Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

All eyes turned to the conference room door, where a thin, black-haired old man strolled in with his hands behind his back. This man was none other than Yang Zhengqing, the principal, who was on sick leave.

"Principal Yang! Please sit here!" The female secretary was quick-witted and nimbly stood up and helped the old man to her seat.

When everyone saw Principal Yang again after many days, they all stood up to greet him. Yang Zhengqing nodded to each of them, then pressed his palm down three times before everyone sat down again.

"I'm hard of hearing, but I heard Old Zhou's joke very clearly," Yang Zhengqing said with a slight smile. "According to this kid, who among us would dare offend him? What if he suddenly becomes a real dragon one day? We'd all benefit from it, hahaha..."

Yang Zhengqing's voice was a little hoarse, but his familiar Yang-style humor still made everyone laugh.

"I think we should leave Qin's matter to his homeroom teacher. We should focus on the real issues..."

At this point, Principal Yang paused, and everyone held their breath to listen, knowing that important instructions were about to be given.

"I'm here today to discuss only two things. First, regarding the food quality at the South Campus cafeteria, before this meeting, I took a walk around the kitchen. There were scraps of meat on the cutting board, swarming with flies! I casually brushed them aside and found white worms in them! What kind of connections does this cafeteria owner have? How did they even pass the bidding process? How dare they feed this filthy stuff to the kids? It's simply..."

Although he had tried his best to control his emotions, Yang Zhengqing still coughed violently. Before anyone could step forward to help him, the old principal slammed his fists down on the conference table, shouting, "Shameless! Shameless! Utterly devoid of conscience! Utterly devoid of conscience!"

No one dared to utter a sound. Dong Mingdao, who was sitting in the main seat, was even more uncomfortable. He was the main person in charge of the cafeteria bidding. Wasn't Principal Yang's words a slap in the face to him in public?

"Principal Yang, please calm down. I will take responsibility for this. It was my oversight that failed. After this meeting, I will immediately notify the relevant personnel to... to make corrections..."

"Is there any need to rectify this kind of behavior? If this heinous contractor isn't dismissed, the South District cafeteria will never have peace!" The reserved Yang Zhengqing didn't reveal the last layer of the truth, but everyone could tell that he was pointing his finger at Dong Mingdao and cursing him.

Just as everyone fell silent, Yang Zhengqing took out a folded newspaper from his pocket, slowly unfolded it, and handed it to the female secretary beside him. "Secretary Gao, my throat is not good. Could you please read the front-page headline article from our school newspaper to everyone?"

Seeing that Principal Yang was in a bad mood, the female secretary had no choice but to go along with him. At first, she just read it mechanically, but as more and more sensitive words appeared, Secretary Gao's voice began to tremble, and it felt like a fishbone was stuck in his throat.

"South of the colorful clouds, the great river's sorrow; thousands of years of old systems have stained this yellow land. But, if the Atlantic winds, carried by the Pacific, bring the blue ocean civilization to this fertile land, wouldn't it bring a new opportunity? I believe that... that would be a victory for democracy and freedom..."

Silence, a deathly silence. No one spoke in the meeting room; there wasn't a single person there.

After a long pause, Yang Zhengqing spoke up: "Comrades, it's only been a few years since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Are we just going to stand by and watch the high ground of public opinion be lost step by step, inch by inch? We are educators, we are here to cultivate talent for the country, not to train others to wave flags and shout slogans! If our mistakes push our children to the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans, then we will be sinners of our school, sinners of history!"

After saying this, Yang Zhengqing's chest began to heave, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Just then, the young teacher wearing brown glasses stood up. He first bowed to Principal Yang, and then said apologetically, "Principal Yang, I am the advisor for the school newspaper. It was my negligence in reviewing the article that led to its publication. I will definitely reflect on my mistake..."

"If we're talking about self-criticism, I think it's me, the principal, who should do it. We've ruined people's health and confused their minds; do we even deserve to be educators?"

