Chapter 877: Children Are Important, Yan Yue Is More Important

In terms of rank, the Director of the Housing and Construction Bureau was far above the Director of a Planting Center under the Planting Management Department. The fact that Cao Ming wanted to explain things to Xia Qing personally meant: I've already made the decision, and it's useless for you to go to the Base Commander. Explaining it to you in person is giving you a way out — don't be ungrateful.

When you're in a position, you have to do the job. Even though Xia Qing didn't like dealing with such matters, she still had to handle it.

Not liking it didn't mean she couldn't do it.

Back when she was a construction squad leader in the Safe Zone, Xia Qing had dealt with the Housing and Construction Bureau plenty of times, though back then she was dealing with low-level personnel. She wasn't intimidated by high-level personnel either, because she had negotiated with the Brigade Commander of the Azure Dragon Battle Team many times and already understood the ways of these "big shots."

Explain? Bring it on! Let's see who can out-argue whom!

Xia Qing walked into the inner office with an expressionless face, opened the window to let in a breeze, and dialed Director Cao's number. "Director Cao, hello. This is Xia Qing from the Ninth Planting Center."

Cao Ming's voice was very warm. "Xia, I heard your side was hit by a return rain? I've been wanting to call and check on you, but I was afraid of disturbing your work…"

Xia Qing responded neither obsequiously nor overbearingly. "Thank you for your concern, Director Cao. We were indeed hit by gale-force winds, hail, and a return rain, and we're still busy rebuilding greenhouses and resettling employees…"

Listening to Xia Qing pour out her grievances, Cao Ming, sitting in air-conditioned comfort, flicked the ash off his cigarette with his index finger, watched the silver-white ash fall into the jade-green ashtray, then sighed and cut her off. "Yes, these days everyone's working themselves to the bone — it's not easy. At least you have your fields and something to eat. All I can do on my end is eat dirt…"

In principle, Planting Centers needed to build sturdy perimeter walls and put up barbed wire to protect their farmland and assets.

But Hui-3 Safe Zone and Northern District 2 territory had been hit by a blast attack in the middle of last month, and in the latter half of the month Northern Districts 1 and 2 were hit by gale-force winds and hail. This made Hui-3's already limited construction materials even scarcer, so Cao Ming hoped Xia Qing could understand the Base's difficulties and postpone walling in the Ninth Planting Center until next March — after all, Northern District 1 territory was already surrounded by a ring of barbed wire.

The Safe Zone, protected by walls of reinforced concrete over ten meters high, was more urgent for construction than her place? Xia Qing gave a dry laugh. The Housing and Construction Bureau withholding supplies from the Ninth Planting Center was definitely Ding Xingye stirring things up behind the scenes.

But since Cao Ming had already spoken, getting the supplies delivered within the next two months was impossible. Drag it out until next year? Not a chance!

After going along and listening to Cao Ming's grievances, Xia Qing said she fully understood the Bureau's difficulties and pledged full support for the reconstruction of Hui-3's disaster-hit areas, while once again explaining to him that her side was also genuinely in a tough spot.

After more than half an hour of extreme back-and-forth, Xia Qing agreed to delay the wall-building supplies by two months, and the other side agreed to provide the Ninth Center with some additional equipment to "support" Xia Qing's work.

These supplies meant little to the Housing and Construction Bureau, but they could substantially improve the working and living conditions of the Ninth Planting Center's employees.

Xia Qing hung up the phone, let out a long breath, and walked to the outer room to tell Yan Yue, "Tomorrow morning, the Housing and Construction Bureau will send a truck with two freezers, two refrigerators, six air conditioners, and sixty solar panels. One air conditioner goes in this office; the rest of the supplies, you two work out among yourselves."

Yan Yue requested, "Director, could the air conditioner for this office be installed in the classroom instead? The two of us have stronger resistance than the children."

The Ninth Planting Center's employees and their families now numbered 369, with 26 children under the age of 12.

After Yue Haiying obtained Xia Qing's approval, he had Yan Yue submit an application in the Ninth Center's name to the Hui-3 Education Bureau, seeking to establish a school within the Ninth Planting Center.

The Ninth Center would handle teaching staff and educational facilities on its own; they only needed the Hui-3 Education Bureau to certify that their teachers possessed teaching qualifications and that the school's conditions met requirements, then issue an official approval recognizing the school's credentials.

Disaster relief, food, medical care, and education were the four major priorities the country was currently focusing on. The Hui-3 Education Bureau quickly sent people to inspect the school's conditions, and after returning, reported up to the Hui City Department of Education, which approved the establishment of a basic education school within Hui-3's Ninth Planting Center, officially named the Northern District 1 Basic Education School.

The school was confirmed as a public school; expenses such as student textbooks and teacher salaries would be allocated by the Hui-3 Finance Bureau.

Students enrolled in the school were not limited to the Ninth Planting Center — any children in Northern District 1 territories who met enrollment requirements could attend.

So 10-year-old Tan Qi and 11 other children from other territories who met the enrollment requirements were also admitted, bringing the student total to 38. Xia Qing had just learned that besides Tan Qi, there were 10 other children under 12 in this territory.

Based on their educational level, enrolled students were divided into three classes — beginner, intermediate, and advanced — studying required courses such as language, mathematics, law, disaster prevention and response, evolved organisms, and physical fitness.

Apart from Zhao's mother, the school's principal and teachers were all selected from among the Ninth Planting Center's employees.

Although the teachers at the Northern District 1 school, like the vast majority of the Ninth Center's employees, had various physical disabilities, their teaching abilities were absolutely fine.

Every time Yan Yue passed the school building on her way to and from work, she would stop and listen to the children's reading voices and laughter.

Childless Yan Yue had already made such a proposal, so He Hui, whose son attended the school, was of course even more in favor. "Right, the two of us can fan ourselves and drink some water when it's hot — we don't need an air conditioner."

Xia Qing directly rejected both proposals. "This is the hub of our Planting Center, and you two are important employees. Of the six air conditioners I got, one must be installed here."

The Ninth Planting Center's office bore heavy and important work responsibilities.

Externally, the office was responsible for liaising with all relevant Hui-3 departments; upward, it had to regularly report the Center's overall work progress to Xia Qing and assist her with daily affairs; internally, it had to coordinate work across departments to ensure the smooth overall operation of the Planting Center.

In addition, the office also handled document and paperwork management, meeting management, and administrative management.

According to staffing, the office should have one director and three clerks. But Yue Haiying, adhering to the principle of "better empty than substandard," was very cautious in hiring.

So before He Hui came on board, all these burdens had fallen on Yan Yue's shoulders. If Yan Yue fell ill, the Ninth Planting Center's operations would descend into chaos.

As the Ninth Center's plenipotentiary representative, Xia Qing's first consideration was, of course, ensuring the working conditions of her core employees. Children are important — they are the nation's future and hope — but for Xia Qing, Yan Yue was even more important.

Feeling Xia Qing's regard for her, an irrepressible emotion welled up from within, reddening Yan Yue's eyes. She straightened her back and answered loudly, "Yes!"