"I did have some hesitation about this. The biggest concern was the educated youth sent to the countryside. Some of them, after a long time in the countryside, reached marriageable age or couldn't endure the hardship of manual labor, and got married early. Once the college entrance examination was reinstated, who could guarantee they wouldn't abandon their wives and children? Also, if we directly banned them from participating, what if there were capable people among them? Wouldn't that be unfair to them?"
Elder Mao also sighed and said, "This is indeed a problem. So making a decision isn't that simple!" He was willing to admit his past wrong decisions, but solving this issue wasn't something he could do alone with just his courage!
"Yes, it's not simple." She had wanted to resolve this period of hardship sooner, but now, seeing it from a different perspective, it truly wasn't as simple as just talking about it.
"Let's conduct a thorough investigation first. Once identities are clarified, we'll directly recall the intellectuals and reopen the schools," Elder Hua suggested after some thought. "I believe we need to thoroughly rectify internal problems. Let's not talk about other things, but the cases of children reporting their fathers, wives reporting their husbands, are not few. People who betrayed their teachers for their future, even their closest relatives, and are still holding important positions, I believe this is also a dereliction of responsibility towards the country. Since they could betray their families for this, they would betray the country for other interests tomorrow. Even if not severely punished, at least they should be removed from these functional departments and prevented from having access to national interests."
Ji Xingmi hadn't expected Elder Hua to say that. She had also considered this matter, but it stopped at just thinking about it because of how many people's interests it would touch and how much turmoil it would cause.
"I've been thinking about this matter all along, but I haven't found a good solution."
"We can't rush this. Before the past issues are fully clarified, I fear they might make desperate moves."
"Yes, ambitions that were amplified from the beginning, how could they be easily reined in!"
Listening to their conversation, Ji Xingmi suddenly understood. It turned out they had this plan from the beginning, but many things weren't so easily resolved. It seemed she had been meddling. They must have been considering this for a long time, right?
She felt like she had been meddling! Indeed, she wasn't suited for politics. This kind of scheming wasn't for her; she should go back to her medicine.
As the two elders chatted, they noticed Ji Xingmi looking dispirited again, lost in thought.
"What's wrong with you now?"
"I feel like everything is under your control, and I feel like I spoke out of turn! Ah~ I should just go back to my medicine; this isn't for me!"
"Hahahahaha~"
"You, oh you~"
The two elders also chuckled. In fact, it was quite interesting to see her speak so seriously about this matter just now. And her ability to think this far was already quite good. Elder Hua had been a bit worried when she first spoke, but thankfully, her subsequent words weren't entirely wrong.
"We have actually started preparations for this matter, but the situation is still unclear, so no news has been leaked. What you're thinking isn't a big problem; we indeed need to carefully consider how to solve these issues."
"The college entrance examination can indeed screen for talent, but character needs to be tested by time. And the verification of exam identities is also a crucial issue. What if someone impersonates another?"
"That's indeed true. This issue also needs careful consideration on how to resolve it."
"I actually have a good idea for this."
"What idea?"
"We can use the country to issue a type of identification. This identification can prove you are who you say you are. For example, if I am Ji Xingmi, there might be another person named Ji Xingmi, but our identification numbers will definitely be different. We can also directly record the fingerprint of the person applying for the identification when it's being made. If necessary, we can retrieve the fingerprints to verify the person's authenticity."
"That's a good idea. If possible, it would be best if everyone had this identification. Then, anyone without an identification would become a subject for investigation!"
"It's this fingerprint, how do we handle it?"
"I can establish a database to collect this information, and then create a fingerprint comparison machine. It can automatically retrieve data from the database to verify if the information collected at the time matches the current information."
"Can you… can you do this? If you can, then we can~" Elder Hua didn't finish his sentence, but Number One also realized what he meant.
"Yes, it's possible, but it requires cooperation in various aspects. First, we need a large-scale processor, and then we need to improve information security technology in this area, which requires technical personnel."
"Based on what you're saying, this is a massive undertaking. I'll have people over there start researching it. You also need to give me a plan for this matter. As for the fingerprints, when do you plan to start researching it?"
"Ask the people over there who research chips to look into this direction first. I still want to do other things right now!"
"What do you want to do?"
"Our numerical control technology. I want to further refine it. Many equipment requirements cannot be met by current machine tools. With that, we can do much more!"
"Someone is already working on what you're suggesting, and there has already been some success. Why don't you take a look at the documents first?"
"Then can I see their current progress? If it's not too different from mine, I won't insist. Also, I don't really want to go to the research institute anymore; I can't sleep well there!"
"The equipment there is more comprehensive. We can't build a laboratory for you here, can we!"
"Alright! Then I want to rest for a while. I don't want to go to the research institute for some time."
"You've already let off steam, are you still holding a grudge?"
"No, I don't sleep well there! I only sleep soundly at home!"
Now even Elder Hua didn't know what to say. He couldn't possibly kick her out. He had seen how she looked when she returned yesterday and felt heartbroken. Is this child so insecure? He hadn't noticed it before!
"You just rest for a while. Leave some work for others to do. If you can't stay idle, then write suggestions and reports. With so many people, they shouldn't be unable to complete tasks just by looking at the manuals, right?" Number One also didn't want this girl to be too tired. Not everyone needs to do it herself!