Chapter 100: No Wonder the Son Worries About His Wife Running Away!
Chapter 100: No Wonder the Son Worries About His Wife Running Away!
Jiang Xia noticed one of the foreigners was Amy’s father.
Jill also recognized Jiang Xia and exclaimed in surprise, "Miss Jiang, what are you doing here?"
Jiang Xia smiled and replied in French, "I’m here to buy a boat."
At this moment, the foreigner beside Jill asked in English, "Jill, do you know this beautiful lady?"
Jill replied, "A few days ago, she helped me find my daughter at the train station."
John immediately thanked Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia smiled and said it was no trouble, then mentioned she needed to go home, bidding them farewell.
Zhou’s father watched as Jiang Xia spoke fluently with the foreigners, his eyes sparkling. "My goodness, my daughter-in-law is amazing!"
He glanced at Zhou Chenglei with a hint of disdain. "No wonder the son is always worried about his wife running away!"
At that moment, Factory Manager Zhou hurried out and looked at Jiang Xia in surprise. Were all the fishermen these days fluent in French and English?
Or were high intellectuals now turning to fishing for a living?
Factory Manager Zhou wasn’t the actual manager; he was the deputy manager in charge of technology. He only knew basic English for greetings and some boat parts. As for French, he was completely clueless.
These foreign guests had been recommended by a previous client and had arrived unexpectedly, with no prior preparation. The factory manager was frantically looking for a French translator, who wouldn’t arrive for another hour.
After Jiang Xia said goodbye to the two foreigners, she called out to Zhou Chenglei to go home.
"Wait! Comrade Jiang, please wait!"
Factory Manager Zhou decisively said to Jiang Xia, "Comrade Jiang, these two foreign guests have arrived unexpectedly, and our translator hasn’t arrived yet. Could you help me translate for a bit? This order is very important for our shipyard. If we close the deal, it will earn a lot of foreign exchange for the country."
Jiang Xia looked at Zhou Chenglei and Zhou’s father, "Dad, can I help the shipyard as a translator for a while? We’ll go home a bit later?"
Zhou Chenglei naturally had no objections.
The country was focusing on economic development and export earnings, and Zhou’s father knew a bit about it.
Zhou’s father felt it was an honor and that helping the factory manager might lead to better deals in the future. He immediately said, "This is important business, of course, we should help! Manager Zhou just helped us a lot!"
Jiang Xia then said to Factory Manager Zhou, "I can help with the translation, but I’m afraid I might not know some of the technical terms."
Factory Manager Zhou sighed in relief and smiled, "That’s fine. Our translator will be here in an hour. You just need to help me for now. I really don’t understand French at all."
"Alright, I’ll give it a try."
Jiang Xia then turned to Jill and John, "The shipyard’s translator hasn’t arrived yet. I’ll temporarily act as your translator. Is that okay?"
Jill happily replied, "Miss Jiang’s French is excellent. I feel much more at ease with you translating."
Jiang Xia introduced herself to the three of them, and then they all went to tour the shipyard.
Factory Manager Zhou introduced the shipyard’s current shipbuilding technology, and Jiang Xia translated it into French and English.
When Jill, who spoke French, and John, who spoke English, asked questions, Jiang Xia relayed them to Factory Manager Zhou, got the answers, and then translated them back to both the French and English-speaking guests.
She switched between French and English with ease, without a moment’s hesitation.
Not only did Jiang Xia accurately translate Factory Manager Zhou’s words, but she also added a touch of elegance to the shipyard’s presentation, highlighting the meticulous work and craftsmanship of the shipbuilders.
Her voice was clear and melodious, her speech earnest and focused, yet not without a touch of humor and wit. French, being a beautiful language, sounded smooth and pleasant, like a gentle breeze through the pines...
Zhou Chenglei couldn’t take his eyes off her.
Zhou’s father beamed with pride, feeling the honor of his lineage.
After the tour, Jill and John were very satisfied with the shipyard’s technology.
