Universe Infinite Canteen

"Very good, Feng Ziwen, Ping City Education Bureau needs young and promising talents like you," Director Hou patted Feng Ziwen on the shoulder, encouragingly.

"I heard that Assistant Zhou from the Ministry of Education is getting old and planning to retire to his hometown next year. Counting the time, it's been nearly twenty years since I left Xindu, and I plan to use this opportunity to transfer back.

"If I leave, the position of bureau director will most likely go to Old Zheng. Don't blame me for not promoting you; you're far less experienced than Old Zheng."

"Ah, Director Hou, if you're going to be promoted, I must congratulate you in advance~ With your return, you'll surely rise quickly and have a smooth official career. Stay tuned with My Virtual Library Empire

"As for me, I'm aware of my limitations. I haven't even been in the bureau for a year yet, hardly warmed the seat of a director, so I wouldn't dare think about the bureau chief's position," Feng Ziwen said, waving his hands repeatedly.

"One thing I like the most about you, kid, is that you know your place. Rest assured, I certainly won't let you down either. Once Old Zheng becomes the bureau chief, his deputy director position will be vacated, and I think you, Director Feng, would be a great fit."

"Thank you, Director Hou, for promoting me," Feng Ziwen said with joy on his face.

"But I must say the unpleasant part upfront," Director Hou changed his tone and adjusted Feng Ziwen's collar.

"At this critical moment, if anyone dares to ruin my plans and prevent me from going to Xindu, it's difficult to say about other places, but here in Ping City, I can definitely make life difficult for them.

"You might want to ask yourself why I insisted on coming to Hou De under such a scorching sun, and why I scheduled the inspection for noon. Recall what I initially told you, Director Feng, you are a smart man, don't disappoint me again."

After speaking, Director Hou didn't wait for Feng Ziwen, who stood there stunned. He walked towards the mountain with two other officials from the Education Bureau.

Today, Hou De is much livelier than usual.

Due to consecutive years of reducing enrollment, the school barely had any teachers and students left. Added to the fact that the campus itself is large, Cao Youyi and Ma Lu often walked for about ten minutes without seeing a soul, and that was with half of the school buildings abandoned.

However, when the officials from the city education bureau arrived, the school gate was crowded with people, both adults and children.

Cao Youyi wrote a list of thirty names and handed it to old alumni of Hou De, eventually finding thirty-three people.

Yes, there were three extra people, all with the same name and age. These individuals and their parents were currently outside the school.

Most of them came from common families. Becoming a Talisman Master would be like ascending to the heavens for them, so their parents immediately brought their children over when they heard there was a chance to enter Hou De.

Before Director Hou could say anything, someone by his side, discerning the mood, scoffed, "Hou De is really in a bad state. As a prestigious university training Talisman Masters for the country, it's disgraceful that so many messy people have gathered outside the school gate, noisy just like a wet market."

Another official from the Education Bureau chimed in, "I heard their enrollment process isn't going smoothly this year. With the deadline approaching, they haven't met the minimum standards yet. Bringing so many people here, they're probably just blindly trying their luck."

"It's simply ridiculous. Talisman Master-qualified individuals are one in ten thousand. Does Hou De have the money to test so many people? Moreover, it's too late to go to the testing station now; the list should have been submitted by noon."

Director Hou quietly listened to his subordinates without expressing any opinion.

At that moment, Feng Ziwen caught up from behind, "Director Hou, let me go in and ask the teachers and students of Hou De to come and greet you."

"No need," Director Hou said, "Let's go straight in. The sooner we finish the inspection, the sooner everyone can go down the mountain for a meal."

However, before they could walk into the school, Ma Lu and Cao Youyi had already come out, but not to greet the officials from the Educational Bureau.

Cao Youyi, as if he hadn't seen Director Hou and his group, directly shouted to the crowd, "Chen Rongrong, Kong Erbao, Guan Tianran, Li Fei, Qingqing, come here when I call your name; everyone else can go back.

"Thank you all for making the trip. Before leaving, you may go to Song Sishu and get a silver coin."

Some people, still reluctant, pushed their children forward, "Teacher, please take another look at my child; maybe they have a talent too."

"I'm sorry," Cao Youyi bowed, "The school's teaching resources are limited, and this year's enrollment quota is already full."

"What is the Cao Family woman really up to, calling people over in the middle of the night, not even testing them, then sending them away?" an official from the Education Bureau muttered upon seeing this.

"She left six people, right? It looks like she plans to just use these six to pass the inspection."

Qiutong paid no heed to the murmuring of the Education Bureau staff, motioning for the six young people to come forward.

Then, she had each of them walk up to Ma Lu, who told one of the girls with the same name as another, "You, too, can take a silver coin and go home."

His recruitment feature not only allowed him to draw cards but also notified him of potential recruits within two steps of ihm if they met the admissions criteria.

However, two steps was a bit too close; it wasn't practical to recruit people this way, but it was useful for double-checking if he had selected the wrong people in cases of identical names.

Director Hou watched for a while from aside, unable to discern what exactly Hou De was planning, and then signaled for Feng Ziwen to step forward.

Feng Ziwen jogged over and greeted Cao Youyi and Ma Lu, "Teacher Cao, Principal Ma, how is the recruitment going? The city education bureau's Director Hou cares a lot about Hou De and has personally come to inspect...

He lowered his voice and said, "Don't mess around, huh? If you haven't recruited enough, just say so honestly."

"You came just at the right time," Ma Lu said, "We were just about to have the new students sign their contracts and process their admissions."

Before Feng Ziwen could say anything more, Director Hou, with the city education bureau officials, had already walked over. He looked Ma Lu up and down and smiled.

"I heard Hou De has a new principal. It seems that's you. You're indeed young and capable. With a promising young talent like Principal Ma, I'm sure Hou De will regain its former glory.

"By the way, how has the school's recruitment gone this year? Don't misunderstand; I'm not here to reproach. Mainly, the new student lists from other schools in the city have all been submitted, and only you are left.

"Hou De was once a prestigious school in Ping City. If you encounter any issues, don't hesitate to tell me, and I will definitely try to help as much as I can."

Director Hou spoke smoothly, yet Ma Lu said, "There's no need; we have already recruited enough people."

"Oh, how many new students does Hou De have this semester?"

"Ten."