180 Going Abroad
"Comrade, fill in the information here." After checking the documents and letter of introduction, the staff member handed Ding Xuewen a form.
It was only while they were registering their information that the staff had a chance to take a look at the newlyweds.
They're a perfect match; they both work in good places, and upon closer inspection, they even look a bit like a married couple.
Looking down, the staff member noticed the man's hand trembled slightly as he signed his name, almost dropping the pen. The staff member unconsciously raised an eyebrow: How excited must he be?
After collecting the registration form, the staff took out a new marriage certificate from the drawer and wrote the couple's information and names on the inner page.
"Okay, check if there are any errors in the information."
Ding Xuewen and Ye Zhiqi each had a copy—a small booklet with a bright red cover, a double happiness symbol printed in the middle, and four large characters printed on the back: Family Planning, Frugality and Thrift.
After checking their own items, the two exchanged items and checked them again. Only after confirming that everything was correct did they thank the staff.
Ding Xuewen didn't forget to grab a handful of candy from his bag and place it on the staff's desk, "to share in the good fortune."
It was thanks to him specifically asking Chen Lizhong about the precautions for getting the marriage certificate that he didn't think to prepare some candy in advance.
"Want one too?" Ding Xuewen saw Ye Zhi Qiu looking at his bag, so he took one out of his pocket and handed it to her.
They gave the staff fruit candies, but gave her White Rabbit milk candies.
Ye Zhi Qiu took it and casually stuffed the red booklet into his bag, his voice light and cheerful, "I'm leaving. Mom and Dad are calling us home for lunch. We'll have to cook for ourselves tonight."
What do you want to eat tonight?
"Let me think about it."
"Hmm, no rush, you can take your time to think about it."
Ye Zhi Qiu was used to his answer.
Ye Zhi Qiu then stopped agonizing over what to have for dinner and focused her gaze on the back of the person who was shielding her from the wind.
From the first time she met him, over the years, he had always been this gentle, calm, and extremely patient.
"Oh, right." Ye Zhi Qiu poked his back and said with a smile, "Shouldn't we give Senior Sister Yue He a red envelope?"
After all, they wouldn't have met if it weren't for Senior Sister Yuehe. In a way, Senior Sister Yuehe was their introducer.
“She said she didn’t want to be a matchmaker.” Ding Xuewen came up with another idea: “Give Lin Ting a big red envelope for the New Year.”
Ding Xuewen chuckled, "When Yuehe comes back, she'll definitely say that Lin Ting benefited from her."
Ye Zhi Qiu laughed along, "Senior Sister is a very interesting person."
With Senior Sister Yuehe taking the lead, all the English majors in her year started running to the cafeteria for meals. Before she graduated, she heard that this habit had already spread among the next batch of junior students.
—
The interesting Comrade Guan Yuehe finally arrived at the airport, and all members of the inspection team were assembled.
The delegation was led by Director Ouyang of the Equipment Import Department. The members came from various units, and while several spoke Japanese, a professional Japanese interpreter was also provided.
While waiting to board the plane, Guan Yuehe finally found an opportunity to chat with Zhang Xinbi about topics outside of work.
"You were away on a business trip, did the kids cause any trouble?"
"No, she wasn't awake when I left," Guan Yuehe said. "I had already discussed it with her. She stayed home obediently and waited for me to come back so I could bring her a gift."
Zhang Xinbi chuckled and pointed at her, calculating the time; the baby wasn't even a year old yet, how could they discuss this?
In reality, Guan Yuehe made it sound so easy; she was actually quite reluctant to leave.
Soon, Guan Yuehe had no time to feel reluctant to leave. They were reminded to board the plane.
Guan Yuehe casually helped Zhang Xinbi carry the heaviest bag, and whispered as they walked, "It's my first time flying, I'm a little nervous."
Zhang Xinbi turned around and carefully examined her expression. She couldn't tell that she was nervous at the moment; rather, she was excited.
From the moment she boarded the plane, Guan Yuehe sat upright, listened attentively to the instructions, and then looked around her seat. When the plane took off, she held her breath for a long time before exhaling.
Zhang Xinbi had no idea what happened after that.
I got up early in the morning, first rushed to the Ministry of Foreign Trade to meet up, and then took a car to the airport. The procedures took quite a while. Zhang Xinbi fell asleep not long after.
When she woke up again, the plane had already begun its descent, and Guan Yuehe, who was sitting next to her, was still looking out the window. When she got off the plane, Guan Yuehe was still full of energy.
Carrying two large bags of luggage didn't stop her from striding forward, her spirited demeanor unchanged after ten years.
From the airport to the hotel, Guan Yuehe, like the other comrades, couldn't help but marvel at the sights along the way.
She had known for a long time that Japan's economic conditions were much better than her own country's, but when she saw it with her own eyes, she found that the gap was far greater than she had imagined.
Cars everywhere, outrageously expensive goods in stores...
One of my companions said, "I heard that an ordinary person here can earn tens of thousands of yuan a day."
The others gasped.
What does this mean? An average worker's monthly salary is less than 100 yuan.
No wonder some people can't resist the temptation to stay abroad; the allure of foreign temptations is simply too great.
Although the gap is huge, everyone believes that they will catch up one day.
After a few moments of reflection, no one forgot their mission abroad. Before the meeting even started, everyone busied themselves getting to know each other.
