Chapter 133 (Revised) Public Opinion is a Fearful Thing
The days following the corps meeting and the return to the division headquarters appeared calm on the surface, but beneath the surface, undercurrents were surging.
Shu Ran devoted more of her energy to consolidating the teaching sites and training teachers. She was well aware that although her decision to refuse to be transferred to the leadership group office had temporarily gained Director Zhang's understanding, it also meant that she had, to some extent, stood on the periphery of that emerging and turbulent current.
She must solidify her career to withstand any potential storms.
In recent days, she has been traveling between several newly established teaching points around the division headquarters, personally attending classes, holding discussions with substitute teachers, and collecting feedback from herders and staff parents.
That afternoon, she had just returned from the Hongxingyan Pastoral Team teaching point, which was the farthest from the division headquarters, and pushed open the door of the Education Section office with a backpack full of materials.
Her colleague Wu Jianguo was reading the newspaper with a teacup in his hand. He glanced up at her and said casually, "Team Leader Shu is back? You must be exhausted. I heard the conditions are the worst at Red Star."
Shu Ran put down her canvas bag, dusted herself off, and said frankly, "The conditions are tough, but the children's desire to learn is genuine. Teacher Liu is also very dedicated; she writes on the blackened wall with charcoal, and the results are quite good." She went straight to her desk, poured herself a glass of cold water, and drank it all in one gulp.
"Officer Shu is really resourceful; he always manages to adapt to local conditions." Wu Jianguo put down his newspaper, his voice slightly raised. "However, the current directive emphasizes breaking free from old frameworks and daring to think and act. Aren't we a bit... out of touch with the times, always just sketching and drawing on the sand?"
The other colleagues in the office also stopped what they were doing and listened intently.
Shu Ran looked up at Wu Jianguo, her gaze calm: "Officer Wu, we must keep up with the times, but we must also lay a solid foundation for the children's education. Learning on the sand is also very practical. I believe this is also a way to cultivate truly capable talents for the construction of the border regions."
"Practical, practical, all you know is practicality!" Wu Jianguo seemed to have been hit where it hurt. "Now the emphasis is on leading with new ideas!"
"Without a cultural foundation, how can one deeply understand political thought?" Shu Ran's tone remained calm. "Does letting our next generation be blind mean that politics is in command? I think that making children reasonable and knowledgeable is the true way to be responsible for the revolutionary cause."
She stopped paying attention to Wu Jianguo's expression and sat down to organize today's research notes. The office fell silent, broken only by the rustling of papers. She knew that these ideological differences would only increase as external pressure tightened.
That evening, Shu Ran was organizing research materials in her dormitory when there was a knock on the door.
Shu Ran got up and opened the door. Chen Yuanjiang was standing outside, holding two roasted potatoes. "I just roasted them on the stove. I brought you one."
"Come in." Shu Ran stepped aside to let him into the house, taking the still-hot potatoes from him. "I was just about to get hungry."
Chen Yuanjiang placed another roasted potato on the table, then naturally picked up the thermos and filled her water cup with hot water.
"Thank you." Shu Ran rubbed her sore eyes and looked at him. He was wearing casual clothes, and there was some fatigue in his eyes, but his gaze was as calm as ever.
"Not a good day?" Chen Yuanjiang pulled up a chair and sat down, his tone not a question, but a statement. He was always very accurate in gauging her emotions.
"As usual, there are supporters and those who don't like it." Shu Ran broke open a steaming potato, blew on it, and said casually, "However, I've thought of a new way that might be able to bypass the logistics department's quota."
"Oh?" Chen Yuanjiang raised an eyebrow, seemingly interested, but remained discreet and did not ask for details.
Shu Ran didn't intend to go into details; it was within her job scope, and she needed to handle it herself. She instead asked, "Are you going on patrol tomorrow?"
"Yes, three or four days." Chen Yuanjiang nodded, his gaze falling on her face. "Take care of yourself."
"You too," Shu Ran said, taking a bite of potato. "Be careful on the road."
There was an unspoken understanding between them. He didn't interfere too much in her predicament, and she didn't seek help.
After sitting for a while, Chen Yuanjiang got up to say goodbye: "Tomorrow I have to go to inspect several border outposts. I'll probably be back in three or four days. Be careful. If you need anything, contact Director Sun or leave me a message."
"Yeah, you too, be careful." Shu Ran saw him to the door.
He walked to the door, paused, and turned to look at her. In the dim light, his eyes were deep: "Shu Ran."
"Um?"
