Call Me Daddy

Education nowadays wasn’t as highly valued as it would be in the future. The Education Bureau of Fengyang County didn’t even have a decent office. It was housed in a small two-story building next to the county government. A sign for the Education Bureau hung at the entrance, and they used the county government’s security post as their own guardhouse.

After the lunch break, Wang Yuemin, carrying his briefcase, hurried through the gate in the light snow, heading back to his office.

“Director Wang, this comrade is here to see you. He’s a teacher from the Hongqi Commune Elementary School. I’ve just verified his introduction letter and the official seal,” a retired soldier at the gate called out as Wang Yuemin was about to enter.

Wang Yuemin stopped. It was rare for principals from commune schools to appear at the Education Bureau, let alone teachers. Curiously, he looked over the visitor.

Su Aobai’s outstanding appearance was undeniable, but what stood out most was his aura. This was something he had developed after inhabiting this body. To help those around him adjust, his transformation had been gradual.

At first glance, Wang Yuemin found the young man before him to be composed and dignified, not like a typical commune school teacher. A quick glance at the introduction letter showed that he was only a temporary teacher without formal credentials.

His attire also commanded attention. Few school leaders dressed as sharply when visiting the Education Bureau. If not for the setting and his status, Wang Yuemin might have mistaken him for a university graduate working in a major factory, perhaps reading reports and drafting party policies, or an aide to a high-ranking official.

However, there were clues to his situation. For instance, he wore cotton shoes. Anyone conducting official business would likely wear leather or rubber-soled shoes, indicating that this person’s family circumstances weren’t great, aligning with his temporary teacher status.

“Hello, Director Wang. I’m an educated youth sent down in ’68, now settled and rooted in the Hongqi Commune. This time, I came to request that all students of Hongqi Commune Elementary School be allowed to participate in the end-of-term cultural exams,” Su Aobai stated his purpose directly.

So he was an educated youth. No wonder his demeanor was different. Wang Yuemin had seen many educated youths sent to the countryside. Many were worn down by the heavy farm work, their eyes filled with exhaustion and resentment, constantly yearning to return to the city. Rarely did he encounter someone like this young man, who not only accepted his situation but also exuded a positive and determined spirit.

And what did he say?

He wanted to apply for the students of Hongqi Commune Elementary School to participate in the end-of-term cultural exams!

Wang Yuemin suddenly became more interested in the young man before him.

“Come to my office,” he said, nodding at Su Aobai and indicating for him to follow.

***

Wang Yuemin had his own office, though it was simply furnished. Besides a desk, there was a large bookshelf occupying an entire wall, filled with textbooks and documents.

Wang Yuemin was a leader who placed great importance on education. This was evident from the bold reforms he had implemented since being assigned to Fengyang County’s Education Bureau. The county-wide end-of-term exams were his initiative. Schools that ranked high could earn commendations for their leaders and teachers, while students with top individual rankings could receive rewards.

Wang Yuemin came from a notable family, but with many siblings, the resources he could access were limited.

He once had the opportunity to be assigned to a better unit, but after analyzing the national situation, he resolutely chose the education system. He believed that the development of a country depended on its talent. In the past few years, the country had taken some wrong turns, but recent policies suggested that top leaders were beginning to understand that.

The public outcry against the Gang of Four was growing louder, and sooner or later, politics would become transparent. When that happened, the country would urgently need to select talent, and the college entrance exam, the simplest and fairest selection mechanism, would eventually be reinstated.

(T/N: Gang of Four = A Maoist faction composed of four officials. Came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–76); later charged with treason due to their responsibility for the excesses and failures in the Revolution.)

Wang Yuemin believed this would happen within the next few years, making the education system full of potential.

He pointed to the chair opposite his desk, signaling for Su Aobai to sit, while he went to the bookshelf and retrieved a stack of documents.

These were the results from the initial exams, in which all the county’s primary and secondary schools participated. The results showed that the county’s primary and secondary schools, as well as schools for the children of factory workers and government employees, performed moderately well.

However, the scores from the commune schools were abysmal, as if the students had never attended school, with many scoring in the single digits.

Initially, Wang Yuemin had wanted to change this situation. However, after a few times finishing at the bottom, some commune schools were unwilling to participate in the exams anymore.

In those early years, the educational environment was poor. Teachers were anxious, and middle and high school students, having just resumed classes, occasionally caused trouble. Some commune leaders acted like local tyrants, and the schools were rife with nepotism. In such a challenging environment, Wang Yuemin was at a loss and could only focus his efforts on urban schools with a better learning atmosphere.

Several years had since passed. Although the education situation wasn’t as bad as it had been, they had become accustomed to not notifying commune schools about the exams. Even if some schools wanted to participate, their dismal scores wouldn’t bring joy to the teachers and students of other schools.

“Hongqi Elementary School, right? I remember your Principal Liu.”

Wang Yuemin sat down with the files he had taken from the bookshelf. Principal Liu, whom he mentioned, was the old Principal of the school.

Among many communes, Hongqi was one of the poorest. It had few laborers and little land, so the commune didn’t have enough funds to build a school. Years ago, children from Hongqi Commune had to walk more than 10 kilometers to attend the nearest commune school.

The old Principal was a native of Hongqi Commune. Before the founding of the country, he had been a scholar teaching in private schools. Concerned about the difficult journey for the children of his commune to get an education, he often went to the county education bureau, persistently requesting approval to build a school and securing 200 yuan in funding from the previous leaders.

But what could be done with such a small amount? The elementary school was eventually built with the old Principal’s efforts, borrowing labor from various production teams during the off-farming seasons to quarry stones and cut trees from the mountains.

When Wang Yuemin took over his duties, the previous bureau chief had mentioned him, praising the old Principal as a responsible educator. However, over the years, Hongqi Elementary hadn’t produced any significant educational outcomes.

“Every school has the right to participate in the end-of-term exams. You don’t actually need to apply. But do you think your students can achieve good results?” Wang Yuemin’s impression of commune students was still based on his experience from a few years ago, and he doubted that any significant changes had occurred among the teachers and students over the years.

Would this person surprise me?

***

“Director Wang, let me tell you my story first,” Su Aobai said, maintaining a calm demeanor.

Director Wang, listened as he slowly spun his tale.

“I come from Ning City. My father worked at a machine tool factory, and my mother was a worker at a food factory. Compared to most people, my family was relatively well-off, allowing me to attend school. Until the year I graduated from high school, the streets were mobilizing educated youths to go to the countryside to support rural construction. With the idea of transforming the countryside, I, along with many like-minded classmates, came to the northwest…”

Su Aobai narrated his story, describing the initial discomfort upon arriving in the countryside and the reality faced by the educated youths, which was vastly different from the rosy picture painted during the mobilization. In a labor-intensive rural environment, the knowledge they had learned was entirely useless, let alone creating a new countryside.

Day by day, under the heavy burden of farm work, all ideals turned into castles in the air.

Although this sounded like mere complaints, Wang Yuemin didn’t interrupt him.

“I was relatively lucky among the educated youths. After starting a family, with the help of my father-in-law, I became a teacher at the commune elementary school.”

Su Aobai did not shy away from this matter. His candidness made Wang Yuemin respect him even more, rather than look down on him.