However, when Factory Manager Zhou introduced the Kent Ring, Jill said, "The Kent Rings produced in your country are not precise enough. The load-bearing capacity doesn’t meet our requirements. I need to use the ones from Germany."
Jill insisted once more, "We need to use the Kent Rings from D country. Otherwise, my ship won’t be produced by your shipyard."
Before coming to Huaguo, John didn’t really believe in Huaguo’s shipbuilding technology. However, the price was very competitive, and he had heard from friends that the ships made in Huaguo were good, with prices much lower than those in D country, saving them a lot of money. That’s why they came to take a look.
After visiting the shipyard, they found it to be quite impressive. The technology was not outdated, and under Jiang Xia’s explanations, they realized the shipyard placed a strong emphasis on details and quality.
However, they were not satisfied with the Kent Rings compared to those from D country.
Jiang Xia translated John and Jill’s words to Director Zhou.
Director Zhou frowned upon hearing this. A large cargo ship required many Kent Rings.
If they used imported Kent Rings from D country, it would cost an additional hundred thousand in foreign currency for each ship. That was unacceptable.
"Mr. John and Mr. Jill, what specifically are you unsatisfied with about our shipyard’s Kent Rings?"
Jiang Xia translated this back to John and Jill.
Jill, who had a good impression of Jiang Xia for helping him find his child, spoke frankly, "The Kent Rings from D country have higher precision and a higher load capacity compared to those produced by your shipyard. We are ordering a 26,000-ton bulk cargo ship, and we’re concerned that your Kent Rings won’t be sufficient."
John added, "If your Huaguo can produce Kent Rings with higher precision and load capacity than those from D country, we will consider using your Kent Rings."
Jill then detailed the advantages of the Kent Rings from D country.
Jiang Xia translated this to Director Zhou.
Director Zhou thought for a moment and said, "I guarantee that we can produce Kent Rings that meet Mr. John and Mr. Jill’s requirements! If we can make better Kent Rings, I hope Mr. Jill and Mr. John will choose our Huaguo Kent Rings."
Every export order involved overcoming numerous technical challenges. Over the years, Director Zhou and his technical team had solved countless problems.
He believed that one Kent Ring wouldn’t stop their technical team.
Their shipyard aimed for excellence and continuous improvement.
Jiang Xia translated this to John and Jill.
John responded, "No problem. If you can produce better Kent Rings than those from D country, we will certainly choose the better ones. But if you can’t, we must use the ones from D country."
They continued to tour other areas of the shipyard, even visiting the ship that Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei had just purchased.
This ship was almost complete, with only a few pieces of equipment left to install.
Jiang Xia was immediately smitten. The ship was much larger than the one at home, looking mighty and impressive.
It was indeed a ship capable of long-distance voyages.
Fishing boats were categorized into large, medium, and small sizes, with operations in coastal, near-sea, and far-sea zones. A 24-meter ship was considered a large fishing boat, and the configuration of the one they had just purchased was suitable for long-distance operations.
Long-distance fishing boats had specific requirements for endurance, stability, speed, fuel tank capacity, fish hold capacity, refrigeration, and mechanical and electrical equipment.
After all, a smaller ship with a smaller fish hold wouldn’t be cost-effective for long-distance voyages. The 24-meter ship was the minimum standard, and designing a ship smaller than that was challenging.
Zhou’s father was also very excited, touching the ship everywhere.
Bringing this ship back to the village would make them the envy of everyone!
Their village had never had a large ship capable of long-distance voyages. This would be the first.
One ship like this would be better than three of Zhou Bingqiang’s. Let’s see how he can gloat in front of me now!
Seeing that Jiang Xia and Zhou’s father were happy, Zhou Chenglei was no longer hesitant.
Although the ship’s configuration wasn’t top-tier, it was undeniably practical and economical.
The price was also very reasonable, considering it was ordered three years ago.
They had indeed gotten a great deal.
At least they saved tens of thousands, and the ship would be delivered in two months. By then, they would start making money much faster.
(End of Chapter)
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