Chapter 84 Returning to the Company
The supply truck, kicking up dust, came to a steady stop at the familiar intersection near the livestock company. Shu Ran jumped off the truck with her luggage and took a deep breath of the air, which smelled of hay, livestock, and earth.
It's been more than a month since I left, but it feels like a lifetime has passed.
"Teacher Shu is back!" A sharp-eyed child shouted, and immediately a bunch of little heads rushed out of the classroom at Qiming Elementary School.
"Teacher Shu!"
"Teacher, you're finally back!"
Stone, Shuanzhu, Huzi, Xiaoya... The children, like a flock of birds released from their cages, rushed over and instantly surrounded Shuran.
Adil ran in front, his dark little face flushed red. Although he didn't chatter like the other children, the light in his eyes was unmistakable. Ayiman clung tightly to her brother's clothes, looking at Shuran timidly yet expectantly.
"Slow down, slow down, don't fall!" Shu Ran smiled and patted each child's head. The heaviness she had brought back from the division headquarters was instantly dispelled by this pure welcome.
She noticed that the children's faces and hands were chapped, and Xiao Ya's braids were a bit messy, but they were all in good spirits.
"Teacher, since you weren't here, Aunt Wang taught us so many words!" Shi Tou reported loudly, with a touch of pride.
“I even helped Mom keep track of the tofu accounts, and Mom praised me!” Chuncao squeezed in to say.
After holding back for a while, Adil finally managed to say with pride, "Teacher! I taught many students in the pastoral area how to write their names!"
Shu Ran felt a warmth in her heart, squatted down, and looked directly into Adil's eyes: "Really? Adil is amazing, he can be a little teacher now!" Adil's ears immediately turned red, and he lowered his head shyly, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.
At this moment, Sister Wang and Xu Junjun also arrived after hearing the news. Sister Wang took some of the luggage from Shu Ran's hands and looked her up and down: "You're finally back! You haven't lost weight, the food at the division headquarters must be pretty good!"
Xu Junjun took her arm and said with a smile, "Of course! Our Teacher Shu looks radiant, and her complexion is much better than when she was sick!"
"Didn't Special Envoy Chen come back with you?" Sister Wang looked around and asked casually.
Shu Ran shook her head: "Director Sun seems to have something to do with me, so he asked me to come back first."
The dugouts in the female workers' dormitory were still the same as before, somewhat damp and cramped, but at this moment they made Shu Ran feel inexplicably at ease.
Sister Wang quickly helped Shu Ran put away her luggage and then brought over a basin of hot water: "Quickly wash your face and rest your feet. I'll bring you some when the cafeteria opens in a bit."
"No need, Sister Wang, I can go by myself," Shu Ran said hurriedly.
"Don't mention it! You must have had a bumpy journey." Without waiting for a reply, Sister Wang took out a golden-brown roasted potato and handed it to Shu Ran. "Have something to eat first. This was Xiao Ya's grandma who insisted on giving it to you, saying that you work hard as a teacher."
Holding the warm potatoes and feeling the genuine care around her, Shu Ran felt her eyes welling up with tears. Life here may be tough, but it offers the most genuine warmth.
In the evening, Shu Ran went to the company headquarters and gave Secretary Liu and Company Commander Ma a brief report on her trip to the headquarters, emphasizing the support and expectations of the higher authorities for the construction of the demonstration site.
Secretary Liu nodded repeatedly as he listened: "Good, good! Teacher Shu, your trip was worthwhile, you've brought honor to our company! Don't worry, the company will definitely support you in making the demonstration site a success!"
Company Commander Ma also stated, "If you encounter any difficulties, just let us know. The company will do its best to resolve them." However, he paused and added, "But right now, we're preparing to start land reclamation, and we're short on labor and supplies, so some things may have to be put on hold."
Shu Ran understood that this was the truth, and also a reminder. She expressed her understanding: "Company Commander, I understand. The construction of the demonstration site will also be combined with production, trying not to occupy the main labor force, and utilizing spare time."
As Shu Ran came out of the company headquarters, she ran into Zhao Weidong. Zhao Weidong was pushing a bicycle with an old canvas bag hanging from the handlebars, as if he had just come back from the fields.
"Teacher Shu is back?" Zhao Weidong stopped, a familiar, enigmatic smile on his face. "I heard you made a big splash at headquarters. Congratulations. Wasn't Special Envoy Chen with you?"
