Chapter 7

As Sun Haiping, the head of the passenger transport department, had not yet finished speaking, a burst of enthusiastic applause immediately erupted, marking the birth of the first technical champion in the Tongshui Railway Sub-division's passenger transport system!

Xiaoyuanhang, upon hearing that he had received a perfect score, felt his head "buzz" and went blank for a moment. Despite his two lives, he could not help but be affected by the situation. He did not hear what Sun Haiping said next, and only came to his senses when all the competition results were announced and the winners were to be named and honored. The first thing he did was to look at Tian Fen, the head of the education office, who was sitting at the head of the row to his left...

At the same time that Xiaoyuanhang looked at Tian Fen, she also looked at him. Her expression was complex, but it was clear that there was no joy or blessing in it. She had set obstacles for Xiaoyuanhang at every turn, and his perfect score and championship in the technical competition undoubtedly slapped her in the face!

Xiaoyuanhang nodded at Tian Fen and then gave her the most radiant smile, immediately turning his head to look at the stage, no longer looking at her. This smile was undoubtedly a smile of victory, a declaration of victory!

In the Tongshui Railway Sub-division, the technical performance competitions of the passenger transport system had always been dominated by the Tongshui Train Section. Whether it was the number of first places in each category or the overall score, the Tongshui Train Section always led. The Guhe Train Section was always the second, playing the role of a supporting character. This time, the Guhe Train Section comprehensively surpassed the Tongshui Train Section, winning the first place in the train conductor group, the first place in the train attendant group, and the overall first place, and also claiming the title of the first technical champion. As the head of the education office, Tian Fen had a share in this success, and this should have been her happiest moment. However, she could not be happy, and Xiaoyuanhang's radiant, defiant smile made her heart tremble with anger!

The naming and award ceremony began. The first to be honored were the six contestants who received the title of "Technical Expert." Although they did not win first place, being able to stand out among the 6,000 people in the Tongshui Railway Sub-division's passenger transport system was enough to make them proud!

The deputy head of the passenger transport department, Li Tiejun, presented the awards to the technical experts. In addition to a certificate, each received a red envelope. In previous technical performances, the awards for the winners were material goods, such as bed sheets, pillowcases, shirts, towels, and heavier items like stainless steel pots and electric rice cookers. This year, the sub-division changed the awarding method, directly giving cash rewards and declaring that the winners of the technical performance competition would be heavily rewarded!

Sun Haiping, the head of the passenger transport department, presented the awards to the technical role models. When he read out the names, he only mentioned Tang Jing, who won first place in the train conductor group, and the name of the business staff member from the Tongshui Train Section who won first place in the business staff group, without calling Xiaoyuanhang to the stage. Although the sub-division said it would heavily reward the winners with cash, it did not specify the amount, and the contestants and team leaders present were all guessing how much the reward would be.

After Tang Jing and the business staff member came down, the host loudly announced, "Next, please welcome Xiaoyuanhang, the train attendant from the Guhe Train Section, who won the overall first place and the title of technical champion, to the stage to receive his award!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the entire venue erupted in enthusiastic applause...

Xiaoyuanhang stood up, straightened his white uniform, and, under the watchful eyes of everyone, ascended the stage. He bowed to the leaders seated on the stage, then turned to face the audience and bowed deeply again, immediately drawing a round of applause!

The first technical champion was personally awarded by Zhang Chaorong, the deputy sub-division head in charge of passenger transport. After handing the certificate and red envelope to Xiaoyuanhang, Zhang Chaorong was surprised by his youth and asked, "Xiao Xiao, how old are you this year?"

Xiaoyuanhang smiled and said, "Hello, Director Zhang, I am 18 years old this year!"

Upon hearing that Xiaoyuanhang was only 18, Zhang Chaorong was even more surprised and exclaimed with a smile, "Only 18? Amazing, amazing!"

