Chapter 191

Zhao Jianguo stared at the jumping signal line on the Terminal, his finger lightly tapping twice on the edge of the Screen. He didn't call anyone, nor did he act immediately; instead, he turned and walked into the Main Hall, closing the door.

Early the next morning, a small car pulled up at the gate of the Siheyuan. He Yushui got out wearing a Blue Cloth, with an "Outstanding Youth Teacher" badge pinned to her chest, holding a red banner that read: "Promote the Siheyuan teaching method so every child can understand."

She had just hung up the banner when Sha Zhu poked his head out of the Kitchen: "Hey, is this a big meeting?"

"Bigger than a meeting." He Yushui laughed, "The national teacher training program invited me to give a lecture."

At that moment, Zhao Jianguo carried out a wooden box, with the words "college entrance exam ruler" stuck on it. He set the box on the car, clapped his hands, and said: "Let's go, it's our turn to take the stage."

As the car entered a middle school auditorium in the city, the hall was already full of people. A microphone stood on the stage, and dozens of teachers whispered below. Seeing Zhao Jianguo carrying the box up, someone whispered: "Is that the worker from the big compound? Can he really teach?"

Zhao Jianguo ignored them, opened the box, and took out a bronze-colored ruler. Its surface was etched with dense lines and several grooves.

"I won't lecture first," he said. "I'll do something for you to see."

He invited five teachers onto the stage, handing each a math worksheet on geometric construction and function graph decomposition. He also gave them ordinary straight rulers and pencils.

"Finish these problems within ten minutes using your usual methods."

The teachers nodded and began drawing. Some frowned, some erased and redid. When time was up, three hadn't finished, and two had made mistakes on key points.

Zhao Jianguo took the worksheet and, in front of everyone, demonstrated with his ruler. He pressed the paper with one hand and pushed the ruler with the other; with a click it slid into the groove, producing straight, precise lines. In under three minutes, a complex figure was broken down into three simple steps.

Someone in the audience couldn't help but stand up to look.

He then picked a solid geometry problem, using the ruler together with Chalk to quickly sketch a perspective diagram on the Blackboard. Finally he flipped the ruler over; an arc-shaped scale on the back aligned perfectly with the cone's projection.

"This ruler isn't omnipotent," he said, "but it can make difficult things simple. Kids grasp it at a glance and master it by touch."

A female teacher with glasses took the ruler to examine: "This... did you really make it yourselves?"

"Copper scraps from a waste factory, filed by a lathe master," Zhao Jianguo said. "Cost: twenty-six cents."

The audience fell silent. Some lowered their heads to take notes; others passed the ruler around to look at.

At that moment, Dong Xu walked onto the stage carrying a tool bag. He said nothing, first opening the bag and pouring out a pile of screws, metal sheets, and old batteries.

"I'm a fourth-class fitter," he said. "I only got the notice yesterday and came today."

He crouched on the ground, assembled a small device with a pulley in three minutes, then connected an Electric Wire; after powering it, the pulley turned at a steady speed.

"This is an experimental model combining levers and circuits," he said. "If the school lacks equipment, we just make our own. Materials cost no more than five yuan."

A male teacher in the audience raised his hand: "May I try?"

Dong Xu handed over the parts. The person followed the example, failed twice, and on the third try lit the small bulb, a smile spreading across his face.

"I'm not educated," Dong Xu said, standing up, "but my son can now recite physics formulas. He knows how force is transmitted and how electricity flows. I'm not just a machine repairman; I can also teach children."

Applause suddenly broke out.

Zhao Jianguo took the microphone: "We're not experts or professors. We're just ordinary people. But we're willing to spend time, find ways, so knowledge doesn't stay hidden in books but lands in children's hands."

Someone in the audience asked: "If we change the place or the people, will it still work?"

As his words fell, the Projection on the wall lit up. The image showed a rural classroom: earthen walls, a Blackboard, a dozen or so children gathered around the podium. A young female teacher was holding a replica bronze ruler, explaining a function problem.

Above the Blackboard was written: "A gift from Beijing's Siheyuan."

The camera swept over the students' exercise books; each page showed neat diagrams, with Annotations reading: "I learned it today!" "It's actually that simple!"

The video ended, and the hall fell silent. After a few seconds, applause sprang from a corner and quickly spread.

Zhao Jianguo looked at the crowd: "This isn't one person's doing. It's a path we figured out together."

The host then announced: "Next, please welcome our special guest, San Daye, to speak."

The audience immediately stirred; someone chuckled softly: "Who is this old guy?"

San Daye slowly walked up the stage leaning on a cane, his hand trembling slightly as he stood. He lifted his head to glance at the ceiling, then lowered his eyes to the microphone.

"I... I'm called San Daye," he said softly, "I live in an old courtyard in Beijing."

Someone below laughed out loud.

He suddenly straightened his back: "My grandson used to run away at the sight of a word, copy others on exams, and come home to fight. Now? He clutches a dictionary every day to look up what 'ABANDON' means—and insists on telling me!"

The laughter ceased.

"Our compound used to be noisy, fighting over water taps, cursing and brawling in the streets. Now? The kids scramble to recite ancient poems—whoever memorizes more gets priority for meals in the cafeteria!"

Some began to clap.

"You say we're backward?" San Daye raised his voice, "Yet we've produced the first college graduate! The first worker to hold a patent! The first owner of a chain cafeteria!"

The audience burst into laughter.

Sha Zhu sat in the back rows; hearing his name, his face flushed, and he quickly lowered his head, pretending to tie his shoelaces.

"I don't know what a teaching method is," San Daye gripped his cane tighter, "but I know the kids have changed. They love learning, dare to ask, aren't afraid of difficulty. That's enough."

Thunderous applause erupted.

Zhao Jianguo stood at the side curtain, the corners of his mouth slightly raised. A System Prompt appeared silently: 【Civilization Inheritance Degree reached 95%】.

He Yushui walked to his side and whispered softly: "It's done."

"Not yet finished," Zhao Jianguo said, gazing at San Daye on stage, "This is only the beginning."

The host then announced: "Next, we move to the interactive session; teachers can try the teaching aids on site, or ask questions and exchange ideas."

Teachers rose one by one and gathered before the display table. Some tried the college entrance exam ruler, some disassembled the experimental kit Dong Xu brought, and others pulled He Yushui aside to ask about specific operational details.

Zhao Jianguo was about to step forward to help when the Terminal suddenly vibrated.

He lowered his eyes to the Screen; the signal strength bar twitched slightly, its frequency exactly matching what had been detected the previous night. The source direction showed inside the auditorium, slowly moving.

He scanned the crowd without changing expression. A man in a gray jacket was lowering his head to take notes, holding a metal steel pen; when the pen cap reflected the light, a flash of abnormal brightness flickered.

Zhao Jianguo gradually approached the display, casually picking up an unused college entrance exam ruler.

The man lifted his head and glanced at him.

Zhao Jianguo also looked at him.

The man smiled, then slipped the steel pen into his upper chest pocket.

Zhao Jianguo's finger traced the edge of the ruler; with a click, the groove popped out half a millimeter.