Chapter 73 Knowledge Yurt
Director Sun arrived suddenly and left just as abruptly, leaving behind a lot of thoughts and speculations.
After seeing the people off, Company Commander Ma and Secretary Liu returned with somewhat unreadable expressions on their faces.
Company Commander Ma rubbed his hands together and said to Shu Ran, "Teacher Shu, Director Sun is a man of deep thoughts. He didn't make a clear statement, but he didn't find fault either, which is a good thing! You can continue with your work as usual, but you need to pay more attention."
Secretary Liu then cautioned, "Director Sun mentioned the matter of systematized teaching materials, which is a direction. But this is a major issue with many implications, and it may not succeed. Keep this in mind for now, don't make a fuss, and wait for news from higher-ups."
Shu Ran nodded in agreement. She understood that what came after a single sentence could be far more complex than a single sentence, and the outcome was uncertain. Suppressing her anticipation and trepidation, she continued to dedicate herself to her daily teaching and production assistance.
Shu Ran suppressed the ripples caused by Director Sun's inspection. She knew that it was precisely at times like these that she needed to remain calm.
In the classroom, Shu Ran was distributing the sack of books that Chen Yuanjiang had brought and the old periodicals that Yang Zhenhua had given her to the students.
“Look, students,” Shu Ran said, holding up a worn-out copy of the People’s Pictorial and pointing to a picture of a large factory. “This is modernization. Although we still use tractors now, as long as we study hard, we will be able to drive tractors and build big factories in the future!”
The children craned their necks, their eyes wide, staring in amazement at the roaring machines and neat factory buildings in the pictures.
Stone pointed to the text under the picture and read it haltingly: "Steel-Iron-Factory..."
"That's right! Well read!" Shu Ran encouraged, and then wrote words like "steel," "factory," and "construction" on the blackboard. Knowledge seeped into the children's hearts little by little through these concrete images.
The atmosphere in the literacy class was equally lively. Sister Wang held a piece of chalk and carefully wrote the words "hoe," "sickle," and "work points" on the blackboard. The women below read them aloud and then used twigs to demonstrate them on the ground.
Li Xiulan then took out the ledger and taught everyone to identify the numbers and capital letters on various receipts.
"Sister Guifen, look, this character '五' looks like a person standing with their hands on their hips. Remember that?"
"Oh my, now that you mention it, it really does look like it!"
Shu Ran still had something on her mind—the vast pasture and Old Aken's suggestion of a "knowledge yurt." The honor of the division's performance and Director Sun's attention gave her more confidence to push forward with this matter.
She approached Secretary Liu and Company Commander Ma, and reiterated her idea of establishing mobile teaching points in pastoral areas.
This time, she was better prepared: "Company Commander, Secretary, the children and people in the pastoral areas are equally eager to learn. When Director Sun came last time, he also affirmed our teaching approach that combines theory with practice. We can't just focus on the company's own little corner. If the people in the pastoral areas can read and understand principles, it will greatly benefit the stability of our company's surrounding area and our communication and cooperation in production! As for safety, I can organize the older children to go together, or ask Turdi and the others to look after them along the way. Each trip doesn't need to be long, even just an hour or two will do!"
After listening to Shu Ran's idea of establishing mobile teaching points in pastoral areas, Company Commander Ma frowned and said, "Teacher Shu, I know you mean well. But spring irrigation is just around the corner, and we're short on manpower! Where can we find people to specifically escort you to the pastoral areas? If something happens, who can bear the responsibility?"
Secretary Liu spoke rather tactfully, but also looked troubled: "Teacher Shu, the situation in the pastoral areas is complex, and it's not up to us to decide on one side. It would be best if we had a formal invitation from the pastoral areas, and the division headquarters would also have to register and approve it. Otherwise, it wouldn't be legitimate and it wouldn't be easy to proceed."
Shu Ran knew the leaders' concerns were understandable. She was prepared and, as a second-best option, proposed a more prudent plan: "Company Commander, Secretary, I understand your concerns. How about this? We won't set up a formal teaching point. Instead, we'll use the guise of after-school tutoring and helping the herders' children catch up on lessons, utilizing weekends or my free afternoons for a small-scale pilot program. It will be near Old Aken's yurt, and each session will be short, at most two hours. Adil will guide me, so there's someone to look after me. Let's see how it goes, get a feel for the situation. If the herders really welcome it and the children truly improve, then we'll submit a formal report to apply for project approval, okay?"
This plan reduced the risks and seemed more pragmatic. Company Commander Ma and Secretary Liu exchanged glances and finally relented: "Alright... but safety first! You must report every time you go! Where you're going, who you're meeting, and what time you'll be back—you must explain everything clearly! You absolutely cannot go if the weather is bad!"
With tacit approval, Shu Ran immediately took action. She asked Adil to convey a message to Old Akhen and Turdi. Old Akhen's reply came quickly: Welcome! He could arrange for the children of the nearby herders to come at a fixed time.
The first weekend was sunny and warm, with clear blue skies and sunshine.