"Tell me when you need a helping hand, don't try to do it yourself." He said it subtly, but his meaning was clear.
Shu Ran understood his implication, smiled, and said with clear eyes, "I know. But for now, I want to try it myself."
Chen Yuanjiang nodded, said nothing more, and turned to close the door.
The door closed, and the dormitory returned to silence. Shu Ran finished the last bite of her sweet potato and buried herself back in her work.
The next day, when Shu Ran coordinated supplies with the logistics department again, although Deputy Director Li's expression was still not very good, he eventually approved the request because the supplies listed were indeed surplus and available for redistribution, and Shu Ran had only applied for the most basic part of them this time.
"Officer Shu, supplies are tight everywhere right now. This is an exception, and it won't happen again." Deputy Director Li handed her the approval slip.
"Thank you, Director Li, for supporting education." Shu Ran accepted the approval slip with a polite smile. "We will make full use of these supplies and improve the conditions at the teaching sites as soon as possible."
Leaving the logistics department, Shu Ran, holding the approval slip, didn't go straight back to the education section. Instead, she went to the machine repair team's scrap yard on the edge of the division headquarters. Following the clues on Chen Yuanjiang's list and with the help of the machine repair team technician, she indeed found some discarded, soft limestone blocks. She picked up a few and put them in her pocket, then went to the warehouse to collect the bag of plaster powder.
Over the next few days, Shu Ran used her spare time to work with a young staff member from the publicity department who could draw, to research how to make chalk from plaster powder. After several experiments, although the finished product was rough and easily broken, it could at least leave clear marks on the blackboard, and the cost was much lower than the chalk that the supply and marketing cooperative occasionally had. She also took limestone blocks she had collected, hammered them into suitable sizes, polished the edges, and made them into slate pencils, suitable for children to practice writing in the sandbox or on a slate.
She brought samples of her homemade chalk and slate pencils, along with instructions on how to use them, to the next training course for substitute teachers.
"Comrades, conditions are tough, so we must find our own way." Shu Ran picked up a homemade piece of chalk and wrote the four characters "self-reliance" on the blackboard with great force. Although the strokes were not smooth, the characters were clear.
“Chalk can be made from these. Although it’s not as good as store-bought chalk, it can solve the immediate problem. These limestone blocks are easy to find in the Gobi Desert. With a little processing, they can become a good tool for children to practice writing.”
The substitute teachers from various farms and pastoral areas passed around the teaching aids, their eyes filled with amazement.
"Teacher Shu, that's a great idea! We have plenty of limestone where we live!"
"Plaster powder is easy to make, so I'll never have to worry about running out of chalk again!"
Seeing everyone's positive response, Shu Ran felt much more at ease. She knew that in a resource-scarce environment, stimulating the initiative and creativity of grassroots teachers was far more reliable than waiting for resources from higher authorities.
Solve the most practical problems with the most concrete actions.
However, just as Shu Ran was dedicated to promoting these traditional methods, a rumor about her quietly began to circulate in some corners of the division headquarters.
At first, the rumors were veiled, saying that Shu Ran's "self-reliance" was a pretense, and that she was actually abusing her power to resell supplies allocated by the logistics department for personal gain. The rumors became quite detailed, saying that she used the allocated timber to make furniture and took it back to her dormitory, and used plaster powder to make things to sell privately.
That day after work, Shu Ran passed by the water room behind the cafeteria and heard two unfamiliar female staff members chatting while washing things inside.
"...I didn't realize that someone with such a handsome appearance could be so quick-witted."
"That's right. I heard that even Director Li of the Logistics Department has a problem with her. She has powerful connections, there's nothing we can do about it."
"What do you mean by having strong roots? It's just because they rely on..."
Shu Ran paused, then left without going in. Her face was expressionless, but her heart felt heavy. This kind of baseless slander, though clumsy, is often the most effective at ruining a person's reputation.
Her first thought was not to implicate Chen Yuanjiang. He had a special status and was at a crucial stage of his promotion; any rumors about him could be amplified.
That evening, she went to Director Sun and reported directly on the rumors she had heard and the details of her application for and use of the materials. She also presented the material list, copies of the approval slips, and samples and instructions for use of the self-made teaching aids.
Director Sun listened with a frown, glanced at the homemade chalk and slate, and said with a serious expression, "Comrade Shu Ran, I trust your character and work. I will keep an eye on this matter. It seems that someone is getting restless and wants to use such despicable means to smear you." He pondered for a moment, "You need to be more cautious in your actions recently, especially when it comes to the allocation of materials. All procedures must be clear, transparent, and documented."
