Chapter 37 "Ready at the Moment..."
The next day, Shu Ran went to class as usual. She froze when she was far away from the tool shed.
The tool shed is still the same tool shed, but its appearance has changed drastically!
The door that had been pried askew was gone! In its place stood a brand new, sturdy wooden door! The door panel had been planed smooth and flat, and coated with a layer of clear tung oil. A new brass lock hung on the door latch.
What surprised Shu Ran even more was that the "courtyard wall" that had originally been simply surrounded by a sparse fence and adobe bricks around the tool shed had now been completely demolished and rebuilt. In its place were thick and neat earthen walls made of rammed saline soil. Although they were still yellowish-brown, the walls were smooth and solid, and the corners were reinforced with gravel.
The entire tool shed suddenly resembled a real classroom, appearing neat and safe.
"Huh? Who did this?" Shu Ran couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. The company was always short of manpower, and it was already good enough that Zhao Weidong could lead a group to fix the door; building a wall was no small task.
"Who else could it be?" The comrade who had asked Shu Ran to ring the bell to end get out of class came over with a smile on his face: "It's Officer Chen! He brought his few uninjured soldiers, as well as a few young men from the company who volunteered to help, to mix mud, make adobe bricks, and build the wall! Director Zhao provided the new door panels and locks."
The worker clicked his tongue: "You didn't see it, those guys really put in the effort! This wall is sturdy! The key," he pointed to an inconspicuous gap above the new door frame, "is there!"
Shu Ran walked to the new door, stood on tiptoe, and reached her finger into the top of the door frame, where she indeed found a key.
She unlocked the brass lock with the new key. With a soft click, the door was pushed open.
The shed seemed much brighter and cleaner. The windows were reinforced, the desks and benches were newly made, and a few old posters were pasted on the walls. It seemed that Chen Yuanjiang used them to broaden the children's horizons.
Looking at the stack of red scarves hidden under the teacher's desk, she knew that only one step was left before that solemn moment.
The classroom door was pushed open a crack, and Xiao Wang, the company's communications officer, poked his head in: "Teacher Shu, Secretary Liu wants to see you!"
Shu Ran's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. Secretary Liu? The branch secretary of the company who had been studying at the Party School of the Autonomous Region? She straightened her collar and brushed the chalk dust off her cuffs: "I know, I'll be right there."
The mud-brick house where Secretary Liu works is more spacious than the tool shed, but it still looks rather simple.
Shu Ran called out "Report!" from the doorway, and a deep, steady male voice came from inside: "Come in."
Pushing open the door, a pungent smell of stale paper and tobacco filled the air. Behind the desk sat a middle-aged man, probably not yet fifty, wearing a faded military uniform, with a crew cut and no hat.
He looked up from a document at Shu Ran. This was Secretary Liu.
"Secretary Liu, hello. I am Shu Ran, a teacher at Qiming Elementary School." Shu Ran stood still, her tone steady, showing the respect due to a superior, but neither servile nor arrogant.
"Comrade Shu Ran, please sit down." Secretary Liu gestured to the bench in front of the table, his tone calm, but his eyes held a hint of scrutiny.
He put down the documents. "I just finished my studies at the Party School and have heard a lot about it since I got back. Company Commander Ma, Director Zhao, and many staff members' families have all mentioned you. Founding Qiming Primary School and helping children in the company and pastoral areas to become literate is no easy feat. Especially during that incident a few days ago, you remained calm in the face of danger, sounded the alarm with a gong, protected the school, and cooperated with the organization's actions... Well done."
Shu Ran sat down on the bench, her back straight, her hands naturally placed on her knees: "Secretary, you flatter me. It's all thanks to the support of the organization, the effective command of Officer Chen and the leaders, the bravery of the soldiers, and the crucial identification by Adil. I was just doing my duty, fulfilling my role as a teacher."
She answered sincerely, stating the facts and attributing the credit to the collective, without any feigned modesty or self-satisfaction.
