With Hobbens' guidance, E-Ci's onboarding went smoothly.
He also had his own work to do; after delivering the Jiang porcelain to the Protocol Department, he returned to the European Department.
Jiang Ci had been busy for a while, and when she entered the Protocol Department, she found that there were many people standing in front of her.
"Welcome Comrade Jiang Cijiang to our Protocol Department!"
The director began by saying, "Let's all give the new colleague a round of applause!"
Jiang Ci was startled, and then she heard a clapping sound.
She smiled and said, "Thank you everyone!"
After the applause stopped, Jiang Ci formally introduced herself, "I am Jiang Ci!"
Liu Ke looked at her with a smile, "I've been waiting for you to come!"
“Perfect timing, Liu Ke, why don’t you introduce Jiang Ci to our colleagues?”
"good."
Liu Ke gestured towards the director, "The first person I want to introduce to you is our Director Yan. He likes to drink coffee!"
Jiang Ci certainly knew him; she had seen him at the Great Hall of the People that day.
However, since it was their official meeting today, Jiang Ci naturally had to be nice to her superior, saying, "Hello, Director Yan."
The director chuckled, "Good, good, Comrade Xiao Jiang, some of your colleagues in the department have already witnessed your abilities, but there are still some you haven't worked with yet. From now on, treat the Protocol Department as your home and get along well with everyone!"
Jiang Ci nodded earnestly.
The Protocol Department has a wide scope of responsibility, covering a large area and employing a large number of people.
Liu Ke led Jiang Ci to a woman and said, “This is Mingzhu. She used to be a simultaneous interpreter and is fluent in eight foreign languages. She is a very capable comrade in our Protocol Department.”
The woman named Mingzhu was quite capable. She had short hair, wore a Ministry of Foreign Affairs uniform with a turtleneck sweater underneath, and had a small face, making her look very young.
"Hello, Comrade Ming, my name is Jiang Ci."
Mingzhu said succinctly, "Comrade Jiang, hello."
She didn't exchange pleasantries; after saying those words, she turned and left.
Jiang Ci was taken aback. Liu Ke smiled and said, "She's the busiest colleague in our company. We have a lot of things to discuss with her, so Mingzhu might leave early. Don't worry, she doesn't have a problem with you."
"Why don't you have any objections?" a male voice suddenly rang out.
Jiang Ci turned her head and saw a short, thin man. He critically looked Jiang Ci up and down, curled his lip, and said to Liu Ke, "Yesterday Mingzhu told the director that she didn't want people with less than a university degree or who didn't graduate with an English major. Today, you see her come in. Are you happy about that?"
Liu Ke frowned. "Zheng Xiao, don't talk nonsense."
"That's to be expected. What use would a high school graduate from an educated youth have in the countryside?" the short, thin man named Zheng Xiao muttered bluntly. "If he didn't get in through connections, what else could he be?"
Liu Ke was a little annoyed and was about to argue when Jiang Ci grabbed her arm. She smiled and seemed to have a good temper. "There are still so many people here, Comrade Liu. Why don't you introduce me to all the comrades in the department first?"
"Okay." Liu Ke took a deep breath, then glared at Zheng Xiao. "Shut up! Have you finished your work?"
Zheng Xiao snorted, looked at Jiang Ci with disdain, and turned to leave.
Many others followed him, and their attitude towards Jiang Ci was one of utter fear and avoidance, as if she were some kind of monstrous monster.
Liu Ke's face darkened again.
She suppressed her emotions and introduced Jiang Ci to the other comrades.
Jiang Ci wrote them down one by one.
"These are some recent events that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs participated in. Because of the educated youth movement, most of the events were moved from the evening to noon." Liu Ke handed Jiang Ci a document. "Since you've just joined the department, you'll be doing some clerical work for now. Today, write down the eulogy and documents needed for next week."
Jiang Ci glanced around and her gaze fell on the activities scheduled for next week.
The three high-level receptions for foreign dignitaries require diplomatic remarks, and the two international collaborations require communication with the protocol departments of other countries.
A dense array of work orders.
There will be events almost every day from today until next month.
No wonder people say the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is short-staffed.
"Okay, I understand."
“These written materials have references. You write a few drafts first. If they pass, you take what you have written to the typist and have them type it up before submitting it to the higher-ups for review.”
There are many written documents to be processed in the office. Most of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' written documents are to be given to leaders and foreign guests, so several typists and Chinese typewriters are provided.
Jiang Ci pondered for a moment and said, "Okay, I understand."
Seeing that she was not discouraged and did not back down because she had to learn something new, Liu Ke nodded secretly, "Okay, remember to write a few more drafts after you finish reading the references."
"Liu Ke! Hurry up, we'll be late!"
A comrade called out to Liu Ke.
She will be out all day today receiving foreign guests, so she won't be spending much time at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"Right away—" Liu Ke replied, then turned to look at Jiang Ci, hesitated for a long time, and said, "Zheng Xiao is just like that. As long as you do your job well, there's no need to be afraid of him."
"I have to go now, good luck."
She waved to Jiang Ci and quickly ran out.
Jiang Ci looked around at the busy people, found some documents for reference, and began to read.
Previously, clerks would prepare documents similar to these things, and Jiang Ci would read them aloud; now it's the other way around.
Jiang Ci was quite familiar with these rhetoric techniques, so writing eulogies and other documents was not difficult for him.
Jiang Ci looked around, picked up a pencil, and began to scribble on the paper.
Not far away, Zheng Xiao and a colleague were eating sunflower seeds while looking at Jiang Ci in the distance.
Their relaxed demeanor stood out starkly against the busy scene of the other Protocol Department staff.
"Liu Ke just has a father who's a vice minister? She's really asking for trouble." Zheng Xiao said disdainfully.
“Brother Xiao, we’re just a local bully, we can’t fight a woman like her.” Someone who seemed to be Zheng Xiao’s underling quickly said.
"Zheng Xiao! Have you finished translating your French manuscript? The director needs it!"
Zheng Xiao clicked his tongue and turned to look at his underling.
The younger brother was sweating profusely and looked flustered.
"You didn't do it?" Zheng Xiao squinted. He was a short, thin man, yet he made the 1.8-meter-tall man sweat profusely. "Um... Brother Xiao... I've been following you around... I... I haven't had time to work on that translation."
Zheng Xiao raised his hand and slapped his underling hard on the head. "You can't even handle a simple task properly! What use are you!"
"Zheng Xiao?"
"Hurry up! Hurry up! Are you summoning my soul?!"
Zheng Xiao shouted irritably.
As the busy concierge service fell silent, Zheng Xiao kicked a table leg and cursed again.
Soon, the Protocol Department was busy again.
Zheng Xiao looked around, seemingly searching for someone to help him write.
Everyone avoided Zheng Xiao's gaze, clearly unwilling to provoke this man.
Zheng Xiao cursed under his breath, and soon his gaze settled on Jiang Ci.
He gave a sinister smile.
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