Early in the morning, I finally managed to get rid of that talkative, unfamiliar auntie.
An Moxue admired this auntie; how did she manage to do it?
I went out to visit people and chat as soon as it was light.
Last night, Village Chief Guo repeatedly told us to leave early and be at the county government before 8 o'clock. If we weren't enthusiastic about the commendation meeting, wouldn't we be in for a scolding?
Early in the morning, An Moxue practiced her boxing techniques, then went into her spatial storage room, took out a breakfast she had collected, ate it, changed into her standard green outfit, and headed towards the village chief's house, all dressed neatly.
When they arrived at the village chief's house, Accountant Chen was already inside chatting with Village Chief Guo and Aunt Guo.
When Village Chief Guo saw An Moxue come in, he unusually nagged, "Oh dear, I told you to come early, I told you to come early, but you're already late! Hurry up, let's set off now." As he spoke, he and Accountant Chen got up and walked out of the house.
An Moxue could only say a hasty goodbye to Aunt Guo: "Auntie, I'm leaving now! I'll chat with you again when I get back."
"Let's go, business is important. You look smart in your clothes today!" Aunt Guo said approvingly.
Women never forget to dress up. In such dim light, An Moxue went into the house, turned around briefly, and came out again. Aunt Guo also noticed her outfit.
She turned around and followed Village Chief Guo and Accountant Chen out of the house. The mule cart was already harnessed and waiting at the door of Village Chief Guo's house.
The three men quickly boarded the mule cart, and Village Chief Guo drove the mules swiftly out of the village.
It was only then that the sky began to brighten. After leaving the village, An Moxue noticed that Village Chief Guo and Accountant Chen were dressed unusually neatly today.
Village Chief Guo was wearing new black velvet cotton shoes made for him by Aunt Guo, and his clothes were not as casual as usual, but a set of neat black Zhongshan suit.
Accountant Chen was also dressed in a blue cadre uniform, wearing new shoes, with his hair neatly combed, and a pen clipped to his shirt pocket. No matter how An Moxue looked at him, Accountant Chen seemed like an old scholar.
Sitting in the car, Accountant Chen said, "Mo Xue, you're a bit late today. You should have arrived earlier for such an important day."
An Moxue was also helpless. She was stopped by a strange auntie early in the morning. She smiled helplessly and said, "Uncle Chen, you don't know, it's been like this for two days now. I've been called by strange aunties early in the morning. People have been looking for me all day long, some of whom I don't even know. When asked what I need, I just say I'm just here to chat. The thing is, you have time to chat, but I don't! You and Uncle Guo both know that I get up early every day to practice martial arts and then start studying. My day is packed. With all this commotion, I can't do anything. This morning, I was late because I was stopped by an auntie."
Accountant Chen couldn't help but burst into laughter when he saw An Moxue's helpless expression, and even Village Chief Guo, who was driving the mule cart ahead, couldn't help but smile.
Accountant Chen comforted her, saying, "It might be related to the customs passed down from the past. Now that feudal superstitions are not allowed, they all do it secretly."
An Moxue asked curiously, "Uncle Chen, what kind of custom is it?"
"It's something passed down from the elders. I don't know when it started, but whenever someone has a happy occasion or something good happens, everyone rushes to visit, talk to the person, chat, and some even touch him, hoping to get some of the good fortune from him and wishing that they or their family members can have the same good luck."
"Oh? Is that so? No wonder so many strangers have been contacting me these past few days, asking what I need. I just said we were chatting, but then they all started touching me inappropriately. It's all so confusing."
"It's alright, there might be even more people after the commendation meeting today," Accountant Chen said with a hint of schadenfreude.
Village Chief Guo said, "You should avoid them. Once this heatwave passes, everything will be fine."
"Well, that's the only way. It seems I'll have to stay on the mountain for a few more days after the commendation ceremony."
Village Chief Guo silently complained to himself, "How many more days? It's getting cold, and the temperature on the mountain is even lower. I'll only be sure you can stand it. It's going to snow heavily soon."
The three chatted as they traveled. As they approached the county town, they encountered several villages heading to the county's commendation ceremony. They were all neat and efficient, showing how much they valued the ceremony, since it only happened once a year. Only those who were recognized as advanced individuals had their moment in the spotlight; everyone else was just there to make up the numbers.
And so, they arrived at the county government compound. There were already some cars parked in the backyard. When An Moxue saw the cars, she thought to herself, "No wonder the village chief was in such a hurry. He's really here early!"
After parking the car, An Moxue followed the village chief and accountant into the auditorium of the county government compound. She watched as the two greeted people familiarly, and occasionally An Moxue would be mentioned. At these times, she would nod, smile, and bow. The three of them found seats and sat down.
Although the auditorium was old, it was very large, and the tables and chairs were neatly arranged. People spoke in hushed tones.
At eight o'clock, a refined young man wearing glasses went on stage and announced the start of the commendation ceremony, beginning with a speech from the leaders.
The people sitting below were all quiet and attentive, but they were talking about the same thing for a long time. The people below listened as if they had been injected with chicken blood. An Moxue inexplicably thought of the legendary scene of the leader of a pyramid scheme giving a lecture to his employees to brainwash them and feed them chicken soup for the soul. She thought that this may have existed since ancient times.
Next came the announcement of the advanced units. An Moxue didn't know much about these, only hearing the names of factories and villages. When it was Anle Village's turn, Village Chief Guo and Accountant Chen were like children who had just received candy. Their joy was indescribable, and anyone who saw them could feel their elation.
When it was time to go on stage to receive the award, even the fifty-something-year-old village chief Guo was a little clumsy. An Moxue held back her laughter as she watched him.
After receiving their awards and returning to their seats, the two carefully touched the certificates as if they were some rare treasure.
Finally, when it came to the names of model workers and advanced individuals, she felt a little excited.
Unbeknownst to her, Wu Sicheng was also there today, in the very back corner of the auditorium, specifically to see An Moxue receive her award.
She didn't feel anything when she received the award, but when she finished speaking and faced the thunderous applause below, she felt that since her ancestors had sent her here, it would be a shame not to do something in return for these warm and kind people.
A person's name is like the shadow of a tree; one should always strive to be remembered by future generations so that one's life has not been in vain.
Wu Sicheng, sitting in the audience, was stunned. The girl he admired had accomplished so much and achieved so much at less than eighteen years old. Standing on the stage, she was calm, composed, and radiant.
This moment was etched in his heart, and it strengthened his resolve to improve himself and become someone worthy of her.
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