A hint of approval flashed in Secretary Liu's eyes. He picked up the enamel mug on the table, took a sip of water, and got to the point: "I called you here mainly to discuss two things. First, it concerns the establishment of a Young Pioneers organization at your Qiming Elementary School."
Shu Ran was overjoyed and turned her gaze to Secretary Liu.
Secretary Liu's tone carried an unspoken solemnity: "Before returning to the division headquarters to report, Comrade Chen Yuanjiang specifically handed over to me the preliminary work he had handled, including your application for the establishment of the team, student evaluation records, and ideological education plan. At the same time, he also made key reports and appeals to higher authorities."
Shu Ran listened quietly.
"After the study, it was concluded that although Qiming Primary School was in difficult conditions and small in scale, its literacy education work was solid, and the children had shown patriotism and courage in recent events, which met the conditions for establishing a Young Pioneers organization at a grassroots company teaching point."
Secretary Liu's tone became formal, "Therefore, I have specially approved your establishment of the Young Pioneers! Procedurally, it will be directly led by the company's Party branch. In other words, from now on, the Young Pioneers of your Qiming Primary School will be under the management of our company's Party branch! I am the person primarily responsible."
Shu Ran said happily, "That's wonderful! Thank you, organization! Thank you, Secretary Liu!"
"Don't thank me yet." Secretary Liu waved his hand, a hint of helplessness on his face. "It's been approved, but as you know, supplies, especially these red scarves, are quite scarce right now..."
“Secretary Liu,” Shu Ran spoke up at the opportune moment, her voice carrying just the right amount of joy: “Regarding the red scarves… Before Comrade Chen left, he handed over a new batch of red scarves to our primary school, saying it was a special reward approved by the higher authorities.”
"Oh?" Secretary Liu was clearly taken aback for a moment, then exclaimed "Hey!" as if suddenly realizing something. He tapped the table with his finger, his face showing a mixture of amusement and exasperation: "That Chen Yuanjiang! He's quick on his feet! Fine, now even the last little difficulty is gone! It seems he's already figured out the connections at the top, just waiting for me to come back and go through this final step!"
His tone carried a sense of "I knew it," and he said, "Now that everything is in place, let's not delay. Comrade Shu Ran, as for the specifics of the induction ceremony, you're a teacher, so you're more familiar with the children's situation and understand the spirit of the Young Pioneers' charter. The branch will fully support you. If you need any cooperation, just ask Xiao Wang."
"Understood, Secretary Liu!" Shu Ran stood up, a weight finally lifted from her heart. Chen Yuanjiang not only thought of it, but also quietly carried it out. His thoughtfulness... was truly remarkable.
"The second matter," Secretary Liu also stood up, his expression becoming more serious, "is about the children in the pastoral areas. Adil's case is a good example. But the situation in the pastoral areas is complex; parents' attitudes and road safety are all problems. I heard you went to mobilize them before and were met with many closed doors? Now that the school has just gone through this, and with the establishment of the Young Pioneers... it's an opportunity. We must seize this opportunity and find ways to attract more children from the pastoral areas to the classroom. Education is the foundation of change. Literacy is the cornerstone of building the frontier. This is a heavy responsibility, Comrade Shuran."
“I understand, Secretary.” Shu Ran met Secretary Liu’s gaze, her eyes firm. “I will do my best to carry out the work. I will also try to find more ways to ensure safety.”
"Yes, report any difficulties to the branch in time." Secretary Liu nodded. "Go on, put the red scarves on the children!"
Shu Ran's steps were exceptionally light as she left the company headquarters.
*
The next morning, the tool shed was filled with the sound of children reading aloud. Shu Ran was leading the children in reviewing simple addition and subtraction. Adil's voice was particularly loud as he read the problem: "Three sheep... plus two sheep... equals... five sheep!" Although his pronunciation was still a little stiff, his enunciation was clear, and his progress was remarkable.
"Very good, Adil!" Shu Ran praised. Adil smiled and sat up straighter.
