At the military's group wedding, my best friend and I swapped husbands.

Chapter 115 Commendation Ceremony! HeShe has rendered meritorious service!

Anar bit her lip, and after a long while, she finally nodded gently.

But she still didn't take the sanitary napkin back.

Lin Weiwei knew that she couldn't change it in a short time.

She rewrapped the sanitary napkin and stuffed it back into Anar's bag: "Take it for now, it's fine if you don't use it. Use it whenever you've thought it through."

After seeing Anar off, the two returned to the house, both looking rather dejected.

"It's too difficult." Lin Weiwei collapsed onto the bed. "Deeply ingrained ideas can't be changed just by us saying a few words."

Su Wanwan sat on the edge of the bed: "Yes. Adults avoid talking about it, so naturally children feel ashamed. If we want to promote sanitary napkins, it'll be harder than climbing to heaven."

Just then, a voice called from outside the courtyard: "Is Comrade Lin Weiwei home?"

Lin Weiwei got up, walked to the door, and saw that it was Wu, the propaganda officer, who was riding a bicycle and parked outside the fence.

"Officer Wu?" Lin Weiwei perked up. "What brings you here?"

Officer Wu got out of the car and walked over with a smile: "I've come to ask for your help. Our propaganda department needs to put together a new bulletin board in the next couple of days, with the theme 'Military-Civilian Unity, Building the Frontier.' The department head saw the mural you painted in Shazao Village and thought it was particularly good, so he asked me to ask if you would be willing to help us design the bulletin board?"

Lin Weiwei was taken aback: "Me? Go to the publicity department to draw bulletin boards?"

"Yes." Officer Wu nodded. "Draw it on the big blackboard at the entrance of the battalion headquarters. We'll provide the content, and you'll write it. Once it's finished, everyone in the regiment can see it."

Lin Weiwei's heart skipped a beat.

At the entrance of the military camp, people come and go; if the painting is done well, it can have a significant impact.

And... this is an opportunity.

She glanced at Su Wanwan, who nodded at her.

"Okay!" Lin Weiwei readily agreed. "When do we start?"

"It'll be ready right now!" Officer Wu said happily. "All the materials are ready, we just need someone who can draw well."

Lin Weiwei turned around, picked up the cloth bag, and said to Su Wanwan, "Wanwan, come with me and give me a hand."

Su Wanwan smiled and replied, "Okay."

The two followed Officer Wu to the battalion headquarters.

On the way, Lin Weiwei's pent-up frustration dissipated, and her mind became more active.

The blackboard bulletin board... is a good platform.

Can't you draw other things besides depicting the unity between the military and the people?

For example...women's health?

She shared this idea with Su Wanwan, who thought about it and said, "We can give it a try. But we have to be subtle and not too direct. We can start by drawing some pictures that praise female soldiers and model workers, and subtly influence them."

Lin Weiwei nodded: "Yes, take your time."

When we arrived at the camp entrance, there was indeed a large blackboard, with a ladder next to it, and chalk and paint were ready.

Officer Wu handed the text to be promoted to Lin Weiwei: "That's basically it. Take a look at how to arrange the layout."

Lin Weiwei took it, glanced at it, and saw that it was all just routine slogans and policy propaganda.

She had an idea in mind, picked up the chalk, and first sketched out the general layout of the blackboard.

She wrote the title in a neat and powerful style, leaving space next to it for an illustration.

"Draw a female soldier here," she pointed to the upper left corner, "holding a gun, looking very heroic."

Su Wanwan handed her a piece of chalk: "You can draw a female model worker in the bottom right corner, wearing a straw hat and holding a sickle."

"Yes." Lin Weiwei continued working, "In the middle, draw a scene of soldiers and civilians working together, with soldiers and civilians repairing irrigation ditches and planting trees together."

She drew quickly, with smooth lines, and although the figures were simple, their expressions were vivid.

Officer Wu, watching from the side, nodded repeatedly: "Good, very good! Comrade Lin, with your abilities, it's a pity you're not in the propaganda department."

Lin smiled slightly, didn't reply, and focused on her painting.

When painting female soldiers and model workers, she deliberately painted the figures as upright and spirited, with smiles on their faces and bright, sparkling eyes.

Su Wanwan whispered to Weiwei, "Weiwei, you can add some small decorations next to them."

Lin Weiwei understood and drew a few clumps of tenacious sea buckthorn flowers at the feet of the female soldier, and a golden wheat field behind the female model worker.

Full of life.

After drawing for most of the afternoon, the blackboard bulletin was basically finished.

The headline is eye-catching, the illustrations are vivid, and the layout is clean and tidy.

Many soldiers and their families who were passing by stopped to look at the painting, pointing and commenting on how well it was drawn.

Officer Wu was very satisfied: "Comrade Lin, thank you so much! This time our bulletin board is definitely the best in the whole division!"

Lin Weiwei dusted off her hands with chalk dust: "You're too kind. Just call me anytime if you need anything."

On the way back, as the sun set, the Gobi Desert was once again bathed in golden-red light.

Lin Weiwei felt much better: "Although the shame about menstruation can't be resolved in a short time, at least today's work wasn't in vain."

Su Wanwan took her arm and said, "Yeah. Take it slow, things will change eventually."

The two talked as they slowly walked back to their family compound.

That night, after Su Wanwan and Lin Weiwei went back to their homes, they went to sleep as usual, but the other women in the family compound couldn't sleep.

They huddled together and whispered about the sanitary napkins that Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan were researching!

"What are those two sisters-in-law of the Bai family doing? How could they bring up such a thing?"

"Exactly, I heard that the thing they're researching is made of cotton. Cotton is so precious, how can they use it on that kind of thing?"

"How shameless!"

