A few days later, the commendation ceremony was officially held at the Great Hall in the capital.
Standing before the solemn and imposing Great Hall, Jiang Si felt a surge of complex emotions.
This was her second time stepping inside here.
Last time, she had sat in the audience as a military family member, but this time, she had stepped onto the stage as an Advanced Worker.
From family to individual, both were honors, yet Jiang Si's state of mind was completely different.
This leap in both status and capability was undoubtedly an excellent news angle for the reporters from various newspapers outside the venue.
As expected, once the ceremony concluded, Jiang Si was immediately surrounded by journalists as soon as she stepped out of the Great Hall.
Fortunately, this wasn't her first time facing such a situation.
Perhaps because she was a few years older, or perhaps because she was in her element, Jiang Si faced the reporters' questions with confidence and composure.
She answered every question with ease, earning silent nods of approval even from the accompanying staff.
By the time the interview finished, it was already quite late.
Since the whole family wanted to watch the news broadcast that evening, they decided against having the celebration dinner out.
Jiang Si had only learned yesterday that Mother Huo had generously added another television set to the old house.
By the time she got home, dinner was already on the table.
The family enjoyed a lively meal together, and before seven o'clock, everyone started clearing the dishes.
At half past seven in the evening, the capital's TV station began broadcasting the "TV News" program on schedule.
Not long after the news started, the two little ones pointed excitedly at the TV screen.
"Look, Mom! Mom's on TV!"
"Shh." Huo Tingzhou quietly hushed the children. "Watch the news properly."
As he said this, his eyes remained fixed on the screen, not blinking for a moment, afraid of missing a single frame.
Jiang Si initially felt a bit awkward, as everything shown was staged footage.
With the entire family now staring at the screen, she felt so embarrassed she could have dug a three-bedroom apartment right there on the spot.
But it had to be said, the cameraman's skills were truly exceptional.
The captured angles and lighting were just right, perfectly showcasing her dedication at work, her sincerity in interactions, and her excitement during the commendation.
Of course, the editor also deserved credit, as the pacing was handled masterfully.
Combined with the narrator's commentary and fitting background music, the final result was unexpectedly impressive.
So much so that even after the news segment ended, everyone still seemed to want more.
In fact, the segment was already quite lengthy.
Normally, a thirty-minute program would typically feature three news stories.
This time, dedicating nearly twenty minutes to Jiang Si already indicated significant attention.
Naturally, the segment also included many other shots, with the two little ones having the highest screen time.
Because of this, the two children were even more excited than Jiang Si herself.
After watching the news, they clamored to go to bed, worried about missing their appointment with their little friends the next day.
The next morning, the two of them were up and washing before 6:30 AM.
But they had clearly forgotten that there was someone else whose excitement had been overflowing last night.
Just as the brother and sister were about to go to the bedroom to wake their mother, they were scooped up by Huo Tingzhou, who had stepped out just ahead of them.
"Shh." He made a gesture, lowering his voice. "Mom is still sleeping. Don't disturb her."
The two little ones nodded hurriedly, even engaging in a bit of self-reflection.
"Dad, we were wrong."
"Mom takes us to kindergarten every morning, it's really hard work! And she can't even rest on the weekend."
"..."
Listening to the children's surprisingly insightful words, Huo Tingzhou rubbed his nose, his face growing warm.
He was just about to change the subject when, no sooner had he started, Jiang Si sleepily opened the bedroom door.
Seeing her emerge, the father and his two children at the doorway all looked somewhat uncomfortable.
Jiang Si looked puzzled. "What are you three doing standing around the doorway?"
Hearing this, the two little ones quickly apologized with serious expressions. "Mom, we're sorry, we woke you up! Go back to sleep, we won't bother you!"
Jiang Si, having been coaxed and kept up by a certain someone until the early hours, indeed hadn't slept well.
But remembering that today was the first time the children had invited their good friends over, she, as their mother, couldn't just not prepare anything, could she?
Before she could speak, however, the children added, "Mom, it must be so tiring for you to take us every day. Starting tomorrow, don't take us anymore, we can go to kindergarten by ourselves!"
The kindergarten was right inside the residential compound, less than a ten-minute walk from home.
Along the way, they would meet lots of other children; it was very safe.
Jiang Si's mind was still a bit foggy and she didn't quite process it at first.
It wasn't until the children added, "That way, Mom can sleep a little longer in the morning," that it clicked.
Hearing this, Jiang Si gave Huo Tingzhou a strange look. "What did you say to them?"
He hadn't gone and pinned the "black hat" of tiring her out onto the children again, had he?
He must have! Otherwise, why would the kids bring this up out of the blue?
Huo Tingzhou: "..."
How should he explain this?
He couldn't very well say that the children were just too sensible and too good at self-reflection, could he?
One look at his expression, and Jiang Si immediately understood.
Ignoring him, she looked at the two children.
She only took them to and from school each day; calling it hard work was really an overstatement.
Patting their little heads, Jiang Si said earnestly, "For Mom, taking you to and from school every day is a very happy thing."
She meant every word of this; there was no intention to deceive them.
The time to accompany children as they grow is inherently limited. On the daily walks to and from school, listening to the two chatter about the funny things that happened at kindergarten...
For Jiang Si, this was indeed a happy and precious time.
"Alright." Seeing they still looked conflicted, Jiang Si smiled and changed the subject. "Weren't you going to have friends over to play today? How many are coming?"
Sure enough, at the mention of this, the children's attention was instantly diverted.
"There's Qingqing, Niu Niu, Honghong, Little Gang, Lei Lei..." In no time, they listed a whole string of names.
She knew the children were popular, but she hadn't expected them to be this popular.
By the sound of it, at least twenty little friends would be coming over soon.
So, right after breakfast, Jiang Si busied herself preparing snacks for her little guests.
The items had been prepared earlier: tiger skin cake rolls, alphabet cookies, fruit, White Rabbit milk candies, and the orange soda the children loved to drink.
Additionally, Huo Tingzhou fried a large plate of shrimp chips.
They had brought these shrimp chips back from Shanghai during the New Year. Just as the two of them were busy with the preparations, the two children came running over again.
They stood there without saying anything, just following Jiang Si around.
Jiang Si asked, "What's the matter? Is there something else?"
Suisui glanced at his younger sister and, in the end, took on the responsibility of being the big brother.
"Mom, are there... enough cups at home for all the kids to use?"
Jiang Si smiled. She had thought it was something serious.
The house might not have everything, but it certainly had no shortage of cups.
"Of course..."
She didn't finish her sentence. The words died on her lips when she saw a flicker of disappointment flash across the two little ones' faces.
After a pause, a sudden understanding dawned on Jiang Si. "Actually, it seems we might not have enough."
As she said this, she signaled to Huo Tingzhou to bring out the set of cups Manager Mo had given her a few days ago, the ones printed with the "Yihe" logo.
Seeing this, the two children's eyes instantly lit up, their voices brimming with excitement. "Thank you, Mom!"
Finally, it was Huo Tingzhou who couldn't stand by any longer. He stopped them and added a gentle reminder.
"This set is porcelain, and it was given to Mom as a keepsake. You must be very careful when you drink your orange juice later, understand?"
The brother and sister nodded emphatically!