Just then, the light at the entrance of the shed dimmed slightly. Adil, as if alert, immediately turned his head to look, his eyes lighting up as he quickly shouted something in the local language.
Two small heads timidly peeked out from the doorway. Two boys, about ten years old, dressed in the clothes of children from the pastoral area, their faces tanned dark red, their hair messy, and their leather boots covered in mud.
They looked around the shed with curiosity and nervousness, their eyes fixed on Adil.
Adil stood up excitedly, pointed to the door, and said to Shu Ran in broken but clear Chinese, "Teacher! They... my friends! Bayan! Saidar!" He then turned to the door and greeted her in the local language.
The two pastoral boys shoved each other for a moment, then finally mustered their courage and shuffled in along the doorway. All the children in the shed turned their attention to them.
"Adili, do they also want to go to school?" Shu Ran asked gently.
Adil nodded vigorously: "Yes! Listen to me... Go to school... Good! Learn to read! Like... a stone! Like... me!" He pointed to himself, then to the stone, his face filled with pride.
The two boys, Bayan and Saidar, didn't understand much Chinese, but they nodded like chicks pecking at rice, their eyes filled with longing, as they watched Adil's gestures and expressions.
Shu Ran was happy inside, but she didn't show it on her face. She walked up to the two children, squatted down, and said in the slowest possible pace, accompanied by gestures: "Going to school is good. But... you need your dad and mom..." She made a nodding gesture of agreement, "I know. I agree. It's safe."
Adil immediately understood. He patted his chest and said a few words to Bayan and Saidar in the local language, the gist of which was, "The teacher said that your parents have to agree."
The two children immediately looked embarrassed and disappointed.
Shu Ran smiled and pointed to two empty stools in the corner: "Today, sit down. Listen. Watch." She then made the gestures of watching and listening. Then she said to Adil, "After school, you and I will go talk to their parents. Okay?"
Adil's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously: "Okay! Teacher! I'll go tell them!"
Although Bayan and Saidar didn't fully understand, they were immediately delighted to see that they could sit down and listen. They jogged over and sat on the low stools, their backs ramrod straight. They looked curiously at the blackboard and Shuran, and then enviously at Adil and the discarded reports and writing on the stone table.
With two more auditors in the shed, the atmosphere became more lively.
Shu Ran walked back to the podium, her gaze sweeping over all the children, including the two new little heads.
"Classmates, today we have something very important to do."
The children quieted down, even Bayan and Saidar held their breath. Although they didn't quite understand, they sensed the difference in the atmosphere.
"Do you remember the Young Pioneers we learned about? Do you remember the red scarf?" Shu Ran said, opening the drawer of the lectern.
Stone's face flushed with excitement, and Adil's eyes widened. The other children's eyes also shone with intense longing.
"With the approval of the organization, today, the Young Pioneers of Qiming Primary School are officially established! Shitou, Adil, Shuanzhu, Chuncao, Xiaoya..." She read out five names, all of whom were children who studied diligently, worked actively, and performed outstandingly. "You five students are honored to become the first batch of Young Pioneers of China at Qiming Primary School!"
The children whose names were called were incredibly excited. Shi Tou jumped up, then quickly sat back down, too excited to do anything. Adil's face flushed, his chest heaving. Shuan Zhu grinned foolishly. Chun Cao and Xiao Ya lowered their heads shyly, but couldn't hide the smiles on their lips.
The children whose names weren't called visibly dimmed for a moment, but their determination quickly rekindled. They looked at each other and whispered, "I want to wear it next time too," and "I want to be as brave as Adil."
Although Bayan and Saidar did not understand what the "Young Pioneers" were, they could see the excitement and glory of their comrades, and their eyes were filled with curiosity and longing.
"Now, team members whose names are called, please come to the front." Shu Ran's tone carried a sense of ceremony.
Shi Tou was the first to rush to the front of the stage and stand ramrod straight. Adil followed closely behind, and Shuan Zhu, Chun Cao, and Xiao Ya also stood in their places in turn.