"Director Zhao," Shu Ran greeted politely, "I'm just going to report on my work and learn from your experience. Special Envoy Chen is still at the division headquarters on business."
“The demonstration site is a big deal.” Zhao Weidong nodded, his tone sounding very supportive. “But Teacher Shu, you know our company’s situation. We have a weak foundation and heavy production tasks. If we’re going to set up this demonstration site, we have to do it within our capabilities and not let it affect the overall situation. Don’t you think so?”
"Don't worry, Director Zhao, I'll keep things in check," Shu Ran replied with a smile, pondering Zhao Weidong's unspoken meaning. Zhao Weidong's words, while sounding like a reminder, were actually drawing a line—the demonstration site could be set up, but it couldn't compete with the production under his supervision for resources.
"That's good." Zhao Weidong pushed the cart away, and before leaving, he casually mentioned, "Oh, by the way, the regimental headquarters just sent a notice that they need to collect the material needs of each company in a few days. If the school needs anything, please report it as soon as possible so I can consider it together."
He said "consider," not "solve."
Looking at his retreating figure, Shu Ran knew that the work ahead would not be smooth sailing.
A few days later, Shu Ran had fully immersed herself back into life and work in the company.
She first called a short class meeting with the children, shared her experiences at headquarters that had been selected, and encouraged everyone to continue to study hard.
The children's eyes lit up, especially when they heard the new term "demonstration site." Although they didn't quite understand it, they felt it was a great thing.
Then, she met with Sister Wang to learn about the situation of the women's literacy class in the past few days.
Sister Wang sighed: "With you gone, several family members have been called back to work by their husbands, saying they can't come. Sigh, literacy really can't put food on the table."
Shu Ran looked around but didn't see Li Xiulan, so she asked Sister Wang, "Sister, where's Xiulan?"
Sister Wang sighed: "The production tasks are heavy these days, and Xiulan has been staying at the unit."
Shu Ran knew this was a real difficulty, so she took out the study materials she had brought back from headquarters and the few pencils with erasers: "It's okay, we'll take it slowly. Look, this is what I brought back from the division headquarters. Our study materials will be richer in the future. Even if there are fewer people, we'll teach in more detail."
After reassuring the family, Shu Ran led a few older children to clear weeds behind the tool shed, hoping to make room for some hardy sunflowers or something similar in the future.
Just as she was engrossed in weeding, Xu Junjun hurried over with her medicine box, a mysterious smile on her face, and pulled her aside: "Hey, guess who's back?"
Shu Ran was taken aback: "Who?"
"Chen Yuanjiang! He just got back! I saw him ride into the company headquarters, looking travel-worn. He must have rushed back from the division headquarters."
Xu Junjun winked, "Do you think he's in a hurry to come back and see someone?"
Shu Ran's heart skipped a beat for no reason, but she pretended to be nonchalant and continued weeding: "I'll come back when I'm done with the business at the division headquarters. What's there to guess?"
"You're just being stubborn!" Xu Junjun laughed and poked her before going back to her work.
Shu Ran lowered her head, looking at the weeds in her hand, but her mind was elsewhere. He's back? So soon? Is the matter at the division headquarters settled?
She didn't dwell on it and continued with her work.
As dusk fell and work was over, Shu Ran still hadn't seen Chen Yuanjiang. She packed up her tools and prepared to return to her dormitory.
Just as she reached the classroom door, she was surprised to find that the pile of broken bricks that was always scattered by the door had been neatly stacked in the corner and covered with a tattered straw mat. Next to it were several wooden sticks of uniform thickness, which were obviously carefully selected.
Shu Ran's heart skipped a beat. She quickly walked into the classroom, her gaze sweeping over the corner. Her old tin can, which she used to store chalk stubs, had been wiped clean, and there were even some new chalk stubs of varying lengths inside. The small blackboard hanging on the wall had also been clearly wiped clean, the dust around the edges gone.
All traces were made so quietly that no one could be found, but Shu Ran knew that there was only one person in the livestock company who would do such things so meticulously and silently.
He came back.
It was almost dusk. Shu Ran didn't go straight back to the dormitory, but instead took a detour to the tofu shop on the edge of the company.
Even before getting close, you can smell the familiar aroma of soybeans and firewood. The tofu shop is a low, mud-brick building with a straw curtain hanging at the entrance.
Shu Ran lifted the curtain and went inside. Steam rose from the room. Li Xiulan, wearing an apron, was laboriously pushing a large stone mill, and milky white soy milk slowly flowed down the millstone into the wooden bucket below. Another female worker was busy tending the fire at the stove.
