I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

A newspaper lay open in front of Li Jing'an, one page featuring his photo and the headline "True Colors." He nodded and began to read. The article recounted his journey from the military to civilian life, his unwavering commitment to serving the people, his courage in the face of social injustice, and his willingness to stand up against bad elements within the ranks. It also described how he helped others and fought against organized crime, even accepting arrest without complaint; how he actively helped his subordinates, living a simple and frugal life, never putting on airs, and treating them like family. The article concluded by calling on everyone to learn from him.

Li Jing'an smacked his lips, feeling a little regretful.

He sighed softly, thinking to himself: If this report had come out two years earlier, and given more space, the headline wouldn't be so lukewarm. It should have been the front page headline "Learn from Comrade Li Jing'an".

What a pity.

He leaned back in his chair, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, his slight smugness suppressed by a hint of displeasure.

Just then, the door was pushed open.

"Congratulations, Brother Li!" Xu Damao walked into the office with a copy of today's People's Daily in his hand, followed by Lao Huang, Zhou Yufei, Song Yun, and others.

"Oh, everyone knows?" Li Jing'an smiled and looked at everyone.

"Brother Li, how could we possibly find out about your affairs so late? I found out a long time ago," Xu Damao said with a grin, taking credit for his achievement.

"Brother Li, look at the great honor you've received! It's even in the newspapers! This is wonderful news! Shouldn't we get together at noon to celebrate with you? Right, everyone?" Xu Damao said, turning to the people behind him, and they all chimed in with agreement.

Seeing this, Li Jing'an narrowed his eyes and chuckled, "Alright. Since you've said so, Da Mao, I can't refuse you or disappoint you, right? Let's get together in the restaurant's private room for lunch today."

"Great!" "Brother Li is so generous!" Everyone cheered.

Li Jing'an shrugged to quiet everyone down, then chuckled and said, "Don't thank me, don't thank me. What does it have to do with me? It's Da Mao, thank you Da Mao. Since Da Mao is so kind, I certainly can't refuse him. Da Mao, you've gone to all this trouble for lunch today." Li Jing'an turned and smiled at Xu Da Mao.

"Huh? Me?" Xu Damao pointed to his nose, about to say something, but was interrupted by Li Jing'an.

"Yufei, I remember we still have some leftover dried abalone from last time in the kitchen, right? Let's make some for lunch today so everyone can have a taste," Zhou Yufei agreed with a smile. Li Jing'an continued, "That's top-quality dried abalone, six heads each! Someone brought it over last time, and I couldn't bear to eat it even though it's been sitting there for so long. Since Damao is treating us today, let's have it."

"You little brat, I'll show you!" Li Jing'an thought to himself as he watched Xu Damao's face quickly turn awkward.

The group left Li Jing'an's office amidst much chatter. Xu Damao was the last to emerge. He turned back, wanting to say something to Li Jing'an, but seeing Li Jing'an's smiling eyes, he shut his mouth. After closing the door behind him, he suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself, muttering, "Serves you right for being so talkative!"

After everyone left, Li Jing'an picked up the newspaper again and admired his own heroic figure once more. It was a pity that it wasn't on the front page, and the photos were all profile shots, failing to capture his spirit and energy fully on the page.

On second thought, this was an unexpected bonus—I hadn't expected it to escalate this much, so I stopped worrying about it.

But I couldn't help but curse inwardly: The people in the propaganda department of the Ministry of Metallurgy are too slow. The direction of the wind is right in front of us, but they still don't know to take the initiative to follow it. Do they have to be explicitly reminded before they will take action?

While he was pondering the developments at the Ministry of Metallurgy in his office, a small meeting was quietly taking place inside the Ministry's building. The minister, several vice ministers, and the head of the propaganda department sat together, their topic of conversation the newspaper article that had specifically praised Li Jing'an.

"Everyone's read today's newspaper, right? Tell me, haha, let's all have a chat." The Minister of Metallurgy tapped the newspaper on the table lightly with his fingers, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. "Let's start from the Political Department, after all, this is part of your job duties."

The director of the political department immediately stood up: "Minister, the People's Daily's special report on Comrade Li Jing'an's deeds in our system is enough to show that it is under the correct leadership of our department and factory that such an advanced role model can emerge. This is inseparable from the cultivation and oversight by all the leaders. Our political work department has already held a meeting this morning, and the next step is to delve deeper into the advanced deeds behind Comrade Li Jing'an and prepare solid materials. In addition, the plan to organize a series of lectures in various factories is also being prepared. Once it is completed, it will be submitted to the leaders for review as soon as possible."

"I don't think we need to be too high-profile, do we? This kid just got lucky and the newspapers reported on him. If we give him more publicity, he'll be so arrogant!" Vice Minister Gao said with a smile.

"Hey, Lao Gao, you're wrong about that. He's one of your soldiers. If he finds out, he'll come to your house and make a scene. We have to publicize it the way we should. How can we show the glory of our Ministry of Metallurgy if we don't? It's not just for him alone." Another vice minister teased with a smile.

"Yes, tell him that he not only needs to speak, but he also needs to speak with spirit and energy, so as not to embarrass our Ministry of Metallurgy." The minister also chimed in with a smile.

"Also, see what individual awards our department can submit, and submit them all. National awards, municipal awards, and awards from our own Ministry of Metallurgy—submit them all. We need to create a buzz to show how much we value him. After all, the newspapers have already reported on it, and we're a step behind; we need to make up for it quickly. The Political Department needs to come up with a plan as soon as possible. We must act fast; we can't wait until this wave of attention dies down. We need to strike while the iron is hot, to show our Ministry of Metallurgy our determination to our superiors." The minister concluded, assigning tasks on the spot.