After work at noon, Yun Huaying ran to the village cadres' office to pick up her gifts. She saw that the gifts from the two production teams were substantial, totaling ten pounds of meat and four fish. She was certain she would receive a wave of envious and jealous looks if she brought them up, so she made a decision on the spot: "Secretary Tian, Team Leader, I'll take the four fish home to eat, and we'll stew the ten pounds of meat in a pot and divide it among the team. Each family can take a small bowl to taste the meat."
Secretary Tian knew she was generous, but this was a gift from someone else, so he said, "Bring a basket over here and secretly put it back."
"It's better to cook it and share it."
Yun Huaying didn't want to listen to people gossiping behind her back. She didn't need this little bit of meat. Everyone in the team knew that the other two production teams had given her gifts. If she ate it alone, there would definitely be people gossiping about her behind her back.
Seeing that she insisted, the team leader made a decision: "You can cut two pounds to take home and eat. The rest will be stewed in a pot. I will arrange for someone to cook it later."
"OK."
Yun Huaying cut two pounds of meat and indeed attracted a lot of attention on the way back. When they learned that there were still eight pounds of meat to cook for everyone, everyone's smiles became noticeably deeper.
After arriving home, Yun Huaying cut open the four fish, removed the fish offal and intestines, and fried them into a bowl. She gave a grass carp to the two elders of the Han family to eat fresh, and pickled the remaining three with salt, intending to make smoked fish to eat in winter.
After the meal, the three of them went back to their rooms for a nap. After Lin Shan fell asleep, Yun Huaying let the magic vine cover up her breath, slipped into the space, and took the time to translate in the comfortable and spacious study.
The next morning, she put on the new cotton-padded jacket she bought in Jinling, and the cashmere sweater Han Bingyu gave her underneath, paired with loose trousers and comfortable sneakers. Her hair, which was usually loose, was tied into a neat and refreshing bun. The magic vine transformed into a dark green hairband and wrapped around her hair, and followed her to the county town to receive the award.
The team leader went with her, each riding a bicycle, and headed straight to the small auditorium where the county party committee was holding a meeting.
Today's commendation meeting was not just for her. She was included and was the last one nominated, so after entering the auditorium, she sat at the side.
The county party committee leaders came in one after another. After seeing a familiar face, Yun Huaying's eyes moved and she asked in a low voice, "Captain, what is the position of the second leader who just came in, the one wearing glasses?"
"Secretary He, County Party Secretary."
The captain turned to look at her and asked, "Do you know Secretary He?"
Of course she knew He Jun's father. She moved her head towards him and told him in a very low voice, "I know his son. It was his son who helped me get the order from the Hegang Logistics Department."
The captain: "...You know Secretary He's son, don't you know him?"
"I have seen him, been to his house, and talked to him, but I didn't know he was the county party secretary." Yun Huaying was telling the truth.
Captain: "...After the commendation ceremony, do you want to visit?"
"No."
Yun Huaying shook her head and whispered to him, "Secretary He's father was sick and in a coma before. I went there to cure him, but I didn't use my real name, I used a pseudonym, and I wore a mask. They never saw my true face."
The team leader: "...Why don't you tell them your real name? If you have connections with the He family, you can return to the city at any time and don't have to stay in the production team at all."
"I want to leave the production team and go back to the city. It's very easy. I don't have to perform well in the team or build connections here."
The captain thought about her abilities and Han Zheng's background. It would be easy for her to leave. She should stay in the team to accompany the Han family elders and Lin Shan. After thinking for a while, he asked, "Why didn't you tell He Jia's real name?"
"I am proficient in Traditional Chinese Medicine."
The captain immediately understood the reason. Nowadays, the skilled Chinese medicine practitioners are not in good condition. If this gets out, it might bring her into trouble.
The leaders above have already taken their seats. Secretary He is presiding over today's commendation meeting and is speaking with a manuscript in hand. The people below are listening attentively.
When he finished speaking, thunderous applause broke out from the audience. Yun Huaying saw that everyone was clapping with all their heart and soul, and no one was afraid of sore hands. They were also infected by this atmosphere and were obviously more serious when clapping than usual.
Soon, the list of winners began to be read out. The people whose names were called came on stage one by one. They were all beaming with joy, their mouths grinning from ear to ear.
A lot of people were commended this time, including outstanding cadres from government agencies, workers from state-owned factories, representatives of doctors and nurses from the county hospital, and representatives of farmers. The only outstanding representative of the educated youth who went to the countryside was Yun Huaying.
She was the last one to go on stage, and as soon as she came on stage, she attracted everyone's attention. Even Secretary He stared at her twice.
Then certificates and prizes were distributed. The prize was not money, but a classic Hero brand fountain pen, the same prize they received when they returned to the newspaper office. Finally, they were given a big red flower to wear.
Secretary He personally put them on. Yun Huaying was the last one to wear the bracelets. When she saw him coming over, she stared at her again. Guessing that she felt a sense of familiarity, she spoke to him softly, "Secretary He, it's been a while."
Secretary He only felt that she was familiar, but couldn't remember who she was: "Who are you?"
"I'm He Jun's friend. I've been to your house."
Secretary He's expression changed slightly. Now that he remembered, his eyes lit up. Taking the opportunity to put the big red flower on her, he whispered, "So it's you. I was saying you looked familiar, but I couldn't remember where I'd seen you before."
"Secretary He, please keep this a secret for me. I don't want to reveal my identity. As for the reason, I'm going to your house to see He Jun today and will tell you at noon."
"OK."
Everyone has their own secrets. Secretary He respects her and plans to meet with her at noon to discuss it in detail.
"Secretary He, please help me warn that Li from the Revolutionary Committee. If he keeps staring at me, I'll poison and blind him."
From the moment she stepped onto the stage, Li Wang, who was sitting in the leadership representative seat below, had been staring at her. His eyes were disgusting. If it weren't for the wrong occasion, she really wanted to go up and cripple him.
Secretary He: "...Okay."
The two of them spoke in a very low voice, and the others just thought that Secretary He was asking questions and praising them, so no one paid much attention.
Secretary He also said a few words of encouragement and praise in his normal voice, turned around and went to sit down. When passing by Li Wang, his eyes contained a stern warning, and he also winked at another representative of the Revolutionary Committee next to him.
Li Wang spent more than a month recuperating at his sister's home in the city. He was scolded and taught by his brother-in-law every day, and his life was miserable. He returned to Yang County only half a month ago after his health improved.
Originally, he was not supposed to go back to work because his body had not recovered yet. However, a few days ago, the Revolutionary Committee was purged and many people were arrested, leaving many vacant positions and a lot of fresh blood. This had a great impact on people like him who came in through the backdoor. In order to keep this golden rice bowl, he endured the discomfort and went back to work.
The leaders of the Revolutionary Committee, out of consideration for his brother-in-law's face, had recently assigned him easy tasks, but when he arrived at the commendation meeting, he started to feel like getting beaten up again.
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