In the afternoon, the guard came to report, "President Zhao requests to see the Governor."

He Rui hurriedly went out to welcome him. Upon seeing He Rui, Zhao Tianlin dispensed with pleasantries and stated his purpose directly: "Brother He, I am here to apply for education funds."

"You completed the survey of Siping's education situation in just a few days? Brother Zhao has worked hard," He Rui praised.

On the way to the office, Zhao Tianlin explained the education situation in the Siping area to He Rui. currently, the public school system in Siping consisted of two public primary schools, one higher primary school, and one middle school. There was one privately run primary school. The others flying the banner of schools were just study groups like private academies (*sishu*); at most, they had three teachers just teaching people to recognize characters.

"I went to those private academies and asked the teachers their views on the textbooks approved by the Ministry of Education. More than half had only heard of them but never seen them. These private academies must all be incorporated into the education system. Schools must adopt the unified textbooks of the Republic of China Ministry of Education."

Arriving at the office, Zhao Tianlin handed He Rui a report. In the report, based on the compulsory education policy and combined with Siping's existing 20,000 to 40,000 school-age children and teacher quantity, Zhao Tianlin set a plan to build at least eighteen primary schools, six higher primary schools, and three middle schools.

He Rui had already ordered the Statistics Section to conduct a survey of Siping's social status. What Zhao Tianlin described was mostly content from that report. He just hadn't expected Zhao Tianlin to personally go to the private academies for investigation and choose the general textbooks compiled by the Ministry of Education.

The textbooks compiled by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China certainly couldn't compare with 21st-century textbooks, but they would definitely be closer to the present time than 21st-century ones. He Rui approved of Zhao Tianlin's plan in his heart.

Seeing He Rui silent, Zhao Tianlin asked, "Brother He, can the funds be allocated?"

He Rui tapped the number of primary and higher primary schools on the report. "I think it would be best to combine the curriculums of primary and higher primary schools. Establish vocational schools parallel to middle schools. Vocational schools can be seen as apprentice schools built by the government. Various vocational training will be conducted while students are in school, providing internship opportunities."

Zhao Tianlin discussed with He Rui for a while, felt it was feasible, and settled it. Seeing that He Rui not only didn't shirk because of the more than forty thousand silver dollars but supported it fully, he was happy in his heart and added, "Brother He returned from Japan, so you must know about Japan providing free lunches for poor students starting from the Ito Hirobumi era."

"Of course I know, and I also support this policy very much. Brother Zhao, go ahead and do it. If you encounter problems, go to Wu Youping. He is already the Acting Mayor; grain allocation for schools is his responsibility."

Zhao Tianlin had long guessed that Siping's education would certainly not be satisfactory. But the field investigation in Siping wasn't as bad as he had thought. Since he received He Rui's full support, he was about to take his leave.

"Brother Zhao, don't rush." He Rui stopped Zhao Tianlin. "We are talking about school-age education now. I also want to conduct literacy education for adults. I wonder what advice Brother Zhao has."

Zhao Tianlin sat back on the stool, pondered for a moment, and answered, "Tianjin has night schools where adults working in factories receive education. That has to be after the school education system is established."

He Rui shook his head repeatedly. "Brother Zhao, I am not referring to youth education; I am talking about universal literacy. The school-age population must receive school education. Outside of school-age education, regardless of gender, everyone must receive literacy education. The goal is for everyone to recognize 300 to 500 characters. Ideally, they should also learn addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and memorize the multiplication table. It's just the level of the second grade of primary school."

Seeing Zhao Tianlin frowning and silent, He Rui continued, "To industrialize the whole of China, we must ensure that all Chinese people are not illiterate. To promote industry in Siping, a universal education level of primary school second grade is not high."

This request completely exceeded Zhao Tianlin's expectations. During his time as President of the National Beiyang University, Zhao Tianlin had experienced too many arguments with the Beiyang government over education funds. Back and forth, it was just the two words: "No money."

Hearing He Rui's ideal, Zhao Tianlin didn't answer immediately. He considered for a long time before replying, "Brother He, to be honest, when I made the budget, I already tried my best to cut all unnecessary expenses, yet I felt Brother He might not agree. Regarding universal literacy, I admire Brother He's ambition very much, but to say something overstepping my bounds, Siping really isn't a wealthy place. Universal literacy... does Brother He really have that much tax revenue?"

He Rui wanted to make a final effort. He found a plan from his bag and handed it to Zhao Tianlin. "Please, Brother Zhao, correct this for me."

Zhao Tianlin read only the first two lines and praised, "Those who can write their own name, place of origin, home address, and family members' names will be issued two *jin* [^1] of grain. This method is brilliant! But is there that much grain?"

He Rui smiled slightly. Zhao Tianlin was a Harvard Law School Ph.D.; he could naturally see the social management purpose inherent in the literacy campaign. Since Zhao Tianlin spoke clearly, He Rui replied, "The land outside the pass is fertile. As long as it is managed well, grain is not scarce."

Zhao Tianlin frowned slightly upon hearing this. He was an educator and knew deeply that learning was not simply the accumulation of recognized characters. Even if characters were forcibly memorized in a short time for profit, without long-term application, it would be useless work.

However, the content later in the plan attracted Zhao Tianlin's attention. From family activities to street sports meets, from the Women's Federation to job introduction training classes. The literacy work was not unfolded stiffly by government orders but promoted by holding various activities and providing rewards.

After reading the plan, Zhao Tianlin fell into thought. In the eyes of this Ph.D. and former university president, these methods were really a bit eager for quick success and instant benefits, but Zhao Tianlin didn't want to criticize.

Caught in a dilemma, Zhao Tianlin handed the plan back to He Rui. "Brother He's efforts for the country and the people are admirable. But I don't understand how to execute Brother He's plan. Please, Brother He, hire someone more capable. If there is anything I need to do during the execution, I will definitely do my best."

He Rui felt some regret but didn't force it. Zhao Tianlin was an excellent educator. Facing a problem he couldn't solve, he decisively chose to withdraw rather than occupying the position for credit; his character was excellent.

But literacy at the social level was no longer within the scope of school education. If Zhao Tianlin couldn't be counted on, from an organizational perspective, the most suitable candidate should be the current Mayor of Siping.

The position of Siping Mayor was vacant, so the Acting Mayor of Siping should shoulder this work. He Rui inevitably felt some worry for Wu Youping in his heart.

After Zhao Tianlin took his leave, He Rui considered whether to preside over this matter personally. Looking at the military training materials spread out on the table, He Rui hesitated.

Just then, a guard came in. "Governor, Regiment Commander Xu Chengfeng's family requests a meeting."

He Rui was surprised. "Xu Chengfeng's family?"

"He said so himself. Someone has already gone to invite Commander Xu."

Is this a home visit? He Rui decided to meet Xu Chengfeng's family.

***

[^1]: *Jin* (斤) - A Chinese unit of weight, roughly 500g.