The bright red certificate he held in his hands was particularly eye-catching in the morning sunlight.
Niu Erbao and Tan Wang exchanged a glance, so excited they almost jumped up!
People from the town committee! And they're even holding certificates of merit!
"Oh! You're looking for your master! We know, we'll take you there!" Niu Erbao stammered, his face beaming with excitement as he eagerly answered. Tan Wang nodded repeatedly beside him, his cheeks flushed with excitement.
The two men jogged along, leading the two cadres through the village road, straight to Xu Kuo's house.
At that moment, Xu Kuo was organizing the prop box he had brought back yesterday in the courtyard. Hearing the noise, he looked up and saw Niu Erbao and Tan Wang leading two people in cadre uniforms in, carrying something in their hands. He raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Comrade Xu Kuo!" An older cadre stepped forward, beaming with enthusiasm.
"Congratulations! Your performance at the gala was a great success! The town leaders all gave it high praise, saying that your program was novel in form, wonderful in content, and both entertaining and educational, bringing great honor to our Hongqi Town!"
He handed the certificate with large gold lettering to Xu Kuo: "This is an honorary certificate specially awarded to you by the town committee!"
The young cadre next to him stepped forward at the right time and handed over a tray covered with a red cloth: "Comrade Xu Kuo, this is a reward from the town for you, some daily necessities and food coupons. It's just a small token of our appreciation, but you must accept it!"
Xu Kuo accepted the certificate and tray with a completely calm expression: "Thank you for your recognition, leaders. I only did a trivial thing."
The two officials offered a few more words of encouragement, hoping that Xu Kuo would continue his efforts and make further contributions. Seeing Xu Kuo's humble attitude, they did not linger and politely took their leave, departing in an oxcart.
No sooner had the officials left than Niu Erbao and Tan Wang could no longer contain themselves!
"Master, you're amazing! A certificate! And a reward! The town committee delivered it personally!" Niu Erbao jumped up and down excitedly.
"Let's see what those gossipy villagers have to say now! We have to let them know!"
Tan Wang clenched his fists: "That's right! Brother Kuo! We have to get revenge! They said such awful things yesterday! Now we should make them swallow their words!"
Xu Kuo was somewhat moved as he looked at the two men, who were filled with righteous indignation and triumph.
He never provokes trouble, but he is also never afraid of trouble.
"Want them to know?" Xu Kuo's gaze swept across the courtyard wall and looked in the direction of the villagers who had mocked him. "Then let them know clearly."
He paused, then instructed the two men: "Erbao, Tanwang, go find a few people now, the more the better, and find all the gongs and drums in the village! Beat the gongs and drums, hold up this certificate, and walk around the village! The louder the better! So that everyone can see and hear it!"
Niu Erbao and Tan Wang's eyes lit up instantly!
"Alright, Master!"
"We'll get on it right away!"
The two excitedly rushed out of the yard and went their separate ways.
With their connections in the village for many years, finding some idlers and people to join in the fun would be a piece of cake.
Not long after, a deafening din of gongs and drums broke the tranquility of Xujia Village in the early morning.
Niu Erbao and Tan Wang led the way, followed by seven or eight villagers. Some were banging gongs, some were beating drums, and Tan Wang held up the bright red certificate of merit high, walking proudly down the main road in the middle of the village. The scene was even more lively than the New Year!
This sudden spectacle immediately attracted the attention of the entire village.
Many villagers who had just returned from the fields or were about to leave gathered around, craning their necks and looking puzzled.
"Have Niu Erbao and Tan Wang gone mad? What are they doing banging drums and gongs so early in the morning?"
"Yeah, look how smug they are, like they've found a gold ingot?"
One of the villagers with the sharp mouth and monkey-like cheeks who had mocked Xu Kuo the most yesterday couldn't help but jump out again, shouting strangely in the direction of Niu Erbao and Tan Wang.
"Are you two out of your minds? Did you learn to be stupid from that Xu guy? You can't afford to get married, so you're just making a fuss here, banging drums and gongs for fun?"
Tan Wang had been holding back his anger for a long time. Upon hearing this, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at the villager with the pointed mouth and monkey-like face, revealing a sneer full of sarcasm.
"Ha! Wang Laowu, I think you're the one who's blind! You can't even recognize the certificate of merit issued by the town committee? You're really blind!"
As he spoke, he thrust the certificate in his hand forward sharply, determined to make sure the villagers could see it clearly.
"Look closely! What is this! This is an award certificate from the town committee to Brother Kuo! It's to commend him for his successful performance at the party! You bunch of blind fools, didn't you say Brother Kuo botched his performance yesterday? Didn't you say he made a fool of himself? And now what?!"
"What? An award certificate?!"
"Is it issued by the town committee?"
"That can't be!"
The villagers who had been watching instantly erupted in excitement! All eyes were fixed on the bright red certificate, with the two large gold-embossed characters for "Certificate" and the rows of commendation text below clearly visible!
Those who were confident yesterday that Xu Kuo would fail are now feeling ashamed.
The villager named Wang Laowu's face turned pale and then red, but he stubbornly insisted, "Who knows if this thing is real or fake? There are so many fake things out there these days! Maybe he made it himself..."
"You made it yourself?" Tan Wang flipped the certificate over to the back, pointed to the bright red seal on it, and his voice suddenly rose.
"See that! The town committee's big red seal! It's stamped clearly! If you don't believe me, come with me to town now and ask them! See if it's real or fake!"
That bright red seal, carrying an unquestionable authority, instantly silenced all of Wang Laowu's words!
He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word. Under the scornful and mocking gazes of the surrounding villagers, he felt utterly ashamed and wished he could disappear into the ground. He slunk back into the crowd in disgrace.
The other villagers who had joined in the jeering and mockery yesterday were now completely silent, not daring to utter another word.
The facts are undeniable, the evidence irrefutable; they were struck hard by this silent slap in the face!
Seeing this, Niu Erbao and Tan Wang exchanged a smug look, and straightened their backs even more!
"Dong dong qiang! Dong dong qiang!"
The drums and gongs sounded again, louder and more flamboyant than before! The procession continued forward, and wherever they passed, the previous mockery and doubts turned into silence and awe.
...
On the other hand, Xu Kuo did not pay much attention to the farce in the village.
That's enough; we've slapped those people in the face and vented our anger.
In the following days, Xu Kuo had a rare period of leisure.
After Sheng Xu finished dealing with matters in the town, he temporarily returned to the county, which gave Xu Kuo an opportunity.
He recalled Zhang Zhihe's enthusiastic invitation and decided to go to Hongqi Town to find Zhang Zhihe, and also to subtly probe Sheng Xu's attitude towards him.
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