Before he could finish his self-critical speech, Yang Zhengqing turned pale, his vision went black, and he slumped down from his chair.

"Principal Yang! What's wrong?"

"Old Yang! Are you alright?"

"What are you all standing there for? Call an ambulance! No, get the principal to the hospital!"

……

Upon seeing Yang Zhengqing faint, everyone panicked, and the entire conference room descended into chaos.

Several young teachers reacted quickly and rushed forward. Together, they carried Principal Yang out of the meeting room for emergency treatment. It's uncertain whether the elderly principal will survive this ordeal...

The day after Yang Zhengqing was rushed to the hospital, a brief disciplinary notice was posted on the bulletin board of Yanghe No. 1 High School:

On November 10, 1996, a serious incident of trespassing occurred at the north gate of our South Campus. After investigation by the school management committee, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the "Yanghe No.1 High School Student Disciplinary Regulations", the following two students were given a public reprimand: Qin Yuechuan, a student in Class 1 of Grade 1, borrowed another person's day student pass without authorization, violating Article 10 of the school rules, and was given a demerit and disqualified from the annual awards and commendations.

Ji Wen, a student in Class 1 of the Arts stream in the third year of high school, seriously violated school rules and regulations. He has been placed on probation, disqualified from awards and honors, and disqualified from being recommended for university admission.

This is a serious matter; I hope all students will take this as a warning!

Yanghe University Management Committee

December 1996, 11

It is worth noting that next to this notice was also a letter of apology to all students of Yanghe No.1 High School, signed by Yang Zhengqing.

The apology letter was sincere and addressed the crux of the problem. Principal Yang neither shifted the blame for the food quality issues at the South Campus cafeteria to the contractor nor made any member of management a scapegoat; in fact, he took full responsibility for the entire mistake on his own.

In addition to self-reflection and sincere apology, Principal Yang announced three measures:

First, Zhang Tianhu, the head of the school's security department, was dismissed, and his actions of accepting bribes and fabricating evidence were publicly condemned.

Second, terminate the contract with the canteen contractor and publicly tender for the project.

Third, establish a canteen food management committee and formulate a "campus meal accompaniment system", with members of the school management committee taking turns to serve as meal accompaniment officers and conducting random inspections of the canteen kitchen from time to time.

The open letter, once released, not only resonated with students at the university but also generated a strong response in society. Public opinion generally viewed it as a victory of public power over corruption. Yanghe No. 1 High School not only restored its reputation but also pioneered a widely accepted system of principals "dining with students." These measures have proven effective and are now being implemented across Yanghe County.

On a weekend, in a three-bedroom room in the county government compound, Li Baihui was playing the piano elegantly. The melodious notes danced on the girl's fingertips, making people feel relaxed and happy.

As the piece ended, Li Nianda and Wang Yan applauded their daughter. The girl slowly rose, one hand on the violin, the other lifting the hem of her dress. She bowed slightly to her parents, saying, "Dad, Mom, today is your twentieth wedding anniversary. I dedicate 'Wedding in a Dream' to you!"

Li Nianda, who is usually stern and rarely smiles, was all smiles at this moment. He first hugged and kissed his wife, and then showered his daughter with praise.

"Mom, I think Dad's acting strange. He wasn't this dramatic on our wedding anniversary in previous years, always kissing and hugging me. What's wrong with him today?" Li Baihui said with a smile.

"Your dad got promoted, and he's just looking for a way to show off!" Wang Yan's lips curled into a wide smile.

"Dad! Weren't you just promoted to deputy director of the Education Bureau? You've already been promoted to full director so quickly?" Li Baihui blinked and took her father's arm.

"I've been transferred to Yanghe No. 1 High School as principal, so I can pick you up and drop you off at school every day from now on!" Li Nianda couldn't hide his excitement. He pinched his daughter's rosy cheeks and announced the good news.

As a key provincial high school, Yanghe No. 1 High School has an administrative rank half a level higher than the county education bureau. Li Nianda himself felt bewildered by the fact that he had been promoted two ranks from deputy section chief to deputy director.

