Chapter 59 Inspection by Higher Authorities
The women's literacy study group has been running vigorously for almost half a month. The new classroom is lit by kerosene lamps every night, and the sounds of women reading aloud and discussing can be heard from inside.
When Sister Wang went to deliver the message, she had a small notebook in her arms. Although the notes were crooked and messy, she was no longer mistaken about the key names and matters. Li Xiulan's tofu shop ledger was much clearer. When Zhang Guifen went to collect her things, she could also figure out the general idea by looking at the notes.
The gossip in the company gradually subsided, replaced by envious and curious glances. Even a few women who had initially been observing began to privately inquire with Sister Wang whether they could attend the next training session.
Just then, the company headquarters received a phone call from the regiment: an officer from the division's propaganda department would be visiting several companies soon to investigate the progress of grassroots cultural education and ideological work among the masses, with the livestock company being the first stop. The company was instructed to prepare and report truthfully.
This news immediately caused a stir in the company.
Secretary Liu and Company Commander Ma held an emergency meeting.
"The propaganda department from the division headquarters came down and specifically asked to come to our company first. This shows their importance, but it also puts pressure on us!" Secretary Liu banged on the table. "Everyone, take a look at your work and see what highlights you can show for yourselves, especially in the area of ideological and cultural education!"
Company Commander Ma frowned: "Production progress and canal-digging tasks are easy to report; there are numbers to show. But what about education... besides Teacher Shu's primary school, what else do we have? We can't just report how many characters they recognize, can we?"
Zhao Weidong chimed in, "If you ask me, our company's advantage is that we focus on production and complete our tasks well. We can mention those superficial things occasionally, but let them overshadow the main point."
“Old Zhao isn’t entirely right,” Secretary Liu shook his head. “The higher-ups are paying more and more attention to this kind of work now. I think Teacher Shu’s women’s literacy study group is quite innovative, it combines practical needs, and the response from the masses has been good. Could we report on it as a case study this time?”
"A women's literacy group?" Zhao Weidong frowned even more. "A bunch of old women getting together to learn a few words, is that considered an achievement? What if the leaders come and ask some questions and you can't answer anything, making a fool of yourself?"
A moment of silence fell over the meeting room.
At this moment, Chen Yuanjiang, who hadn't said much, spoke up: "It's good to be realistic. The literacy team was set up to solve practical difficulties in our work, and the results are obvious to all. It may be more in line with the realities at the grassroots level than empty talk about theory. As for the report, we can let Comrade Wang Guilan and Comrade Shu Ran, who are in charge, prepare it. They know the situation best."
Secretary Liu and Company Commander Ma exchanged a glance and nodded.
"Officer Chen is right. Let's do it that way. Report on production as needed, and prepare a report on the literacy team as a supplement. I'll talk to Teacher Shu. Also, have Teacher Shu help communicate with Comrade Wang Guilan, so she won't be too nervous to speak." Secretary Liu made the decision.
When the news reached Shu Ran's ears, she was in the classroom with Sister Wang and Li Xiulan packing up the things they would need for their evening study session.
Upon hearing this, Sister Wang's face turned pale instantly, and she almost dropped the piece of chalk she was holding: "What? A high-ranking leader from the division is coming? And he wants to see ours? Oh my goodness! What... what do we do?"
Li Xiulan nervously rubbed her apron: "Teacher Shu, what if the leader comes and asks us some probing questions that we can't answer? Will it cause trouble for the company?"
Seeing their flustered state, Shu Ran could only try to calm them down: "Don't panic, big sister, Xiulan. We've set up this group to solve practical problems, we haven't stolen or robbed anything, so what's there to be afraid of when we're inspected? Just tell the truth whatever the leaders ask."
Even so, Shu Ran herself wasn't sure. She went to see Secretary Liu to try and gauge his opinion.
Secretary Liu was talking to Company Commander Ma and Chen Yuanjiang in the company headquarters office, his brows furrowed. Seeing Shu Ran enter, Secretary Liu sighed, "Teacher Shu, it's good you're here too. You know about the inspection, right? The regiment emphasized on the phone that this time they'll focus on ideological and cultural work. Your study group, get ready; you'll probably have to give a brief report later."