“I understand, Director.” Shu Ran nodded.
As Shu Ran left Director Sun's office, she encountered Yang Zhenhua on her way back to her dormitory. Yang Zhenhua had clearly been waiting there on purpose.
"Shu Ran," Yang Zhenhua said with some concern, "I heard some gossip, are you alright?"
"It's alright." Shu Ran smiled. "The innocent will clear themselves."
Yang Zhenhua looked at her calm face and sighed, "You're still so strong-willed. I heard that this whole thing started... might have something to do with Officer Wu. Of course, there's no evidence."
Shu Ran wasn't surprised. Wu Jianguo had long harbored resentment towards her, and it was possible he was using this opportunity to cause trouble. "Thank you for letting me know. I'll be careful."
"Is there anything I can help you with? For example, could I write an article in the internal newsletter to positively promote the actual effectiveness of your simple methods?" Yang Zhenhua offered.
Shu Ran thought for a moment and shook her head: "Not for now. Publicizing it at this time would only make me seem guilty or like I'm competing with someone. Let the facts speak for themselves. When all the teaching points use these homemade teaching aids, the children and teachers will be the ones who truly benefit. That's the best response."
Yang Zhenhua looked at her with admiration and emotion in his eyes: "Shu Ran, you always see things more clearly than others. That's good, you can ask for help anytime."
"Thanks."
Back in her dorm alone, Shu Ran finally showed signs of exhaustion. She sat at her desk, gazing at the deep night outside the window. Rumors may not cause serious harm, but they are disgusting and can erode one's will.
She picked up the most decent homemade chalk on the table and slowly wrote the four characters "public opinion is a fearsome thing" on the ground, then forcefully drew a circle around it.
She can't just sit and take the hits. She needs to do something that will both clear her name and move the job forward.
The next day, Shu Ran took a batch of homemade chalk and slate pencils, along with detailed instructions on how to make them, and went directly to the nursery and primary school directly under the division headquarters. She found the person in charge and explained that these were tips for saving money and ensuring teaching, summarized from recent research by the Education Department. She offered them to them free of charge for trial use and welcomed feedback for improvement.
Although the leaders of the directly affiliated schools were skeptical about these rudimentary teaching aids, they agreed because they were promoted by the Education Department and were offered for free trial.
Subsequently, Shu Ran instructed the substitute teachers who participated in the training to not only use the materials themselves at their teaching points, but also to share the production methods with their families in their respective companies and pastoral areas, encouraging everyone to use local materials to solve the problem of children's learning tools.
A few days later, the effects began to show. First, the caregivers at the affiliated daycare center reported that the stone pencils were very useful for older children to draw on the floor and learn to read, and there was no fear of wasting them.
Then, news came from the next production team that some families were using homemade slate pencils to teach their children to read, with good results, and it even inspired some adults to learn to read.
The rumors about Shu Ran reselling supplies crumbled in the face of these results and gradually faded away. Although Wu Jianguo's expression was still somewhat unnatural when he saw her, he no longer took the initiative to provoke her.
The night Chen Yuanjiang returned from his inspection, he heard about the rumors. His brows furrowed, and his eyes instantly turned cold.
"Do you know who started it?" His voice was filled with suppressed anger.
"It's not important anymore." Shu Ran poured him a glass of water, her tone calm. "It's been resolved. I can handle such a small matter."
Chen Yuanjiang looked at her nonchalant demeanor, took the water glass, and held it in his hand, his knuckles turning slightly white. "Next time something like this happens, tell me immediately."
"Why should I tell you? So you can go find someone to fight?" Shu Ran raised an eyebrow at him, a hint of mockery in her voice.
"I have my own way of doing things," Chen Yuanjiang snorted. "At least, I won't let you suffer in vain."
"I wasn't wronged." Shu Ran smiled, feeling a warmth in her heart. "Look, I'm doing just fine, aren't I? I even took the opportunity to promote my homemade teaching aids. Now I guess no one will say I'm reselling plaster powder anymore, right? That stuff wouldn't fetch much money anyway."
Looking at her smile, Chen Yuanjiang confirmed that she was not internally hurt by these things. His expression finally softened, and he reached out and squeezed her shoulder tightly: "You..." His tone was helpless, but he couldn't hide his admiration.
He glanced around her tidy dorm room and suddenly said, "Once this busy period is over, I'll find some time to build you a sturdier bookshelf. I see you're almost out of space for your books."
Shu Ran followed his gaze, her heart stirred, and she nodded: "Okay."