Shu Ran took out the stack of red scarves from the drawer.
She picked up the first red scarf and walked up to the stone. The stone trembled slightly with nervousness.
Shu Ran recalled the induction ceremony she had participated in in her previous life. There was no team flag, no rousing march, because she knew the team song hadn't been created yet. She could only do her best.
"Shitou," Shu Ran said solemnly, "the red scarf is a corner of the red flag, dyed with the blood of revolutionary martyrs. Wearing it represents honor and responsibility. You must study hard, strive for excellence every day, love labor, unite with your classmates, and prepare to contribute to the construction of our motherland and border regions! Can you do it?"
Stone's face flushed red, and with all his might, he shouted, "Yes! I can do it!"
Shu Ran nodded, wrapped the red scarf around Shi Tou's neck, and carefully tied it according to her memory. The bright red scarf made Shi Tou's excited little face look especially spirited.
The children burst into enthusiastic applause from inside the shed, and Bayan and Saidar clapped along with them.
Next was Adil. Shu Ran walked up to him, looking at the young boy who had once been full of hostility but now had bright eyes.
"Adili," Shu Ran said just as solemnly, "you bravely identified the bad guys and protected everyone. Now that you're wearing the red scarf, I hope you continue to study Chinese and learn new knowledge, unite with your Han classmates, and together with all your friends, cherish our company and our border region as you would your own flock of sheep! Can you do that?"
Adil tried hard to understand each word; he understood "brave," "learn," "unity," and "care." He straightened his back and answered in Chinese with all his might: "Yes! Adil! I can do it!"
Shu Ran tied the red scarf around his neck. Adil excitedly touched the red scarf on his chest, then glanced at Bayan and Saidar who were listening at the door. The pride on his face was almost overflowing! He stood straighter than a stone, like a small poplar rooted in the Gobi Desert.
Shuanzhu, Chuncao, and Xiaoya also put on their red scarves one by one. The five children, with bright red scarves fluttering on their chests, stood in a row. Although the shed was dilapidated and the tables and chairs were simple, at this moment, a solemn and sacred atmosphere filled the entire classroom.
"Now," Shu Ran said, facing the five new members and the whole class, raising her right fist to her ear and leading the Young Pioneers in reciting the oath: "New members, please repeat after me, I swear!"
The Young Pioneers immediately straightened their chests, imitated their teacher, clenched their little fists and held them to their ears, and shouted in unison: "I swear!"
Shu Ran's voice was filled with expectation: "Always be prepared!"
"Always ready!"
Shu Ran continued to lead the call: "Fight for the cause of communism!"
"Strive for the cause of communism!" The children's response was full of power.
Although Bayan and Saidar, who were listening in, did not understand the words, they were deeply moved by the solemn atmosphere and the red scarves on their friends' chests, their little faces full of longing. The other children also excitedly followed along, reciting quietly.
The shouts echoed in the small tool shed.
After class at noon, Shu Ran called the children to leave school and went to the cafeteria with a few pieces of milk curd that Saidar had given her.
The smoky, oily smoke from the canteen hit her face. Shu Ran, holding an enamel bowl, stood at the back of the line for food. The line moved slowly, and several male employees in front of her were gesturing wildly, describing the thrilling militia patrol they had experienced that night.
"...That dark figure darted past behind the three rows of dugouts in a flash! If it weren't for our sharp eyes..."
"Come on, Lao Li, you were snoring like a log in the middle of the night, and you even have sharp eyes!"
Amidst the laughter, Shu Ran's gaze swept over the food serving window. The portly cook lazily stirred the mushy pot with his ladle. It was her turn.
"Teacher Shu? We have some leftover carrot pilaf today, shall I get you some?" The chubby chef rarely took the initiative, scooping a spoonful from the glistening pile of rice, with a few more grains of meat than usual.
"Thank you, Master." Shu Ran handed over the bowl. She knew that, thanks to the Li Dazhuang incident and the night she banged the gong, she had truly earned a good reputation in this company.