Some suggested that those who understand Japanese should be housed together with those who don't, so they can help each other out if anything happens.
Guan Yuehe and Zhang Xinbi parted ways, but she also met new comrades.
"Hello, I am Guan Yuehe from the Foreign Trade Department."
"Su Linghua of the Ministry of Machinery Industry, I have long admired Comrade Guan Yuehe."
Guan Yuehe smiled, too embarrassed to ask if the person knew her name from the newspaper.
Soon, the female leader from the Ministry of Machinery Industry gave her an answer: "I had heard from colleagues before that Comrade Guan Yuehe was very insightful and paved the way in the negotiations of joint venture projects. Today I finally met her in person."
Guan Yuehe said a few modest words. She thought to herself that if she hadn't been bombarded with sweet words all year round, she would probably be overwhelmed by the praise right now.
Some people did know Guan Yuehe's name because of the newspaper, but they just mentioned it casually as an excuse to get closer to her.
That same day, the company arranged a welcome dinner for them.
When she returned to the hotel, Guan Yuehe pulled out a stack of business cards from her pocket, all of which she had received that evening.
Su Linghua also pulled out a stack of papers and sneered, "We've only just arrived, and someone's already trying to bribe us."
Guan Yuehe was used to it. Not to mention on someone else's turf, even within the country, there were plenty of people who wanted to bribe her.
Of course, there are also those who are arrogant and think that their technology is outdated and that they can't produce good cars without joint ventures.
But then again, everyone knows that China has a vast market now, and there are plenty of people who want to cooperate. Does she expect her to kneel and beg them?
Guan Yuehe took out a pen and marked several of the business cards. She wrote down these people's attitudes, in case she needed to deal with them again in the future.
Know yourself and know your enemy.
On the other end.
"This is all the information on the members of this Chinese delegation." It didn't seem particularly special.
Among those removed were the files of several leaders, but the file of Guan Yuehe from the Foreign Trade Department was pulled out. Joint venture projects usually go through her, so it's not surprising she was singled out, but surely it's unnecessary to single out a mere section chief?
But after glancing at Guan Yuehe's profile, you'll understand why.
My parents, siblings, and I all work in state-owned factories; my spouse is a soldier; and I have received numerous commendations and awards for meritorious service.
This indicates that the family had a good income level in China and did not experience financial difficulties, and that the loyalty of Chinese soldiers to the country is beyond question. The document even states that while in China, they arranged for people to make multiple attempts to bribe them, all of which were rejected.
"If this one won't work, let's try someone else."
Then, another document was pulled out; this one belonged to Su Linghua. It stated that both her parents had participated in the War of Resistance against Japan...
One document after another was pulled out, and the person looking at the documents almost lost their temper.
The person who delivered the documents explained that China now conducts strict political vetting of government-sponsored personnel going abroad, and those selected for the inspection team are very difficult to win over.
After observing for a few days, Guan Yuehe noticed that no one was trying to talk to her about how wonderful life abroad was or how much treatment someone like her deserved. She spoke with a few colleagues and found that everyone was in the same boat, so she stopped dwelling on those unpleasant actions and focused entirely on her daily investigations.
"Yuehe, a few technicians need help with document translation. Are you available?"
"I'll be done soon, give me five minutes."
She said five minutes, not a second more. After finishing her work, Guan Yuehe immediately packed up her documents and got up to walk to the meeting room next door.
It's been a while since I've done any document translation work.
She leaves early and returns late every day, and even her spare time is spent discussing issues with other colleagues. Guan Yuehe is so busy that she has no time to think about anything else. Every night, she takes out a photo of herself, Lin Yiku, and Lin Ting, the three of them, and looks at it.
—
"Look here, who is this?" Jiang Guiying held Lin Ting and pointed out the photo under the glass, urging her to recognize it so that she wouldn't be unable to recognize it when Guan Yuehe came back.
Lin Ting also stretched out her finger and pointed at Guan Yuehe's photo, "Mom!"
"Oh, you remember? That's clever!"
Jiang Guiying had no idea that Lin Ting was held by her biological father every night to look at photos. Even with her eyes closed, she could still open her mouth and call out "Mom," and it had become a habit.
For Lin Ting, after not seeing her for a month, "Mom" had gone from a living person to a photograph. Even if Guan Yuehe herself came back, "Mom" would still be the photograph on the dresser.
"Guiying, there's mutton available outside, aren't you going to line up?"
Jiang Guiying hurriedly carried Lin Ting back, calling out to Guan Aiguo, who was resting at home, to go queue up to buy meat.
Lin Ting was too heavy, making it difficult for her to even jog.
"Guiying, your Yuehe hasn't returned from abroad yet. Will she be able to celebrate the Spring Festival in time?"
“If you miss it, you miss it. The Spring Festival comes every year, and the affairs of the country are the most important.” Jiang Guiying said righteously, but in reality, her mouth was stretched to the back of her ears in a wide grin.
As Jiang Guiying carried the chubby little girl into courtyard number three, the old man who had just spoken said enviously, "Look at Yuehe, she can go abroad for research now."
"What's so strange about that? If the country doesn't send her abroad, wouldn't it be a waste for her to learn those gibberish foreign languages?"
"But then again, Yuehe is really something, the first person from our Ginkgo Alley to go abroad. Tsk tsk! This tiger girl always strives to be first in everything."
Author's note: Tried to write more, failed, even late [crying emoji]
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