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Chapter 156: The Plastic Factory Director's Regret
Chapter 156: The Plastic Factory Director's Regret
Driving the tractor into the city was much easier, and Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei first headed to the Plastic Products Factory.
This factory had also called Jiang Xia yesterday, and its location was not in the city center. Zhou Chenglei knew the way, and since they were passing by, he took Jiang Xia there first.
In addition to translation, Jiang Xia also wanted to place an order with the plastic factory for some food packaging bags and buy some ready-made bags to repackage the fish fry.
The plastic factory was in a rather remote area, with only one road leading to it, and the surroundings were a bit desolate, with waist-high weeds growing on both sides of the road.
Jiang Xia got off the tractor and walked to the security booth, explaining her purpose. The security guard must have been informed, for upon hearing that Jiang Xia was there to meet the factory director for a temporary translation job, he let them in and even asked them to drive the tractor inside to prevent their belongings from being stolen.
Jiang Xia gave the security guard half a tarp bag of fish jerky, for he was truly a warm-hearted and kind person. He also offered to keep an eye on their belongings on the tractor.
Jiang Xia also brought a bag of fish jerky and three cans of fish jerky in three different flavors for the factory director. These were packed in cleaned and sterilized glass jars, as plastic sealed bags were not yet available, and she hadn't found suitable packaging bags.
Following the security guard's directions, the two of them arrived at the first room on the first floor of the factory building, which was the factory director's office.
Jiang Xia knocked on the door.
Inside, a middle-aged man in a white shirt was reading a newspaper.
He seemed to be around the same age as Jiang Xia's father, but he had much less hair.
Hearing the knock, Factory Director Feng looked up and was immediately captivated by the handsome man and beautiful woman outside the door.
Jiang Xia was wearing a burqa dress today, with a cinched waist that accentuated her slender figure, and her skin glowed with radiance, drawing attention.
Zhou Chenglei was still in his white shirt and black dress pants, with his collar buttoned up to the top.
He was tall and handsome, with a cold and distant demeanor, and a quick glance around the office gave off a powerful aura, making one think he was a visiting leader.
Factory Director Feng stood up unconsciously and said, "Hello, comrades. What brings you here?"
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "Hello, are you Factory Director Feng? I'm Jiang Xia, the foreign language translator who spoke with you yesterday. This is my husband, Zhou Chenglei."
Factory Director Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "So, you are Comrade Jiang and Comrade Zhou! Welcome, welcome! Just from your exceptional demeanor, I can tell you are highly educated. I was just thinking that two university students came to place an order!"
Indeed, he was a factory director, and with just a few words, he skillfully diffused the initial awkwardness.
"Please, have a seat!"
Factory Director Feng went to the tea table and personally made tea for the two of them.
Zhou Chenglei placed the three cans of fish jerky on the table and the half-full bag of fish jerky on the ground, saying, "These are snacks made by my wife and some homemade fish jerky. Please try them, Factory Director Feng."
"You're too kind," Factory Director Feng said, looking at the red fish fry in the glass jar and smiling. "These look delicious! Perfect for drinking!"
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "They're homemade, and since we didn't have proper packaging, we used cleaned and sterilized glass jars. I hope you don't mind, Factory Director Feng."
Factory Director Feng picked up a jar, twisted off the lid, and said, "Why would I mind? Everyone uses these jars. My mother sends me fermented bean paste from the Northeast in these jars too. Your fish jerky looks delicious! I'll give it a try."
In this era, various packaging bags and gift bags were not yet popular, but people still used glass jars like these to give homemade food to others.
However, it was rare for anyone to give Factory Director Feng homemade items; they usually gave him expensive gifts like cigarettes and alcohol.
He opened the jar of spicy fish jerky, and being from the North, he loved spicy food. He exclaimed with widened eyes, "Delicious! Perfect with alcohol!"
He couldn't resist trying a few more pieces, then wiped his hands and said with a smile, "Your fish jerky would be even more convenient to store in our newly developed food plastic packaging bags. Using glass jars like these is not only inefficient but also heavy and inconvenient for transportation."
"
The factory had recently acquired several new packaging bag production lines, including one specifically for food plastic bags. The factory director, Feng, believed in the convenience and potential of plastic bags, and so he invested a significant sum to set up the production line.
Director Feng then naturally transitioned into the topic, holding up a plastic bag and introducing it, "Bags like these are specially designed for food packaging. They are moisture-resistant, oil-resistant, highly transparent, and have excellent stiffness. Once sealed, they won't leak at all, not even air or juice! They are lightweight, space-saving, and easy to transport! You can even print trademarks or other patterns on them as needed."
Jiang Xia nodded, "I can imagine how convenient they are."
The convenience brought about by plastic packaging bags was indeed significant, even driving the development of many food industries. They were perfect in every way, except for their lack of environmental friendliness.
However, at that time, the concept of environmental protection was not yet prevalent, and every industry was striving for development.
"This is one of the products from our plastic factory's production line. It's a new product that I plan to showcase at the Guangzhou Fair. May I hear you introduce it in English, Comrade Jiang Xia?"
Jiang Xia smiled and agreed, "Sure."
After listening to her English introduction, Director Feng was impressed, "I heard from Editor-in-Chief Fan that you're proficient in several languages. May I have the honor of witnessing your skills?"
"Of course," Jiang Xia replied.
Jiang Xia then proceeded to introduce the product in French, "This is French."
She continued with German, "This is German."
Next was Russian, and finally, Japanese.
Zhou Chenglei watched Jiang Xia, listening intently without blinking. This was the first time he heard her speak Russian, German, and Japanese. He found her voice captivating in any language, accompanied by a gentle smile that made her glow with beauty.
Zhou Chenglei could speak Russian and Japanese, and he could tell that Jiang Xia's pronunciation was impeccable, as if it were her mother tongue.
He had once crammed Japanese during a mission, and it took him two months to become proficient. His instructor had praised him for his remarkable progress.
Zhou Chenglei thought to himself, 'That's because he never taught his own daughter-in-law!'
Director Feng was amazed. He himself had visited several countries on business trips and was already impressed by Jiang Xia's English summary.
Now, he said directly, "Comrade Jiang Xia, how about a hundred yuan a day during the Guangzhou Fair? To be honest, before you arrived, I only planned to pay a translator twenty yuan a day. But after hearing your English introduction, I decided to offer you thirty yuan a day. However, you're so impressive that I fear you might work for other factories. So, a hundred yuan a day—isn't that a sincere offer?"
Jiang Xia smiled and shared her proposal of a commission-based pay structure, similar to what she had agreed upon with the shipyard, where she would receive a percentage of the transaction amount instead of a fixed salary.
Like the shipyard, no factory would refuse such an arrangement. After all, if a deal was made, the factory would gain an order, and if not, they wouldn't have to pay a salary, which was a win-win situation.
Director Feng agreed, but he couldn't help but express his regret, "Comrade Jiang Xia, can't you be our plastic factory's exclusive translator? How about one hundred and fifty yuan a day?"
He had already interviewed two translators, but neither met his expectations. Jiang Xia was the most impressive candidate.
This year, the plastic factory had invested heavily in new production lines, and the task of earning foreign exchange through exports was daunting. The Guangzhou Fair was their chance to secure significant orders.
Jiang Xia smiled and politely declined, "I'm sorry, but I've already committed to the shipyard."
Director Feng felt it was a pity and turned to Zhou Chenglei, who had been sitting quietly, almost without speaking, yet his presence was so powerful that it was hard to ignore.
It seemed he had understood what Jiang Xia said.
"Does Comrade Zhou speak foreign languages?"
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