Chapter Eight: This Is the County's Reward to You

Secretary Wang stepped forward and reached out, firmly grasping Zhang Chunxue’s hand. “Comrade Zhang Chunxue! You have worked hard! You have raised a fine daughter for our country and for our town!”

Village Chief Zhong Fugui quickly added, “Secretary, you might not know yet, but Xiaoxiao’s father is Zhong Guosheng from our village—the one who sacrificed his life a few years ago while rescuing an official during a mountain inspection…”

Upon hearing this, Secretary Wang’s grip tightened on Zhang Chunxue’s hand, and a deeper emotion spread across his face. “So she’s from a martyr’s family! That’s truly remarkable! Truly remarkable!”

The villagers nearby, including Liu Cuie, Huang Xiaolan, and Gao Xiuli, were stunned into silence.

Top in the entire county? Among the top three in the whole city?

Is this... really true?

They glanced at Zhang Chunxue, whose hand was warmly held by Secretary Wang, and then recalled their earlier words, feeling a burning shame flush across their faces.

“Where is Xiaoxiao? Bring the child out quickly!” Secretary Wang urged.

“Oh! Oh!” Zhang Chunxue finally realized and quickly turned to shout into the house, “Xiaoxiao! Xiaoxiao! Come out quickly!”

The door curtain lifted, and Zhong Xiaoxiao peeked her head out.

She looked at the crowd packed tightly in the courtyard and at the unfamiliar faces—clearly important people—and froze for a moment.

What’s going on?

When her gaze landed on her homeroom teacher, Mr. Sun, and she heard the village chief and secretary’s words just now, it dawned on her.

The young girl’s face flushed instantly; she shyly lowered her head, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes.

At that moment, Town Mayor Li Aimin smiled as he stepped forward, his voice loud and warm.

“Comrade Zhang Chunxue, Xiaoxiao! This time, it’s not just verbal praise. The town and county have prepared rewards for our outstanding student!”

He exchanged a knowing look with Vice Mayor Ma, who immediately stepped forward carrying a large, bulging mesh bag.

The bag looked festive, and what was inside was substantial.

“Here, Xiaoxiao, take this!” Vice Mayor Ma smiled as he handed the mesh bag to Xiaoxiao.

Zhong Xiaoxiao looked at Zhang Chunxue, unsure.

Zhang Chunxue nodded at her, signaling her to accept it. Xiaoxiao then extended her trembling hand and took the heavy bag.

Through the mesh, it was clear to see brand-new white enamel jars stamped with the red character for “Award,” along with pristine white towels and soap cases.

What made Zhong Xiaoxiao’s eyes shine even brighter was a brand-new canvas schoolbag, thick stacks of exercise books, a neatly bundled set of pencils, and a Hero-brand fountain pen gleaming with metallic luster!

All of this... was for her?

Her heart pounded wildly, as if it might leap out of her throat.

Before she could fully recover from this overwhelming surprise, Deputy Secretary Zhou stepped forward, holding a thick kraft paper envelope.

“Xiaoxiao, inside this is a cash prize of one hundred yuan awarded by the county!” Deputy Secretary Zhou solemnly handed the envelope to Xiaoxiao.

“One hundred yuan!”

“Oh my goodness! That’s equivalent to three or four months’ wages for a regular city worker!”

The gathered villagers erupted in uncontrollable exclamations, even more shocked than when they heard she ranked first in the county!

One hundred yuan!

These days, how many laborers can save up a hundred yuan after working hard for a whole year?

And this girl just took an exam and got one hundred yuan?!

Deputy Secretary Zhou looked at Xiaoxiao and added, “Inside the envelope, there’s also a recommendation letter jointly issued by the town middle school and the county education bureau, recommending you to attend the county’s best high school!”

The crowd completely exploded!

“What? She can even go to high school in the county?”

“That’s the county high school! I’ve heard that everyone who graduates from there can become officials!”

“Wow! This Zhong family girl is about to soar and become a phoenix!”

“One hundred yuan prize and a recommendation letter from the county high school! This... this really is a blessing from the ancestors!”

Envy, jealousy, disbelief... all sorts of complex emotions played across the villagers’ faces.

Many who had mocked Zhang Chunxue just moments ago now felt their faces burn with embarrassment, wishing they could disappear into the ground.

Liu Cuie’s narrow eyes were now wide open, fixed intently on the mesh bag and the envelope holding the one hundred yuan in Xiaoxiao’s hands.

Her gaze was naked, unabashed greed—she seemed to want to pounce and snatch them away at once!

Her breathing grew heavy, her chest heaving violently.

Zhang Chunxue watched her daughter clutch the heavy rewards, her heart a tumult of feelings.

Excitement—pride in her daughter’s achievements.

Sorrow—because this was so different from her previous life.

She clearly remembered that when Xiaoxiao graduated from middle school last time, although her grades were good, there was never such a grand occasion!

Not to mention town leaders coming in person—there wasn’t even such a stir in the village.

Could it be…

Zhang Chunxue’s gaze suddenly turned cold as it swept over Liu Cuie, Huang Xiaolan, and Gao Xiuli, whose faces had turned sour.

In her previous life, it wasn’t that this recognition and reward didn’t exist, but that those wicked, black-hearted people had intercepted it midway!

It might even have been that because they knew Xiaoxiao did well, they rushed to marry her off, fearing the longer it went on, the greater the risk—that she might really have the chance to attend high school!

The more she thought about it, the colder Zhang Chunxue’s heart became. If… if she had known all this in her previous life, even for the sake of Xiaoxiao’s “utilitarian value,” would she have so easily given her up, allowed them to push her into the Wang family’s inferno, where that damned Wang Laowu beat her to death?

Regret and anger intertwined as Zhang Chunxue’s nails dug deeply into her palms.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the storm within, forcing a smile as she addressed Secretary Wang and the others, “Leaders, please… please come inside! Our home is humble, but there’s water to drink.”

Secretary Wang waved his hand, his smile still kind.

“No need, Comrade Zhang Chunxue. We won’t trouble you. We’ll just visit the village committee nearby to learn about the situation.”

As he said this, Secretary Wang glanced at the villagers lingering in the courtyard and frowned slightly.

“By the way, when we arrived, we saw so many people gathered outside your house, making a racket. What’s going on?”

Upon hearing this, Liu Cuie, Huang Xiaolan, and Gao Xiuli’s faces instantly paled.

Many villagers who had chimed in earlier lowered their heads, looking guilty and avoiding eye contact.

Seeing this, Zhang Chunxue’s lips curled into a cold arc as she sneered, “Ha! Secretary, Mayor, respected leaders, you’ve come at just the right time! Let me set the record straight! I want to send my daughter to school, to continue attending high school!”

She suddenly pointed at Liu Cuie, Huang Xiaolan, and Gao Xiuli, whose faces had gone deathly pale. “But before I, her mother, could even say a word, her own grandmother, her uncle’s wife, and her third aunt— they already want to sell her off!”