As everyone had hoped, and just as Edward Faulkner had described to his mother Grace Bolton, the higher authorities’ opinion on the May 15th incident finally arrived.

　　In addition to fully redressing the May 15th incident for Grace Bolton, the official document clearly stated, “The revolutionary masses of your city, represented by Comrade Grace Bolton, have always upheld the fine tradition of adhering to the truth, maintained the correct stance, dared to make sacrifices, resolutely fought against evil forces, and steadfastly upheld the Party’s glorious image. Comrades like this should be carefully protected and boldly promoted.”

　　The contents of the document were conveyed throughout the city, and naturally, the factory was no exception.

　　For a time, everyone knew that the wife of the chief of the general assembly workshop, Henry Faulkner, Teacher Grace Bolton, had high ideological awareness, solid theoretical knowledge, strong professional ability, and boundless political prospects. Those who had previously spoken and acted recklessly at the school were now dumbfounded, not knowing how to end the situation.

　　The municipal party secretary Matthew Warren pored over the original document all night, turning it over and over, and finally discovered some clues.

　　According to his original plan, he had already achieved his goal by using this incident to quietly bring down his old rival Andrew Ford. As for the person involved, Grace Bolton, he could simply offer some perfunctory comfort and send her back, and that would be the end of it.

　　Who would have thought that the higher authorities’ response to the May 15th incident was completely out of the ordinary? Not only was Grace Bolton fully exonerated, but the official document also explicitly recognized Comrade Grace Bolton and even suggested supporting her to take on a leadership position. This was truly baffling.

　　Through studying various media reports and internal references during this period, and after a night of analyzing the red-letter document forwarded by the provincial government, Matthew Warren gradually came to a realization: it seemed that the higher-ups were determined to bid farewell to the previous era.

　　“So what can I do?” Highly concerned about his own political future, Matthew Warren’s mind began to work at full speed, and a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes.

　　Everyone in officialdom hopes to advance. Having already reached the rank of department head, Matthew Warren naturally had the same ambition. Only by keeping up with the times and seizing opportunities could he stand out among tens of thousands of department heads and show his edge.

　　Even if you have someone above looking out for you, you still have to prove yourself; otherwise, how could anyone speak up for you?

　　Relying on his years of experience navigating officialdom, Matthew Warren keenly sensed that this was an opportunity for him.

　　Of course, we need talented people, and they will inevitably be promoted. But those who can discover and promote talent are even more urgently needed! Matthew Warren made up his mind: he would make an exception to promote Teacher Grace Bolton, the people’s teacher who had emerged from the May 15th incident, who had upheld the truth and dared to sacrifice.

　　The municipal party committee held an emergency expanded standing committee meeting, and with approval from the prefectural committee, suspended Comrade Andrew Ford for leadership errors in the May 15th incident and nominated Teacher Grace Bolton as deputy director of the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Education.

　　In addition to this appointment, Secretary Warren specifically instructed the relevant departments to provide economic compensation to Teacher Grace Bolton for the unjust treatment she had suffered for nearly a month.

　　“Our country is not yet wealthy, so this money can only be considered a symbolic compensation for your losses. Please be sure to accept it. Secretary Warren specifically emphasized that this is not just about you personally, but also demonstrates our government’s responsibility to the people.” The cadre delivering the money explained this to Deputy Director Bolton.

　　At this moment, Grace Bolton had already returned home, which she had been away from for nearly a month, with the joy of victory. Neighbors who heard the news came to visit, expressing varying degrees of admiration for Grace Bolton’s righteous actions and offering their congratulations. In short, now that everyone knew Grace Bolton had suddenly become the deputy director of the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Education, they all subtly hinted that Director Bolton should treat everyone to a meal.

　　As for hosting a meal, Grace Bolton had no reason to refuse. After all, she had survived a great ordeal and turned misfortune into a blessing, suddenly rising from an ordinary teacher to deputy director of the Bureau of Culture and Education. It truly felt like a dream, so treating everyone was no big deal, especially since these were all friendly neighbors.

　　It wasn’t until the crowd of neighbors dispersed that Grace Bolton had a chance to look at the compensation money sent by the city. It was neatly packed in a large envelope. In Edward Faulkner’s eyes, the money was very little, almost negligible, but his perspective was thirty years in the future. A bundle of ten-yuan bills, exactly one hundred of them, the ink still fragrant, clearly freshly withdrawn from the vault.

　　Henry Faulkner and Grace Bolton were both stunned—one thousand yuan in total!

　　You have to know that the combined annual salary of Henry Faulkner and Grace Bolton was less than one thousand yuan. To suddenly see so much money at once, how could they not be shocked?

　　“This is a bit too much, isn’t it?” After looking at it for a long time, Grace Bolton muttered.

　　“Yes, it really is a bit much. What should we do?” Henry Faulkner swallowed and echoed.

　　“I don’t know what to do either. What do you think? You’re the head of the household.” Grace Bolton asked.