Shi Jixing's eyes lit up, and he snatched the document, eagerly reading it.
Shi Jixing flipped through the pages, examining them again and again. He suddenly slammed his hand on the table, his face beaming with elation, muttering, "Good! Excellent! Now let's see how arrogant Xu Kuo can be!"
The huge weight on his heart finally lifted, and he could almost see himself holding this perfect translation, boasting to the county party secretary. With this translation, he had solid proof of his ability, and there was no need for that country bumpkin Xu Kuo to point fingers.
Shi Jixing grew increasingly pleased with himself and immediately ordered his men, "Quickly, prepare a generous gift. I'm going to treat Comrade Wang Wenchang to a good meal tonight!"
On the other side, Wang Wenchang bid farewell to his father and, after asking around, finally arrived at the village where Xu Kuo lived.
As soon as Wang Wenchang entered the village, he was surrounded by the curious gazes of the villagers. He was dressed in a smart Zhongshan suit, with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on his nose and a briefcase in his hand. He looked like a cultured man from the city, completely out of place in this village full of mud-covered people.
"Hey young man, where are you from?" an old man carrying a hoe couldn't help but ask.
"It's a small place, not worth mentioning."
The old man smiled, picked up his hoe, and left.
Wang Wenchang hadn't had a chance to ask him about Xu Kuo yet.
Left with no other option, he had to ask others for help.
Just as he was about to leave, he saw a carefree young man strolling over; it was Tan Wang, the village chief's nephew.
Wang Wenchang's eyes lit up, and he quickly stopped him, politely asking, "Comrade, hello, do you know where Xu Kuo lives? I'm from the Xu Daily, and I need to talk to him about something."
Upon hearing the name "Xu Kuo," Tan Wang immediately perked up, sized Wang Wenchang up and down, and pursed his lips: "Xu Kuo? There is such a person in our village, but he's just a farmer. What do you want with him?"
He patiently explained, "I've come to ask Comrade Xu Kuo for help translating a document."
"Translator? Him?" Tan Wang burst into laughter as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. "He can't even write his own name properly, let alone translate? You must be kidding me!"
Tan Wang secretly rejoiced, thinking that these city folks must be idiots to believe Xu Kuo could translate. Perfect, this was an opportunity; perhaps he could use it to build connections with the Xu Daily.
“Comrade, you don’t know this, but Comrade Xu Kuo was…” Wang Wenchang wanted to explain further.
"Ugh, stop with the 'comrade' stuff, it's annoying!" Tan Wang interrupted him impatiently. "If you ask me, you've got the wrong person! For translation, you need to come to me!"
"You?" Wang Wenchang was even more puzzled.
Several of Tan Wang's lackeys immediately jumped out to chime in: "That's right! Our Brother Wang is a genuine college student, a hundred times better than that Xu Kuo!"
"Yes, yes, Wang Ge is very knowledgeable. Who in the village doesn't know that?"
"With Brother Wang on the case, one of them is worth two!"
The group of people, one after another, praised Tan Wang to the skies. They usually relied on currying favor with Tan Wang, hoping to benefit from the village chief's influence, so naturally they were doing their best to show off now.
Wang Wenchang, half-believing and half-doubting, took out an English manuscript from the Xu Daily from his briefcase: "In that case, why don't you give it a try first?"
Everyone held their breath, their eyes wide, eagerly anticipating Tan Wang's display of skill.
Tan Wang took the manuscript and pretended to read it, but the more he read, the uglier his expression became. He didn't recognize a single one of the crooked letters, let alone translate them.
Sweat began to bead on his forehead. He cursed inwardly at what this mess was, but still managed to force a smile: "Well... well..."
Seeing his expression, Wang Wenchang felt a chill in his heart and couldn't help but sigh, "It seems we still have to go find Comrade Xu Kuo."
Upon hearing this, Tan Wang immediately became anxious. He couldn't let Wang Wenchang go to Xu Kuo, otherwise where would he put his face?
He grabbed Wang Wenchang and shouted, "Don't go! Let me tell you, Xu Kuo was a good-for-nothing. Even I, a college student, couldn't translate it, so he certainly couldn't!"
“Oh dear, you…” Wang Wenchang frowned.
Just then, a voice rang out: "Who's making such a racket over there, and even mentioning my name?"
Xu Kuo originally went to find Secretary Wen to inquire about the vegetable market stalls. Just as he reached the village entrance, he heard a commotion and vaguely heard someone mention him, so he came over.
Upon seeing Xu Kuo, Tan Wang immediately reacted as if he had seen an enemy: "You bastard, you dare to come here? Get the hell away from me!"
Xu Kuo looked disdainful and didn't take Tan Wang seriously at all, only glancing at him lightly.
"Xu Kuo, all you do all day is cause trouble!" Tan Wang was furious. "This is a distinguished guest from the city. Aren't you embarrassed enough? Get out of here and stop getting in the way and bringing shame to our village!"
Upon seeing Xu Kuo, Wang Wenchang's eyes lit up. Although the man was simply dressed, his eyes were clear and his demeanor composed, quite unlike the likes of Tan Wang. He quickly stepped forward and eagerly inquired, "Are you Comrade Xu Kuo? That English manuscript..."
"Oh, you mean Captain Wang's English manuscript? I translated it," Xu Kuo readily admitted.
"Hahahaha!" Tan Wang laughed so hard he almost cried, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. "You? Translate? You probably can't even recognize all the English letters, right? Stop bragging here, aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew!" He didn't believe Xu Kuo had any ability at all, and just thought he wanted to show off in front of the city people.
"Tan Wang, shut up!" Wang Wenchang's face darkened, and he shouted sternly.
He could no longer tolerate Tan Wang's rudeness and arrogance. Turning to Xu Kuo, he instantly adopted an extremely respectful expression. "Comrade Xu Kuo, I am truly sorry to have made you laugh. To be honest, your translation skills are so high that everyone in our company is amazed. Our president specifically instructed me to invite you to join the Xu Daily as a special translator. Rest assured about the remuneration; it will absolutely satisfy you!"
These words immediately caused an uproar among those around them.
"What? Xu Daily Newspaper? That's the biggest newspaper in the county!"
"Wow, Xu Kuo is really something!"
"This is going to be a windfall! I'll be a government employee from now on!"
...
The villagers were talking amongst themselves, their eyes filled with envy and jealousy as they looked at Xu Kuo.
Tan Wang was struck dumb, as if by lightning. He never dreamed that Xu Kuo actually possessed such talent and had even gained the favor of the Xu Daily. A fierce fire of jealousy burned within him, making him wish he could devour Xu Kuo alive.
However, Xu Kuo's answer the next moment surprised everyone.
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