Chapter 52

The task was much larger than Lin Ting had expected.

After translating two diagrams, she received approval from the experienced maintenance worker, who couldn’t read English but understood mechanics.

With a clear plan in place, Director Fang felt relieved and regained his usual composure.

He returned to the office and brought over seven or eight more maintenance manuals.

Lin Ting looked at the growing pile of books and asked in surprise, “Was the entire machine flooded?”

Director Fang waved his hand. “Only two were affected. The others are fine. But I was hoping you could translate all these documents for future use.”

Lin Ting didn’t object. After all, this work paid well. However, she said, “It’ll take a long time to translate everything. I’ll need to bring them back to the army. Is that okay?”

Director Fang hesitated. The factory only had one set of these manuals, and if they were lost or damaged, it would be a huge problem.

After a moment, he asked, “Could you come to the factory to translate instead? We’ll provide transportation and compensation.”

Lin Ting shook her head. “I’m still teaching, so I can’t come every day.”

Seeing his hesitation, she suggested, “The urgent repair manuals should be translated first. For the rest, I heard that Shanghai now offers photocopying services. You could make a backup copy.”

Director Fang had heard about photocopying and immediately considered the possibility. Regardless of translation, having a backup would be beneficial.

As he pondered, Lin Ting resumed translating.

She planned to finish the motor section and move on to the next factory.

Time was tight—Principal Huang had only granted a three-day leave. She could only stay at each factory for three to four hours. Once she proved her ability, she could take the manuals back to the army for translation.

And tonight, she had to visit her husband, Huo Xiao, to check on him.

Pushing aside unnecessary thoughts, Lin Ting focused on translating the complex technical terms.

No matter how rushed she was, she had to do her work properly.

Her plan was clear.

But plans often change.

Just two hours later, after completing the translation of the seventh manual, several factory managers from different industries arrived.

There were representatives from steel, textile, food, machine tool, and radio factories.

They surrounded Lin Ting, greeting her warmly while simultaneously berating Director Fang for monopolizing her help.

Director Fang, who had just learned that Lin Ting could only stay at the steel factory for four hours, felt utterly wronged. With his ears buzzing from the complaints, he asked, “Why are you all here?”

The director of the textile factory scoffed, “If you don’t want people to find out, then don’t do it in the first place!”

Director Fang’s forehead throbbed with veins as he gritted his teeth. “What did I do? Teacher Lin said each factory gets a maximum of four hours. I still have half my time left! Who’s being selfish?”

The director of the radio factory checked his watch. “Lao Fang, you’re not entirely accurate. You have exactly 1 hour and 48 minutes left.”

Director Fang twitched his lips. “How do you know? There are both zeros and whole numbers.”

Director Cheng of the tape recorder factory chuckled. Everyone knew the troops visited Lao Fang’s factory first. Who wouldn’t send someone to keep an eye on it?

After waiting two or three hours for the army personnel to leave, it was obvious what was happening. Only a fool wouldn’t seize the opportunity.

Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t behave this way. Even though it wasn’t an official department, the factory represented Tianjin’s reputation.

Moreover, they often met at city meetings, so they knew and respected each other. However, the recent flood damaged their machines. Each passing day meant further damage and delays in fulfilling signed contracts.

With financial losses looming, no one could afford to sit idle.

Although Director Fang sympathized with his colleagues, he had his own priorities. Not only did he refuse to give up his time, but he also kicked them out of the already cramped office to ensure Lin Ting had a quiet workspace.

Qian Haitao, who understood some English and had been assisting, admired his old classmate. “You’re lucky you know English. Why didn’t I learn it back then?”

Lin Ting sighed. “Knowing English isn’t much different from knowing Russian. I just happened to be useful now.”

He wasn’t being modest. Fluency in English was commonplace in later generations. Right now, skilled translators were rare, making them highly valued. Getting carried away over this would be laughable.

Qian Haitao, unaware of the country’s future progress, viewed things through the lens of the present. “Of course, there’s a difference! You excelled in Russian too. You’re fluent in three languages, which is impressive.”

Lin Ting encouraged him, “If you think it’s good, you can still learn.”

Tempted, Qian Haitao quickly shook his head. “No…” The outside world wasn’t as controlled as the army. Even though his family had a good background, openly studying English was risky.

Remembering something, he hesitated before lowering his voice. “Do you still remember our teachers?”

Lin Ting paused proofreading and glanced at the closed door. “Have you been in touch?”

Seeing no rejection on Lin Ting’s face, Qian Haitao relaxed. “Not fully, but our class monitor and deputy monitor know their addresses. Some classmates secretly send supplies to our teachers. If you want to join…”

“Of course! Let me know next time,” Lin Ting immediately agreed.

Their professors had been true scholars. Regardless of the situation, as students, they couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

Qian Haitao smiled. “I’ll write to the monitor. Also, our Russian teacher is in Tianjin.”

Lin Ting was momentarily stunned before remembering their Russian teacher was a Tianjin native. Slapping his forehead, he asked, “Where is the teacher?”

“Sweeping the streets on XX Road… ahem… I mean, you understand, right?”

“Got it,” Lin Ting replied quickly.

Director Fang entered with a smile. “Teacher Lin, another translation?”

Lin Ting turned with a grin. “Two pages. There’s still an hour left. I should be able to translate the generator section.”

She worked quickly because she had translated similar materials in her past life. Otherwise, technical terms would have been a challenge.

