Passing through the road still under construction, Zhang Tie arrived in town.
The town's houses were mostly newly built single-story structures. Many were even simple dwellings put together from sheet metal. The smell of lime and cement was everywhere; everything looked new, and in many places, houses were still being built.
Even so, the town was bustling with life.
"Hey, sir, where's the nearest school from here?"
After entering town, Zhang Tie spotted an old man who had carried a stool out of his home early in the morning. Sitting beneath the shade of a roadside tree, the man was diligently twisting dry rice straw into rope. Zhang Tie walked over and asked.
Zhang Tie currently wore an ordinary, honest-looking face, and the moment he spoke, he used an authentic Martial Prefecture accent. The old man twisting straw rope raised his eyes and looked Zhang Tie over. Almost without hesitation, he pointed in a direction and replied in the same Martial Prefecture accent, "There are six elementary schools and one middle school in town. The nearest one is just ahead—turn left at the street and walk fifty or sixty meters!"
"Alright, thank you!"
Zhang Tie bade the old man farewell and headed in the direction he had indicated. Before long, he saw an elementary school.
Compared with the other buildings in town, this elementary school was practically the best-looking and most orderly building Zhang Tie had seen.
The school covered nearly a hundred mu. From outside, one could see its wrought-iron fence, the lush greenbelt and shady trees within, and beyond those trees, rows of spacious, brightly lit school buildings. The school even had a sports field; its facilities were exceptionally complete.
When Zhang Tie arrived, it was morning school time for the town's children. One after another, children with