Just as I sat down on the bench in the corner, a figure approached me with a bowl in hand. It was Xu Junjun. She slammed the bowl down on the table and plopped down, a bit of iodine stain still on her forehead.
Shu Ran wrapped a few pieces of milk curd in paper and stuffed them into Xu Junjun's pocket.
"I'm exhausted! The logistics guys were like moving house just checking the medicine warehouse!" she complained, but her eyes sparkled as she looked at Shu Ran's bowl. "Hey, Fatty Chef is biased! Your pilaf is so oily!"
Shu Ran smiled and handed her half of the card: "Shut your mouth. Come with me to the pastoral area this afternoon? Adil brought two friends to sit in on the meeting, Bayan and Saidar. We need to talk to their parents."
“Sure! It’s good to get some fresh air. The smell of sheep dung is better than the smell of disinfectant!” Xu Junjun said without any hesitation, shoveling food into her mouth and eating very quickly.
They had only taken a couple of bites when a figure holding a bowl paused at their table. It was Zhou Wenbin. He pushed up his glasses, a forced smile spreading across his face, as if he had just noticed them.
"Oh, Ms. Shu, and Medical Instructor Xu, what a coincidence." His gaze lingered on Shu Ran's face. "Having lunch?"
Shu Ran hummed in agreement, not even lifting her eyelids, and focused intently on picking out a single shredded carrot from her bowl. Xu Junjun was even more direct, rolling her eyes and burying her face in her bowl.
Zhou Wenbin seemed oblivious to the coldness, and sat down at the other end of the bench, leaving two empty seats between them. He cleared his throat, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the people at the next table to hear: "Teacher Shu, that night... it was truly thrilling! The gong signaling the alarm, the clever capture of the enemy agent! It's all over our company! Everyone says you're the one!" He gave a thumbs up, "Women are just as capable as men! Before, I was blind; I underestimated Teacher Shu's courage and ability!"
Shu Ran chewed her rice, remaining silent. She knew this kind of talk all too well. Offering help for no reason.
Seeing that she didn't respond, Zhou Wenbin turned his attention to Xu Junjun, his tone slightly ingratiating: "Medic Xu, you must have had a hard time these past two days, right? Have all the wounded been taken care of? And what about Officer Chen's arm..."
Xu Junjun abruptly raised her head, her cheeks still puffed out, and said in an unfriendly tone, "Technician Zhou, the condition of the injured is within the scope of our work and cannot be disclosed to the public. Is there something you need?"
Zhou Wenbin's smile froze for a moment, then he forced it back: "It's nothing, nothing, just showing concern for a comrade! Medic Xu is conscientious and responsible, with high moral character, everyone in our company knows that..." He changed the subject, a hint of probing, "Speaking of which, Medic Xu isn't young anymore, and about his personal life... there are plenty of talented young men at the regimental headquarters, aren't there? Like that Dr. Zhang from the regimental hospital last time..."
Xu Junjun's face flushed red, not from embarrassment, but from anger. She slammed down her chopsticks, her voice crisp and clear: "Zhou Wenbin! Mind your own business! I can be with whomever I want, why are you gossiping about me? Mind your own business! Have you found a way to get back to Shanghai yet?"
Zhou Wenbin's expression changed, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes behind his glasses, but he quickly replaced it with that fake smile: "Medic Xu's temper... Heh, just kidding. Okay, you guys eat, you guys eat." He picked up his almost untouched bowl, got up sullenly, and left.
"Pah! What a piece of trash!" Xu Junjun spat at his back, her chest heaving with anger. "A toad on your foot, it doesn't bite but it's disgusting! Going back to Shanghai? I think he's lost his mind! And he's asking about Dr. Zhang... What's it to him!" She got angrier and angrier as she spoke, and picked up the water jug and took a big gulp.
Shu Ran patted her back: "Calm down. Who can't see through his intentions? He just thinks I'm still useful after I made an appearance this time, and wants to reconnect with me." Her tone was calm. "Don't pay him any mind. But you..." She winked mischievously, "Dr. Zhang?"