“No problem at all! I trust Teacher Lin. I’ll copy it now.” Director Fang, afraid of making mistakes in English, knew his team could handle the Chinese text easily.

Excited, he prepared to leave with the documents when suddenly, cheers erupted, followed by the familiar sound of machinery starting.

Was it fixed? In just over three hours?

Realizing the possibility, Director Fang, nearly moved to tears, rushed toward the workshop.

Unnoticed, the other factory directors, who had been anxiously waiting outside, took advantage of the moment to storm into the office, pulling and persuading Lin Ting and Qian Haitao to leave.

Their justification was logical—if one machine was fixed, others could be repaired quickly by following the instructions. The steel plant also needed help, and they were still waiting for assistance.

At this point, some factory managers looked at Lin Ting with pleading eyes.

Lin Ting couldn’t bear to refuse, so she followed them in a daze.

When Director Fang returned, thinking he had enough time to translate another flooded machine’s data, he discovered—his office had been ransacked.

Lin Ting had no idea how furious Director Fang was.

After that, she visited four more factories in the agreed-upon order.

At her usual pace, she could visit at most three factories per day. But including the initial steel plant, she had visited five.

As a result, she didn’t return to the army, nor did she get to spend the evening with her husband.

“The dormitory is ready, Comrade Lin. You should rest now,” Qian Haitao had left before dark, and Ning Yu, who knew some English, took over spontaneously after finishing his work.

Lin Ting snapped back to reality, rubbed her aching neck, and checked her watch. It was already past ten at night.

As she came out of her deep concentration, she felt groggy—probably from overusing her brain.

Not having worked this hard in a long time, Lin Ting rubbed her face and lightly slapped her cheeks to wake herself up. Then she weakly thanked him: “I should rest, thank you… By the way, we’re about the same age. If you don’t mind, call me by my full name or Tingting—my friends call me Tingting.”

Ning Yu hesitated before responding awkwardly, “Lin Ting.”

Then, with a stiff expression, he handed her a cup of malted milk from the factory. His voice was cold but his actions were considerate: “Drink this.”

Lin Ting’s heart softened. She smiled, her peach blossom eyes shining. “Thank you, Ning Yu. You’re very kind.”

Ning Yu…

Lin Ting didn’t seem to notice his discomfort. She picked up the cup, took a sip, and then stood up to stretch.

After relaxing her stiff back and finishing the malted milk, she prepared to deliver the translated documents to Director Cheng of the tape recorder factory, who had been waiting nearby.

Just as she opened the door to the temporary office, she spotted a familiar figure in the dim light.

Lin Ting blinked, thinking she was seeing things.

Huo Xiao strode toward his wife. Under the light, he noticed her exhaustion and frowned. When his eyes fell on the documents in her hands, his expression darkened. “You’ve been working this late?”

Hearing about Huo Xiao’s arrival, Director Cheng rushed to greet him. Seeing the officer with four pockets ^[1]which indicates a high-ranking military officer. looking cold and intimidating, Director Cheng worried he might blame Lin Ting. He quickly stepped forward, apologetic: “It’s my fault. Teacher Lin was helping the factory.”

Lin Ting nodded innocently. “Why are you here? No—how did you even know where I was?”

Huo Xiao pursed his lips. His brows furrowed, but his tone softened: “The guard told me you accepted a mission. Weren’t you supposed to visit me this afternoon?”

He had waited all afternoon, enduring Dong Cheng’s endless teasing about being a “wife-waiting stone” ^[2]phrase used to describe someone anxiously waiting for their spouse..

Meanwhile, Lin Ting had been so busy she forgot both him and herself—including their unborn baby.

Thinking of this, Huo Xiao glanced at her belly. “How’s the baby?”

Lin Ting smiled reassuringly. “We’re fine. They took good care of us.”

Director Cheng, still feeling guilty, quickly added, “Yes, Captain Huo, don’t worry. We made sure she was well cared for.”

Huo Xiao shot Director Cheng a glance, nodding perfunctorily. He had no goodwill toward anyone who overworked his wife.

Holding back his irritation, he turned to Lin Ting. “Let’s go to bed now?”

Lin Ting nodded. “Yes, I was just about to. Oh, brother, are you staying too?”

Hearing her call him “brother” so sweetly, Huo Xiao couldn’t stay mad.

Actually, he had never been mad at her—only worried. He immediately softened. “Yes, I’ll stay with you and leave in the morning.”

Lin Ting was happy but still concerned. “But… what about the rescue site?”

Huo Xiao handed her documents to Director Cheng, then gently led her away. “The site is secured. Dong Cheng is handling it. Don’t worry.”

Relieved, Lin Ting waved to Director Cheng. “I’ll head back now.” Then she turned to Ning Yu. “Coming with us?”

Ning Yu shook his head. “No, I still have work to do.”

Lin Ting frowned. “Then have someone escort you to the dormitory. It’s too dark to go alone.”

Director Cheng assured her, “Don’t worry, Teacher Lin. I’ll arrange for someone to take Reporter Ning.”

With that, Lin Ting was finally at ease. She and Huo Xiao walked away, supporting each other intimately. Their figures disappeared into the night, accompanied by a faint, tender voice:

“Are you tired? I’ll get you some water to soak your feet and massage your shoulders—you won’t manage tomorrow otherwise…”

Director Cheng…

Having heard everything clearly, Director Cheng’s expression turned indescribable.

If I had known Captain Huo was like this, I wouldn’t have worried at all!