Courtyard House: Report enemy agents at the start, and you'll take off immediately.

Page 152

Everyone was very enthusiastic.

Zhao De could only respond with a humble smile.

When he arrived at the steel rolling mill, before he even reached the gate, he saw a large group of people in the distance, and a jeep parked next to him.

Upon closer inspection, Zhao De was taken aback.

At the front were a group of leaders with high positions, followed by factory director Yang and deputy secretary Li.

Besides them, the two little girls I met yesterday and their families were also at the front.

There were also several newspaper reporters and photographers.

To the left of the crowd, there was a group of elementary school students, holding flowers and looking very excited.

Further on were the factory workers; it seemed that everyone who could come had come, numbering over a thousand.

The scene was so lively, it was almost like a bustling market.

However, upon seeing Zhao De appear, the crowd gradually quieted down.

"Comrade Zhao De, we deeply admire your courageous act..."

"Comrade Zhao De, your idea of ​​doing good deeds anonymously is correct, but such a big thing must be publicized. This is a role model worthy of everyone's learning!"

Zhao De was still unclear about the specifics, but from the leaders' conversation, he deduced that he might have left without waiting for the person to thank him after rescuing them yesterday, which is why they came to his door.

"This is a banner and a certificate of honor specially made for you, recognizing your heroic act of rescuing two children from drowning yesterday noon!"

"I just did what an ordinary person should do. After all, acting bravely for a just cause and helping others have always been traditional virtues of our nation..."

Zhao De humbly responded to the leaders, up to the twin sisters and their family.

"Thank you so much for saving our daughter. I really can't imagine what my life would be like without them." The girl's mother's eyes were red, and her elegant attire suggested she was of high status.

Her husband was a soldier, dressed in military uniform with bright, piercing eyes. "My benefactor, I am deeply grateful. If you ever need anything in the future, just ask. I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life."

After saying that, he pulled his twin daughters over and said, "Jiang Ling, Jiang Jing, he is your savior. Quickly call him godfather."

"Godfather!"

Zhao De was taken aback and quickly helped the two girls up. "Don't do this, don't do this. I just did something small. Get up, get up."

The twins were exquisitely beautiful, like porcelain dolls, and Zhao De was indeed tempted to adopt them as his goddaughters.

"Comrade Zhao De, whether you agree or not, they will be your goddaughters from now on!"

After the soldier finished speaking, the girl's mother and grandmother also chimed in with words of comfort. Zhao De observed that this family valued relationships highly.

If he becomes the twins' godfather, the two families will gradually grow closer and become very close. In this way, the soldiers can learn about Zhao De's life through the twins and lend a helping hand when needed.

Clearly, the soldier and the mother had considered things very carefully. If they hadn't done this, Zhao De probably wouldn't have agreed so easily, since most people would have thought the same way.

"Actually, I really like girls. When my wife and I got married yesterday, I even said that I hoped our first child would be a daughter."

"I never expected that I would have two goddaughters before I even had my own biological daughter. What a coincidence!"

Zhao De agreed. The soldier and his mother breathed a sigh of relief and immediately smiled at each other.

"By the way, I still don't know how to address you two?" Zhao De asked.

The district head of Dongcheng District immediately introduced them: "This is Jiang Yong, the district head, and this is Chen Man, who works at the National Song and Dance Troupe."

"I don't think I need to introduce myself anymore!" Zhao De said with a smile.

Jiang Yong said with admiration, "I have to say, I heard that you captured an enemy spy, made two inventions, and are a level seven fitter. Comrade Zhao De is truly intelligent and brave, and quite extraordinary!"

"Therefore, he truly deserves the title of People's Hero!"

After chatting for a while, several reporters took the opportunity to chime in.

"Comrade Zhao De, I am a reporter from the People's Daily, and I would like to conduct an exclusive interview about your heroic deeds..."

"Comrade Zhao De, I am a reporter from the Central People's Broadcasting Station. When you jumped into the icy lake, did you think about what would happen if you couldn't survive?"

"Comrade Zhao De, yesterday was your wedding banquet. Did your wife support your decision to jump in and save people?"

A barrage of questions from cameras and microphones nearly blinded Zhao De. But Zhao De had no choice; he couldn't ignore these people. They wanted to promote the message, emphasizing that it was in accordance with policy, and distribute it to various government agencies, schools, and hospitals for everyone to study.

After a long while, about an hour later, Zhao De finally finished dealing with everyone. However, these were only the people outside.

The factory hasn't done it yet!

Just then, Zhao De saw Factory Director Yang and Deputy Secretary Li about to take him somewhere, and he became a little anxious. "Leaders, could you find me a place to rest for a while?"

"I just said a lot of nice things about you two!"

By now, the two had grown much closer, and Zhao De spoke with less reservation. In truth, whether he praised them or not, they both benefited, since Zhao De was a worker at the steel mill.

Please be patient a little longer. There's a reporter waiting at the main factory; his report will be used as a reference by all our branch factories. Also, there's something else important I need to discuss with you.

What's going on? Deal with the reporters first, and you'll find out then.

Oh well!

Zhao De had no choice; they were just the third steel rolling mill, above which were the second steel rolling mill and the main plant, and below them were a bunch of branch plants of all sizes.

