“Who would have thought that Dr. Gu is actually from our county? That’s such an honor!”
“That’s the doctor who can cure tuberculosis! And now I’ve met her parents—what a privilege!”
“Ah, brother and sister, how did you raise such an outstanding daughter like Dr. Gu?”
Before they knew it, Old Man Gu and Yao Chunhua were surrounded by a crowd, their words full of praise.
At first, the couple was flustered by the attention, but when they realized everyone was complimenting their daughter, their faces lit up with joy.
“Yes, yes, look—this is my daughter!”
“Oh, so beautiful! Both talented and capable!”
“That’s right. Our Ningning is also very filial. She married an officer from the capital and has incredible medical skills…”
“And she made it into the newspapers! She’s the pride of our county!”
…
This was the first time Old Man Gu and Yao Chunhua had been surrounded and celebrated for their daughter’s achievements. Their hearts swelled with pride and happiness, their smiles stretching wide.
Exchanging a glance, they both thought the same thing: See? Loving and cherishing our daughter was the right choice. Look how accomplished Ningning has become!
The village secretary watched the couple being mobbed by the crowd, then looked down at the newspaper in his hands, his face flushed with excitement.
A child of their Huaihua Village had made it big!
She’d been featured in newspapers across the country and become a celebrity!
He had always thought Gu Jianing was special—beautiful and talented. Ah, if only my own son had been more capable. Maybe he could have pursued her and made her my daughter-in-law.
How enviable it was for Yao Chunhua and her husband to have such a daughter!
Of course, the secretary would never admit that back when Gu Jianing was chasing after Wen Zhuqing, he had been utterly disappointed in her. He had even warned his son repeatedly: Don’t you dare fall for Gu Jianing! A girl who’s so hung up on another man, who’s only good-looking but can’t even work properly—she’s absolutely not wife material!
The secretary thought, How rare it is for someone from our Huaihua Village to make the newspapers! We have to make sure the whole village knows.
This was their village’s glory!
In any case, he had managed to get his hands on every newspaper that featured Gu Jianing.
He decided that from now on, three times a day, the village broadcast would read aloud the articles about Gu Jianing’s achievements.
This would continue for a full month.
He wanted the entire village to take Gu Jianing as their role model.
He also wanted the Gu family to know how much Huaihua Village valued their daughter.
Who knows? Maybe in the future, when Gu Jianing became even more successful, she’d give back to Huaihua Village.
After all, this was her hometown—the place where she grew up, where her parents and siblings still lived.
But the secretary, eager to rush back to the village, couldn’t leave just yet.
Because he, along with Yao Chunhua and Old Man Gu, had been invited by the county leader for tea.
Nothing serious—just tea.
The county leader was exceptionally warm, especially toward Gu Jianing’s parents, Yao Chunhua and Old Man Gu.
When the county leader first saw the newspapers, he had been amazed by Gu Jianing’s story.
At the time, he had lamented, If only such a remarkable person could come from our county!
But as he read on, he realized—Hey! Dr. Gu Jianing really is from our county! She’s a native of Huaihua Village!
He was instantly thrilled and overjoyed.
Having such an outstanding figure emerge from his county would count as a political achievement for him!
Someone like her, and her family, deserved special attention.
That way, if Dr. Gu Jianing ever became even more successful, she might give back to Qingshan County.
Of course, there was another reason.
Gu Jianing was a doctor—an exceptionally skilled one who could cure tuberculosis.
He knew just how difficult tuberculosis was to treat.
In these times, he also knew how many people died from it.
So, the level of her medical expertise was beyond doubt.
And in life, who didn’t face illness at some point? At such times, a highly skilled doctor became invaluable.
Therefore, it was absolutely necessary to build a good relationship with Gu Jianing and her family.
As luck would have it, he had just heard that Gu Jianing’s parents were in the county today, so he immediately sent someone to invite them over.
As for the village secretary of Huaihua Village? Well, he was just an afterthought.
After speaking with Yao Chunhua and Old Man Gu, the county leader learned that not only was Gu Jianing an extraordinarily talented doctor, but she had also married a military officer in his twenties who held the rank of deputy regimental commander.
What did that mean?
It meant this officer also had an incredibly bright future!
Both husband and wife were capable people with limitless prospects—befriending them was a must!
However, the county leader also realized that Gu Jianing had married outside the county. But from their conversation, he could tell that Gu Jianing was deeply attached to her family.
While he couldn’t directly assist Gu Jianing and her husband, he *could* help the Gu family.
By supporting the Gu family, Gu Jianing and her husband would surely remember the kindness.
Thinking of the few state-assigned job quotas he currently had, the county leader decided to allocate two of them.
By the time Yao Chunhua and Old Man Gu left the county leader’s office, they had been given one job placement at the grain station and another at the supply and marketing cooperative.
The couple felt dazed.
“Old man, pinch me. Am I dreaming?” Yao Chunhua said.
“No, you pinch me,” Old Man Gu replied.
The next second, Yao Chunhua gave his waist a hard pinch.
Old Man Gu yelped, but instead of complaining about the pain, his face lit up with excitement. “It hurts, so it’s real! The county leader really gave us two state-assigned job positions!”
“Yes! And at the grain station and the supply and marketing cooperative, no less!”
Both were highly coveted jobs—lucrative and full of perks.
In these times, even money might not be enough to secure such positions.
Yet the county leader had just handed them two quotas, free of charge.
How could they not be overjoyed?
But soon, they snapped back to reality.
Old Man Gu was the first to speak. “We have to tell Ningning about these two job placements.” They were fully aware that these opportunities had come solely because of their daughter.
“Right, we must tell her.”
“Whoever gets these jobs, our three sons and daughters-in-law need to know that it’s all thanks to Ningning. They must remember her kindness.”
“Absolutely. But we know our three boys, Manman, and Su Miao—they’re not ungrateful. Even before Ningning got married, they doted on her endlessly.”
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