Shu Ran carried a simple bag she had prepared: a few homemade blackboards made of planed and blackened wooden boards, a box of chalk, a stack of flashcards written on cigarette box paper and the back of waste reports, and a small bag of fruit candy.
Adil brought over his gentle horse.
Riding a horse along the road to the pasture, the spring breeze still carried a chill, but the fresh scent of earth and sprouting grass was already in the air.
Shu Ran couldn't help but exclaim, "The vastness of the world truly broadens one's mind."
Outside the old Akhen's yurt, seven or eight children, ranging from five or six to twelve or thirteen years old, were already sitting scattered around. They were wearing fur coats, their little faces were rosy from the wind, and their eyes were full of curiosity and shyness.
Their parents stood at a distance, also looking on with curiosity.
There are no classrooms or desks; the classroom is set up under the blue sky and white clouds, on the green grass.
Shu Ran didn't rush into class. She first asked Adil to help her greet the children in their native language, and then took out fruit candies to share with everyone, quickly closing the distance between them.
She began her first lesson by picking up a blade of grass, drawing its shape on a small blackboard with chalk, writing the word "grass" in large letters next to it, and then pointing to the grass under her feet.
“Grass—” she read slowly and clearly.
The children repeated after them, their pronunciation strange, but they were very serious.
She drew a simple sheep, wrote "sheep" on it, and pointed to a flock of sheep grazing in the distance.
"sheep--"
...
The teaching proceeded slowly but with great enjoyment. The children quickly grasped the method of matching pictures with real objects. However, when Shuran tried to teach more complex vocabulary and sentences, the language barrier became a huge hurdle, often requiring Adil's translation.
Shu Ran did not simply copy the company's teaching materials, but instead started teaching from the most basic content that was closely related to their lives: "sheep", "horse", "milk", "grass" and "home".
She then pointed to the actual objects, took out Chinese character cards, and had the children read them aloud, while drawing them on a small blackboard with chalk.
The children were initially reserved, but curiosity overcame all their shyness. They were fascinated by this novel way of learning and studied with exceptional focus.
Old Akhen sat not far away, smoking his pipe and watching silently.
Once, twice... Shu Ran insisted on going every week. Each time was short, but the content was carefully prepared. She taught them to recognize numbers, to write their own names, which was actually just Chinese characters and simple transliterations, and also taught them to sing simple Chinese rhymes.
More and more children came, and even some young herder women would gather around to listen curiously.
The pastoral knowledge yurt has successfully taken its first step.
The following weekend, Shu Ran went to the ranch without fail. Sometimes the sun shone brightly, but other times a sudden strong wind would blow, making the blackboard rattle and sending papers flying everywhere. The children would shiver in the wind, and the lessons would have to be interrupted.
Sometimes when we arrived, the yurts were empty; the herders had moved to more distant summer pastures. The children's time was also uncertain; they would often be called away to help herd sheep and milk cows after only a short time of studying.
Setbacks did not discourage Shu Ran. She adjusted her strategy and became more flexible. In terms of timing, she made better use of the brief leisure time after the herders returned to their grazing land in the evening.
In terms of teaching methods, she drew more pictures and composed more rhymes and simple songs that incorporated herding life.
She focused on training Adil and another slightly older girl, Guli, as teaching assistants. They could not only translate, but also help maintain order and lead review sessions.
Shu Ran even started learning the simplest folk language from Adil. Although her awkward pronunciation often drew laughter from the children, it also brought them closer together.
Once, she was teaching the words "horse" and "riding a horse" when a mischievous little boy suddenly stood up, gesturing excitedly. He pointed to a spirited horse in the distance, then pointed to himself, meaning that was his horse and that he rode it very well.
Shu Ran had a brilliant idea. She used what was available to teach the children by combining words like "riding a horse," "running," and "brave," and the children learned with great enthusiasm.
The knowledge yurts not only imparted written language, but also served as a bridge connecting the military units with the pastoral areas, and facilitating communication between the Han and pastoral ethnic cultures.
Shu Ran meticulously recorded each teaching session, the children's progress, and the difficulties encountered. This firsthand information enriched the systematic teaching materials she was preparing for Director Sun, especially regarding the teaching content and methods for children in pastoral areas, giving her more practical insights.
Occasionally, when she returned from the pastoral area, Sister Wang would pull her aside and ask, "Teacher Shu, you travel so far just to teach those few kids, aren't you tired? Is it worth it? You haven't even received any official title."
Shu Ran smiled slyly: "It's tiring, but sister, didn't you see how happy those children were when they learned to write their own names! And building this knowledge yurt will bring great benefits in the future!"
She knew that the road ahead might be long, and all her hard work was building up strength for the greater opportunities that were to come.
Several more months passed in a flurry of activity. Just when Shu Ran thought that Director Sun's inspection was just a routine visit by higher-ups, the company headquarters received a call directly from the division's education department.
Secretary Liu answered the phone. As he listened, his expression turned serious and surprised, and he repeatedly agreed.
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