"Teacher Ren, this is the discussion content for Wednesday's meeting." When the director of the Chinese Department office at Anhui Normal College placed a document on Ren Yugang's desk, Ren Yugang felt there was something indescribable in the director's gaze. After expressing his thanks, Ren Yugang picked up the document. Soon, the words "Study and Discussion on the Women's Liberation Movement" in the fifth line jumped into Ren Yugang's eyes. Now, Ren Yugang understood.

As a family member of one of the few high-ranking female cadres in the People's Party, Ren Yugang sometimes felt it was quite troublesome. In the traditional habits of Chinese people, Ren Yugang was also "Old Master Ren". His daughter, Ren Qiying, was currently the Mayor of Anqing City, and Ren Yugang's family had also moved from the countryside of Fengtai County to Hefei City. Ren Yugang himself was studying in the second year of high school while teaching at Anhui Normal College. Theoretically, if Ren Yugang participated in the base area's unified university entrance exam in 1915 and could get into Anhui Normal College, he would officially become a highly educated educator after graduating in 1919.

Even now, the money he earned from teaching could support the family's life. Not to mention that Ren Yugang's wife had already found a job at a chain breakfast shop under the state-owned Hefei Grain Company, frying fried dough sticks every morning. Ren Yugang never thought there was anything shameful about his wife coming back smelling of oil smoke every day; working to eat was a matter of course. Those with wisdom eat by wisdom, those without wisdom eat by strength. His wife's hard work also came with some benefits. The chain breakfast shops adopted a dividend system, with 20% of the daily profit used as employee wages; you got paid for the days you worked. At the same time, every employee could get a benefit of 10 fried dough sticks every day, so at least the Ren family didn't have to pay for breakfast. Without the complicated human relations of the countryside and without the threat of natural and man-made disasters, Ren Yugang was very satisfied with his current life. He and his wife would spend the rest of their lives in the city through labor, supporting their two underage children to go to school, graduate, and wait for them to go to work. As for gaining more benefits through his daughter's status, Ren Yugang had never thought about it.

However, just because Ren Yugang didn't think this way didn't mean others wouldn't. Moreover, the one supporting the Ren family was his daughter, Ren Qiying. The way outsiders looked at his family appeared even more unkind. Glancing again at the line "Study and Discussion on the Women's Liberation Movement", Ren Yugang knew that even if he didn't want to speak, it would be impossible.

Upholding the tradition of the People's Party, there was no shouting of slogans at the meeting; they went straight to the methods of how to solve specific problems. The first item of the discussion meeting was to require all schools to mobilize girls to attend school. Normal schools now implemented a policy of completely free education and state-assigned jobs. Party Secretary Xu Guangcai was a transferred political commissar, and as soon as he opened his mouth, it was in the straightforward manner of the army. "Comrades, I think everyone should mobilize their social connections and directly get people into our Normal College's affiliated junior high school. Regardless of whether they are willing to struggle for the cause of education for their whole lives, pull the people over first to fill the educational posts. If this still doesn't gather enough people, I suggest getting people from the countryside into our affiliated primary schools."

The soldier's way of thinking was indeed straightforward. Some female teachers in Anhui Normal College had been snatched from Anqing by Chen Ke. Hearing these words, the expressions on their faces were quite awkward.

"Isn't this tantamount to a shotgun marriage?" the Dean of Students asked hesitantly.

"You used the term 'shotgun marriage' well. Actually, I have another idea. Our Education College has many subordinate factories, printing plants, glass factories, and so on. We can look directly in the countryside for families with few relatives but many children, and move them directly into the city. If the parents want to scrape a living, we can arrange something for them no matter what. These children will then belong to us."

"Secretary Xu, how exactly do you view educational work?" Liu Yuhe, a mathematics teacher, had been snatched from Anqing by the People's Party. Although she wouldn't directly complain about the People's Party's crude methods back then, hearing Xu Guangcai's suggestion, she still couldn't hold back and asked.

