Chapter 64 The Big Problem
After seeing off the satisfied Principal Ji, Cheng Cheng was filled with a new sense of anticipation, and that very evening she shared the good news with Zhou Yue.
“Zhou Yue, Principal Ji Yunbo came to see me today and wants to invite me to the school to teach an art class for the children.”
Cheng Cheng couldn't help but smile, her voice tinged with excitement.
She recounted the entire process in detail, from the principal's praise, to their lively discussion about art education, and finally, her agreement to teach two afternoons a week.
As Cheng Cheng spoke, she looked at him with a smile and her eyes sparkled slightly: "Principal Ji said that my sand painting teaching also gave her a lot of inspiration."
Zhou Yue listened quietly, his gaze always gently fixed on his wife's face. He could feel the joy of her being recognized.
He smiled and took his wife's hand, genuinely happy for her. "Using sand for teaching is both economical and inspiring for children. I think it's very meaningful."
It is indeed a happy thing that my wife's talent and dedication have been recognized.
Cheng Cheng squeezed his hand back, a look of pleasure on her face. She patted Xiao Xiao's soft hair and said softly, "Xiao Xiao, when Mom goes to school, will you come with me? You can experience the classroom atmosphere."
Little Lingxiao looked up from his book, thought for a moment, and a calm, thoughtful expression appeared on his face.
Going to school meant entering an environment she found somewhat noisy and childish, but she was also curious about her mother's new role as a teacher.
The little girl nodded obediently, but then made her own request, "Mommy, can I bring my own books to read?"
If she gets too bored, she reads her own book, making sure it doesn't interfere with her mother's class.
Upon hearing their daughter's words, Cheng Cheng and Zhou Yue exchanged a glance, their eyes revealing a mixture of helplessness and amusement.
Cheng Cheng gently pinched her little nose. "Okay, Mom approves."
She paused for a moment, then continued, "But you have to promise Mom that you'll at least watch how Mom teaches, and also watch how the other kids behave, okay?"
Zhou Yue also guided her daughter, "Observation itself is a form of learning. You can observe how your mother teaches other children to draw, or how children with different personalities express the beauty in their hearts. This is also a fun process of exploring new knowledge."
Xiao Lingxiao blinked, she seemed to understand what her parents meant, and nodded again.
The family of three was looking forward to this new beginning; however, plans never keep up with changes.
A few days later, Cheng Cheng was quietly organizing books in the library when a communications officer in military uniform, with a capable expression, approached her directly.
The communications officer saluted her and said succinctly, "Comrade Cheng Cheng, the Commander requests that you go to his office now."
Hearing this, Cheng Cheng was completely bewildered.
My heart skipped a beat. Commander Zhang wanted to see an ordinary librarian in person?
"Okay, please wait a moment."
Cheng Cheng nodded to the other person and said to the little girl, "Xiaoxiao, Mommy is leaving for a while. Wait for me to come back here."
"Okay, Mom, you go ahead."
With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Cheng Cheng followed the communications officer. On the way, she thought carefully about what she had that would make the base commander want to see her. The only recent unexpected event was Principal Ji's visit to her a couple of days ago.
Could it be related to this matter?
In the office, not only was Commander Zhang there, but Li Zhenxing, the head of the propaganda section, was also there. The two were discussing something in front of a pile of documents.
The messenger knocked on the door, his voice booming: "Report!"
"Come in."
Cheng Cheng followed him inside. The commander's office was simple and quiet, with a large map hanging on the wall. After escorting her to the office, the communications officer left.
"Commander Zhang."
Cheng Cheng greeted him and glanced at another unfamiliar man in the office. Not knowing how to address him, she smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.
Commander Zhang stood up and introduced her, "Comrade Cheng Cheng, this is Comrade Li Zhenxing, the head of the Propaganda Section."
After a brief introduction, Commander Zhang got straight to the point and said, "I heard you're a very good painter with great ideas! Principal Ji treats you like a treasure and has been praising you to me for ages."
Cheng Cheng hadn't expected Commander Zhang to call her for this matter, and her face flushed slightly. She quickly said modestly, "Principal Ji, you flatter me..."
However, before she could finish speaking, she saw Commander Zhang raise his hand and wave. Commander Zhang smiled and pointed at her with his finger, and then his loud voice rang out, carrying the unique cheerfulness of a soldier.
"Comrade Cheng, don't be modest! I know Principal Ji's judgment; anyone she chooses must be talented, no doubt about it!"
Commander Zhang's eyes shone brightly as he cut straight to the point, his tone becoming serious: "Here's the thing, National Day is just around the corner, and we need to speed up all the publicity work at the base!"
He picked up the materials on the table, his brows furrowed deeply, and handed them over: "Take a look at this. Every year it's the same old red flags, fists, and slogans. The soldiers and their families are tired of it! This year, our base is going to make a big splash and achieve something truly impressive!"
"We must vigorously publicize the deeds of role models and carry forward the revolutionary spirit. These propaganda posters and newsletters must be original and able to move people's hearts!"
Li Zhenxing quickly added, "The commander means that we need a comrade who not only has artistic skills but also knows how to tell a story through art. Comrade Cheng is not only good at drawing, but also has great ideas!"
He pointed to his temple, "The propaganda department needs a promising young talent like Comrade Cheng, who has ideas and abilities, to join us!"
Li Zhenxing knew more than Commander Zhang, and said in a warm tone, "Comrade Cheng Cheng, to tell you the truth, my naughty son used to run around like crazy after school, but now he's been pestering me every day, insisting that I find him a shovel to dig sand."
"You taught the children to draw with sand and told them stories from Journey to the West in a very engaging way. Now, a trend has swept through our base of going to the desert to dig up sand and draw with it. We can all see your abilities."
