Chapter 12 "...made them cry and scream for their parents!..."
It was Shuanzhu. He had somehow moved to the doorway, his face pale and his eyes red.
Shu Ran's heart tightened, and she immediately went over: "Shuanzhu, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
“My mother…” Shuanzhu’s voice was choked with sobs, tears welling up in his eyes, “My mother is coughing so badly… she almost couldn’t get up this morning… I have to go back and see her… I’m scared…” He spoke more and more urgently, and the last few words were choked up and drowned out.
Shu Ran understood instantly.
The child had been distracted since the start of class; it turned out he had been preoccupied with his ailing mother. The chaos he had just experienced had overwhelmed his fragile nerves.
"Good boy, don't be afraid." Shu Ran immediately squatted down, pressed down on his thin shoulders, and said firmly, "Teacher knows. Your mother is sick, it's understandable that you're worried. Go home and see your mother now, okay? Teacher will grant you leave!"
"Really?" Shuanzhu looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief and tears.
"Really! Go quickly! Take good care of Mother!" Shu Ran nodded.
Shuanzhu turned and rushed outside, his figure disappearing quickly outside the shed.
The removal of the bolus was like the start of a chain reaction.
"Waaah... Teacher Shu... I... I'm wet in my pants..." An even smaller cry followed. It was Tie Dan! The little guy had wet his pants at some point; a large wet patch was on his light-colored pants, and urine was dripping down the leg, forming a small puddle at his feet.
He was so frightened that he trembled all over, his little face turned red, and he burst into tears.
"Ouch!" the little girl cried out in surprise, covering her nose and jumping away.
"Tiedan wet his pants!" Hu Zi pointed at Tiedan and shouted without a care in the world.
"Shame on you!" Da Mao chimed in.
Tie Dan's cries grew louder, filled with helplessness and shame.
The shed reeked of urine.
Shu Ran felt a rush of heat to her head. She squeezed her eyes shut and suddenly raised her voice: "Shut up!"
The children fell silent instantly, even Tie Dan stopped crying, and looked at the teacher in fear.
Shu Ran quickly walked to Tie Dan's side, took off her half-worn blue blouse, and wrapped it around Tie Dan's soaked pants, covering his entire lower body.
"Don't be afraid, Tiedan, it's okay." She picked up Tiedan, trying to keep her voice steady. "Teacher will take you home to change your pants first, okay?"
Holding Tiedan, she looked around at the remaining children, her gaze lingering for a moment on the still stubborn Adil and the terrified Ayman.
"Stone," she said, looking at the eldest boy, "you're the class monitor, so keep an eye on everyone. Stay in the classroom, and nobody's allowed to run around! I'll take Tiedan home and be right back!"
Shi Tou straightened his chest and replied loudly, "Don't worry, Teacher Shu! I'm watching them!"
Shu Ran nodded, said no more, and quickly walked out of the shed with Tie Dan in her arms.
Inside the shed, collapsed adobe bricks were piled up in the corner, and urine stains and scattered lime powder remained on the ground.
Stone kept a straight face, trying his best to maintain order. Tiger and Da Mao shrank to one side, not daring to make any more trouble. Chuncao and Xiaoya held hands, quietly comforting each other.
Adil stood stubbornly to one side, a hint of confusion in his eyes. Ayman clung tightly to her brother, her eyes involuntarily drifting to the white "hand" character on the door panel.
Shu Ran carried Tie Dan as she walked along the uneven dirt road in the company. A dull ache throbbed in her lower back where she had been hit by the corner of the podium.
"Teacher Shu?" An unfriendly voice sounded from behind.
Shu Ran paused, knowing who it was without turning around. Zhou Qiaozhen was walking towards them from the opposite direction with two other female workers, clearly just returning from the canteen, still carrying enamel basins in their hands.
"Oh, isn't this our Teacher Shu?" Zhou Qiaozhen took a few steps closer, looking her up and down exaggeratedly, a mocking smile playing on her lips. "This is only the first class, right? How did it turn out like this? Tsk tsk, the way this kid is crying... and the smell..." She waved her hand in front of her nose in disgust.
A female worker nearby chimed in, "That's right, Teacher Shu! I heard you managed to get those stubborn siblings from Old Tuerdi's family in the pastoral area to attend classes? You're really something!"
"Ability?" Zhou Qiaozhen scoffed, her voice so loud that it drew the attention of passing workers. "I think it's just a waste of time! A capitalist's daughter, what's she doing coming to this Gobi Desert to play the role of a schoolteacher? Can you even teach? You can't even soothe a child, making them cry and scream! With that stench all over you, people who don't know better would think you've fallen into a sheep pen!"
Several passing employees stopped, their eyes darting back and forth between Shu Ran and Zhou Qiaozhen, whispering among themselves.
“Comrade Zhou Qiaozhen,” Shu Ran turned around abruptly, her gaze piercing Zhou Qiaozhen’s smug face, and said coldly, “Watch your words! I’m at work! My child had a minor problem, so I took him home! What’s it to you?”
"Work? Ha!" Zhou Qiaozhen acted as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world. She put her hands on her hips and raised her voice even louder, as if afraid that others wouldn't hear her. "Your shabby shack? Work? Give me a break! Don't mislead the children! I think you're just bored and using the kids in the company as entertainment! With that kind of energy, you should think about how to get rid of your capitalist princess airs and go back to Shanghai as soon as possible!"
Shu Ran didn't argue with her, nor did she try to prove herself; instead, she focused on Zhou Qiaozhen. When it came to countering public opinion, she was an expert, having studied psychology.