Xu Guangcai replied seriously, "Everyone is a cultured person and feels that teaching and educating people is a very noble thing. I feel the same way. However, the education industry under the new system is not a private school. It is a link in the entire national system, and a very important link at that. It is an important industry in industrial society. Since we need teachers, we have to do everything possible to get people here. What kind of society is an industrial society? The pace of this society is very fast, the scale is unprecedentedly large, and the government manages every corner thoroughly. Some comrades have stayed in the urban area of Hefei for five or six years, and the lesser ones have stayed for two or three years. When I was a soldier, I passed through Hefei many times. How many people were in the urban area of Hefei back then? Fifty thousand would be impressive. And among these fifty thousand people, most were residents, plus those who came here to do odd jobs and beg for a meal. Now, just counting our Anhui Normal College, including teachers and students, plus the affiliated middle school and affiliated primary school, how many people are there in total? Five thousand people. These five thousand people are all registered with the government. They have names and surnames, and including what work they will do in the future, it is almost all arranged. A division is stationed in Hefei, twenty thousand people, and these twenty thousand people do whatever the Party tells them to do immediately. Just this alone is twenty-five thousand people, and they are completely under the government's control. We don't need to talk about too long ago. Six years ago when we conquered Hefei, of the fifty thousand people in Hefei back then, how many could be under such strong government control? It would be impressive if there were three thousand."

In the face of numbers and reality, any imagination would be easily defeated. Listening to Xu Guangcai's words, the teachers of Anhui Normal College fell silent one by one.

"Now the population of Hefei's urban area is nearly one hundred and fifty thousand, and all are under the government's management. The original fifty thousand people were absorbed into the social management system, and the extra one hundred thousand people were all arranged to come in by the government. What are they doing? They are all working in factories, railways, ports, various scientific research units, and social service units. Comrades are teachers under the industrial system, and you are also a part of the entire grand industrial system. With these one hundred and fifty thousand people, our goal is actually very simple: let them possess a junior high school education level. Originally, a private school would educate just those eight or ten people. How many private schools were there in the entire Anhui province? Speaking to the sky, ten thousand! Calculated to the limit, they could educate one hundred thousand people. According to that method, all the private schools in Anhui couldn't even educate this population in Hefei City. Chairman Chen invited a few hundred female students back from Anqing back then. Some said Chairman Chen was too domineering. Some said Chairman Chen separated people's flesh and blood. But counting these teachers as two hundred people—Chinese, mathematics, nature, art, geography. One class teaches fifty students. Calculated based on working for four years, they exactly produce a batch of primary school graduates. This is ten thousand students. Even for those guys who studied to become officials, if placed in our modern society, even if they can recite the Four Books and Five Classics by heart, factories still wouldn't want those scholars who don't know natural science, don't know how to use an abacus, and don't understand decimals, fractions, and addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division when recruiting. Even if Anhui originally had ten thousand private schools, a private school only had that one teacher. The students educated by two hundred female students are one-tenth of ten thousand private school teachers. If there are two thousand female students, they are worth those ten thousand private school teachers. This means one female student is worth five private school teachers."

After eloquently explaining the current situation to the teachers, Xu Guangcai said earnestly, "We respect female teachers very much because in the modern industrial system, one female teacher is worth five private school teachers. As long as everyone continues to work according to the system and regulations under this industrial system, everyone will be five times, ten times, or even more capable than under the old system before. So our means of gathering laborers for the education system can be criticized. But these criticisms cannot be made from the standpoint and angle of the old system. Because these are two things that are totally unrelated. My view on the education system completely submits to Chairman Chen's view on the education system. The education system under the new industrial system is to educate the people within the social system into laborers who conform to the industrial system. The industrial system has the industrial system's morality, culture, and sentiments. This is not a set of things built on opposing or supporting the old system, but a set of brand-new things."

No one made a sound anymore; Xu Guangcai had already clearly explained the current problems and direction. If one made a sound, it would only be to agree or oppose. The current teachers were all scholars. To ask them to agree to his face would inevitably make them feel it was "face flattery", and according to their morality, they resolutely opposed it. These people neither had the guts to oppose nor knew how to systematically propose reasons and plans for opposition.

After scanning the faces of the attendees several times, Xu Guangcai withdrew his gaze. Chen Ke had emphasized many times within the Party that there was no need to hold any illusions about this bunch of literati from the old era. Anyone who refused to work steadfastly but instead thought that recognizing a few characters entitled them to critique state affairs should be fired immediately. Chen Ke's original words were quite impolite, "For the laborers of the new era, we must respect them. For the literati of the old era, we must also respect their personal dignity as human beings. However, politically, we can treat them as dogs. The characteristic of dogs is that they bark. If you want them not to bark, there is no other way than to drive them away."

So Anhui Normal College simply didn't invite any "masters" to come and serve as professors and give lectures. If it weren't for the reason of having a daughter like Ren Qiying, Ren Yugang wouldn't have even thought about coming to the school to teach.

