Follow the army to the island, the rebellious male protagonist was led by me to counterattack

Chapter 153 Commendation Conference
Uncle Cao raised his wrist heavily and gently placed it on his left cheek.

"Serves you right for asking so many questions."

"Uncle Cao... ask me to do this for you next time."

Shi Xia grinned, and Uncle Cao said with the helplessness and affection of an elder: You... I dare not use you.

He assured her that Shi Xia would absolutely fulfill any request he made.

He should be slapped so hard he'll fall into the sea.

Under Shi Xia's teasing, Uncle Cao's tension lessened a bit. He took a deep breath, straightened his chest, and went in!
He's here to receive an award!
They from Haisan Island have made something of themselves. Before, they would watch other production teams receive awards at the commune, and he would be one of the ones clapping.

Now...proud!

Shi Xia watched as Uncle Cao walked out of Sifangbu and caught up with him in a few steps.

"You're walking with the same foot forward as someone else."

"what--"

Uncle Cao jumped up and down, quickly regaining his correct walking posture, looking straight ahead and moving his mouth slightly.

"Are you done yet?"

Shi Xia glanced down and nodded.

The two walked together into the county's auditorium. It was almost the end of the year, and various honors were to be awarded.

Register, go inside to find a seat, sit down, and wait.

The auditorium has a very high roof, about 500 square meters in size, and is dark red overall. In front of it is a high platform of 80 or 90 square meters. On both sides are red curtains with wheat ears tied with ropes and hanging diagonally. In the middle of the stage is a picture of workers holding red flags and party flags, bravely moving forward to work.

A red paper was hung above the stage, with the words "County Commendation Conference" written in black calligraphy and the date marked below.

Not everyone sits on a chair.

The first two rows were chairs with backrests, and the back rows were long benches. Shi Xia and Uncle Cao sat on the benches in the fourth row, which was fortunately in the middle.

After the two sat down, Uncle Cao muttered to himself as he recited his speech.

A moment later, someone came from the left.

"Old Cao is here quite early."

“You’re not late either, Shi Xia. This is the village chief of Hai Er Island, surnamed Hu.”

Shi Xia nodded politely, and was about to speak when Village Chief Hu didn't even glance at her, continuing to talk to Uncle Cao past her.

Uncle Cao was unwilling.

"Old Hu, you haven't changed at all. Your eyes are just too small to hold anyone else."

"You're still so sarcastic."

"Not as small as your eyes."

"I can't compare to your sharp tongue."

After a brief exchange, Shi Xia finally got up and switched places with Uncle Cao.

"Your younger generation is quite like you."

Village Chief Hu started causing trouble because he heard that Hai San Island had been recognized as an advanced collective this year, and he was dissatisfied.

Everyone else is stably poor, so why are you suddenly doing well?

They're the type who despise you for being poor, hate you for being rich, and fear you for being successful.

Uncle Cao wouldn't tolerate his behavior, especially since he was talking about the village's unsung leader.

"I taught you to ignore people you don't like. What, you have a problem with that?"

After Uncle Cao finished speaking, he turned his head away, making it seem as if he didn't want to see Village Chief Hu at all, which made the other party so angry that he glared at him.

"Who cares?"

"Who cares? They're green with envy! Who knows!"

Shi Xia laughed openly from the side; the two old men bickering was quite amusing.

Before long, the auditorium was almost full.

Full of energy and high spirits.

This era has an abundance of spiritual nourishment.

Despite having just experienced a major disaster, an awards ceremony still left everyone in high spirits and full of enthusiasm.

The host opened the event by singing praises to the motherland and teachers, followed by everyone reciting quotations together. After the segment, county leaders took the stage to speak. They reflected on the past, looked to the future, and pledged to overcome difficulties together and move forward hand in hand.

Thunderous applause erupted, and county leaders personally presented the awards.

Model worker, technical expert, red flag bearer...

Awards were given out one by one, and soon it was time to become a model of learning from Lei Feng.

"This comrade is brave and kind, saving lives and helping others, and doing what is right... Comrade Shi Xia is a model of learning from Lei Feng!"

Uncle Cao clapped until his hands were red, and Shi Xia got up and walked towards the podium.

He walked with ease and his smile was radiant.

Upon stepping onto the stage, a certificate with a red background, yellow lettering, gold trim, five-pointed stars, a red flag, and wheat ear patterns was displayed on her chest, while a large red flower was hung around her neck by the etiquette lady.

"Thank you."

"Today, I stand here with immense excitement to accept this glorious title... I want to be a screw that never rusts; wherever the Party places me, I will shine and contribute, and I will never let down the organization's trust... I will learn from Comrade Lei Feng!"

The passionate speech ended, and thunderous applause rang out once again.

Shi Xia stepped off the stage with a red flower and a certificate. Later, she would receive a tea mug, a green canvas bag, a fountain pen, and a notebook.

Next, the group awards were presented. When the names of the three islands were mentioned, Uncle Cao went on stage with tears in his eyes.

This time, it was Shi Xia's turn to clap.

Although Uncle Cao was excited, his acceptance speech was quite good.

"Thank you for the trust placed in us by the Party and the organization. We will definitely work harder and be more united to contribute our share to the construction of our motherland!"

Uncle Cao has stepped down.

When passing by Village Chief Hu on Hai'er Island, Uncle Cao deliberately lingered for a while, just wanting to show off to him.

After the commendation ceremony, Uncle Cao deliberately walked very slowly, almost holding the certificate above his head. Shi Xia didn't feel embarrassed either, because she also walked very slowly.

No showing off, no wasted effort!
"Comrade Shi Xia, Comrade Cao."

When someone called out, Uncle Cao's first reaction was to protect the certificate in his arms.

"We can't take it back, can we?"

"Uncle Cao, you're overthinking it."

"Hehe, I've never done it before, so I have no experience."

As the two were cricketing, the person behind them arrived.

"Gentlemen, the county leaders request your presence."

"Oh, oh, oh, okay, okay."

Uncle Cao followed nervously, giving Shi Xia a meaningful look: If the sky falls, you'll be the one to hold it up.

Shi Xia: Don't worry!
When the two arrived at the county leader's office, the county leader actually stood up and shook hands with them as soon as they entered.

Shi Xia gave Uncle Cao a look: Good news.

“Sit down, let’s sit down and talk.”

The two men sat down in their chairs, waiting for the county leader to speak.

After a few words of praise as is customary for leaders, they got down to business.

"Today's commendation meeting is a summary of the work of the past year. Hai Sandao proposed the cultivation of kelp and laver, which is an extremely important step for our coastal county."

"You also contributed hydroponic water spinach. This matter has been reported to the city, and the city has reported it to the province. Agricultural experts from the province will be coming down soon. At that time, we will still need the cooperation of Hai Sandao."

Uncle Cao nodded repeatedly, pledging to cooperate fully.

Shi Xia sat quietly. With elders present, it wasn't her turn to speak, and she wasn't interested in overstepping her bounds.

Next, a lot of official jargon will be summarized.

If we cooperate well with the visiting officials, it's not impossible that we could be reported to Beijing and become a national advanced collective in the future.

After drawing this pie in the sky, Uncle Cao started walking with the same footing again.

That's Beijing, a place many people dream of visiting.

The two finally came out of the county leader's office, and Shi Xia gave Uncle Cao some time to catch his breath.

"Uncle Cao, we need to get our house dry quickly."