Chapter 2516: Principal Tian and Doctor Hou

Although the Tanka people were now permitted to live on shore, most belonged to the destitute class and could not afford proper dwellings. Instead, they built wooden shacks clustered together on river tidal flats and the "sea skin"—the foreshore—near market towns. To address this, the Senate had passed legislation allocating these "state-owned lands" to newly established Tanka villages under the designation of "village collective land," with explicit boundaries and acreage defined for each settlement. This was meant to prevent future disputes over territory.

The Tanka shacks used bamboo and wood for frames, bamboo fencing and reed mats for walls, and thatch for roofs. Floors and beds alike were woven from bamboo strips, leaving gaps that let wind and light pass through from all sides. The smallest could barely fit a single body; the largest held no more than two beds. All were built in the stilt-house style, raised above the ground.

Kuang Lu and his servant followed Zeng Salmon into the village. As they walked, he observed that these "houses" were not even as good as the pigsties on his family's rural manor. Yet to the Tanka households, owning their own homes—however humble—was a source of immense pride.

Many Fake Kun had come to the village today, making the place unusually lively. The ones called "Principal Tian" and "Doctor Hou" were a man and a woman who appeared to be only in their twenties, preaching policy to the villagers. Accompanying them were about ten other Fake Kun—some who looked like artisans, others like physicians. Kuang Lu could not immediately identify the rest, but they all wore matching blue cloth short jackets and carried satchels over their shoulders.

The one called Principal Tian was surprisingly young. He spoke with full qi and had the strong, martial physique of a fighter rather than a scholar. Even his expression carried a certain dullness—almost clumsy.

This man is a "Principal"? Kuang Lu found himself surprised.

"Folks, the Chief has newly established National Schools in both Guangzhou and Dali, and our village has been granted five public-expense study quotas," Principal Tian announced. "Over the past two years, literacy work teams have been visiting villages to eliminate illiteracy, and the children here have learned quite a few characters. But the Senate requires examinations for entry, so we want to hold one here in the village. The child with the highest score will earn a spot at the Boys' National Demonstration School. The next four will be able to attend Dali National Primary School..."

"Principal Tian, what does 'public-expense quota' mean?" a villager called out.

"It means tuition is waived. Students with excellent grades can even receive scholarships," Principal Tian explained.

Another villager asked, "What about money for food, clothing, and other expenses?"

"The scholarships from the Chiefs are quite generous. As long as grades are good, none of that should be a problem." Principal Tian knew the villagers were desperately poor. To them, children represented half a labor force. Asking any family to support a child who contributed nothing while studying was genuinely difficult.

"And if the grades aren't good?"

"They can still... apply for student loans. Interest-free," Principal Tian said, his voice losing some of its conviction.

"Loan" was a new word, but everyone understood it meant taking on debt. Though this was "official debt" without interest, it was still debt in the end.

The villagers began whispering among themselves. Their enthusiasm for sending children to school seemed tepid at best. Principal Tian continued his pitch, extolling the benefits of education, but to little effect.

Meanwhile, Doctor Hou—though a woman—was directing operations on multiple fronts. With two artisan Fake Kun at her side, she studied the blueprint in her hands while instructing one group of villagers to dig pits, ordering another to unload fire bricks from the boats, and dispatching the young physicians in her party to treat the sick. A true heroine.

"What are they doing?" Kuang Lu asked Zeng Salmon, curious about the pit the Fake Kun were excavating.

"A few days ago, the County Parent issued a notice saying public toilets were to be built in our new fishing villages." Zeng Salmon sighed. "The Chiefs are good in every way, except they insist on managing heaven above, earth below, and everything in between—including, apparently, shitting and pissing." He did not quite understand the purpose himself. Before, such matters had been handled anywhere convenient, with waste going straight into the river.

Kuang Lu pondered briefly before grasping the Kun thieves' intention. Shit and piss were certainly filthy and foul-smelling, but that did not make them worthless refuse. Quite the opposite—Guangzhou had historically been controlled by numerous manure tyrants, large and small, who dominated the collection and sale of night soil. Every link in the chain had its profit-takers. Rumor had it that these manure lords had mostly fallen victim to the Kun thieves' machinations, and now that profit flowed into their coffers instead.

The toilet's location had clearly been chosen with care, positioned on higher ground to prevent flooding when the water rose—obviously to avoid losing fertilizer. The Kun thieves claimed to build their state on industry and commerce; everything came down to profit in the end.

What puzzled him, though, was why a simple dry latrine required such elaborate preparations. The pit seemed unusually long, and so many fire bricks had been transported. The cost was far from trivial. Kuang Lu decided to stay and see what medicine these Kun thieves were really selling.

Doctor Hou was instructing a young man nearby. Her thin, small frame appeared almost fragile against his sturdy build, yet he stood before her with complete deference and respect. The sight startled Kuang Lu. According to Zeng Salmon, the young man was named He Lizhi—also from a Tanka household. He had learned some medical skills from the Senate's mobile medical team and become a barefoot doctor. It was Zeng himself who had recommended He Lizhi to serve as village head, and the villagers had raised no objections.