Specially glancing at Ren Yugang, Xu Guangcai continued, "Comrades, this time we also involve an issue of gender equality. What is meant by gender equality is that in the eyes of the state, everyone is equal. Women are also people, people just like men. The rights men possess, women possess all the same. Men can be masters of their own house, and women can also be masters of their own house. As far as our school is concerned, men can be teachers, and women can also be teachers. Same post, same pay. There is absolutely no discrimination against the gender of women. This is gender equality. Placed in society, even if there are some labors that girls cannot compete for, that is out of consideration for the work. For example, dock porters; they very likely won't recruit girls. That is only because girls lack sufficient physical strength and have inconvenient days every month. Whereas textile mills recruit far more girls. So gender equality is not a meaningless equality of everything, but a consideration for labor, not a consideration for gender. This is gender equality."

These words sounded extremely pleasing to the women, and even the unhappy expressions brought about by Xu Guangcai's pressure-filled speech just now disappeared from the women's faces.

Xu Guangcai continued his oppressive speech, "Moreover, the status of women in current society is too low. There is an old saying called 'correcting a wrong requires exceeding the proper limits'. Our policies in many places even have to lean more towards women. As teachers, it is necessary for everyone to uphold this understanding of gender equality. I'll say this upfront: this is our People's Party's policy, and this is also our base area's policy. If anyone doesn't accept this policy, speak up now. I'll say this upfront: this kind of talk can only result in the People's Teachers completely accepting gender equality. No matter who it is, whether male teacher or female teacher, anyone who doesn't genuinely support gender equality can leave. And this isn't a simple matter of shouting two slogans. If someone is duplicitous and says one thing but means another, this person's words and deeds will manifest it. Once discovered, if their thinking cannot be turned around after education, they can leave. We will absolutely not tolerate this kind of person."

The male teachers all looked solemn, while the female teachers, although they didn't dare to applaud in agreement, at least all wore smiles. The People's Party's adherence to the policy of gender equality was the reason why female teachers had never publicly opposed the People's Party. These women had come out of the cages of the old era, either voluntarily or forcedly. After experiencing a life of spreading their wings and flying, they themselves were unwilling to pack themselves back into that narrow world again.

"Teacher Ren, how do you view this issue?" Xu Guangcai asked Ren Yugang.

Everyone's eyes focused on Ren Yugang. Many gazes contained a kind of teasing and even somewhat gloating feeling. Ren Yugang didn't care too much; he had long known the treacherousness of the human heart. Ever since Ren Qiying became a cadre of the People's Party, Ren Yugang was not afraid at all of people saying he had no promise. Moreover, Xu Guangcai's words also had places that moved Ren Yugang quite a bit.

"Gentlemen, everyone knows that my daughter embarked on the revolutionary road very early. And this was her own choice; I, as a father, simply didn't play any role. Just now Secretary Xu said something that deeply inspired me. The current base area measures individuals by labor. Only in the face of labor is there true equality for everyone. This is the order basis of the industrialized China led by the People's Party. My daughter embarked on the revolutionary road, presumably because she was moved by Chairman Chen on this point. She firmly believes that through earnest labor, she can obtain opportunities equally. Her personal dignity and freedom can also be embodied and guaranteed through labor. I didn't have this awareness at the time, and only now do I have a feeling of suddenly seeing the light. So I firmly support equality for everyone before labor, and gender equality. Because this is true equality."

Xu Guangcai usually saw Ren Yugang not making a sound, but he didn't expect that when it was time to speak, his level was quite high. Needless to say anything else, Xu Guangcai took the lead in applauding, and the group of teachers, whether sincere or fake, all began to applaud.

The subsequent speeches weren't very interesting. Since everyone couldn't refute the concepts proposed by the People's Party, they were even less willing to lose their current rice bowls. Some who considered themselves aloof simply said a few words about resolutely obeying the Party's command and the like. Some who wanted to show off spoke nonsense.

Xu Guangcai didn't place much importance on words originally. If it was someone like Ren Yugang who had substance in his speech, it would be fine, but guys who fawned and flattered would only make people nauseous. He made a guy who tried to attempt a speech with "substance" like Ren Yugang finish quickly and sit down.

After that person obediently made a long story short and sat back in his seat, Xu Guangcai said, "Comrades, the base area is preparing to introduce the law 'Law on the Protection of Women and Children' and needs to solicit opinions. Since everyone agrees on gender equality, then we might as well discuss it on the basis of equality for everyone before labor to see how the law should ensure gender equality. How to carry out effective protection targeting the current status of women. You can speak freely."