In the fitter's workshop, Jia Zhangshi was slacking off, spending an entire day on a single part. However, this was mainly because she had been provoked by Zhao De again that day.

Although Jia Zhangshi didn't witness the situation at the factory gate firsthand, she gathered a general understanding from the descriptions of her returning coworkers. As expected, Zhao De gained even more attention and fame this time than when he caught the spy, and the reward was naturally much greater.

"Why didn't you drown him yesterday!" Jia Zhangshi's face was full of resentment. For a moment, she was tempted by the idea that had popped into her head last night. Perhaps the wheel of fortune really does turn; otherwise, how come she had never seen him so powerful before?

"Jia Zhangshi, hurry up! At this rate, we'll all have to stay late to work overtime!" Just then, workshop foreman Liu Kewei came over to reprimand her. If her slacking off wasn't too serious, he'd turn a blind eye, since she was assigned by Master Yi. But Jia Zhangshi had gone too far; if he didn't criticize her, the other workers would complain.

Jia Zhangshi was already furious, and with her back aching from working all day, she finally snapped: "I'm not doing this anymore, Master Yi, Master Yi, come quick!"

Jia Zhangshi sat down on the ground and shouted loudly. She rarely did any housework at home; after eating, she would lie or sit, barely moving, thinking she was saving food. Besides, the injuries from the beating a few days ago hadn't fully healed, and this morning she had been moving parts, standing for half a day—her plump body had really had enough.

I really can't keep doing this job!

Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai rushed over and asked, forcing himself to ask: Sister-in-law, what's wrong now?

Jia Zhangshi pointed to the man inspecting parts not far away and said: Master Yi, can you give me an easier job? I can earn money while sitting down. I think that job is very good!

Workshop foreman Liu Kewei scoffed after hearing this, thinking to himself that this man was really delusional.

"Sister-in-law, you're still just an apprentice for that technician position; you can't handle it." Yi Zhonghai finished speaking and made an excuse to slip away.

"Jia Zhangshi, get up and get to work!" Workshop foreman Liu Kewei didn't want to waste time arguing with her.

To everyone's surprise, Jia Zhangshi not only refused to get up, but also started to act like a spoiled child: "Oh dear, I'm exhausted! The steel mill is bullying an old woman!"

This caused quite a stir, with many people dropping what they were doing to come and see what was going on. Workshop foreman Liu Kewei was furious; Jia Zhangshi's complaints and grumbling were affecting the other workers' work. However, his attempts to persuade Jia Zhangshi were to no avail; she insisted on sitting down to inspect the parts.

"You're being so unreasonable!" Liu Kewei stomped his feet in anger.

Jia Zhangshi glared at him and snorted coldly. She didn't like this workshop director. He must have bullied her Dongxu a lot in the past, so she wouldn't tolerate him.

"This job is inhuman! If you don't give me a replacement, I'll cause a scene and accuse you of bullying an elderly person!"

Jia Zhangshi brought up Yi Zhonghai's old tricks, thinking that this place was the same as the courtyard, so she felt safe and fearless.

Liu Kewei, however, was not going to tolerate her. He picked up a broom and said, "Here you go. If you don't want to do this, you'll be responsible for cleaning and the outside toilets. If you don't want to, then leave. You need to understand that you're just an apprentice."

Jia Zhangshi was naturally unhappy and immediately grabbed a broom to hit someone, but Liu Kewei quickly grabbed her arm.

"A few people, help me hold her down."

"Here you are, Director."

The surrounding workers had long harbored resentment towards Jia Zhangshi, and they quickly stepped forward to grab her other arm, thus subduing her.

This action might not seem significant in later times, but at the time it signified resistance against the landlord class.

"Help! Someone's hitting someone, someone's being bullied!"

This attitude greatly insulted Jia Zhangshi, whose family had been poor farmers for generations!

“Zhang Cuihua, stop joking around. Once you’re in the factory, you’re a worker and you have to do the work.” Liu Kewei’s words clearly left room for maneuver.

However, Jia Zhangshi ignored him and continued to shout loudly, "Old Yi, come quick! Old Yi, Old Yi, I'm being bullied to death!"

Jia Zhangshi had become dependent on Yi Zhonghai, and would habitually call on him whenever she needed something.

Yi Zhonghai was truly exasperated. Wherever Jia Zhangshi went, trouble followed. She was incredibly troublesome.

Shall we go help?

Of course I'm not going!

In the past, it would definitely have gotten me into a lot of trouble.

So, Yi Zhonghai made an excuse to go to the toilet.

He ran fast, but the other person couldn't escape.

Liu Haizhong came over to join in the fun. He was strong and no one could push past him, so he quickly squeezed to the very back.

As a result, when Jia Zhangshi saw him, she was like someone grasping at a straw, crying out, "Old Liu, Old Liu, you're here! Please save me! They're bullying the old people, they're going to bully me!"

Liu Haizhong's first reaction was regret.

What am I doing here?

Looking around, I couldn't see Yi Zhonghai. He's really smart!

"Old Liu, what are you standing there for? We're all from the same courtyard, and you're the second uncle. You can't just sit idly by!"