Fang Huai received the certificate from the leader's hand, but the ceremony was not yet complete.
The leader took an exquisite wooden box from the table and lifted out a medal from inside.
The August First Military Merit Medal was slightly different from the one he had seen in his previous life.
It lacked the red design of later times, featuring instead a shiny gold "Eight-One" in the center of an orange pentagram, surrounded by a circle of silver. The main part of the medal was a whole circle larger than the First Class Merit, dazzling to behold.
The leader personally pinned the medal on him.
After pinning it, he patted Fang Huai's chest.
"During the earthquake, I was in Sha'anxi, and I heard about your story, very brave. Keep up the good work. The firefighting forces are the troops that are most closely connected to the people. You are very honorable, and the responsibility is huge."
The deep voice was accompanied by a gentle smile.