Company Commander Ma interjected, his tone somewhat somber: "Teacher Shu, you need to think this through carefully. You should mention the achievements, but you can't be too boastful. If the leaders ask you some theoretical or policy-related questions and you can't answer them, that would be bad."
Shu Ran understood the leaders' concerns. She nodded: "Secretary, Company Commander, please rest assured. We will be factual and report on how we did it, why we did it, and what results we achieved. It's all concrete stuff, no empty promises."
Chen Yuanjiang, who had been silent until now, spoke up: "It's good to be realistic. Experience in solving practical problems is more valuable than empty talk."
After leaving the company headquarters, Shu Ran found Sister Wang, who was still fidgeting: "Sister, don't be afraid. Leaders are people too, so let's be frank. Just tell me why you wanted to learn it in the first place, and whether it was useful after you learned it. I'll help you organize everyone's learning results, and we can show them to the leaders later."
Upon hearing this, Sister Wang waved her hands immediately: "No, no! Ran, this won't do! I've never seen such a high-ranking leader before. Do I have to report to him? If I get nervous, I won't be able to say a word. Wouldn't that be embarrassing for the company?"
Shu Ran quickly encouraged her: "Don't be afraid, big sister! Just tell the truth, why you were in trouble at first, how you decided to learn it, and what the benefits were after learning it. Just tell us your true feelings, that's better than anything else! There are other sisters and me, it's not like you're the only one who has to talk."
After much persuasion, Sister Wang finally reluctantly agreed, but for the next two days, she kept repeating those few "reports" while eating and sleeping, as if she were about to be executed.
Shu Ran also took the time to organize the learning group's teaching materials and everyone's progress. She thought that just talking about it might not be intuitive enough, and it would be better to have some results to show.
She had a sudden inspiration: she asked each woman who participated in the training to write down a word she could write, her name, or a sentence she most wanted to say on an old newspaper. It didn't matter if the handwriting wasn't beautiful; the important thing was that it was genuine.
Li Xiulan neatly wrote down "Li Xiulan Tofu Shop Income and Expenditure" and some figures; Zhang Guifen wrote her name and "Work Points Clear" in a crooked hand; even Sun's daughter-in-law awkwardly wrote the character "Sun" and the words "Notification". Sister Wang wrote down "Wang Guilan, Women's Representative, Serving the People" with great solemnity.
Shu Ran carefully put them away. Sister Wang came over and pointed to the character "代" (dai, meaning "representative" or "on behalf of") in the sentence she had written, "Wang Guilan, a women's representative, serves the people," and said embarrassedly, "Ran, I think I wrote this character wrong..."
Shu Ran looked and, sure enough, wrote "伐" instead. She smiled, took out a pencil, and gently corrected a stroke: "It's okay, big sister, it's fine now that you know how."
The day of the inspection finally arrived.
That afternoon, the area in front of the company headquarters was unusually cleaned up. Company leaders, including Secretary Liu and Company Commander Ma, were waiting at the entrance early in the morning.
Shu Ran also changed into clean clothes and stood a little behind Sister Wang. Sister Wang was so nervous that she kept rubbing her hands. Shu Ran whispered, "Sister, just treat it like you're reporting to our company leader."
The sound of a jeep engine came from afar. A green jeep drove up, kicking up dust, and stopped at the entrance of the company.
The car door opened, and Secretary Liu and Company Commander Ma immediately went to greet them. The first to step out was a cadre in his forties with a serious expression, surnamed Wu, the deputy head of the division's propaganda section.
A young man followed behind, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, tall and thin, wearing a faded military uniform without a hat, with glasses perched on his nose. He looked quite refined, but his eyes were clear as he surveyed the company's surroundings.
"Section Chief Wu, welcome, welcome! You must be tired from your journey!" Secretary Liu warmly shook hands.
"This is Yang Zhenhua, an officer from the Publicity Section of the Regiment Headquarters. He came down with me for this research trip," Section Chief Wu introduced.
"Officer Yang, welcome!" Secretary Liu quickly shook hands with Yang Zhenhua again.