Xu Junjun's face turned even redder. This time she was genuinely shy. She snatched the water jar and gulped down a large mouthful, choking and coughing. "Cough cough... Shu Ran, stop talking nonsense! It's not true!" She waved her hands frantically.
Shu Ran smiled and stopped teasing her. Xu Junjun's reaction confirmed it. That's good; it's a good thing to have something to look forward to here.
After finishing their meal, the two had just stepped out of the canteen when they saw Adil leading a horse with his sister Ayman riding on its back. Beside them were two other horses, with Bayan and Saidar riding on their backs.
The three boys' faces were flushed from the sun, and Adil was wearing a brand-new red scarf around his neck, which was dazzlingly red in the sunlight.
"Teacher! Aunt Xu!" As soon as Adil saw them, he straightened up and called out in broken Chinese, pointing to the horse behind him, "Quick! Ride! To the pasture! Quick!"
Bayan and Saidar excitedly pointed to the empty saddles behind them and shouted in broken Chinese, "Teacher! Sit down! Quickly!"
Ayman sat on her brother's horse and waved to them.
Shu Ran and Xu Junjun exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes that said, "This is too efficient."
"You didn't eat lunch and have been waiting here?" Shu Ran looked at the three little ones, who were tanned and sweating profusely, and felt a pang of sympathy mixed with helplessness. At midday, you could roast an egg on the Gobi Desert.
Adil pulled out a half-eaten naan from his pocket and said with a smile, "We ate it!" meaning that the four of them shared the naan.
“Okay, riding is fast!” Shu Ran didn’t hesitate and walked to Bayan’s horse. Bayan immediately bent down and reached out his small hand to pull her up. Shu Ran didn’t make him struggle; she grabbed the front of the saddle with one hand, awkwardly stepped into the stirrup, and climbed up to sit behind Bayan.
"Wow! Teacher Shu is quite capable!" Xu Junjun exclaimed in surprise.
"I've ridden it twice," Shu Ran explained briefly, without specifying who she rode with, then said to Bayan, "Slow down!"
"Yes!" Bayan understood this time, and he nodded vigorously, his face full of excitement.
Xu Junjun walked to Saidar's horse, looking a little intimidated by its tall back. Saidar mimicked Bayan and reached out his hand. After two attempts, with Saidar's help, Xu Junjun clumsily and yelped as she climbed onto the horse's back. Once seated, she immediately hugged Saidar's waist, making the little girl giggle.
"Auntie...be gentle..." Seidar twisted his little body.
"Don't move! I'll fall!" Xu Junjun said nervously.
Seeing that they were seated, Adil gave a command in the local language, flicked his whip, and the chestnut horse trotted off. Bayan and Saidar immediately urged their horses to follow.
Three horses carrying six people trotted out of the company and onto the dirt road leading to the pastoral area.
At midday, the Gobi Desert is like a giant oven, with waves of heat hitting you in the face. In the distance are the snow-capped peaks of the Tianshan Mountains, and in the distance, there are only sparse clumps of tamarisk and camel thorn.
Shu Ran squinted, lowered her body, and tried to press herself against Bayan's back to reduce resistance. The saddle was so hard it hurt, and she soon felt a painful friction on her inner thighs.
"This godforsaken place... even the wind is scorching hot!" Xu Junjun wailed from horseback. "My butt... is going to be bounced into eight pieces! Saidar, slow down! Slow down!"
Seidar chuckled and gently squeezed the horse's flanks, causing it to lurch forward a few steps, which made Xu Junjun scream again.
Adil looked back and shouted something in the local language, at which point Bayan and Saidar slowed down slightly.
"Once you cross the grassy slope ahead, there will be grassland, snowmelt, and a cool place!" Adil turned his head and tried his best to tell Shuran in Chinese.
Shu Ran nodded and wiped the sweat from her face.
The horses seemed to have caught the scent of water and pasture, and their steps became lighter. After crossing a long, gentle slope, the scenery suddenly changed.
