Chapter 29: In the Name of Study

On New Year's Day, 2008, the morning sun cast the warmth of the new year across the campus of Capital University.

However, standing beneath the dormitory building, Li Yifei felt a heavy, burdensome plan weighing on his heart, standing in stark contrast to the festive atmosphere. He took a deep breath and walked with firm strides toward the professors' offices.

"Professor, I intend to go to Sichuan Province to conduct some field research," Li Yifei stated his intentions sincerely.

The professors, who knew their student to be diligent, grounded, and possessed of a strong thirst for knowledge, were somewhat surprised by his choice to travel during the New Year holiday. Yet, they were more appreciative of his spirit of exploration. They carefully cautioned him to prioritize his safety and encouraged him to observe closely and think deeply.

After bidding farewell to the professors, Li Yifei immediately took action, purchasing a direct flight to Sichuan Province.

As the plane roared during its ascent, the clouds outside the porthole churned like an ocean, magnificent and extraordinary. But Li Yifei’s thoughts had already traversed the mists of time, firmly tethered to the harrowing, massive disaster from his previous life. That heavy memory was the sole driving force behind this trip.

After several hours of flight, the plane landed in the provincial capital of Sichuan. At that time, the transportation network in Sichuan was far less developed than it would be in the future. After several twists and turns and transferring to a long-distance bus, Li Yifei finally arrived at his destination—Shan County—shortly after five o'clock in the afternoon.

Stepping out of the somewhat dilapidated bus station with his simple backpack, he carried the fatigue of travel on his face. He looked for a place to stay in the county town and eventually chose a chain hotel that looked clean and tidy.

After checking in and entering his room, the first thing Li Yifei did was rush into the bathroom to take a refreshing hot shower. The warm water washed away the dust and exhaustion, invigorating his spirit. He walked to the window and pushed it open, taking in the scene of the county town at dusk.

Pedestrians filled the streets, vendors enthusiastically called out to customers, small shops emitted warm light, and food stalls along the roadside wafted enticing aromas. Everything looked so peaceful and stable, full of the unique, bustling vitality of a small town. Li Yifei gazed at the scene, lost in thought.

He mused silently that if there were no surprises, this city would, like thousands of other Chinese towns, move steadily forward in the tide of the era, with people living in peace and contentment, their lives flourishing. However, he knew with absolute clarity deep within his heart that in just a few months, a massive natural upheaval would ruthlessly shatter this tranquility.

When the disaster occurred in his previous life, the whole nation mourned and the mountains and rivers lost their color. Roads were instantly severed, communication was completely paralyzed, and external rescue forces were blocked by daunting natural obstacles, leaving the disaster area in desperate, isolated straits. The isolation of information made it difficult for the outside world to grasp the full extent of the tragedy. Although rescue operations were carried out with full effort, they were plagued by extreme difficulties due to the harsh objective conditions, and every second of delay meant an irreparable loss.

Thinking of the lives extinguished under the ruins and the broken families, Li Yifei’s heart felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand. He squeezed his eyes shut, and when he opened them again, only rock-like determination remained in his gaze. In this life, he would never allow the tragedy to repeat itself in the same way. He had to do something; even if he could only save one life or reduce a fraction of the loss, he would exhaust every effort to try.

The next day, as the sky just began to pale, Li Yifei rose. He stepped out of the hotel, the crisp morning air refreshing his spirit. The rising sun painted the streets and buildings in orange-red light, carrying a warmth full of hope. Li Yifei began to jog along the streets, his destination being several schools in the county.

The roadside breakfast stalls had already set up their stoves. Steam rose from the bamboo steamers, and the aroma of steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and soy milk filled the air, whetting the appetites of passersby. Although his stomach was empty, Li Yifei had no intention of stopping; his mind had already flown to the journey ahead.

At nine o'clock sharp, Li Yifei tidied his clothes, shouldered his backpack, and walked toward the first school on his list. According to his memories from his previous life, this school had suffered severe damage during the disaster.

He reached the school gate and presented his Yan-Jing University student ID to the guard on duty, politely explaining his purpose: "Hello, I am Li Yifei, a student from the Law Department at Capital University. Our university is conducting a research project on adolescent education. I am taking advantage of the holiday to visit and learn about frontline educational experiences, especially regarding practices in adolescent mental health guidance."

Seeing the ID from a top-tier university, the guard’s attitude immediately became serious, and he quickly picked up the phone to report to the school.

Before long, a bespectacled male teacher, around forty-five or forty-six years old with a square-jawed face, walked over quickly with a warm smile. "Hello, student! Welcome, welcome! It is our honor to have a top student from Capital University come to our school for research. Please, come in!"

Li Yifei quickly stepped forward to shake hands and offer greetings: "Hello, leader, sorry to disturb you. It is mainly because our professor emphasized in our 'Adolescent Crime Prevention' course that we must attach importance to adolescent mental health, as it is key to preventing problematic behavior. Therefore, I want to conduct field visits to some schools and hear the insights of educators like you who face students directly; this is more valuable than textbook theory. Taking advantage of this New Year's trip, I wanted to visit a few schools randomly to gain more authentic and comprehensive information."

