What's wrong with me, a school principal, listening to students' suggestions?

The day after the student union office moved, Zhao Mengyao started making changes.

The lobby on the first floor used to have a row of old bookshelves, piled high with expired school newspapers and unclaimed lost and found items.

Zhao Mengyao, along with three new members, spent the entire morning self-study period moving the bookshelves away, freeing up an entire wall.

Four brand-new suggestion boxes were lined up in a row, their bottoms secured to the wall with screws.

Each box is a different color, and each has a handwritten classification label on it...

"Life", "Learning", "Interests", "Future".

The label was handwritten by Shen Xingyue herself, with fancy fonts and a small star drawn at the end.

"Why is the box in the future black?" Zhao Mengyao stood to the side, tilting her head to examine it.

Shen Xingyue twirled the lighter in her hand, her expression serious: "Because the future is full of unknowns."

"I can't refute your reasoning."

Xiao Chen, the new student leader of Class 2, Grade 1, was lying on the table next to him. On the table were a stack of printed suggestion slips and a tube of black pens. He was responsible for distributing them to students who passed by.

As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of morning reading, a crowd surged in.

The first student to submit a note was Song Yuan from Class 5 of Grade 11.

The man stood in front of the suggestion box, the hand gripper in his pocket still creaking in his hand.

He wrote incredibly fast, his characters so large they could be seen from two meters away. He shoved it into the hobby box, clapped his hands, and left.

Xiao Chen was quick; he glanced at the note before it had completely fallen.

"Form a campus long-distance running team, conduct morning runs three times a week, and equip them with professional timers and fitness trackers."

Zhao Mengyao made a note on the registration form, and when she looked up, Song Yuan had already jogged away and disappeared at the end of the corridor.

That person seems to be unable to stay still.

Over the next half hour, more than thirty slips of paper were submitted.

Most of them are concentrated in the two boxes: life and hobbies. The study box is the least popular; I've only received two so far.

Shen Xingyue leaned against the wall and counted, a smile on her lips.

Her smile faded when she pulled a folded piece of paper from the black box of the future.

The words on the note were written neatly and carefully, each stroke precise and orderly.

"I want to pursue the shot put athletic specialty program, but I don't know if the school has this pathway. Li Daqiang, Class 4, Grade 12."

Shen Xingyue handed the note to Zhao Mengyao.

Zhao Mengyao looked at it twice, then looked up and around.

Li Daqiang, at 1.85 meters tall, was indeed easy to spot in a crowd.

He was standing by the corridor window, leaning against the railing, his eyes glancing at the suggestion box every now and then.

"Li Daqiang!" Zhao Mengyao waved to him.

Li Daqiang paused for a moment, a hint of nervousness flashing across his flat face, and slowly moved over.

"Are you serious about this suggestion from someone specializing in shot put?"

"Seriously." Li Daqiang nodded, his voice not loud. "I practiced for two years in junior high school, but I stopped because I didn't have the opportunity."

"I threw more than thirteen meters during the last military training physical test, and Instructor Han said I had a good foundation."

Zhao Mengyao carefully wrote down his class, name, and specific requests in the registration book.

"It's registered. We'll submit it to the principal as soon as possible."

Li Daqiang rubbed his hands together, a rare look of anticipation appearing on his honest face. He nodded, turned, and left.

"This point needs to be highlighted. If the path for students with athletic talents can be opened up, he won't be the only one to benefit."

Shen Xingyue watched him leave, the lighter flicking between her fingers.

Just as Zhao Mengyao was about to reply, steady footsteps came from the other end of the corridor.

Han Tiezhu and Lao Liu walked over side by side, each carrying a file bag. They must have just come out of the security room and were about to go upstairs.

Han Tiezhu paused as he passed the suggestion box, his gaze falling on the interest box.

"Hello, Instructor Han!" Zhao Mengyao stood up straight reflexively.

Han Tiezhu nodded without saying anything, but his gaze lingered on the boxes for two seconds.

Are there many sports-related suggestions?

Zhao Mengyao flipped through the register: "There are currently seven or eight entries: track and field team, shot put specialists, basketball league..."

Han Tiezhu held out his hand: "Pull out the sports-related papers separately, I'll give them to Principal Lin."

Without hesitation, Zhao Mengyao turned around, sorted out the slips of paper marked with sports-related information, and handed them over.

Han Tiezhu took the note, glanced at it, nodded to Lao Liu, and the two quickened their pace and went upstairs.

The principal's office is on the third floor.

Lin Yucai was standing by the window, holding a thermos, watching the students below lining up to throw their suggestions into the suggestion box.

There was a knock on the door, and Han Tiezhu pushed it open and spread the notes on his desk.

"Principal, there are quite a few promising students who want to pursue a career in sports."

Lin Yucai put down his thermos and flipped through the pages one by one.

Song Yuan's long-distance running team, Li Daqiang's shot put team, and several other teams listed as track and field, swimming, and Sanda (Chinese kickboxing).

"I know Li Daqiang. During military training, he threw the model grenade farther than all of us instructors," Han Tiezhu added from the side. "With his explosive power and arm span, he definitely has a bright future in shot put."

Lin Yucai put the note away and leaned it against the edge of the table.

"Tiezhu, you and Li Hai need to come up with a plan for me within three days."

Han Tiezhu stood up straight.

"How to form the team, what sports to practice, whether there are enough facilities, where to hire coaches, how to connect with the college entrance examination pathway...

Lin Yucai held up five fingers and broke them off one by one.

"Can three days be enough?"

"Yes," Han Tiezhu answered readily.

"I'll inform Li Hai; we'll meet this afternoon."

When Han Tiezhu turned to leave, Lao Liu was still standing at the door eating half a sausage. Seeing this, he quickly followed.

The sound of their footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor.

Lin Yucai picked up the thermos again, a smile playing on his lips.

These students are finally starting to think about the future.

He was much happier about this than getting them high scores.

……

During the second break in the afternoon.

Zhang Yang swaggered into the lobby on the first floor.

As usual, he wore his school uniform jacket tied around his waist, a toothpick dangling from his mouth, with Skinny Monkey following behind him.

The two men, each holding a slip of paper, approached the suggestion box with suspicious expressions.

Zhao Mengyao was organizing the registration book when she looked up and saw these two people, and she had a bad feeling.

Zhang Yang tossed the note into the interest box and turned to leave.

Skinny Monkey immediately followed up with his second card.

Seeing the two of them acting suspiciously, Zhao Mengyao reached out and opened the box, pulling out two slips of paper.

"Dude, we're still here, and you just opened it?"

The first one, with its flamboyant handwriting, is no different from scribbles.

"I suggest the school build an ice rink. Class 3 of the third year of high school, Zhang Yang."

The second one, written by the skinny monkey, is at least legible.

"I suggest the school build a constant-temperature swimming pool, preferably a standard 50-meter track. Sun Xiaotian, Class 3, Grade 12."

After reading it, Zhao Mengyao paused, her pen still in her hand.

Ice rink? Constant temperature swimming pool?

Are these two just joking?

The cost of building just a constant-temperature swimming pool is several million dollars, plus an ice rink?

Even if the school sold its teaching buildings, the budget wouldn't be enough.

"Zhang Yang! Your suggestion..."