306: Showing Off

"Indeed," Zhang Hong nodded, "you must be cautious, as this is a very important matter."

"Okay."

Seeing Su Hanyan volunteer to help with translation, Yan Yi felt worried whether she would be competent. But then she thought, if Su couldn't handle it, she wouldn't have stepped forward in the first place.

"In that case, I'll trouble you," Yan Yi murmured softly, coughing lightly to cover her words.

Su Hanyan smiled gently and explained to the delegation, "Our translator isn't feeling well, so I'll take over from here."

She promptly rephrased their previous conversation in fluent English, which the foreign delegation understood. They nodded in acknowledgement as she introduced their situation.

Su Hanyan quickly organized her thoughts and accurately conveyed the foreign party's intentions. After the initial translation work was done, they proceeded to visit the technical department, production lines, the factory's affiliated hospital, kindergarten, and more.

As both sides' staff prepared to leave, Yan Yi hurried to Zhang Hong and whispered quickly, "Director Zhang, I don't think I can manage alone. My throat is really sore today, and my stomach feels uneasy. Your staff seem capable; why not let her accompany us and share the load?"

"Alright, alright," Zhang Hong readily agreed, then gestured towards Su Hanyan.

Su Hanyan knew instantly that she was to accompany them.

Yan Yi had been appointed as the translator but hadn't prepared adequately, making it difficult for her to convey information accurately. Seeing how fluent Su Hanyan was in her translation, Yan Yi reluctantly let her take the lead, ensuring the task was completed.

If anything went wrong, Yan Yi's reputation might suffer.

Su Hanyan followed them, starting with the technical department where Zhou Ningkai was to introduce and discuss.

Seeing Yan Yi there, Zhou Ningkai's eyes lit up.

After Zhou Ningkai finished speaking, his gaze turned to Yan Yi with a smile, expecting her translation.

Unexpectedly, Yan Yi remained silent, and Su Hanyan spoke instead.

Her English was impeccable, her pronunciation accurate, and her translation precise, earning smiles of approval from the foreign delegation.

After a brief exchange at the technical department, they proceeded to the production line. Su Hanyan naturally took the lead, translating all the way with impeccable manners.

When they finished visiting these two places, Su Hanyan stopped and addressed the director and the foreign delegation, saying, "Our translator colleague is feeling much better now and ready to continue working. So, I'll accompany everyone from here."

"Oh, that's unfortunate. Your translation was excellent, your English fluent. This is the first time I've seen a Chinese person speak English so well!" The foreign delegates all gave her thumbs up.

"Thank you for your praise. My job is to accurately convey both parties' intentions, and your approval is the best recognition for me! Thank you!"

After a round of applause, the delegation continued their tour.

Su Hanyan returned to the conference room, expecting them to return for tea after the tour.

We also prepared gifts for them; she planned to display them now for easy presentation when they departed.

Just as she reached the door, she encountered Zhou Ningkai.

His expression was displeased as he questioned Su Hanyan, "Do you enjoy showing off? Do you know how rude it is? Yan Yi is the real translator! You showing off at this time, do you think you're very capable?"

[the neurology department is that way]

307: Natural Talent

Su Hanyan crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, squinting slightly at Zhou Ningkai. "Could you please use your brain when you speak? If the leader hadn't agreed, would I have gone to translate?"

Her tone and gaze made Zhou Ningkai feel somewhat foolish, insulting his pride.

"What do you mean? With Yan Yi, a high-achieving student who studied abroad, do we still need you to translate?"

"Heh." Su Hanyan smiled, a hint of disdain in her laughter. "Exactly, why wouldn't this high-achieving student who studied abroad do the translation? Why did they let me do it? You can ask her! And you can ask her, if I hadn't spoken today, who would have taken the limelight?"

Zhou Ningkai seemed to understand her implication but found it hard to believe.

