Chapter 48: Translation

The two of them hid the tricycle and the boxes in the space in the deserted alley. Xia Ning’an removed her makeup and returned to the guesthouse, just in time to see Xia Ninghao asking the receptionist if they had seen her.

“Second brother, I went out to greet Zechen, wait for me a while, I’ll go get the things.”

“Oh, why didn’t you wait for me? It’s so cold this morning, you still ran outside.”

“Second brother, did you take down the baskets?”

“Yes.”

Xia Ning’an quickly went upstairs, changed her clothes, grabbed her bag and went downstairs.

The baskets were left with the receptionist. The three of them went out for a walk.

They went to the state-owned restaurant for breakfast first.

“Zechen, do you know any fun places in the provincial capital? We went to the Forbidden City yesterday and bought a camera at the Friendship Store. Today we’re going to play, we can take pictures.” Xia Ning’an happily shared with Lu Zechen.

“You’ve been to the Forbidden City, there’s also a Marshal’s Mansion nearby, do you want to go visit?”

The Marshal’s Mansion is a complex of buildings consisting of four parts: the East Courtyard, the Middle Courtyard, the West Courtyard, and the outer buildings. Each building has a different style, including traditional Chinese, a blend of Chinese and Western, Roman, Nordic, and Japanese.

The three of them took many photos there. Lu Zechen also took the opportunity to benefit himself, taking many photos with Xia Ning’an. He didn’t take many photos of himself, which made Xia Ninghao jealous, so he dragged his sister to take a lot of photos.

When the three of them came out, they met a group of people who had just arrived.

“Hello, comrade.” Xia Ning’an turned her head and saw that it was the group of foreigners she had met at the Friendship Store yesterday. The one who called out to her was one of the people from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who had come over last night.

“Hello, comrade.” Xia Ning’an nodded politely.

“Comrade, I didn’t get a chance to thank you yesterday, I ran into you today.”

“It’s nothing, just a small favor.”

“Comrade, may I ask, your English is so good, where do you work?”

“I’m from the countryside, I’m here to do some business in the county.”

“Can we talk for a moment?”

Xia Ning’an glanced at the people waiting nearby.

The man immediately said something to his colleagues, and the others went in first.

“Comrade, it’s like this, our foreign affairs department is in dire need of translators. Your spoken English is so good, do you have any interest in working here?”

Xia Ning’an was stunned for a moment when she heard this, then she understood and said, “Sorry, I don’t have any plans to work for now.”

The man was a little disappointed to hear her refusal, but he couldn’t do anything about it, so he asked again:

“Comrade, do you have time to take books home and translate them?”

“That’s possible.”

“Then, comrade, can you come to the Foreign Affairs Department with me now? I’ll get you the paperwork.”

Xia Ning’an turned to look at her second brother and Lu Zechen. Seeing that they had no objections, she agreed.

The other party had a car, so the four of them got in. On the way, Xia Ning’an introduced herself, Lu Zechen, and Xia Ninghao.

The man also introduced himself. He was a department director of the Foreign Affairs Department named Wang Hai.

When Wang heard that her fiancé was a soldier, he was even more relieved and secretly rejoiced that he had found a treasure. You know, in this situation, finding someone who speaks English is like finding a needle in a haystack, let alone someone who speaks English so fluently.

When they arrived at the Foreign Affairs Department, Xia Ning’an translated a short passage orally. She didn’t need paper or pen, she was fluent as if she were speaking her native language. Wang quickly processed her documents. Xia Ning’an looked at the document that said “National Special Personnel Work Certificate” and felt confident. With this certificate, she wouldn’t be afraid of being reported by malicious people.

Wang gave her two books and asked her to choose one first, and try to translate it within two months. The remuneration would be calculated based on the accuracy of the translation.

Xia Ning’an flipped through the two books, both of which were about law.

“Director Wang, if you need them urgently, I can take both. I can translate them within two months.”

“That’s great, of course the sooner the better. You don’t know how long these two books have been sitting here for months, and no one could translate them. You’ve really solved my urgent problem.”

“I’ll do it as soon as possible. After I finish translating, if I don’t come to the provincial capital, I’ll mail them over.”

“Good, good, good.”

They exchanged addresses, and Director Wang also gave her his office phone number.

The three of them walked out of the Foreign Affairs Department. Xia Ninghao said with pride, “Little sister, you’re amazing.”

“Of course, don’t forget who my sister is.”

This sentence hit Xia Ninghao’s heart, and he was speechless for a moment.

“An’an, why don’t you work at the Foreign Affairs Department? This job is very rare.”

“I still want to go to school for now. Besides, I can earn more by translating at home, and I don’t have to commute, be managed, or have a fixed work schedule.”

Lu Zechen and Xia Ninghao thought it made sense. Earning money while staying at home was an idea they had never had before.

“Second brother, let’s go to the department store and buy a bicycle.”

“Okay.” Xia Ninghao’s eyes lit up at the mention of a bicycle.

The workers were still at work today, so there weren’t many people in the city.

The three of them went straight to the department store.

“Let’s go look at clothes first.” Lu Zechen pulled Xia Ning’an along.

The siblings naturally had no objections. It was rare for them to come to the city together, and they wanted to buy everything.

They arrived at the clothing section. Lu Zechen chose three pieces of clothing and asked the saleswoman to take them down for Xia Ning’an to try on. Xia Ning’an thought all three were pretty good, Lu Zechen had good taste.

A white sweater paired with a deep yellow straight skirt, with a thin padded jacket on top.

In the end, Xia Ning’an chose the sweater and skirt.

Xia Ning’an looked around and found that the styles of the overcoats here were very ordinary, not in terms of style. She decided to buy some fabric and make them herself.

She pointed to a black mid-length padded jacket, “Please take that one over and let me try it on.”

The saleswoman quickly brought over the corresponding sizes for the two of them. Lu Zechen and Xia Ninghao tried them on casually and found that they fit well and were warm, so they took them. “Just these two.”

Lu Zechen frowned, “An’an, choose some more. Pick a few more thick clothes?”

The saleswoman heard this and looked at them curiously. What kind of family was this? Buying clothes like they were wholesale.

“No need, I don’t like the other styles. It would be a waste to buy them and just leave them there. Let’s choose some for Mom and Dad. Later, we’ll go look at fabrics. If there are any nice ones, we can buy them and make them ourselves.” Xia Ning’an shook her head.

If she hadn’t found knitting too troublesome, she wouldn’t have even picked out this outfit.

Lu Zechen saw that her expression was genuine, so he didn’t force her.

He chose thick, long padded coats for Xia’s father and mother. After all, it was still very cold in the north during the coldest months, so warmth was more important.

After paying for everything quickly, Lu Zechen took them to the fabric section.

The saleswoman here saw that they had bought so many clothes and her attitude instantly became enthusiastic. “Comrades, what kind of fabric do you need? Let me introduce them to you.”