204: Education revitalizes the city

When Shen Xiaochuan walked out of the master control room, it was already dark. The wind was a bit lighter than before, but colder. He pulled up his collar, and the copper gear on his cuff brushed against his chin, feeling a bit prickly.

The light at the entrance of the Cultural Station was on; it was a newly installed bulb, casting a yellowish glow on the snow. The news from the broadcast during the day had spread, and a crowd had gathered at the entrance, standing there looking at the notice posted on the wall. Someone was shining a flashlight, and an old man wearing a cotton hat read slowly, 'Skydome City... Basic... Education... Implementation... Plan.'

'You read it correctly,' Shen Xiaochuan said, walking over. 'Keep reading.'

The old man turned around, saw it was him, and immediately stepped aside. 'The God King is here! Please speak, we are listening.'

'Don't call me God King.' Shen Xiaochuan stood by the wall and looked at everyone. 'Starting tomorrow, this place won't just play music; we will also hold classes. We will teach literacy, arithmetic, and how to draw circuit diagrams. Those who pass the Elementary school graduation exam will be directly assigned jobs—the Heating Maintenance Group, the Power Inspection Team, or the Material Dispatch Department, with a monthly salary starting at one hundred faith points. If you do well, there will be a year-end bonus.'

The crowd suddenly became noisy.

'Is that for real? One hundred points?' A young man wearing an old military coat pushed forward half a step. 'I've repaired tractors, but I've never been to school.'

'What is your name?' Shen Xiaochuan asked.

'Li Qiang, from the East District's Third Courtyard.'

'Li Qiang,' Shen Xiaochuan looked at him. 'Can you write your own name?'

Li Qiang opened his mouth but didn't say anything.

Shen Xiaochuan said, 'Because there are many people who can move bricks, but few who understand circuit diagrams. What we need now are people who can read blueprints, repair transformers, and find broken wires in a blizzard, not just those who only know how to use brute force.'

After saying this, he turned and entered the room. Karl was hunched over the table filling out forms and looked up, saying, 'More than twenty people have come, and they are all waiting outside.'

'Hand out paper,' Shen Xiaochuan said. 'Give everyone a Elementary Literacy and Arithmetic textbook claim voucher. We will distribute the books collectively tomorrow and explain the exam rules on the spot—it will be a closed-book exam with proctors, and anyone who cheats will be barred from any selection process for three years. Write it clearly and post it at the entrance.'

Karl replied, 'It's still being made, expected to be ready in three days. According to the procedure, we need to report the list of Materials first.'

'Let her broadcast it,' Shen Xiaochuan said. 'Keep the tone flat, don't be too excited. Just say that knowledge is the only key to high-paying positions; don't need to say anything else.'

'Okay.' Karl paused for a moment. 'Some people are asking, why not just give them work directly, why must there be an exam?'

Shen Xiaochuan walked to the window and looked at the figures outside. 'What we need now are people who can read blueprints, repair transformers, and find broken wires in a blizzard. Not just those who only know how to use brute force.'

Karl didn't ask again and lowered his head to continue stamping.

The next morning, a long queue formed at the entrance of the Cultural Station. It was not yet dawn, and a dark path had been trampled into the snow. Shen Xiaochuan stood on the steps, holding a loudspeaker in his hand.

'Listen up!' he shouted. 'East District Group One will receive books first! Everyone else wait in place; those who run around will be disqualified!'

Karl, along with three assistants, checked the numbers one by one, distributed the books, and collected the receipts. Someone wanted to pick up books for their child but was stopped; some parents wanted to answer the questions on the spot but were warned. The order slowly stabilized.

By noon, the first batch of textbooks had been distributed. Shen Xiaochuan gathered everyone in the courtyard.

'The library is open today,' he said. 'But not everyone can enter. Only those who pass the basic test can touch the bronze plaque in front of the door. Place your hand on it, and when the light pattern glows, the door will open. This is called the 'Gate of Knowledge,' it is not just for show.'

Someone below laughed, 'Making it sound so real.'

'The exam is this afternoon,' Shen Xiaochuan said. 'Two questions: recognize five common characters and solve one addition or subtraction problem. If you miss one, come back next time. Those who pass can enter the library tomorrow.'

At 2:00 PM, the test began. Groups of thirty people were hunched over tables in the hall writing. The proctors were newly arrived administrative staff, who walked around, caught two people peeking, and recorded their names on the spot.

The first person to touch the bronze plaque was a twelve-year-old girl. She placed her hand on it, the plaque flashed, and the door opened. A chorus of 'Oh' sounds erupted from the surroundings.

Shen Xiaochuan stood to the side and nodded.