Yan Yi was a highly educated returnee from overseas studies, while Su Hanyan was just a female worker who had graduated from a vocational school. The difference between them was vast. Even if Su Hanyan knew a bit of English, how could she compare to Yan Yi?

"How is that possible? How could this be possible?" he muttered to himself.

"Nothing is impossible," Su Hanyan said proudly, "there's a word in this world called 'talent,' you should know that, right?"

"Su Hanyan, you've really changed..." Zhou Ningkai looked at her smile, which seemed dazzling and took him a long time to spit out this sentence.

"The world has always been changing, and how many people are unchanged?" Su Hanyan patted her chest, "Even if I change, I can still be true to my conscience! Zhou Ningkai, what about you?"

Zhou Ningkai was stymied by Su Hanyan for a long time and couldn't say anything. He took a deep breath, "Okay, I'm not going to talk to you. The paths are different, and there's no conspiracy."

Watching Zhou Ningkai leave, Su Hanyan made a face at his back.

In terms of verbal confrontation, who had she not lost to?

As lunch approached, the delegation returned to the conference room. After a brief pause, they were about to leave. Lunch was arranged by the municipal trade union in a large hotel in the city, not by the company.

Director Zhang instructed Su Hanyan to deliver the prepared gifts to the foreign delegation and escorted them to the factory gate for their final farewell.

Once the delegates boarded their vehicles, Yan Yi's task was complete, and she no longer needed to accompany them to the restaurant. The city leaders would handle the guests with separate arrangements.

With the work completed, everyone could return to their respective positions.

As Su Hanyan turned to leave, Yan Yi called out to her.

"Su Hanyan, please wait."

Su Hanyan stopped and looked at Yan Yi calmly. "Is there something you want to say to me?"

"I want to talk about today. I was careless today, and last night was an emergency call. I didn't prepare well enough..."

"I thought you were going to thank me," Su Hanyan smiled, "You don't need to explain to me. I never doubted your English proficiency, after all, you're a high-achieving student who studied abroad. Just hope you can prepare better next time to avoid problems in haste."

Yan Yi's face looked a bit unsightly.

She was a teacher at a foreign language university, and the girl named Su in front of her was just a factory worker. She actually spoke to her in an educational tone, making her feel embarrassed.

"I don't need to thank you." Yan Yi restrained the faint smile on her face, slightly raising her chin, her jawline tense. "On the contrary, you should thank me. If I hadn't been unprepared, you wouldn't have had the opportunity to show off today."

308: Featured in the Newspaper

Su Hanyan smirked, a playful expression on her face. "You two are indeed friends, your opinions align so well, quite a match!"

"What?" Yan Yi raised her eyebrows.

"Before you came to find me, Zhou Ningkai also came to find me, thinking I stole your limelight! Tell me honestly, did I steal your limelight, or did I help you out? Of course, I don't need your thanks; I'm just doing it for the sake of our factory's work." Su Hanyan said this and turned to leave.

"Wait." Yan Yi's expression turned cold, her words stiff, "Your English is very good. I want to ask how you learned it?"

Su Hanyan didn't even look back. "Self-taught."

Unconsciously, Yan Yi clenched her fist. When she left the factory, it felt like there was a heavy stone pressing on her chest, suffocating and heavy.

...

The next day, the city newspaper was printed.

Director Niu was all smiles during the morning meeting. She took out the Beijing Daily and briefly read it aloud in front of the entire propaganda department.

The newspaper reported on the visit of the foreign delegation to the factory, featuring several photos. The photos captured Su Hanyan translating for the foreign guests, smiling gracefully and looking very photogenic.

In addition, the newspaper specifically praised Su Hanyan's precise and fluent interpreting skills, while also acknowledging the hidden talents and capabilities of the factory.

The newspaper spread across thousands of households.

Old man Jin, who usually loved reading and keeping up with current affairs, was quite surprised when he saw this report. "Old lady, come and take a look! This Su Hanyan is not simple at all; her English skills are really remarkable!"