A relatively lush grassland stretched out before us, though its edges were somewhat withered and yellow, it was much better than the saline-alkali land surrounding the company.
A small river meanders through the grassland. Several yurts lie quietly on the riverbank. Cattle and sheep graze leisurely on the grass. The air is filled with the scent of grass, the smell of livestock, and the aroma of cooking smoke drifting from afar.
The six men finally dismounted.
“Teacher,” Saidar, a little bolder, pointed to the medicine box that Xu Junjun had taken off the horse, “What… is inside?” He tried his best to imitate Chinese.
"Medicine kit. For treating illnesses." Xu Junjun patted the kit.
"Treatment?" Bayan leaned closer, his bright black eyes full of curiosity. "Sheep... are sick, you treat them too?"
Xu Junjun laughed: "If the sheep get sick, go to the vet! I treat people! But..." She rolled her eyes and teased them, "If you all go to school obediently and learn more words, maybe you can become doctors in the future, and you can treat people and sheep!"
The two children seemed to understand, but the words "go to school," "learn to read," and "become a doctor" seemed to have a magical power, making them excitedly push each other and speak rapidly in their local language. Adil listened from the side, occasionally correcting his partner's pronunciation.
As they approached the yurt, Bayan and Saidar didn't follow any further. They spoke a few words in the local language to Adil, mounted their horses, and galloped away.
From afar, Shu Ran saw Turdi squatting at the doorway, a wooden mallet in his hand, clanging and banging on an overturned old saddle. Scattered around him were leather straps, awls, and a small jar of dark ointment. Several sheep grazed quietly not far away.
"Ata!" Ayman cried out and ran over.
Turdi looked up, saw his daughter, and then saw Shuran and Adil following behind. He put down the mallet and dusted off his hands. Adil subconsciously puffed out his chest to make his red scarf stand out more.
"Brother Turdi." Shu Ran approached and greeted him with a smile, trying to keep her voice natural.
"Teacher Shu, come here." Turdi stood up and gestured for Shu Ran to enter the yurt.
The yurt was dimly lit and filled with a faint smell of mutton and milk.
Turdi's wife, a woman with rosy cheeks and gentle eyes, was brewing milk tea in a copper kettle. When she saw them come in, she smiled shyly, poured Shu Ran a bowl of steaming milk tea, and then grabbed a handful of milk curds and pushed them over onto a small wooden plate.
"Thank you." Shu Ran picked up the bowl and blew on it to cool it down. The tea was fragrant and strong, with a salty taste.
Xu Junjun sat down as well, curiously looking around the interior of the yurt: dried meat strips hanging there, piles of wool rolls, and a few exquisite handmade leather goods in the corner.
Turdi sat cross-legged, picked up a piece of milk curd and broke it into pieces to eat, looking at Shu Ran: "Teacher, is there something you need?" His Chinese expression was limited, but his meaning was very clear.
Shu Ran put down her bowl and pointed to Adil: "Adil did very well today." She then pointed to Adil's red scarf, "This is from the Young Pioneers; only good kids get it. He works very hard."
Turdi's gaze fell on the red scarf on his son's chest, then moved to his son's proud face. His facial features seemed to soften for a moment, and he made a soft "hmm" sound through his nose as a response.
“Bayan and Saidar,” Shuran said, naming the two boys, “came to school today. They want to go to school. But,” she nodded, “they need their parents to know and agree.”
“Brother Turdi, I came today to ask Adil to take me and medic Xu to visit Bayan and Saidar’s homes. They came to the school this morning to audit classes and were studying very hard.”
Turdi understood. He chewed on a milk curd and thought for a moment: "Bayan's family is... behind that hillside." He pointed in a direction, "Lots of sheep, busy. Saidar's family is to the west, the pasture is a bit smaller, his Ata... his leg isn't very good, he fell off a horse in the winter."
As they were talking, the yurt curtain was lifted, and a figure walked in, bending over. It was Old Akhen.
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