This kind of discussion certainly couldn't grasp the key points like Chen Ke and other People's Party leaders, but this kind of discussion was mandated to be carried out. If they couldn't carry out a discussion face-to-face, just shouting a slogan of gender equality would have no effect at all. After all, gender equality had to target problems occurring in reality and solve various contradictions. Gentle tea tasting and chatting couldn't possibly be of any use. Even if everyone's awareness wasn't enough now, the seeds of this debate had to be buried.

Ren Yugang didn't like to argue too much, but he would absolutely not be so narrow-minded as to storm off in a huff or pretend to be high and mighty by not saying a word. However, what he thought of at this moment was not gender equality, but the hardships of his daughter Ren Qiying at present. If men could lead this kind of movement without being misunderstood, then the problems encountered by Ren Qiying as a woman would be even more complex. For some reason, a thought arose in Ren Yugang out of nowhere. If his daughter Ren Qiying was already married now, perhaps it would be better.

Just as Ren Yugang thought, Ren Qiying, the Mayor of Anqing and Deputy Secretary of the Anqing Prefectural Committee, was not having an easy time. If women's liberation was in the countryside, it was still just an economic interest issue. After all, the people had no culture, and their reasons for opposition were tradition and economic reality. Tradition certainly discriminated against women, but tradition feared the government even more, especially the government currently in power. What annoyed Ren Qiying was the literati in the areas surrounding Anqing.

Anqing was the cultural center of Anhui, and the academic atmosphere in this place was extremely strong. The People's Party kidnapped hundreds of female students from Anqing a few years ago precisely because this area attached importance to education. If it were in northern Anhui, it would be impossible for a girls' school with hundreds of female students to exist. Moreover, Anqing was also the base of the Tongcheng School. The Tongcheng School was the largest prose school in the literary world of the Qing Dynasty. Because its early important writers Dai Mingshi, Fang Bao, Liu Dakui, and Yao Nai were all from Tongcheng, Anhui in the Qing Dynasty. The Tongcheng cultural circle should include areas such as Tongcheng City, Zongyang County, and Yixiu District of Anqing City. These disciples and grand-disciples of the Tongcheng School might be able to endure the existence of the People's Party without saying a word. They even pinched their noses and accepted the land reform. But when it concerned gender equality, they jumped out to speak.

Words like "the hen crows in the morning" were considered polite. They also followed the style of the Tongcheng School seniors and wrote lengthy articles to oppose gender equality. There were several newspapers in Anqing, one of which was called "Tongcheng Night Talk". It was a newspaper funded and run by many literati and gentry in the Anqing locality. Its circulation wasn't large, but it tenaciously maintained its survival.

After publishing several issues of articles opposing gender equality in succession, their sales actually showed signs of rising. Ren Qiying naturally could read these articles. Seeing the vicious attacks on gender equality, and even the insinuating attacks on the current Mayor of Anqing, Ren Qiying, made Ren Qiying extremely angry. While annoyed, Ren Qiying felt it was very strange. A guy with such a cold personality as Zhang Yu had been in Anqing for so many years, yet he could actually tolerate the existence of this kind of newspaper. However, annoyance was annoyance; the People's Party's propaganda of "everyone is equal before labor, gender equality" was still being carried out in full swing in Anqing City. If she were defeated by this bunch of old fogies in propaganda, Ren Qiying would absolutely not forgive herself. Even for her self-esteem as a woman, Ren Qiying would not admit defeat.

So on April 13, 1913, just as Ren Qiying was preparing to see what the newly released "Tongcheng Night Talk" actually said, her secretary said, "Mayor Ren, there is no latest issue."

Ren Qiying felt quite surprised. Yesterday's "Tongcheng Night Talk" had stated clearly that there would be several heavyweight articles today. Those rotten scholars were unlikely to break their promise.

While she was wondering, she saw a messenger run in swiftly. "Mayor Ren, something big happened!" the messenger shouted, his face glowing with health.

This expression was too joyful. Ren Qiying was slightly strange; what big event could make the messenger so happy?

"Mayor Ren, originally that bunch of people at 'Tongcheng Night Talk' all wrote in Classical Chinese, which the common people couldn't read. They originally wanted to publish in vernacular Chinese, but after the female workers typesetting read the articles, they cursed loudly that what this bunch of people said was all bullshit and refused to typeset. Not only did the female workers refuse to typeset, but they also blocked the door and didn't allow the male workers to typeset. So this issue of 'Tongcheng Night Talk' was forced to suspend publication!"