"They're not just shameless, they're downright brazen!"

Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan never expected that the women in the family compound would learn about sanitary napkins in this way...

Early the next morning.

In the morning, the regimental headquarters issued a notice that a general meeting of all soldiers would be held, and all companies, departments, and even family members in the residential compound had to attend.

Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan followed the group toward the auditorium.

"What's going on? Why all this fuss?" Lin Weiwei asked softly.

Su Wanwan shook her head: "I don't know. Maybe it's an announcement about hope Yao."

The auditorium was already packed with people, a sea of ​​black.

The two found seats on the side and sat down. They saw that the regimental leaders and battalion and company commanders were sitting in the front row, with serious expressions.

Bai Rongbei and Bai Si'an were also in the front row, dressed in military uniforms, sitting upright.

Wang Xiuying and Gu Lin sat on the other side, both with their heads down, their expressions unreadable.

At the start of the meeting, the team leader gave a speech, summarizing recent work and praising some outstanding units and individuals.

Then, the political commissar stood up and picked up a document.

"Now, I will announce a disciplinary decision."

The auditorium fell silent immediately.

The political commissar's gaze swept across the entire room, finally settling on Wang Xiuying: "Wang Xiuying, a soldier in the cultural troupe, was complacent and lax in discipline during her performances in the countryside. When the lives and property of the masses were threatened, she failed to fulfill her military duties in a timely manner, and even engaged in acts of fraudulently claiming credit and deceiving the organization. After deliberation by the troupe's Party Committee, it has been decided to give Comrade Wang Xiuying a demerit and order her to make a profound self-criticism at a troupe-wide meeting."

As soon as he finished speaking, a low murmur arose in the auditorium.

Wang Xiuying's face was deathly pale, and her fingers were tightly gripping her knees.

The political commissar continued, "Considering that Comrade Wang Xiuying also fought against the criminals and was injured while protecting the masses during the incident, her actions had certain positive aspects. Therefore, her merits and demerits cancel each other out, and no further punishment will be imposed. We hope that Comrade Wang Xiuying will learn from this lesson, correct her mistakes, strictly abide by discipline, and conscientiously perform her duties in the future."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Now, please invite Comrade Wang Xiuying to come up to the stage and make a self-criticism."

All eyes turned to Wang Xiuying.

She slowly stood up, her steps unsteady, and walked step by step onto the stage.

Standing in front of the microphone, she lowered her head and held a crumpled piece of paper in her hand.

"Distinguished leaders, comrades..." her voice trembled, "I...I was wrong..."

The self-criticism was read haltingly, nothing more than an admission that one's "ideological awareness was not high," "discipline was weak," and "disgraced the organization," and a promise to "strengthen learning" and "strictly abide by discipline" in the future.

As she read on, her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.

The audience was quiet; no one spoke or applauded.

After Wang Xiuying finished reading, she looked up, her eyes red and her face full of embarrassment.

She bowed deeply, then quickly walked off the stage, returned to her seat, and lowered her head.

Gu Lin was not punished because it was Wang Xiuying's idea, so she was spared punishment.

However, Gu Lin was also severely criticized by her father, who said that she should not have listened to Wang Xiuying and was so greedy for credit!

The political commissar waited for her to sit down before speaking again: "Now, I will announce a commendation decision."

He picked up another document: "Soldier Su Wanwan of the cultural troupe, during a performance in the countryside, remained calm and courageous in the face of danger. When the lives of the masses were threatened, she stepped forward to protect children and dealt with criminals, demonstrating the responsibility and awareness that a revolutionary soldier should have. After deliberation by the troupe's Party Committee, it has been decided to issue a commendation to Comrade Su Wanwan throughout the troupe and award her a third-class merit."

The applause rang out, much more enthusiastic than before.

Su Wanwan was stunned for a moment before she realized what was happening and quickly stood up.

The political commissar nodded to her: "Comrade Su Wanwan, come up here."

Su Wanwan walked onto the stage, and the political commissar handed her the certificate of merit and medal.

"Thank you, organization." Su Wanwan accepted it and saluted.

The political commissar patted her on the shoulder: "Keep up the good work."

"yes!"

Su Wanwan stepped off the stage and returned to her seat. Lin Weiwei grabbed her hand, her eyes sparkling, "Wanwan, that's great!"

People around them turned to look, their eyes filled with envy and admiration.

Wang Xiuying sat not far away, her head hanging even lower, her fingers gripping the hem of her clothes tightly.

Gu Lin sat next to her, her face also pale, her head bowed, and she didn't say a word.

After the meeting ended, the crowd slowly walked out.

Su Wanwan and Lin Weiwei moved out with the flow of people. When they passed by Wang Xiuying, Wang Xiuying suddenly looked up and glanced at Su Wanwan.

His eyes were complex, filled with resentment, bitterness, and a hint of inexplicable embarrassment.

Su Wanwan didn't dodge. She calmly glanced back at her, then looked away and walked away with Lin Weiwei.

Stepping out of the auditorium, the sunlight was blinding.

Lin Weiwei breathed a long sigh of relief: "That felt so good! Let's see if she dares to do anything naughty again! She even had to wait ten minutes after discovering Gou Dan'er before going in; she deserved it!"

Su Wanwan carefully put the medal into her pocket: "Yes, if she hadn't had to wait those ten minutes, the spies might not have come, and... I didn't expect to do a good job."

"You deserve it." Lin Weiwei put her arm around her shoulder. "Come on, let's go home and celebrate! We have to cook something delicious today!"

Just as the two were about to leave, Wu, the propaganda department officer, ran over and stopped Lin Weiwei.

"Comrade Lin Weiwei, the recruitment notice for the Publicity Department has arrived!"