"Okay, okay, Changhai, with your words, I’m reassured," Secretary Yang said with relief.
The team leader recalled what Zhang Guihua had bragged about a few days ago and asked Jiang Changhai for confirmation, "By the way, Changhai, I heard from Aunt Guihua that the color TV at your place was invented by Mianmian?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Changhai’s internal alarm bells rang loudly, and he denied it without hesitation, "Team leader, that’s just a rumor. My daughter is still so young, how could she invent a color TV? Actually, the TV was brought back from the Capital City by Yu Cheng. It just had a small issue, always changing channels, and Mianmian figured it out after tinkering for a few days."
"Oh, I see," the team leader nodded, suddenly understanding.
He thought, how could such high-end technology as a color TV be invented by a nine-year-old kid? It must have been them boasting!
Zhang Guihua, after all these years, still hasn’t changed her habit of talking big. If he didn’t ask Jiang Changhai, he might have believed it was true.
Seeing that both the commune’s team leader and the secretary did not believe his daughter could make a color TV, Jiang Changhai felt relieved, knowing their testimony would make others even less likely to believe it.
Yet his expression remained serious and stern, "Right, so we must not spread rumors nor believe in them."
Changhai is right, as the people of communism, we should neither spread nor believe in rumors," Secretary Yang nodded in agreement, then couldn’t help praising Jiang Mianmian, "But, how Mianmian managed to fix the TV is still quite impressive."
While they were talking, the person in question, Jiang Mianmian, approached with her hands in her pockets, happily running over to greet them, "Team leader, Secretary Yang, Happy New Year."
"Hey, Mianmian, Happy New Year to you too," both of them responded cheerfully.
Jiang Mianmian, the little prodigy, has indeed brought much honor and face to their commune, and they looked at Mianmian as if she were their own child.
"Mianmian, now that you’re in middle school, don’t play too much, remember to study hard and bring glory to our commune in the future," Secretary Yang advised, placing high hopes on Jiang Mianmian.
"Secretary Yang, rest assured, I definitely will," Jiang Mianmian assured him, standing straight like a little adult.
"Haha, good, very good," Secretary Yang chuckled, patting Jiang Mianmian on the head in praise.
The group chatted a bit more before Jiang Changhai led Jiang Mianmian away.
Father and daughter hand in hand walked home—
"Dad, why haven’t you gone home yet?"
"I was waiting for you."
"Hehe, Dad, you’re so nice. What about big sister and the others?"
"I told them to go ahead and go home."
When father and daughter arrived home, they found no kids in the house; all the children had run off to play with their friends.
Zhaodi, who had feigned a stomach ache, even ran to the neighboring village to play with Shen Qingming.
With Zhaodi’s deliberate efforts to get close over the semester, their relationship had grown much closer, and Shen Qingming was also willing to play with Zhaodi.
During school, Zhaodi would not walk with Da Ya and Er Ya; instead, she’d go to the next class to meet Shen Qingming, and the two would walk to and from school together every day,
spending every day together throughout the semester, getting along very well.
"Auntie, is Qingming brother at home?"
"Zhaodi, come in, your brother Qingming is home," Mrs. Shen called out warmly upon seeing Zhaodi.
Shen Qingming’s parents had a good impression of Zhaodi because they knew she was a good student, always coming first in her class examinations.
She was also polite and sensible.