"Really?" Jin Yan, with her reading glasses, read it carefully for a while. After finishing, she folded the newspaper. "Look, didn't I say so? Our little girl is quite capable! Look at her, usually low-key, but she shines when it matters!"

"But..." Jin Shujing looked at the newspaper and had a question in his mind. "Didn't Yan Yan say she went to be a translator? Why isn't she mentioned in the article?"

"I don't know about that. Could it be that her skills are not as good as Yan Yan's?" Jin Yan speculated.

"In that case... what Zhou Ningkai said that day is also not credible!" Jin Shujing frowned and thought carefully. "This child, she's capable of such a high level..."

"Old man, I think our child is definitely better than that director. Don't you think so?" Jin Yan said confidently.

"Yes, you're right." Jin Shujing felt much relieved in his heart, but he still said cautiously, "We still need to observe and be cautious."

[lmao grandpa jin, have confidence in your grandson]

...

Su Hanyan appeared in the newspaper, and everyone in the courtyard knew about it.

Early in the morning, several old neighbors in the courtyard picked up the newspaper and headed straight to Su Dajiang's house, especially Mrs. Lin. She pushed the newspaper in front of Su Dajiang's face.

"Dajiang, take a look, look at this, Yan Yan is really outstanding! She's in the newspaper!"

Su Dajiang had just finished feeding his wife Wei Guiqin, and hearing that his daughter was in the newspaper, he found it unbelievable. "Where? Let me see!"

"Here, look..." Mrs. Lin pointed it out to him. "Isn't this Yan Yan? They said Yan Yan's translation was excellent! I heard from my son, nowadays those who can speak English are all talented! They can make money doing translations!"

309: Discussing Marriage Prospects

Su Dajiang looked at the newspaper report about his youngest daughter, unable to contain his joy. "I never thought among my four children, Yanyan received the least care, but she turned out to be the most promising!"

"Exactly!" Aunt Lin beamed, not sparing her praises for Su Hanyan. "Dajiang, think about it, our child's in the Beijing Daily! That newspaper is well-known to everyone! Now that Yanyan's appeared in such a famous newspaper, she's bound to become a celebrity in the future!"

"I really didn't expect this, really didn't expect!" Su Dajiang rubbed the newspaper. "Old sister, can I keep this newspaper? I want to save it!"

"Of course, why not!" Aunt Lin chuckled, her face full of wrinkles. She looked at Wei Guiqin lying on the bed and began to scold her, "Guiqin, I'm asking you, do you regret it now? This child is so capable, yet all you do is scold and fight all day, causing mother and daughter to drift apart! Now look at how well Yanyan is doing, making money and gaining fame! What about you? From now on, I think you should get along well with your child. Do you hear me?"

"Sigh..." Wei Guiqin sighed deeply. "It's too late. This girl has long stopped acknowledging me."

"It's all because of your own actions!" Aunt Lin glared at her. "Just be more careful from now on. Besides this matter, I came here today to talk about another thing. Do you remember the marriage proposal I mentioned last winter? My nephew came to visit me, and he happened to meet Yanyan. He quite likes her. Since you're not pursuing the marriage with the Zhou family anymore... Now that my nephew mentioned it again, I thought I'd ask, what do you think about proposing this to Yanyan?"

"She doesn't let me meddle in her marriage." Wei Guiqin waved her hand. "Talking to me won't help."

"Why not? You're her mother! You parents are really irresponsible! Yanyan is already 23, right? She's not young anymore! It's okay for a son to marry late, but if a girl of her age can't find a suitable match, that's not good! She'll end up an old spinster, wouldn't that be troublesome?"

Su Dajiang felt Aunt Lin made sense. "Old sister, you're right. We've been negligent about this! Yanyan is indeed at that age, she should be getting married."