"Xiao Xiao, work hard and study the technical and business aspects. The future of the railway belongs to you!" Zhang Chaorong encouraged Xiaoyuanhang, shook his hand again, and then returned to his seat on the stage. Xiaoyuanhang, amid enthusiastic applause, walked down from the stage.

Although everyone was curious about how much money was in the red envelope, the winners were too embarrassed to open them on the spot. Xiaoyuanhang was no different; he could not possibly open the envelope in a hurry to see how much was inside. He felt it with his hand and estimated it to be about 50 yuan.

Finally, Sun Haiping, the head of the passenger transport department, gave a summary speech. He first thanked the sub-division leaders for their concern and support for the technical performance and for allocating special funds to reward the winners. He then summarized the various organizational aspects of the competition and expressed his expectations and requirements for the contestants. Lastly, he announced that the top three winners in the train conductor, business staff, and train attendant groups would represent the Tongshui Railway Sub-division at the Songjiang Railway Bureau's passenger transport system technical performance next month!

At the end of his speech, Sun Haiping revealed the mystery: "According to the spirit of the bureau leaders' speech, to encourage excellence and motivate everyone to learn and practice technical skills, the sub-division has decided to heavily reward those who perform well in the sub-division-level technical performance competition! The technical champion will receive a heavy reward of 80 yuan! The technical role model will receive 50 yuan, and the technical expert will receive 30 yuan!"

"Wow..." A chorus of exclamations and enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience...

Xiaoyuanhang's basic monthly salary was 42 yuan, with 5 yuan for meal expenses, 7 yuan in monthly bonuses, 7.5 yuan in crew fees, and 8 to 9 yuan in income bonuses, totaling about 70 yuan per month. Only during the Spring Festival, when there were holiday overtime fees, did he earn more than 80 yuan. A reward for the technical champion was more than his monthly salary, and it was no exaggeration to call it a heavy reward!

After the naming and award ceremony, the passenger transport department held a meeting with the team leaders of each unit and the contestants who would represent the sub-division at the railway bureau's technical performance. The main topic was the arrangements for the railway bureau's passenger transport system technical performance.

The Songjiang Railway Bureau's passenger transport system technical performance would be held on August 26, which was one month away. The passenger transport department clearly required that these nine contestants not be assigned to crew duties upon their return and should focus on studying and memorizing questions to prepare fully. They were to report to the sub-division on August 16, and the passenger transport department and the vocational education department would jointly conduct a 10-day intensive closed training to strive for good results in the railway bureau's technical performance.

The meeting ended just before the end of the workday. There were no passenger trains from Tongshui to Guhe that evening, so Xiaoyuanhang and his team had to stay overnight in Tongshui and return the next morning.

Although Tian Fen was extremely unhappy that Xiaoyuanhang had won the technical champion, the Guhe Train Section's outstanding performance this time was also partly due to her efforts as the head of the education office. To seek recognition and rewards from the section leadership, she decided to report this good news to the section leadership first. She used the passenger transport department's phone to call Wu Fengshan, the section chief of the Guhe Train Section.

After the call was connected, Tian Fen excitedly reported the good news to Chief Wu. Since taking over as the section chief of the Guhe Train Section, Wu Fengshan had always been overshadowed by the Tongshui Train Section. Every year, when it came to various awards, the benefits always went to the Tongshui Train Section, and he had been harboring a desire to turn the tables. Upon learning that the contestants from his section had completely outperformed the Tongshui Train Section and won the first technical champion, he was extremely excited. He praised Tian Fen generously and asked which train they would be taking back.

Upon learning that Xiaoyuanhang and his team would be taking the morning commuter train back, Wu Fengshan said, "Director Tian, represent me tonight and treat the contestants well in Tongshui. Don't worry about the cost; I'll reimburse you. When you return to Guhe, the section will celebrate your success!"

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PS: This chapter took a bit longer to write, and I apologize for the delay!

{Piaotian Literature}