Keep in mind that many county elementary schools, even in cities, were far from having landlines installed. Wen Yaozu's hometown was the Beijing Capital.
However, his home was in an extremely impoverished county, deep in the countryside.
A few years prior, it had been one of the designated areas for sent-down youth.
"We do! Our principal has a landline in his office. When the workers came to install it, all the teachers and students went to watch the spectacle."
This morning, he had used the landline in the living room to call the female soldier operating the switchboard for the military district, asking her to help him contact the school in his county.
Once the call connected, he openly gave his name and asked the principal to find Teacher Li, the one who knew how to use a computer.
He wanted to ask Teacher Li how to operate a computer.
He had also chatted with his friends at school.