The leader listened to Li Yifei’s explanation and felt that the entry point for this project was very practical and meaningful, and he admired the pragmatic attitude of this elite student: "As expected of a student from Yan-Jing University, your ideas are very grounded and thoughtful!" He expressed his willingness to cooperate very enthusiastically and personally led Li Yifei on a tour of the campus.

During the tour, as Li Yifei listened attentively to the vice principal sharing his experiences and challenges in observing and guiding student mental health, he naturally took out his digital camera. Under the guise of "recording the campus environment and learning about teaching facilities," he photographed the structural appearance of the teaching buildings, hallways, stairwells, and the playground. He paid special attention to those parts of the buildings that looked older or had unique structural features.

After about an hour, feeling he had learned enough at this school, Li Yifei sincerely thanked the vice principal and exchanged contact information.

After leaving, he wasted no time heading to the second and third schools on his list. He repeated the same process: showing his ID, explaining his purpose, being received, touring the campus, listening to experiences, taking photos for the record at the right time, and thanking them before leaving. At each location, he meticulously recorded the basic situation of the school, its architectural features, and the bits of information shared by the school regarding student management and safety education.

Finally, with an indescribable, complex emotion, he walked toward the school that, in his memory, had been whispered about by locals as being "a bit different."

When he met that maverick principal, a strong sense of respect welled up in Li Yifei’s heart. He did not shy away, but instead frankly mentioned some of the outside perceptions regarding the school’s management style.

The principal just laughed magnanimously, his eyes revealing a clarity and sense of responsibility that transcended the ordinary: "Some things must be done, and one must persist. One should be prepared for danger in times of peace and take precautions before disaster strikes; you cannot wait until the catastrophe is at hand to regret it."

These words deeply touched Li Yifei. He took the opportunity to raise the key question that had been lingering in his heart for a long time, the very reason for this trip: "Principal, you are absolutely right. Speaking of 'danger,' in a place like our Sichuan, the risk of earthquakes is an objective reality. Do you think that, given the quality of our current teaching buildings, if... if we were to encounter relatively strong geological activity, could they withstand it? Or, in other words, do you have confidence in the seismic capacity of the current school buildings as a whole?"

The question was direct, perhaps even sharp, but Li Yifei desperately needed to know the true opinion of this pragmatic principal.

The principal did not hesitate or evade in the slightest, looking at Li Yifei with a firm gaze: "Since I took over this school, one of the most important tasks has been to continuously reinforce our teaching buildings; I dare not be careless with a single brick or tile. At the same time, we insist on regularly organizing the entire faculty and student body to conduct emergency evacuation drills, engraving the awareness of disaster prevention and escape into everyone’s daily routine."

"As for other schools..." He paused slightly, his tone becoming more cautious, "The situation in each place is different, and the levels of investment and priority vary. I can only say that the standards at our school now are far higher than in the past, and higher than in some places that maintain the status quo."

The frank and profound conversation made time fly. Upon parting, Li Yifei bowed solemnly to the principal, his heart filled with sincere admiration. What this principal persisted in was exactly the practice of "taking precautions before disaster strikes" that he had hoped for.

Back in his hotel room, Li Yifei ignored his physical exhaustion and immediately took out his notebook and camera. He spread out his notebook, turned on the desk lamp, and began to organize the day’s findings with full concentration.

He meticulously recorded each school he visited: the name, location, age and structural features of the main buildings, the campus layout, and the information mentioned by the school regarding student safety management. He especially highlighted the school of the admirable principal, noting its special reinforcement measures and training methods.

He imported the photos from his camera into his laptop, examining them one by one, focusing on the beam-column structures, wall materials, and the age of the buildings, attempting to assess their potential hidden dangers in his mind. He wrote a preliminary research summary, highlighting the differences between schools in terms of hardware safety and disaster prevention education.

He knew that these first-hand observations and records were the foundation for all subsequent actions and were crucial. Tomorrow, his journey could not stop; he planned to conduct field surveys in areas around the county that might be more heavily affected by geological activity. More precise data, such as geological structures and potential landslide points, needed to be added to this report after on-site measurements.

Li Yifei was very clear about how heavy the responsibility on his shoulders was. Time was pressing; he had to race against the clock. He was not omnipotent, but he firmly believed that if his actions could arouse even a glimmer of attention and push for a little change—even if he could ultimately save just one more life or preserve one more family—then all the running around and effort he was making at this moment would be worth it.

Outside the window, the night had long since thickened like ink, and the lights of the county town were gradually extinguished, sinking into silence. Only the window of Li Yifei’s room continued to emit a bright and persistent glow. Under the desk lamp, his figure, hunched over his work, appeared exceptionally focused. The rustling sound of his pen moving across the paper became the only rhythm in the silent, deep night.

With his writing and his thoughts, he was racing against the "danger" that had not yet arrived but was already known to him—for the sake of the indelible, painful memories in his heart, and even more so for the countless tomorrows on this land that could potentially be changed.