After the rumors subsided, Shu Ran's focus returned to teacher training, expanding teaching sites, and infrastructure development. She compiled a detailed report based on feedback from various teaching sites regarding the use of self-made teaching aids and practical problems encountered in teaching, and submitted it again to Director Sun with more specific and actionable suggestions.
The report was filled with data and case studies from the front lines, as well as proven, low-cost solutions. Director Sun was very impressed after reading it and specially read it aloud and discussed it at the department meeting.
"Comrade Shu Ran's report is insightful, it gets to the heart of the matter, it identifies the real problems, and it offers practical solutions!" Director Sun tapped the report. "This is exactly what our Education Section should be doing! Can simply sitting in the office shouting slogans solve the children's urgent need for supplies? Can it advance the literacy campaign?"
Wu Jianguo and the others lowered their heads and remained silent.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Director Sun slightly revised the report and, in the name of the Division's Education Section, distributed it to all regiments, requiring them to implement it in accordance with their specific circumstances. He also sent a copy of the report to Director Zhang of the Corps' Education Department.
Shu Ran knew that this meant she had initially established herself within the teacher training system. Her pragmatic approach had earned her public recognition and promotion from her superiors.
Just as she was beginning to breathe a sigh of relief, an unexpected visitor came looking for her.
The man who arrived was Adil. In the nearly one year since I last saw him, this once impetuous young man had grown considerably taller, his shoulders broadened, and the naiveté in his eyes had faded, replaced by a more composed demeanor. He wore a worn-out military uniform, looking travel-worn, and carried a sheepskin bag in his hand.
"Teacher Shu!" Adil's eyes lit up when he saw Shu Ran at the entrance of the Education Department office, and he shouted loudly.
"Adili? What brings you here?" Shu Ran was both surprised and delighted. She quickly ushered him into her office and poured him some water.
“I came to the division’s veterinary station with Technician Liu to deliver reports, and he asked me to come and see you while I was there.” Adil smiled shyly and handed over the sheepskin bag. “This is what my mother asked me to bring you: dried meat and milk curds.”
"Thank you, Mom, for always thinking of me like this." Shu Ran took the bag, feeling a warm glow in her heart. "Sit down and tell me, how are you doing? How's your training with Technician Liu going?"
Once this was mentioned, Adil became quite talkative. He said he can now recognize many characters, understand most of the contents of veterinary drug instructions, and even help Technician Liu record simple diagnosis and treatment information. He followed Technician Liu to all the nearby pastoral sites, not only learning how to prevent and treat common livestock diseases, but also helping the herders with whatever he could.
"Teacher Shu, your teaching us to read is really helpful!" Adil's eyes lit up. "Last time, when Bayan's lambs had diarrhea, I read the words on the medicine bottle and knew how to dilute it, which helped them a lot. Also, I can help other herder uncles read the notices issued by the company now, so they don't have to go around asking people to read them to them anymore."
He looked at Shu Ran with utmost seriousness: "Teacher Shu, I've made up my mind. I want to study hard and become a veterinarian in the future, or like Technician Liu, to help people in the pastoral areas solve problems. Our pastoral areas need people who are educated."
As Shu Ran listened to the boy's resolute words and saw the light shining in his eyes, her own eyes welled up with tears.
This is the significance of her persistence. It's not just about teaching a few words or math problems, but about igniting sparks of ideals, passing on knowledge and culture to this land, changing the lives of children, and ultimately converging into a force that transforms the face of the frontier.
"Adili, you can definitely do it," Shu Ran said solemnly. "Study hard, and if you have any difficulties or need any books, you can come to me."
*
A few days later, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Education Department issued an urgent notice requiring all divisions to immediately organize the study of the latest instructions. A list of study materials was attached to the notice.
The division headquarters convened a general meeting of all cadres to disseminate and study the directives. The atmosphere at the meeting was noticeably different from usual. The leader presiding over the meeting spoke in a serious tone, repeatedly emphasizing certain phrases.
Shu Ran sat in the audience listening, her palms slightly sweaty. She saw Director Sun sitting in the front row, his back straight, but his hands on his knees clenched tightly from time to time.
After the meeting, people walked out in silence, their conversations much quieter.
Wu Jianguo walked to Shu Ran's side. This time, instead of being sarcastic, he wore an indescribable expression and whispered, "Team Leader Shu, the winds are blowing differently this time. Your theory might be..."
He didn't finish his sentence, shook his head, and quickly walked away.
Shu Ran stood still, looking at the people around her who were hurrying by with different expressions. She felt an irresistible force approaching, and the foundation she had just firmly established seemed to begin to shake.