"Xiulan!" Shu Ran called out.
Li Xiulan looked up at the sound, her cheeks flushed from the steam. Seeing Shu Ran, her eyes lit up with a delighted smile: "Sister Shu Ran! You're back!" She stopped grinding the millstone and wiped her hands on her apron. "Sister Shu Ran, how is it? What's the headquarters like? Isn't it impressive?"
The female worker tending the fire nearby also looked over curiously.
Shu Ran smiled, rolled up her sleeves and walked over: "Come on, let me help you push for a while, you can rest."
She took the millstone and slowly started pushing it. "The headquarters is better off than here; it has electric lights and the building is taller. But I still feel more comfortable in our company."
Li Xiulan wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve, standing to the side watching Shu Ran push the millstone, her eyes filled with envy and curiosity: "Sister Shu Ran, you've seen so much of the world, yet you're still willing to come back and push this millstone..."
"Why wouldn't I want to?" Shu Ran's hands kept moving, her tone relaxed. "Grinding tofu is legitimate work. Besides, I came back with a mission." She lowered her voice slightly, "The higher-ups want to use this place as a model, and they'll have to do a good job of it in the future!"
"A demonstration site?" Li Xiulan blinked, not quite understanding, but thought it was a good thing. "Then... then will the school get better in the future?"
“Of course!” Shu Ran said confidently. “The school buildings need to be repaired, and teaching materials need to be added. However…” She changed the subject and sighed, “Director Zhao said that production is busy and there is a shortage of labor and materials, so he told us to do what we can.”
Upon hearing this, the excitement on Li Xiulan's face dimmed slightly. She muttered softly, "Director Zhao has always thought that our work, which doesn't involve working directly in the fields, is unimportant... but he probably wouldn't dare to go against his superiors now."
Shu Ran understood. She stopped grinding the millstone and looked at Li Xiulan: "Xiulan, the demonstration site needs to be done well; I can't do it alone. You have to help me."
"Me?" Li Xiulan waved her hand in a flustered manner. "What help can I be? At most, I know two more words than others."
"You're very useful!" Shu Ran grabbed her hand. "Look, you're a key member of the women's literacy class. In the future, we'll be setting up more formal literacy classes, and you'll have to help me organize people and manage learning materials. Also, your tofu shop is very well-informed. You always hear about what's going on in the company, which is very important for me to understand the situation."
Li Xiulan was a little confused by Shu Ran's words, but also excited by the trust placed in her. Her face turned even redder: "Can I really do it?"
"You'll definitely succeed!" Shu Ran encouraged her. "You're meticulous and honest. From now on, you'll not only be Li Xiulan of the tofu shop, but also the women's leader of our demonstration site!"
"Women's affairs officer?" Li Xiulan repeated the new term, a different light gradually appearing in her eyes. She had always thought of herself as just an ordinary factory worker. Shu Ran's words seemed to have opened a new window for her.
"Okay!" Shu Ran nodded heavily. "So, if you hear any news that might be helpful to the school or the literacy class, or if anyone is having difficulties, just tell me quietly, and we'll figure something out together."
Just then, the female worker by the stove shouted, "Xiulan, the pot is boiling!"
"Yes! Coming!" Li Xiulan quickly replied, then said to Shu Ran, "Sister Shu Ran, don't worry, I... I'll definitely keep an eye out for you!"
Shu Ran left the tofu shop and returned to her dormitory. Sister Wang had already prepared dinner for her—a bowl of noodle soup, a cornbread cake, and a small dish of pickled vegetables.
"Eat quickly, it's still warm," Sister Wang said while sewing shoe soles. "Director Zhao just sent someone to tell you that there's a meeting at the company headquarters tomorrow morning to discuss production matters, and he wants you to attend as well."
Shu Ran took the bowl and chopsticks, realizing that this was probably not a simple notification, but rather that Zhao Weidong wanted to discuss the construction of the demonstration site within the broader context of production.
She slurped up a mouthful of the dumpling soup; it tasted bland, but she ate it with relish. She knew that to make these mundane days flavorful, she had to earn it herself.
As night deepened, Sister Wang's snoring filled the dugout. Shu Ran lay on the kang (heated brick bed), but couldn't fall asleep. She turned over, facing the wall, forcing herself to stop thinking nonsense, and finally drifted off to sleep in the latter half of the night.
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