Four years passed in a flash.
Summer 1975.
July is the hottest time of the year. Under the dappled shade of the trees, two women slowly walked towards the office.
The older woman is Lan Qiyuan, the head of the Translation Section of Su Province.
She had neat short hair tucked behind her ears and was wearing a clean and tidy Lenin suit. Her voice was crisp and powerful, and she looked generous, steady and capable.
She said to Lin Zhengran, "The situation this year is much better than in previous years. Although our situation is good, it's still not as good as places like Jing City. Mr. Jiang from Jing City asked me to take you, and I don't want to keep you."
Lan Qiyuan smiled with relief, and looked at Lin Zhengran and said jokingly:
"If I weren't nearly sixty this year, I would have competed with you. Being able to translate for someone like Mr. Jiang would be a lifetime honor for me."
Mr. Jiang’s name is Jiang Fu, and he is a founding father of China.
He is one of the main leaders of the Party and the country, and also a very powerful politician. Working with such a person is really a blessing.
Four years ago, Lin Zhengran went to the Soviet Union to work as a translator. After exceeding the task requirements, he was noticed by his superiors and was transferred to work in the Translation Department of Su Province.
At that time, there were not many people who could speak Russian. Due to her own advantages, she was promoted a lot over the years and more people got to know her.
In recent years, she has traveled outside the province with the leaders of Su Province and has also accompanied officials to attend various national activities.
So someone noticed her.
Lin Zhengran hesitated and said, "This time is different from before. I'm going to translate English, and I'm going to an international event. I'm afraid..."
She was halfway through her words when Lan Qiyuan, who had experienced this era, of course knew what she was afraid of.
Lan Qiyuan immediately laughed and said, "What are you afraid of? You have a good family background, and you have Commander Qin protecting you. If all else fails, General Jiang won't let you jump into the fire pit, right?"
"Things are different now than they were before." Lan Qiyuan turned around and sneered, "Just wait, those troublemakers have been causing trouble for more than ten years, and now it's their turn to suffer."
Lin Zhengran remained noncommittal. According to Nanfeng, the college entrance examination would be resumed in two years.
The two of them walked up the stairs to the second floor. Lan Qiyuan said, "The people over there want you to reply as soon as possible. I'm informing you today. I'm replying on your behalf. Report to Beijing within ten days. You should get ready and leave."
Lin Zhengran was neither smiling nor not smiling, "I haven't discussed this with my husband yet. This time I'm going there and will probably settle down there. My husband and I will live apart. If he finds out, he'll be really angry with me."
Lan Qiyuan chuckled and said, "I don't care what you and Commander Qin discuss. As long as you get to the capital within ten days, that's all."
"If you go, I'll add another achievement to my political career. The students I trained will serve as interpreters for the founding fathers. I'll have something to brag about in the future. Your Commander Qin is not within my consideration. I don't care."
She smiled and waved.
Lin Zhengran said with a smile, "How dare you brag that your students are better than your teachers? Won't people laugh at you to death?"
"Why not?" Lan Qiyuan immediately retorted sternly, "I have a broad mind, so I can accommodate those who are more capable than me. The Yangtze River's waves behind push forward the waves ahead. The fact that future generations are more capable than us proves that our country is constantly progressing."
Lan Qiyuan sneered, "If anyone dares to laugh at me, I'll scold him all the way to his house."
Translators make a living by talking, so they won't suffer any loss no matter what they eat. Lin Zhengran knows this very well.
After Lan Qiyuan finished speaking, he glanced at her and asked, "Who outside is gossiping about me again?"
There was a lot of gossip, most of which said: Sooner or later she would replace the section chief and take his place, but the teacher was completely unaware of it and was still very caring towards her.
People say Lan Qiyuan is stupid and that Lin Zhengran has evil intentions.
Lin Zhengran had heard similar words many times, and Lan Qiyuan might have known it too, but neither of them paid much attention to it.
Lin Zhengran waved his hand to deny it. Why bother to make the teacher unhappy with such words? Besides, she was leaving too, and her words would be self-defeating by then.
She was worried about something else.
Lin Zhengran and Lan Qiyuan walked into the office. They sat facing each other. She poured Lan Qiyuan a glass of water and said:
"This time when I go to Beijing, I will probably start by translating conferences and documents.
My age is here, I am 35 this year, and there are many people who are younger and more capable than me. How are they worse than me?
Don't have too much hope in me. Mr. Jiang might have asked you for someone because he admired me and was impulsive. Otherwise, there are people younger than me. Why would they want me? "
Lan Qiyuan drank his tea and looked at her with a knowing look. Just as he was about to speak, a man knocked on the door. He said shyly:
"Deputy Section Chief, Mo Siwen said he couldn't translate the German document you gave him, and it needs to be circulated before the end of the shift. He hasn't touched a single word yet. What should we do?"
Lin Zhengran frowned.
Mo Siwen has been against her for a long time.
It got even worse when she became deputy chief of the translation department.
Before, he was just throwing a tantrum and didn't dare to go on strike. Now he's throwing his temper? Who gave him the confidence?
Lin Zhengran turned to look at the teacher.
Lan Qiyuan poured himself a cup of tea and said with a smile: "You are still a deputy section chief."
The implication is that he is still your subordinate and you can deal with him as you please.
Lin Zhengran immediately asked the person at the door, "I remember you can speak German. Go look for his information and sign it with your name."
Zhou Rui hesitated. It wasn't that he didn't want to translate. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him, but he couldn't afford to offend Mo Siwen.
Mo Siwen's father is the secretary of the municipal party committee of Su Province. He is just a commoner with no backing. If he offends anyone, he will be finished.
Lan Qiyuan sneered when he saw his wavering attitude.
Lin Zhengran understood why the teacher laughed like that. He didn't like the fact that Mo Siwen often used his family's status to bully others, and now he was bringing this kind of behavior to their department.
So I'm unhappy.
Zhou Rui's ears were red outside the door. He admitted that he was scared, but he was really scared.
Lin Zhengran looked directly at Zhou Rui and said, "Go now and ask him to bring the documents over."
Zhou Rui's complexion looked much better. He bowed and left.
Lan Qiyuan looked out the door with a smile that didn't reach his eyes and said:
"Why do you think the people in Jing City are asking us for help?"
Without waiting for Lin Zhengran to ask, Lan Qiyuan said, "Now that the country's borders are loosening, officials are going abroad on diplomatic missions. That's because they're short of people, so they're recruiting talent everywhere."
Lin Zhengran knew everything immediately after hearing this, "Mo Siwen is going to Beijing too?"
Lan Qiyuan nodded and continued, "The higher-ups haven't come to me to ask for someone. A playboy has been here for four years and doesn't have any skills to show for it. Even if they asked, I wouldn't give it to him. There's no way he'd go out and embarrass me."
Lan Qiyuan looked down on Mo Siwen because he was arrogant and didn't know how to be humble.
Being a translator is a huge responsibility. In addition to having solid professional knowledge, one must also be calm and composed.
Mo Siwen likes to show off everywhere like a peacock.
So even if someone came to Lan Qiyuan to ask for someone, she would not let Mo Siwen go. As she said before, she was afraid of losing face.
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