In the evening, he gathered the team leaders in the conference room. A cloth was hanging on the wall, behind which was a projection screen. He pulled the cloth away, revealing a timeline chart.

'In three months, the power grid skeleton will be completed,' he said, pointing to the first line. 'Within six months, the whole city will be powered. After that, it will be electric machine tools, rail transport, and remote communications. Each step requires people—electricians, mechanics, dispatchers; we are short by two thousand three hundred people.'

Someone raised a hand: 'Engineer Shen, will focusing on education now delay the project progress? We are already short on manpower.'

'In the short term, it takes up manpower,' Shen Xiaochuan said. 'In the long term, without people, an industrial nation is just empty talk. The time you save now will all have to be made up in three months, and doubled.'

Another person asked, 'What if they finish learning but refuse to work?'

'Those who are unwilling, I won't force them,' Shen Xiaochuan said. 'But I want to tell everyone—upon completing middle school, you will be entered into the 'Future Talent Reserve,' and trained according to your grades. Every qualified graduate will have an irreplaceable position. Those who don't believe it can wait.'

No one objected further.

The meeting ended, and Karl stayed to organize the names. Shen Xiaochuan returned to the master control room and pulled up the data dashboard. Fifteen days had passed.

The screen displayed: A total of 8,236 textbooks distributed, an average of 3,147 daily attendees, a 92% school enrollment rate for children, and adult night school classes are full. The library access pass rate is 37%, with about eighty new advanced learners daily.

He watched for two minutes, then picked up the enamel mug on the table and took a sip of hot water. The water was a bit cold.

Footsteps came from outside the door, and Karl walked in carrying a stack of documents: 'The registration forms for the East and South Districts have all been recorded. We need to open two more night school classes next week, and the classrooms need to be rearranged.'

'Coordinate with logistics,' Shen Xiaochuan said. 'Prioritize heating for teaching venues. Pause all other non-essential projects.'

Karl was stunned: 'Even the Forging Workshop Phase III?'

'Stop it.' Shen Xiaochuan stared at the screen. 'Just received a report from the logistics department—the grain warehouse stock is only enough to last twenty days.'

The room suddenly went quiet.

Karl stood there, holding the documents. '...Should we notify the residents?'

'Saying it now will only cause panic buying,' Shen Xiaochuan set down the cup. 'Continue distributing textbooks, continue holding classes. People's hearts cannot be in chaos. However, we can add one item to the broadcast content—remind everyone to save food and eat reasonably.'

'Yinafuer needs a draft.'

'You write it, I'll review it.' Shen Xiaochuan stood up and walked to the city sand table. Under the light, the model of Skydome City was very clear. Power stations, main grids, residential areas, and industrial zones were marked with different colors.

His finger slid across the South District and stopped at the edge. It was blank there.

'Are the blueprints for the South City Gate's defensive fortifications ready yet?'

Karl said softly: 'I'll go organize today's exam data; the summary will be ready tomorrow morning.'

'Hmm.' Shen Xiaochuan nodded. 'Go.'

After the door closed, he stood alone in front of the sand table. A prompt popped up in the bottom right corner of the monitoring screen: [Grain warehouse inventory updated: 19.8 days of consumption remaining]

He clicked confirm, the screen refreshed, and the number changed to 19.7.

Outside the window, the wind picked up again. A withered branch hit the eaves with a 'snap.'

The lights in the master control room flickered for a moment, then quickly recovered.

Shen Xiaochuan sat back at the monitoring console, opened the communication channel, and connected to the logistics supervisor. 'Starting tomorrow, rations for all non-combat personnel will be reduced by 10%. The cafeteria will switch to mixed grain, and the announcement should be posted tonight. Write the reason as—to cope with extreme weather, we are preparing emergency resources in advance.'

The other party said: 'Understood.'

He closed the communication and pulled up the map of the surrounding area. The direction of the snow mountain was gray and white, and the signal was intermittent. The latest data from the Blue Star Domain showed that the number of gods had plummeted to 2.4 billion. The civil war in the US continued, NATO had completely dissolved, and the number of member states in the Huaxia Alliance had increased to seventy-three.

He stared at the screen, his fingers touching the copper gear on his cuff.

Suddenly, the terminal vibrated. An emergency report popped up: [South City patrol team discovered abnormal ground vibrations, suspected approach of a large creature, threat Rank not yet confirmed]

Shen Xiaochuan looked at the text, not moving.

Five seconds later, he pressed the call button: 'Notify the South City sentries to strengthen vigilance. Do not act rashly before further intelligence is received.'

He released the button and leaned back in his chair, his eyes still fixed on the South District on the sand table.

The wind lashed against the window.