That evening, when Chen Yuanjiang came to find her, he found her sitting at the table, staring blankly at the notice and study materials, her face somewhat pale.
"What's wrong?" he asked with concern, picking up a document and flipping through it, his brows immediately furrowing.
"Yuanjiang," Shu Ran raised her head, "was everything I did really wrong? Was it really not in line with the current spirit?"
Chen Yuanjiang put down his materials, walked over to her, squatted down, looked her straight in the eye, and said, "You're not wrong. You teach children to read and do math, you let children in pastoral areas see a wider world, you helped children like Adil find their direction in life, how could that be wrong?"
“But…” Shu Ran looked at the materials.
"The top is the top, and the bottom is the bottom. Don't be so paranoid!" Chen Yuanjiang interrupted her. "What the frontier needs are people who can build a home! Why does Director Zhang appreciate you? It's because he has seen the actual results of your work! Shu Ran, you can't doubt yourself."
He held her hand; it was icy cold. “Listen, the storm might be fierce, but it’s precisely in times like these that you need to stay calm. What you’ve done can withstand the test. At worst… we can go back to the livestock company, and you can still teach and nurture students. Or you can come back with me…”
Shu Ran seemed to have sensed something and asked in return, "Where do we go back to?"
Chen Yuanjiang stopped talking. He looked at Shu Ran for a long time before saying, "What I mean is, no matter where you go, I will always be here."
Shu Ran looked into his eyes and saw worry, concern, and above all, unwavering trust and support for her.
"Back to the livestock company..." Shu Ran pictured the scene at Qiming Elementary School.
“Yes,” Chen Yuanjiang nodded. “You can shine wherever you are. But you can’t back down. You can choose the battlefield that is most suitable for you. At present, at the division headquarters, Director Sun is still here, and Director Zhang is still in office. Things may not have reached the worst point. What we need to do is to observe calmly, act cautiously, protect ourselves, and also protect everything you have worked so hard to build.”
Shu Ran gradually calmed down. Yes, she couldn't lose her composure. She took a deep breath and gripped Chen Yuanjiang's hand tightly in return.
“I understand. I will continue to do the work that needs to be done. Teacher training cannot be stopped, and the situation at the teaching sites needs to be followed up. It’s just that… I may need to pay more attention to the methods and approaches.”
Seeing that she had recovered, Chen Yuanjiang breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and ruffled her hair: "That's right. The Shu Ran I know isn't so easily defeated."
Just then, there was a rapid knocking on the dormitory door, accompanied by Xiao Liu's anxious voice from the publicity department: "Officer Shu! Officer Shu, are you there? Open the door quickly! Something's happened!"
Shu Ran and Chen Yuanjiang exchanged a glance, their hearts tightening at the same time.
Chen Yuanjiang strode to the door and opened it: "What is it?"
Xiao Liu, panting and pale, didn't care why Chen Yuanjiang was there. He said urgently, "Officer Shu, I just received news from the lower-level work team that the substitute teacher, Teacher Liu, at the teaching point of the Hongxingyan Pastoral Team that you were focusing on supporting, has been taken away by the work team! They say... they say he's spreading... well! They say the teaching materials he's using are problematic!"
Shu Ran felt a buzzing in her head and suddenly stood up.
Hongxingyan was one of the pastoral teaching points that she personally selected and focused on supporting. Teacher Liu was a down-to-earth and hardworking middle-aged woman. The textbooks she used were mimeographed copies that she compiled and that were reviewed and issued by the Education Department of the Teachers' College.
Chen Yuanjiang, who had been leaning against the table, immediately stood up straight upon hearing this, his brows furrowing and his eyes sharpening. He didn't speak immediately, his gaze first falling on Shu Ran's instantly pale face, then turning to Xiao Liu: "Which work group? The division headquarters? The regiment headquarters? Be clear."
"I don't know which department it was, but I heard it came directly from above. When they arrived at the Hongxingyan Company Headquarters, they took Teacher Liu out of the classroom and also took away the textbook and exercise book edited by Group Leader Shu!"
Xiao Liu hurriedly said, "The news was secretly leaked by the communications officer of the Red Star Rock Company. He said the problem is very serious, involving... involving the teaching materials..." Xiao Liu dared not continue, because this news was also obtained by him and was not accurate.
As if guessing something, Chen Yuanjiang tentatively asked, "Ideological content?"
Xiao Liu nodded, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.
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Author's Note: If there are any inappropriate expressions in this chapter, just consider it as the author writing a fictional parallel universe...
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