She raised her voice and said righteously, "Zhou Qiaozhen! During work hours, instead of completing the labor tasks assigned to you by the organization, you're here spreading rumors, causing trouble, and maliciously slandering your comrades! This is serious liberalism and a complete lack of organization and discipline! It's also a blatant sabotage of the company's work in promoting revolution and production!"
Shu Ran spoke at an extremely fast pace, with an imposing manner, giving Zhou Qiaozhen no chance to interrupt.
She took a step closer. "You keep saying I'm misleading the children? Qiming Elementary School was approved by the division headquarters, and the company commander gave his approval! This is a major event in response to the national call, in building the border region and cultivating successors! What are you up to by being sarcastic and obstructive here? Do you want to keep the children of our livestock company blind forever, so that you, Zhou Qiaozhen, can look superior?!"
These words carried significant weight, directly labeling Zhou Qiaozhen with a serious accusation. Several older employees who had initially been merely observing the situation immediately changed their expressions, their gazes towards Zhou Qiaozhen hardening.
"You!" Zhou Qiaozhen was stunned by the barrage of accusations. Her face flushed red, and she instinctively tried to refute them.
Shu Ran gave her no chance to breathe, her tone filled with righteous indignation: "You questioned my mattress before, and now you're questioning the organization's decision! You're even obstructing my work! Comrade Zhou Qiaozhen, who gave you the audacity to spout such nonsense and defy the organization?!"
Her words caused the two female employees who had initially spoken up for Zhou Qiaozhen to instinctively take a half step back, their faces showing alarm.
Shu Ran's gaze swept over the growing number of employees gathering around her, and she said firmly, "As for you calling me 'capitalist's daughter' and wishing you could trample me into the mud! Yes! I come from a bad family background, that's history! I'm now a teacher in the livestock company! I build the platform with mud bricks by hand, draw the blackboard with ink, and teach the children to write by hand! I'm no different from you!"
She suddenly raised her ink-stained right hand and shoved it in front of Zhou Qiaozhen, showing it to everyone else as well. "Comrade Zhou Qiaozhen, tell me! In what way do I resemble that capitalist's daughter you're talking about?!"
"You're jealous that I have a mattress, fine! You're envious that I can teach, fine too! But you absolutely shouldn't have used the dirtiest thoughts to speculate about your comrades! You shouldn't have used the most vicious language to undermine unity! And you certainly shouldn't have hindered the bright future of the children's education!"
Shu Ran's voice was firm and powerful: "I, Shu Ran, am upright and honest! My mattress has a receipt in the storage room! My classroom was approved by Director Zhao, and I cleaned it up myself! My students were sent here with the consent of their parents! What I teach is recognizing names, recognizing work points, and understanding how to promote production through revolution! Every single thing can withstand scrutiny from anyone, at any time!"
She stared intently at Zhou Qiaozhen, whose face was deathly pale, and said, word by word, "It's you, Comrade Zhou Qiaozhen! You abandoned your post during working hours, spread rumors, maliciously slandered others, undermined unity, and obstructed education! Do you want to go to the company headquarters right now? Let's have a serious talk about every single word you've said in front of the leaders!"
Zhou Qiaozhen was completely stunned by Shu Ran's rapid-fire counterattack.
The phrase "go to the company headquarters" in particular reminded her of Chen Yuanjiang's cold eyes, and a chill ran from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.
Her face turned from red to white, then from white to green. She subconsciously took a step back and bumped into the female employee behind her.
"I...I..." She opened her mouth but couldn't utter a single word. Her eyes darted away, and she dared not look at Shu Ran again, much less at the employees around her with their complicated gazes.
She was filled with rage, hating Shu Ran's sharp tongue and even more so for exposing her weaknesses in public! She knew she was doomed today, and if she continued to cause trouble, Shu Ran might really drag her to the company headquarters, where she would definitely be in trouble. She could only lower her head for the time being and swallow her anger.
The crowd fell completely silent. Those who had been watching the spectacle were now filled with admiration for Shu Ran.
Sister Wang had squeezed in at some point, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she looked at Shu Ran's straight back. Li Xiulan, on the other hand, covered her mouth, her face filled with shock.
In the silence, a cold, hard voice came from behind the crowd:
"What happened?"
The crowd parted to make way. Chen Yuanjiang appeared in everyone's sight.
He walked over step by step, his gaze sweeping coldly between Shu Ran and Zhou Qiaozhen.
"Officer Chen..." The two female employees next to Zhou Qiaozhen stammered, trying to explain.
Chen Yuanjiang walked straight to the center of the standoff, saying, "During working hours, you're gathering in a noisy crowd, disrupting order, and undermining unity. I think you're just bored out of your minds!"
Li Xiulan wanted to rush up and explain that Zhou Qiaozhen had started it, but Sister Wang quickly pulled her back, signaling her to keep quiet.
Shu Ran was about to explain what had happened when Chen Yuanjiang's gaze turned to her. "Comrade Shu Ran was fulfilling the teaching tasks assigned by the organization. It is her duty to deal with the child's situation promptly."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding staff before settling back on Zhou Qiaozhen's face. He emphasized, "Any behavior that disrupts normal teaching order or maliciously slanders teachers is a disruption of the organization's work. Considering this is a first offense, it will not be repeated. Any further incidents will be dealt with according to disciplinary regulations."
"What are you all standing there for? Waiting for me to take you back to your posts?" Chen Yuanjiang's tone turned stern.
The two female workers hurriedly grabbed Zhou Qiaozhen from either side and practically dragged her away from the scene.
Chen Yuanjiang didn't look at anyone else, turned around and walked away.
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