Chapter 12: A Huge Reward Falls from the Sky

“Please, leaders, come inside.”

Although the house was old and the furnishings even more dilapidated, they couldn’t very well have such important people stand in the yard and drink the northwest wind after coming all this way.

A group of people entered the main room. Zhao Yuan brought out several long benches, wiped them clean, and offered them to the guests.

Sun Shi boiled ginger and brown sugar water poured a bowl for everyone and then returned to her room.

Su Jinyan smiled and said, “Please forgive me, leaders. My father-in-law has a leg ailment and it’s inconvenient for him to entertain you.”

The leaders said understandingly, “Don’t worry about it.”

Principal Qin’s eyes flickered as he looked at Zhao Yuan. “Are you Comrade Su’s husband? The Zhao Yuan who entered the Beijing Medical College before even finishing junior high school?”

“Yes.”

Zhao Yuan was remarkably calm. He didn’t feel there was anything to be particularly happy about; after all, his wife was a top student admitted to the highest institution.

“Hehe, the younger generation is truly formidable, remarkable, remarkable.”

Everyone believed that if Zhao Yuan had graduated from senior high school, he would definitely have been admitted to Tsinghua or Peking University.

“Comrade Su, we’re here today mainly to present you with an award.”

Chen Xuenian from the Municipal Education Bureau cut to the chase.

“On behalf of the Municipal Education Bureau, I hereby award Comrade Su Jinyan, the top scorer in the city, three hundred yuan, one hundred jin of food coupons, ten jin of meat coupons, ten chi of cloth coupons, and ten industrial coupons. I hope you will study even harder in the future, contribute to society, and become a comrade useful to the country.”
Su Jinyan stood up, solemnly accepted the brand-new stack of large denomination bills with both hands, bowed, and replied very officially, “Thank you, leaders. I will definitely study hard, contribute to the country in the future, and live up to the country’s cultivation.”

Chen Xuenian smiled and nodded, gesturing for her to sit down.

Before Su Jinyan could sit down, Deputy County Magistrate Li stood up. “Comrade Su, after deliberation by the county committee and the county education bureau, we have specially approved a reward of two-hundred-yuan, fifty jin of food coupons, and a bicycle voucher for our city’s top scorer. We hope that you will have no worries when you go to school, study diligently, and contribute to the country in the future.”

Su Jinyan thought: People of this era are truly simple and honest. Every sentence is about ‘repaying the country and becoming a useful person to the country.’

She accepted the reward with both hands, bowed slightly, and said gratefully, “Thank you, Deputy County Magistrate Li, thank you, Director Huang. I will definitely not let down the leaders’ good intentions and will study hard.”

Although her face was calm, her heart was so excited that she wanted to hug the stack of bills and kiss them a few times.

Unexpected wealth!

Five hundred yuan! If their family was frugal, it would be enough to spend in Beijing for two years!

Deputy County Magistrate Li smiled and nodded. This girl knew how to speak.

He unfolded the silk banner he had been holding and handed it to Su Jinyan. “Alright, there are also two reporters who want to take pictures and interview you.”

Next, in this dimly lit and dilapidated room, Su Jinyan gloriously took group photos with this group of municipal and county leaders and received brief interviews from two reporters from the municipal newspaper.

With so many important leaders present, Sun Shi even specially bought a chicken from a neighbor, slaughtered it, and stewed soup. But these leaders were unwilling to add to this poor family’s burden and left after the interviews.

But even though the leaders left, Zhao Zhenjun and Sun Shi couldn’t contain their joy. They were going to arrange a dinner to thank the villagers who usually helped them.

Su Jinyan thought that since they were going to host a dinner, they definitely couldn’t just have one chicken.

She took out some of the meat and food coupons awarded by the city and asked Zhao Yuan to borrow the brigade leader’s bicycle to go to the commune to buy meat, some large bones, white flour, and seasonings.

Sun Shi was frugal, and the only seasonings in the house were salt and vinegar, with very little soy sauce.

For dinner, Su Jinyan cooked. Zhao Yuan invited the brigade leader and his wife, several respected elders from the Zhao clan in the village, and the families of their kind-hearted eldest uncle and third uncle.

Su Jinyan had never cooked in the Zhao family before, so no one knew if she could cook at all.

Today’s display of skill truly surprised Sun Shi, who was tending the fire.

She really hadn’t expected that this delicate daughter-in-law, whose face washing water was usually poured by her son, could cook such fragrant food!

Although it was a bit extravagant.
In her previous life, Su Jinyan’s family was ordinary. She started making simple meals when she was in junior high school, learned to cook more in senior high school, and often cooked for herself after graduating from university. Her skills weren’t particularly outstanding, but for Sun Shi, they were far beyond ordinary.

For dinner, Su Jinyan stewed half a chicken with potatoes and mushrooms, made a simple Kung Pao chicken with the other half, and also made braised bones in soy sauce, pork stew with vermicelli, braised pork belly, Sichuan boiled pork slices, Mapo tofu, stir-fried wood ear mushrooms with eggs and pork slices. For the staple food, she simply steamed rice to save time.

The house was small, so there was a table on the heated brick bed and another on the floor.

The dim room couldn’t contain the aroma of the food.

“I really didn’t expect Comrade Su to be such a good cook.”

“Hehe, this is what they mean by a true person doesn’t show their true colors. With this one move, she brought back a city’s top scorer for our brigade and attracted so many leaders.”

“That’s right, Zhenjun, you’ve finally made it through the hard times. You can just wait to enjoy a good life in the future!”

After everyone talked for a while, Zhao Changqing saw Su Jinyan bringing out the staple food and preparing to eat. He waved his hand. “Everyone, stop for a moment, I have a few words to say.”

“Yuan Yi’s wife, after the city and county leaders left, I made a special trip to the commune and asked them for some rewards for you.”

“The city and county gave quite a few rewards. After discussing it, the commune decided to reward you with two-hundred-yuan, thirty jin of food coupons, five jin of meat coupons, and ten chi of cloth coupons. The people in our brigade also discussed it and decided to give you fifty yuan.”

“Although the village’s harvest has been better in recent years, every household has just barely enough to eat. I hope you understand.”

As Zhao Changqing spoke, he took out two hundred and fifty yuan and a stack of coupons and placed them on the dining table.

A large part of the fifty yuan was given out of consideration for Zhao Yuan and Zhao Zhenjun. The commune also went to the trouble because Su Jinyan was taking her cousin’s family with her and hadn’t abandoned his nephew and children.

If Su Jinyan had abandoned her husband and children like other educated youth, he wouldn’t have cared if she was the top scorer in the city or the entire country. No matter how well she did in the exam, if her character was bad, he, Zhao Changqing, wasn’t so idle that he would go out of his way to help!

The women sitting by the table on the floor all showed envious expressions.

No wonder people said that studying was useful.

Leaving aside the rewards from the city and county, the rewards from the commune alone were higher than their income for two years.

She naturally wouldn’t refuse the rewards from the commune. However, Su Jinyan could tell from the Zhao family’s situation how poor the villagers were.

“Did you see that? Learn from your sister-in-law. Only by studying well can you earn a lot of money.”

On the floor, a woman slapped her son’s head, breaking the silence.

Su Jinyan naturally accepted the money. “Thank you, Uncle.”

She didn’t call him brigade leader because she knew that he was so busy not because of her being the city’s top scorer, but because of Zhao Yuan’s sake.

She counted out eight large denomination bills from the pile and put them back on the table. “Uncle, these eighty yuan is for Yuan Yi and me to support the poor children in the village.”