Under Ming rule, Pearl River Tanka households had all fallen under the jurisdiction of the River Anchor Office (Hebo Suo). After settling on shore, they had established a new village management model according to Senate requirements. The residents of Tanka New Village were scattered households without the clan systems found among shore-dwellers. In a typical shore village, most inhabitants shared a single surname—at most two or three—and all matters were decided by Clan Sons and Clan Elders. In this era, possessing knowledge that everyone needed made it easy to become an authority.

"This three-compartment septic tank toilet is designed primarily to intercept parasite eggs in feces," Doctor Hou explained to He Lizhi. "You learned some medicine with the mobile medical team—do you remember how feces transmit parasites?"

"I remember, I remember," He Lizhi replied. "Parasites are worms that hide inside the human body, sucking up nutrition and causing illness. Some worms live in the intestines and lay many tiny eggs. The eggs are discharged with stool. If other people come into contact with that feces, they might ingest the eggs. One person spreads it to ten, ten to a hundred."

Doctor Hou nodded with satisfaction. For Tanka people who were largely illiterate, remembering eighty or ninety percent was already impressive. She did not rush to correct his minor errors. Back when she had first studied medicine, President Shi had scolded her bloody every single day.

"According to the medical team's research, water-dwelling people are almost universally infected with one or more types of parasites. Their health suffers as a result. That's why proper feces management is essential. These worm eggs don't just affect your own health—they spread downstream with the water flow. The Sanshui and Sihui areas have a local disease called schistosomiasis. Shunde has no Oncomelania snails, but when the medical team investigated, they found a small number of cases here anyway. Probably carried downstream when the river flooded."

"This humble one understands."

"After settling in the first two compartments, the feces in the third pool are essentially free of worm eggs and can be used directly as field fertilizer. However, the scum and sludge from the first two pools must be composted and fermented to completely kill the eggs before use. Our agricultural technicians will teach you how to compost. As village head, you must fulfill your management responsibilities."

He Lizhi thumped his chest. "Chief, rest one hundred hearts assured! Whoever dares to shit or piss where they shouldn't—I'll confiscate their crime tools!"

Doctor Hou could not hold back her laughter and burst out with a snort.

...

While they were talking, Principal Tian walked over looking dejected.

"A-Liang, how is enrollment going?" Hou Qing asked.

"Don't even mention it. Harder than fighting a war..." Tian Liang rubbed his head with a pained expression. "The exam rankings are out. Of the top five scorers, only two are willing to go. The others all say they don't want to. I moved up the next students in line, but they don't want to go either. Such a wonderful opportunity—why won't anyone take it? Meanwhile, the wealthy families are all fighting tooth and nail to get their children enrolled!"

Hou Qing knew that for this spring's enrollment, the Chiefs had imposed quotas restricting students by background. The original intent was to recruit more children from poor families. For public-expense students, the background restrictions were even stricter—anyone above middle-class status was ineligible, no matter how good their grades. Only the poor qualified.

In practice, however, enrollment had produced the opposite result. Though the gentry and great households mostly had their own clan schools and private tutors—and looked down on this "Australian learning" in their hearts—they had numerous children. Sending a few from branch families or born of concubines was an easy way to curry favor with the Senate. Middle-class families were the most eager of all. But the poorest families showed the least interest in education. Even free public-expense spots attracted no takers.

On one side, middle-class parents pulled every string and exhausted every avenue to get their children enrolled. On the other, every form of persuasion fell on deaf ears. Though Tian Liang was not silver-tongued, the benefits of education were obvious. Even barely scraping by with a Class B diploma as he had done years ago opened doors—one could be recruited for work or join the army.

"Raising a child who doesn't work costs quite a lot," Hou Qing said. "Do what you can to persuade them. If it truly doesn't work, we'll go back and ask the merchants in Dali Town if any are willing to sponsor living expenses."

"That's a long shot." Tian Liang shook his head vigorously. "You want merchants to sponsor Tanka children's education? They'd consider it bad luck!"

Hou Qing knew this kind of prejudice could not be undone by a single Senate document. Worrying now would accomplish nothing. She changed the subject. "How were the exam results today?"

"Sister-in-law Zhou's eldest boy has a sharp mind—he tested best." Tian Liang's face clouded with concern. "But her husband just died. She's raising four children alone. The family is truly struggling."

Hou Qing knew his recruitment was not going smoothly. She sighed and shook her head.

"Chief Tian, your school only takes young children—otherwise I'd sign up myself," He Lizhi joked.

"You just keep learning with the literacy team and the medical team. Do the village head job well. Strive to get into the Agricultural Cadre Training Institute for advanced studies later." Principal Tian, his belly full of frustration over enrollment matters, answered grumpily.

(End of Chapter)