking advantage of the fact that my husband isn't here?"
Zhang Guifen was so angry that her face turned red. She was tongue-tied and couldn't win the argument, so she could only repeat, "You're talking nonsense! That place has always been used by our family!"
The two were about to start fighting again. Some bystanders tried to break them up, while others just watched the spectacle, creating a chaotic scene.
Just then, a loud voice shouted, "What are you all doing! Are you bored and have nothing better to do? Fighting like this over a place to hang clothes to dry, aren't you afraid of being laughed at!"
Sister Wang, carrying a winnowing basket, rushed over upon hearing the noise. She put the basket down on the ground, put her hands on her hips, and stood between the two of them.
“The Sun family!” She pointed at the tall, thin woman first. “Your husband is in the maintenance team and is often away from home. If you have any difficulties, everyone can help you. But you can’t be unreasonable! This area was marked out a long time ago, with each family having three feet of space in front of their door. When did it become yours? If your bed sheet falls on the ground and gets dirty, blame the wind, the dust, or yourself for not tucking it in properly. Why blame Zhang Guifen?”
Sun's daughter-in-law was momentarily speechless, her momentum weakening slightly, but she still stubbornly insisted, "Then...then she was blocking the way too!"
"Whether it's blocking the road or not isn't up to you to decide!" Sister Wang glared at Zhang Guifen, then turned to her. "And you, Guifen! It's wrong of her to smash your basin, but couldn't you have spoken to her properly? Why did you grab her like that? What if you scared the child? Is a broken earthenware basin worth two adults fighting over?"
Zhang Guifen lowered her head, muttering, "She started it..."
"Just because she hit you, you think you're right?" Sister Wang's voice rose even higher. "We're all sisters from the same company, we see each other all the time. Is it worth ruining our relationship over such a trivial matter? Tiedan, stop crying! Come here!"
She yelled, and Tiedan came over, sobbing. Sister Wang pulled half a roasted potato from her pocket and shoved it into his hand: "Here, eat this! Look at you, so pathetic!"
This quieted down the two people arguing and the onlookers.
Sister Wang took a breath and her tone softened: "Sun family, your sheets are dirty. I have a piece of soap left over. Take it and scrub them again later. Guifen, your basin is broken. I have an old one. You can use it for now."
Upon hearing this, the Sun family's daughter-in-law felt embarrassed: "Sister Wang, no need..."
Zhang Guifen quickly added, "I don't want it either..."
"Alright, alright, everyone stop talking!" Sister Wang waved her hand. "Let's just leave it at that! If anyone makes a fuss over trivial matters again, don't blame me for being rude! Everyone, disperse, go home and cook!"
The commotion was quelled by Sister Wang's combination of shouting and persuasion. The crowd dispersed, discussing the incident, their eyes filled with more respect for Sister Wang.
Shu Ran watched from the side, secretly admiring her. This Sister Wang was indeed fierce, but she was fair in handling matters, could keep the situation in check, and knew how to give people a way out. She was truly a natural-born mediator.
She went over and helped Sister Wang pick up the vegetable leaves that had been scattered on the ground and put them into the broken basin.
"Big sister, you really have a way with things," Shu Ran said with a smile.
"What can we do?" Sister Wang sighed, patting the dirt off her hands. "These old women, they're always stirring up trouble when they're idle. They're just petty, trivial things, but if we don't do anything about them, they'll blow up. Sigh, we're all women, so let's help them out if we can."
Shu Ran's heart skipped a beat, and she said casually, "It would be great if there was someone in the company who could take care of these family matters and help the sisters solve some practical difficulties. Someone like you, eldest sister, everyone would definitely listen to you."
Sister Wang was taken aback for a moment, then waved her hand: "Me? I can't do it! I'm a roughneck, I can't read many words, how could I do that?"
“It has little to do with how many words you can read,” Shu Ran said earnestly. “The key is to be upright, fair, and trusted by everyone. Look at what happened just now, Accountant Shi is educated, why didn’t he come to persuade us? Secretary Liu is a high-ranking official, but he can’t be watching over everyone’s laundry every day, can he? This kind of thing needs someone like you, who has connections among the women, to handle it.”
Sister Wang was somewhat tempted by what she said, but also hesitated: "This...is this really okay? There's no such rule in the company..."
"It's all about human effort," Shu Ran smiled slyly. "Anyway, I think you're quite suitable. In the future, if any of the sisters have any difficulties, you should help them ask around and run errands. When everyone benefits, they will naturally remember your kindness. After a while, the leaders will notice."
Sister Wang pondered Shu Ran's words and didn't refute them further, only muttering, "We'll see... Let's go back."
But Shu Ran could tell that she had taken her words to heart.
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