Yang Zhenhua smiled modestly, "Secretary Liu, Company Commander Ma, we're sorry to have troubled you. We came down here mainly to learn and understand the actual situation at the grassroots level."
He smiled and nodded at them, his gaze lingering on Shu Ran's face for a moment, seemingly surprised by her youth, but quickly and politely looked away.
The group entered the company headquarters office. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Section Chief Wu got straight to the point, listening to reports from Secretary Liu and Company Commander Ma on the company's production and ideological education work. Section Chief Wu asked detailed questions, paying particular attention to the thoughts and feelings of the staff and their families.
Secretary Liu and Company Commander Ma gave a thorough report, mainly highlighting the completion of production tasks and the standardization of company management.
When it came to ideological and cultural education, Secretary Liu mentioned Qiming Primary School and the recently piloted women's literacy study group, based on the prepared materials, but he spoke rather briefly.
After listening, Section Chief Wu didn't say anything, but looked at Yang Zhenhua: "Young Yang, is there anything you want to know?"
Yang Zhenhua adjusted his glasses and asked, "Secretary Liu, Company Commander Ma, I'm very interested in the women's literacy study group you both mentioned earlier. Could you elaborate on how the idea for this group came about, how it was carried out, the difficulties encountered, and the results achieved?"
His questions were specific and in-depth, clearly not a superficial inspection.
Secretary Liu and Company Commander Ma exchanged a glance, both feeling a little uneasy. Secretary Liu quickly said, "The specific situation of this group is handled by Comrade Wang Guilan, the women's representative of our company, and Teacher Shu Ran from Qiming Primary School. They know it better. Let them report to the leadership."
Yang Zhenhua adjusted his glasses, looked at Shu Ran and Sister Wang, and asked, "Comrade Wang Guilan, Teacher Shu, I'm very interested in your study group. Could you elaborate on how you came up with the idea for this class? What do you usually study? Would anyone like to come?"
Sister Wang swallowed nervously, her palms sweating. Shu Ran gently touched the back of her hand and whispered encouragingly, "Don't be afraid, just tell the truth."
Sister Wang took a deep breath, stepped forward, her voice trembling slightly with nervousness, but still loud and clear: "Reporting, reporting to the leader! I... I am Wang Guilan, the women's representative of the company. This study group is set up because... because I am illiterate and can't do my job!"
She went all out and recounted all the embarrassing things that happened to her: how she couldn't fill out the form, how she notified the wrong person, and how she made a fool of herself. When she got excited, her face turned red.
"...I thought to myself, I can't be so pathetic! So I went to Teacher Shu and asked her if I could learn to read! Later I found out that it wasn't just me, Xiulan and Guifen also needed to! Teacher Shu said, why don't we all learn together! The company also supported us and provided a place for us..."
Section Chief Wu listened with a blank expression. But Yang Zhenhua listened intently, his eyes revealing deep interest, nodding occasionally.
After Sister Wang finished speaking, Shu Ran stepped forward and added, "Section Chief Wu, Staff Member Yang, what Sister Wang said is exactly the actual situation. The initial intention of setting up this group was very simple: to solve the practical difficulties caused by low literacy levels in work and life. Therefore, the teaching content is entirely focused on practical application, such as recognizing and writing names, reading tickets and vouchers, keeping simple accounts, and writing common receipts, etc."
She took out the stack of old newspapers and showed them the handwriting of the women: "These are the results of the sisters' recent learning. They are not very beautiful, but they wrote them stroke by stroke themselves. At least now, Sister Wang rarely makes mistakes when notifying people about work, Comrade Li Xiulan keeps clearer accounts, and Comrade Zhang Guifen can get a general idea of the work point list. Everyone feels that life and work have become much more convenient."
Yang Zhenhua took the stack of newspapers and carefully flipped through them page by page.
“Very interesting.” Yang Zhenhua looked up at Shu Ran, his gaze inquisitive. “Teacher Shu, as far as I know, formal literacy programs have been ongoing, but often with limited success. Your group seems to have found a different approach. What do you think is the most crucial aspect?”
