Wang Shuning put down the red pen he was using to mark homework, stood up and asked, "Principal, why are you going to the army?"
The principal said expressionlessly, "Borrow some food."
Wang Shuning swallowed his saliva. It was indeed this matter. Why did they have to bring a newcomer like me? At the very least, they had to bring someone with experience along!
"Okay, wait a moment." She sighed silently, lowered her head to pack up the things on the table, and followed the principal out of the school.
Mr. He, who teaches math in the first and second grades, commented, "Why did they ask Teacher Wang to come this time? Isn't it usually Teacher Qin?"
Teacher Qin is the Chinese teacher for first and second graders and is also the oldest teacher in the school.
Teacher Zhao, who teaches fifth and sixth graders, said, "Teacher Wang was commended by the army leaders a few days ago. She is a well-known figure in the army, so it is more useful to have her than to have Teacher Qin."
Teacher Zhao lowered his voice and said, "I don't know what happened this time. The last time this happened was two years ago."
On the way to the troops, the principal reminded him, "Just agree with me later."
There are several thousand troops stationed on the island, and they are not short of food rations for the seven people in the school. But after all, they are going there to borrow things, so they have to be humble.
The principal has no idea what the current situation of the troops is.
When the two arrived at the gate of the station, they were immediately stopped by the soldiers on guard.
The principal said, "I want to see your Brigade Commander Dong."
"Wait here for a moment. I'll go in and report."
After a while, the soldier came out and took the two men in.
Dong Yongguang, the brigade commander of the troops stationed on the island and the highest-ranking general on the island, had just finished an emergency meeting when he heard the elementary school principal and Wang Shuning coming over. It must be about the suspension of the supply ship.
As soon as the principal and Wang Shuning entered the door, the soldier came over to report that the middle school principal was also outside and asked to see Dong Yongguang.
Wang Shuning stared, most likely it was the same thing.
She was even more confused. As the principal, how could she let the school run out of food?
It can't even last two months.
If the troops were in the same situation, once they were surrounded by the enemy, they would be trapped and out of ammunition and food in a few days.
The two principals first asked why the material transport ship had not come for two months. Dong Yongguang's answer was vague, and he only said that it was an order from his superiors.
Then we got down to business and borrowed food from the troops.
"You have been on the island for decades and must have experienced this kind of thing before. Why didn't you store food this time?" Dong Yongguang just wanted to sigh.
How many times have you done this? Why don't you learn your lesson?
Borrowing grain is a small matter, but their lack of vigilance to prevent any disaster is another matter.
The army's funding for schools is allocated on an annual basis. The food that teachers eat has to be purchased on an annual basis, or at least stored for three to six months at a time.
The elementary school principal and the middle school principal looked at each other.
The principal of the primary school said: "Captain Dong, the school is so small and has so few staff. It's not safe to store too much food. The supply ship comes every three days, and we usually only store a month's worth of food. These two days are the time for purchasing. If the supply ship doesn't come, we won't be able to hold out for many more days."
Wang Shuning stood aside and thought carefully. There were three classrooms in the elementary school, two small offices, and a warehouse for sports equipment. Food was usually stored in a small room behind the kitchen, which seemed to be quite small.
Apart from the soldiers standing guard at the gate, there was no one else guarding it, and it was empty at night, so it was not safe with just a lock.
But both principals were so cautious that they didn’t dare to store too much. Has there ever been food theft in the school?
Dong Yongguang sighed and moved his gaze to Wang Shuning, "Does this teacher look unfamiliar?"
I have usually seen the teachers on the island, so what's the matter with bringing such a young and silent teacher here?
When the principal of the primary school saw that Dong Yongguang had finally asked about Wang Shuning, he immediately said, "Teacher Wang Shuning is young and capable. She even fought pirates bravely before. This time when she comes to the army, I will bring her to see the big scene so that she can make greater contributions to the army in the future."
Wang Shuning couldn't maintain the expression on his face. The principal's words were awkward and blunt. Anyone with a discerning eye would think too much when hearing them. Just look at the way Dong Yongguang looked at him and you will know.
She could only pull the corners of her mouth awkwardly. After all, he was her boss, so she had to give him some face, otherwise he would make things difficult for her when she returned.
"I have great respect for the people's soldiers, so I asked our principal to bring me here to have a look. If I were not a girl, my parents would have definitely let me join the army to sacrifice and contribute to the motherland."
Dong Yongguang raised his lips and said, "I heard Captain Du mention you. If all the female soldiers in the army were not in logistics, I would really like to transfer you here."
Wang Shuning smiled and said, I was just joking but you took it seriously.
I can't bear the hardship of being a soldier.
The military training at school almost cost me my life.
After a long awkward chat, Dong Yongguang finally agreed to lend the two principals some grain and would arrange for someone to transport the grain to the school tomorrow.
After returning to school, Wang Shuning curiously asked Teacher Qin if the school’s food had ever been stolen before.
Teacher Qin was surprised, "How did you know?" This happened several years ago, and Wang Shuning should not have known about it since he had just arrived.
Wang Shuning moved the chair next to Teacher Qin. "I just accompanied the principal to the army to borrow food. The principal said that there are not many people in the school and it is not safe to store too much food. I guessed that it might have been stolen."
Teacher Qin recalled, "That happened seven or eight years ago. At that time, both schools were storing enough food for the whole year. Then they encountered a black-hearted person who emptied all the food in the warehouse. Later, the army found the person, and the thief threw all the stolen food into the sea to destroy the evidence."
"At that time, food was scarce, so we just fed the fish to the sea for nothing. The two principals were reduced to catching fish and selling them in the market, and all the teachers ate seafood until they vomited."
Wang Shuning frowned, "Don't you only eat one meal at school? Since you've eaten so much that you vomited, why don't you bring your own?"
Teacher Qin shook his head. "At that time, every family was starving, even teachers were no exception. Who would be willing to pay for food if they could eat for free? Even the army couldn't borrow food at that time. The two principals suffered a lot that year. Later, the school began to stockpile only three months of food at a time. Later, when the ships transporting supplies had fixed their travel time, the three months was changed to one month, and it has continued until now."
Wang Shuning said quietly, "It was changed to one month, probably because the troops can borrow food."
Teacher Qin raised an eyebrow, "Some things just need to be clear in your heart."
Wang Shuning moved the chair back. Seven or eight years ago, a whole year’s food was stolen, and the principal probably wanted to die at that time.
Once bitten by a snake, you will be afraid of ropes for ten years!
In the following month, Wang Shuning clearly noticed that after the tide went out, more people went to the beach to catch seafood, and things at the market sold out faster.
Many families in the family quarters have salted fish hanging under their eaves.
Also, the whistles of military vessels were becoming more and more noticeable, with men going out to sea every day.
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