The other people in the meeting looked and saw that Chen Lan was indeed a parent bringing children to enroll in high school, and furthermore, a matriarch. The teachers all turned their heads to look at the old principal presiding over the meeting. They chimed in, asking, "Principal, should the meeting continue?"
The old principal stood up, coughed with his hands behind his back, and said, "Continue with what? The meeting is adjourned. What are you all standing around for? Go back to what you were doing. Xiao Lei, you receive this comrade properly and try your best to gather enough students to fill two classes."
At this, Teacher Lei excitedly looked up and replied, "Understood, Principal."
He then turned to face Chen Lan and asked, "Comrade, do you have other children in your family who also need to attend high school?"
Chen Lan replied with a smile, "They aren't my children. There are quite a few children in our brigade who want to attend high school but have nowhere to go."
Teacher Lei's expression fell when he heard it was about children from the brigade. Seeing his reaction, Chen Lan explained, "Teacher Lei, our brigade leader said that no matter how poor the brigade is, we cannot neglect education. Our brigade will pay every cent of the children's tuition fees to the school."
Teacher Lei sighed and replied, "Comrade, while your words are well-intentioned, there will be many practical problems. It's not that I don't believe in your brigade leader's resolve, nor am I worried about your brigade's inability to pay tuition. It's just, comrade, have you considered where the children will live if they come to school? The students who attend our school are basically all local residents of Harbin city, living nearby and commuting. Our school does not have student dormitories!"
Chen Lan heard this and realized. As long as the school was willing to enroll students, the issue of living arrangements would be simple. She could simply buy a few more houses near the school under the name of the people from the valley.
As for the necessary documentation, that would also be easy. After returning to the valley, Chen Lan planned to find Zheng Sanpao directly and have him send another batch of supplies to the border defense battalion. At the same time, he could specifically go to the border defense battalion and ask the person in charge to issue certificates for the children from the valley who needed to attend school.
With this thought, Chen Lan spoke to Teacher Lei, "Teacher Lei, please don't worry about the accommodation. Our brigade happens to have a place to stay in Nangang District, Harbin. The children can live there while attending our Normal University Affiliated Middle School."
Teacher Lei heard that the student accommodation issue was resolved, but he still asked with some concern, "What about the children's food? What will your brigade do for that? The school can help apply for subsidies for some particularly needy students."
Chen Lan immediately replied, "Thank you, Teacher Lei, but that won't be necessary. Our brigade leader said we shouldn't add any extra burden to the country or the school. Our brigade will arrange for people to deliver the students' monthly rations to Harbin uniformly, and we will also make proper arrangements for someone to cook for the students."
Teacher Lei nodded upon hearing that the brigade would handle these issues. "That's good, that's good! Comrade, your brigade's cadres are truly excellent and genuinely value education. Since your brigade can resolve these issues, then let all the students who wish to attend school come to our school. However, comrade, I must make it clear now: if they are to attend, they must start from the first year of high school, and they must participate in a placement exam before admission."
Chen Lan thought that starting from the first year of high school was acceptable. It would be good for the children to experience the outside world more and broaden their horizons! As for the placement exam, there was no need to worry about that either.
So, she nodded in agreement. "Alright, Teacher Lei, the placement exam is no problem, and starting from the first year of high school is also no problem. Teacher Lei, when can these children take the exam? Do we have to wait for all the students to arrive before they can all be tested together?"
Teacher Lei replied, "That's not necessary. They can take the exam now. By the way, comrade, can you estimate how many students from your brigade will be coming to our affiliated school this time?"
Chen Lan hadn't actually taken a count of this. She turned her head and looked at the children and her two younger brothers behind her.
At this moment, Wen Kai asked, "Teacher Lei, is there an age limit for attending high school?"
Hearing Wen Kai's question, Chen Lan also asked, "Yes! Teacher Lei, does our school have an age limit?"
Teacher Lei thought for a moment and replied, "The youngest should be at least fifteen years old, and the oldest!"
At this point, Teacher Lei also got stuck! He hadn't encountered this question before, so he didn't know how to answer for a moment.
He thought again and then said, "As long as they are not too old, they can come to school. Having thirty to forty people at once is not a problem. As long as your production brigade is willing to let them come, our school will accept them." Sudang.com
Chen Lan heard that this was also acceptable! Wasn't she the leader of the valley production brigade? It seemed that the issue of the children in the valley attending school should be settled!
So, Chen Lan immediately replied, "Okay, Teacher Lei, I understand. I will rush back to the brigade tomorrow and bring them all to you. By the way, Teacher Lei, do the children need any certificates from the brigade to attend Normal University Affiliated Middle School?"
Teacher Lei replied, "Yes, comrade, a letter of recommendation from the brigade is sufficient!"
Since the matter had been settled, Chen Lan decided not to wait for Jia Yao and the others to take their exams. She planned to go home first to prepare, make a good meal for the children, her two younger brothers, and Wei Dang, and then prepare to take the overnight train to Changchun tonight.
She then took off her military satchel, which she had been carrying all along, and handed it to Jia Hui, who was walking behind. She whispered, "Jia Hui, the money and the street certificate are in the military satchel. You'll need them for the registration after the exam. Mother won't wait for your exam; Mother is going home to prepare."
Jia Hui took the military satchel from Chen Lan, nodded, and remained silent.
She then followed behind Jia Yao and her two maternal uncles, while the others followed closely behind Teacher Lei into the adjacent classroom to participate in the placement exam.
As soon as Chen Lan returned home, she greeted Wei Dang. Seeing Chen Lan return, Wei Dang asked, "Auntie, how did the school enrollment go? Jia Yao and the others haven't returned yet. Has the school agreed to let them enroll?"
Chen Lan smiled and praised, "Clever. Jia Yao and the others are currently taking a placement exam at the school! I came back on my own without waiting for them! By the way, Wei Dang, have you graduated from high school? Do you want to attend high school in Harbin too?"