Shu Ran thought for a moment and said, "I think it's about 'need' and 'usefulness.' We don't study for the sake of studying; we study because we have no other choice. We can apply what we learn immediately, so we're motivated. We learn things that we can use right away, so we remember them well. Plus, we learn together and help each other, so it doesn't feel difficult."
Yang Zhenhua nodded repeatedly, then turned to Section Chief Wu: "Section Chief Wu, I think the Livestock Company's approach is very pragmatic. It starts with the most pressing needs of the people, is flexible in its methods, and the results are visible. This kind of experience deserves our attention."
Section Chief Wu's serious expression softened considerably, and he nodded: "Hmm, that does sound interesting. A good method is one that avoids formalism and solves practical problems."
Secretary Liu and Company Commander Ma visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
After the report, Section Chief Wu, accompanied by Secretary Liu and Company Commander Ma, visited the reclaimed fields and drainage canal facilities. Yang Zhenhua, however, requested to visit Qiming Primary School and the women's literacy group separately to observe their classes.
Shu Ran then led Yang Zhenhua toward the classroom.
Walking on the dirt road in the company, Yang Zhenhua looked around and suddenly asked, "Teacher Shu, were you an educated youth from Shanghai?"
"Yes, Officer Yang."
Yang Zhenhua then asked, "Teacher Shu, how long have you been in the Production and Construction Corps? Are you settling in well?"
"It's been almost a year," Shu Ran replied. "I've gotten used to it; it's quite nice here."
"It's not easy," Yang Zhenhua sighed. "It's truly remarkable that someone could come from a big city to the border region, settle down to run an education program, and even innovate working methods based on reality."
"Officer Yang, you flatter me. I just did what I could," Shu Ran said modestly.
When they arrived at the classroom, it was recess time. The children saw Shu Ran bring in a strange uncle and curiously gathered around.
Yang Zhenhua was very approachable, greeting the children with a smile, bending down to look at the words written on the old newspaper by Shi Tou, and even picking up a piece of "chalk" that the children had made from lime to examine it.
“The conditions are tough, but the children are in great spirits,” Yang Zhenhua said to Shu Ran. “You’ve taught them very well.”
He then inquired in detail about the school's curriculum, student numbers, and the integration of children from pastoral areas. Shu Ran answered all his questions truthfully.
When Shu Ran mentioned that the existing literacy textbooks were somewhat out of touch with the actual production and life in the local area, Yang Zhenhua seemed to be deep in thought.
"Your question is very real. It's difficult for standardized textbooks to cater to the specific needs of all regions. This is especially true for adult literacy programs, which need to be more relevant to their life experiences."
He looked at Shu Ran and asked, "Did you compile the teaching materials for your women's literacy group yourself?"
“Yes,” Shu Ran nodded, “It’s just a quick compilation based on everyone’s urgent needs, so it’s not very systematic.”
"That's already very good," Yang Zhenhua praised. "Interest is the best teacher, and demand is the strongest driving force. Your practice may provide us with a lot of inspiration for compiling more practical supplementary teaching materials."
He then chatted with Shu Ran about his thoughts on education and teaching. Shu Ran found that this Officer Yang was very open-minded, not rigid at all, paid great attention to practical results, and had insightful views on education. Many of his ideas even subtly resonated with some of her own educational philosophies from the future. The two got along very well.
Before leaving, Yang Zhenhua said to Shu Ran, "Teacher Shu, your work is very valuable. This research trip was short, but I hope to have the opportunity to come back and learn more in the future. If you encounter any difficulties in your teaching, or have any good experiences or suggestions, you can write directly to the Publicity Department of the Youth League Headquarters. The real voices from the grassroots are very important to us."
He handed me a slip of paper with my mailing address written on it.
Shu Ran took the note, a thought striking her. This Officer Yang was unlike many of the cadres she had met before. He was pragmatic, perceptive, and seemed genuinely concerned about innovation and challenges at the grassroots level.
Shu Ran took the note: "Thank you, Officer Yang, I will."
After seeing Yang Zhenhua off, Shu Ran looked at the note in her hand, lost in thought.
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