Cheng Cheng's attitude was neither humble nor overbearing, but rather modest: "Section Chief Li, you flatter me. I just thought the children liked it, so I taught them casually. I didn't expect it to have such a big impact..."
Upon hearing this, Commander Zhang waved his hand, interrupting her modesty, and said decisively, "Hey, how can this be called casual instruction? The fact that the masses like it shows that your method is good and that you're doing the right thing!"
"We don't need to be modest here. Good is good! Bad is bad! We're pragmatic!"
Commander Zhang made the final decision: "Therefore, the organization has decided to temporarily transfer you from the library to the propaganda section to work with the comrades there to concentrate our efforts on making this National Day propaganda a success!"
After a pause, Commander Zhang's tone became serious: "Comrade Cheng Cheng, this is an important political task. Time is tight and the task is heavy. Do you have confidence?"
This series of words left Cheng Cheng no time to react. She opened her mouth, wanting to say that the school had already agreed to Principal Ji's request, but faced with Commander Zhang's unquestionable gaze and the words "political task," her words stuck in her throat.
"I will obey the organization's arrangements and will do my best to complete the task."
The atmosphere immediately relaxed.
However, Cheng Cheng eventually voiced her concerns and insistence, which Commander Zhang considered to be no big deal at all.
He said directly, "You don't need to worry about Principal Ji. I'll talk to her. Right now, the most important thing is the publicity task for National Day."
As for the other matter, he said, "That's no problem! It's just a temporary secondment. Once the National Day publicity mission is successfully completed, the library doors will always be open for you!"
Upon hearing this, Section Chief Li, who was standing to the side, maintained his smile, but inwardly he thought, "What a pity."
He's been eyeing this kind of talent for a long time!
Comrade Cheng is good at drawing, has ideas, and can motivate the masses. He is simply a backbone member tailor-made for the propaganda department. Putting him in the library to organize books would be a waste of his talents.
Comrade Cheng Cheng should be working in their propaganda department to contribute her talents!
However, the commander's words were already spoken and set in stone, so he couldn't refute them at this point.
His gaze swept over Comrade Cheng Cheng, and he saw that she visibly relaxed after hearing Commander Zhang's assurance.
Well, it seems this matter can't be rushed right now, but that's alright, there's plenty of time!
Once Comrade Cheng Cheng arrives at the Propaganda Department, let her see for herself how important their work is and how big the stage is for her to perform. Then, he can privately talk to the Commander and give Comrade Cheng some encouragement, and he won't have to worry about not being able to recruit this talent!
Cheng Cheng followed Section Chief Li to the Publicity Department's office, which was much noisier than the library, with the walls covered with propaganda posters and slogans from previous years.
Several desks were piled with manuscript paper and mimeographed materials. Several staff members were engrossed in their work when they saw the section chief enter with a beautiful and elegant female colleague. They all looked up curiously.
"Comrades, let's put our work aside for a moment. I'd like to introduce a new comrade-in-arms, Comrade Cheng Cheng from the library. For the next period of time, she will be temporarily seconded to our publicity department to work with you on this year's National Day publicity tasks. Let's give her a round of applause!"
A round of enthusiastic applause rang out, and Cheng Cheng smiled as she looked at everyone.
Li Zhenxing continued, "These are all key members of our department. This is Comrade Zhao Anmei, who is in charge of the written drafts; Comrade Sun Yanglong, who designs the bulletin boards; and Comrade Yan Jie, who is in charge of mimeographing and distribution."
After they introduced themselves, Section Chief Li handed Cheng Cheng a stack of documents from previous years.
"Comrade Cheng, please familiarize yourself with the situation first. If you have any questions, please ask An Mei and the others."
Li Zhenxing had other matters to attend to, so he left in a hurry.
"Comrade Cheng, please sit here."
Zhao Anmei was very enthusiastic and directed two male comrades to move the materials and manuscripts on the table to the side.
"Thank you!" Cheng Cheng said with a smile.
"You're welcome!"
Zhao Anmei stared intently at her; Comrade Cheng Cheng looked even more beautiful when she smiled!
"Let me tell you about the situation first," Zhao Anmei moved her chair aside and explained in detail: "In previous years, our National Day propaganda mainly focused on these aspects: a main propaganda poster and a series of propaganda posters, highlighting the image of our workers, peasants and soldiers and our construction achievements."
"There is also a series of materials on deeds, commendation of model workers and technical experts in the base, as well as the blackboard newspaper competition of each unit and a commendation meeting. The format is relatively fixed."
Sun Yanglong plopped down, looking worried. "Our materials are absolutely solid in content, but the format just doesn't feel lively enough. The section chief and the commander have asked us to come up with something new!"
And so things stalled, with no progress made.
He said that every year they change the same things over and over again, and not only are the soldiers tired of seeing them, but he himself is tired of them too.
But are new ideas so easy to come up with?
All the new ideas they came up with were rejected; they weren't compelling enough.
Cheng Cheng carefully perused the documents in her hands, lost in thought. She could roughly guess the reasons behind Commander Zhang and Section Chief Li's requests and the difficulties faced by Comrade Zhao and his colleagues.
Innovation cannot be unrestrained; it must be rooted in the reality of the base and take into account external influences. All innovation must be within the safety red line.
Any innovation that goes beyond the bounds may bring unexpected trouble; you must never cross that line.
Although the base is relatively closed off, like a red ark bearing a special mission in the torrent of the times, no one dares to gamble under the current circumstances.
This is a really big problem!
Cheng Cheng didn't have any good ideas for the time being. She had been looking at materials all morning and almost forgot that she had a daughter waiting for her to come back from the library.
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Author's note: See you tomorrow! [heart][heart][heart]
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