"That's right." Aunt Lin clapped her hands. "My nephew's conditions are also good, 25 years old! He's a section leader in the steel rolling workshop at the factory! Quite spirited! He makes over fifty dollars a month! If you're willing, let them meet."

"Okay. I'll talk to Yanyan."

"Talk to the child nicely." Aunt Lin patted Su Dajiang's arm. "If the child agrees, let them meet; if not, forget it. We can't force the child! Do you hear me? If it works out, it's a good match; if not, it's not meant to be. We'll still be relatives, if not, we'll be neighbors!"

"I understand, old sister."

"Good, then I'll go back and wait for your news!"

Just as Aunt Lin left, Su Chuanjuan came in with two trays of steamed buns.

"Dad, Mom! What did that old lady come here for?" As soon as she entered, she handed the steamed buns to Su Dajiang, then turned to the mirror in the room, admiring the hairstyle she had just permed yesterday.

"She came to talk about marriage for your sister." Wei Guiqin struggled to sit up. "Help me up, I want to eat a bun!"

310: Misunderstood

Su Chuanjuan kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the bed, propping Wei Guiqin against the pillows. She handed her a steamed bun, saying, "What good can that old lady say about matchmaking? Just ignore her!"

"Don't ignore her, ignore you?" Su Dajiang glared at his second daughter. "You're living quite comfortably. You don't care about your younger sister at all. She's twenty-three and still unmarried! The neighbor kindly introduced a prospect, and you're meddling in it?"

"I really wasn't just meddling," Su Chuanjuan immediately retorted. "Dad, you've misunderstood me. I actually came this time to introduce someone for her!"

"You?"

"Exactly, me!"

"Tell us about it." Su Dajiang pulled over a chair and sat down, eager to hear her out.

"Mom and Dad! The person I introduced to Yan Yan is in business, with a very good family background. He can earn several thousand yuan a month from his business! That adds up to tens of thousands a year! He looks decent, a couple of years older than Yan Yan! And he knows how to care for others!" Su Chuanjuan explained.

"With such good conditions, shouldn't he have found a suitable match long ago? Why is he still unmarried at this age?" Su Dajiang questioned.

"He was busy with his business."

"I think the young man Aunt Lin introduced sounds good too..." Wei Guiqin interjected after listening for a while.

Before Su Dajiang could finish, Su Chuanjuan interrupted, "Why listen to that old lady? Can her nephew's conditions be better than the one I introduced? Quickly withdraw that one and meet mine directly! He even said, if things work out, the dowry is negotiable! Even if it's a few thousand, they won't bargain! Of course, he also bought a house, planning to move in with his new wife! In the future, whatever you want to eat or drink, just go to the restaurant!"

"Really?" Wei Guiqin's heart was moved as she listened.

Money was tight at home now, and conditions were tough. The eldest daughter-in-law was already pregnant, and they needed a place to weather the storm. The couple had no money; how could the child be healthy?

The third son lost his job and now works as a waiter in a restaurant, earning little each month. If the match with the Lin family fell through, they'd have to find another bride.

Wasn't it necessary for a bride to come with a dowry? Didn't they need to consider his job?

If they could marry their youngest daughter into a good family, they could help the family indirectly.

If that's the case, there's no problem.

Thinking of this, Wei Guiqin said to Su Dajiang, "Da Jiang, tell Yan Yan. Let her meet the person her second sister introduced. I'm an incompetent mother who hasn't been good to her child. She resents me... I've realized my mistakes; now I just want to find a good family for my child! As long as she marries well and doesn't worry about food and clothing, I'll be content."

"You finally said something sensible." Su Dajiang nodded in approval at his wife's words. "Alright, soon, I'll talk to Yan Yan."

"Dad!" Su Chuanjuan stopped him. "You know her temperament. I guess she won't want to listen to the family's arrangements at all! You don't need to inform her in advance. Just let Baojun take her directly after work. It's pointless to persuade her!"