For a time, the whole family was immersed in joy, and afterwards, every sentence they spoke about Li's father's promotion.

"Old Li, have you heard? This major upheaval in the education sector is related to that Vice Principal Dong from No. 1 High School. If he hadn't ruined things, you might not have been able to get the benefits!" Wang Yan, being a minor supervisor in the education sector, was already well aware that Dong Mingdao had been dismissed for embezzlement.

"Dong Mingdao was brought down by Old Yang himself, but you can't blame Principal Yang. This kind of person is just too ruthless. If he were to become the top leader, No. 1 High School would definitely be a mess!" Li Nianda made no attempt to hide his disgust for Dong Mingdao. Don't forget, he is also a parent. The thought of his daughter eating in the awful school cafeteria made the new principal grit his teeth in hatred.

"I heard that Dong Mingdao spent a fortune just to get the position of principal. Where did the money come from? It was all squeezed from the students. If you ask me, Principal Yang did a great job! He did a brilliant job! This kind of black sheep must be removed to appease public anger!"

"That's right, once I take office, I'll have to pay attention to the cafeteria food issue; it's no small matter!"

The couple got more and more excited as they talked, completely unaware of the strange look in Li Baihui's eyes. The little girl thoughtfully brought over a fruit plate and fed Li Nianda a slice of apple.

"Dad, now that you're the principal of a school, can I discuss something with you?"

Seeing the sly look in his daughter's eyes, Li Nianda shuddered at first, then put on airs and replied, "Daughter, our family is a scholarly family. We can't be ostentatious under any circumstances. If you have any requests, I suggest you discuss them with your mother first. She's the head of the household..."

"Oh, Dad! I'm not asking you for a gift, I have something important to report to you!" Li Baihui said, pouting.

Li Nianda chuckled: "It's still some time before I take office, but considering my daughter's upright attitude, just tell me what you want. As long as it doesn't violate any principles, I'll definitely grant your wish."

Upon hearing this, Li Baihui's eyes lit up, and then the girl said in a serious tone, "Mom and Dad, as I told you before, I have a deskmate named Qin Yuechuan..."

And so, Li Baihui told her parents about Yue Chuan's rescue of people, her words filled with concern and sympathy for Yue Chuan.

"Dad! Qin Yuechuan was injured while saving someone, but he's already received a major demerit before he's even discharged from the hospital. That's unfair! It's so disheartening!"

Seeing their daughter's indignant expression, Li Nianda and Wang Yan exchanged a glance and smiled slightly.

"So, you want your dad to help that guy named... Qin something-chuan get his punishment removed?" Wang Yan's words revealed his daughter's thoughts.

"Yes! That's right! Qin Yuechuan was already struggling, and now he's been disciplined and won't get his scholarship anymore! He's such a good student and a top student in competitions, isn't this just robbing him?" Like most of her classmates, Li Baihui believed that Yuechuan had acted bravely and righteously. The thugs who beat him were still at large, while the good student suffered. Of course, she had to speak up for him.

"Xiaohui, we live in a society governed by the rule of law. There's no such thing as offsetting merits and demerits." Li Nianda put on his usual airs again, ready to lecture his daughter.

"Mom! Dad's started giving me official jargon again, you should talk to him!" Li Baihui pouted and immediately began to complain.

"Your dad is right, your deskmate was indeed at fault..." Seeing her daughter's furrowed brows, Wang Yan smiled and changed the subject, saying, "However, the young man's willingness to go out and save people in that situation is commendable. How about this, once your dad takes charge, if that kid can get into the top ten in the grade, I'll definitely try to get him a place in the poverty alleviation program!"

Before her father could speak, Li Baihui clasped her hands in thanks and said, "Thank you, Dad and Mom! I am very grateful!"

Seeing his daughter's playful expression, Li Nianda's heart melted, and he nodded, agreeing to the girl's request.