CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42: STOP SOWING DISCORD

Can Secretary Tang refuse?

No way.

He readily agreed.

Then, Liu Xiangqian dashed back to the team office and turned on the loudspeaker to notify or summon the villagers to the big gathering field.

The notified villagers looked at each other, unsure why they were being called to the big gathering field at this time.

But since the secretary had summoned them, they had to go.

So, the villagers started hustling toward the big gathering field as if it were a market day.

Soon, people gathered, and first Liu Xiangqian took the stage to speak, then Secretary Tang and the others, and finally Yi Chichi, the protagonist being recognized.

When Secretary Tang and the others announced her contributions, she looked at the villagers below the stage, their faces full of admiration, feeling utterly embarrassed as her face turned red.

She originally thought that was embarrassing enough, but then after receiving the award certificate and prizes, Secretary Tang unexpectedly asked her to give a speech.

Yi Chichi really wanted to ask if she could skip the speech, but she didn’t have the courage to say it.

She could only stand on stage, recalling the speeches of hosts from various galas she had seen before, made some minor modifications, and began speaking.

"Thank you, leaders, thank you elders of Kao Shan Village. As a young intellectual of the new era, my achievements today are inseparable from the care and support of the leaders of Baoshan County, from the help of the secretary, the captain, and all the fellow villagers..."

The more she spoke, the smoother it went as she directly entered a commercial praise mode.

The words of appreciation flowed out as if they were free, trying hard to diminish her presence in the espionage incident and pushing the credit onto the cadres of Baoshan County Public Security.

The message between her words suggested that the public security cadres deserved more credit.

The villagers listened with relish, while Bai Chen and the others looked proud, holding their heads high and telling the people next to them, "Yi Chichi is one of the youths from our Youth Corps Courtyard."

"We are proud of her!"

"Wrong!"

A villager quickly corrected, "Yi Chizhqing is clearly our Kao Shan Village’s youth, and you are our youths too."

This statement left Bai Chen and the others speechless.

It made perfect sense; they were all youths of Kao Shan Village, so if there was pride, it should be shared together.

Standing behind them, He Yunsong twitched the corner of his mouth and elbowed Wen Shi, "Are all the people in your village like this?"

"Yes, our village people are united."

Wen Shi’s smile floated on his face, his eyes more like blossoming peach flowers, "Also not easy to bully."

His tone was calm, but the pleasant aura around him was impossible to ignore.

He Yunsong watched with envy as his hometown lacked such a good atmosphere.

"Are you envious?"

Unable to see Wen Shi happy, He Yunsong started teasing, pouring out stinging words like a stream.

"Clearly your contribution is bigger than Yi Zhqing’s, yet Yi Zhqing is on stage speaking while you can only watch from below; doesn’t it make you uncomfortable?"

Wen Shi looked at him as if he were an idiot, "Your head is purely there for decoration."

It seemed mild but clearly indicated that He Yunsong was just wasting a head.

"I think your words are a bit too much, I’m only standing up for you..."

"You really are quite good!"

Wen Shi rolled his eyes at him, apparently very impatient with his stupidity, "Stop sowing discord, or I’ll beat you up."

Purely a threat of force.

Knowing how hard Wen Shi’s fists were, He Yunsong chose to remain quiet as a chicken after hearing the blatant threat.

Meanwhile, on stage, Yi Chichi’s speech was coming to an end.

"Thank you, everyone!"

She slightly bowed in thanks as thunderous applause erupted.

Secretary Tang and the others were very busy and left right after the recognition ceremony was completed.

As for Yi Chichi, she was surrounded by villagers who swarmed around her, asking her to tell them how she caught the spy so they could learn too;

Others asked if she was scared when she discovered the spy and if she was afraid something would happen while catching him.

Someone else, looking enviously at the enamel mug that was printed with the County Government’s reward she held, asked if they could exchange items with her.

This suggestion opened the villagers’ minds to a new world.

They all expressed a desire to exchange for the prizes, wanting only those with printed words.

Unprinted ones were unwanted.

Yi Chichi, "..."

Thinking for a bit, Yi Chichi said, "I can’t exchange these with you, but I still have some unused enamel mugs and towels that I can swap for."

Aunt Ma and the others were quite disappointed; they only wanted the printed ones which they could boast about as being issued by the County Government, how impressive.

Those without prints...

After a brief hesitation, "Deal!"

A resounding voice, full of confidence.

To buy enamel mugs and towels required ticket vouchers, and they had none, forcing them to rely on defect products from the supply and marketing cooperative, which also required finding connections.

Without connections, even defect products couldn’t be bought.

Now having ticket-less, unused enamel mugs and the like, not swapping would be foolish.

So, Yi Chichi was surrounded by people heading towards the Youth Corps Courtyard.

Passing by Wen Shi and them, initially, Yi Chichi, who was chatting and laughing with the villagers, didn’t pay attention, only feeling that the two figures and side profiles looked familiar.

After going past, sensing something was off, she swiftly turned her head back and locked eyes with Wen Shi, who was just raising his head.

"Mr. Wen?"

She looked completely shocked, surprised, and asked, "Why are you here?"

Wen Shi sighed a big sigh, feeling like they had gone unnoticed by her all along.

"We came back with Secretary Tang and the others."

Come back?

Yi Chichi sensed something wrong, just about to inquire when Aunt Ma, smiling while watching the two interact, asked with a grin, "You know each other?"

"Yes."

Yi Chichi touched her nose, embarrassed, and said, "It was Mr. Wen and Mr. He who helped me after I caught the spy."

These two must have played a significant part in the espionage incident.

Aunt Ma and the others understood, no wonder Shufen said her son was supposed to return home but hadn’t appeared.

Thinking it was a military matter delaying his return, but it turned out he had returned and encountered the espionage incident.

Aunt Ma and the others didn’t care if Wen Shi had contributed but only cared whether Wen Shi was hurt during the incident.

Instantly, the crowd around Yi Chichi surged toward Wen Shi.

"Wen, are you injured?"

"Wen, you..."

Questions flew in one after another, the numerous voices so noisy that Wen Shi felt as if he was surrounded by ten thousand ducks.

His ears buzzed, but he had to patiently answer each one and reassure them.

After all, these were the elders who watched him grow up and generously helped his mother and him when they were wandering in Kao Shan Village.

Without the care and acceptance of Kao Shan Village villagers, he and his mother would have long perished.

Wang Nan quietly murmured as he watched the scene unfold, "I never imagined this Mr. Wen was someone from Kao Shan Village."

"Handsome." Zhang Haoyun stared at Wen Shi’s face, finding it more beautiful with each glance, can’t help but praise, "Looks as beautiful as a flower."

"Don’t say that in front of him."

Listening to these words, He Yunsong, with a forehead full of black lines, reminded.