https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-156-The-Plastic-Factory-Director-s-Regret/12935323/
Chapter 157: Another Stranger (3000 Words)
Chapter 157: Another Stranger (3000 Words)
Zhou Chenglei: "I understand a little, but I'm going out to sea to fish."
The implication was clear: he didn't have time to be an interpreter.
Director Feng: "..."
A highly educated individual with foreign language skills choosing to go fishing instead of interpreting? What a waste of talent!
Was the country so overflowing with talent?
Jiang Xia smiled and asked, "Director Feng, may I inquire about the products your factory is showcasing at the fair?"
Director Feng felt even more heartbroken, thinking about what a dedicated temporary interpreter he had found!
Then, accompanied by Director Feng, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei learned about all the products of the plastic factory.
When Jiang Xia saw suitable items, she casually asked Director Feng to purchase a hundred food packaging bags to hold the fish fry.
As it happened, the factory had a batch of incorrectly sized packaging bags. The client wanted one-pound bags, but the workers mistakenly made two-pound bags, which the client rejected due to their size.
Director Feng gave all two hundred of the incorrectly made bags to Jiang Xia.
Director Feng said, "Since you don't have a sealing machine, you can bring the bags here, and I'll have someone help you seal them."
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "Thank you, Director Feng. No need to trouble yourself. I can just use a heated wire to gently press them shut."
Director Feng paused for a moment before understanding, and then gave Jiang Xia a thumbs-up, "Smart!"
He couldn't help but ask again, "You're really not just going to interpret for our plastic factory? Two hundred yuan a day!"
He repeated this question every now and then, and Jiang Xia smiled and shook her head, "No, I only need the commission. Director Feng, if you like the fish jerky, you can consider placing an order for your factory's canteen. You can call me to place an order. My family makes a living by fishing at sea."
Director Feng feigned anger, "If you don't work as a full-time interpreter for our factory, I won't place an order! Get out of here..."
Jiang Xia couldn't help but laugh.
Then, Director Feng, heartbroken, personally saw them off and agreed to meet at the Guangzhou Trade Fair.
Fishing! With her education, why not dedicate herself to the socialist cause? Why go fishing?
Director Feng was so angry that he lost a few hairs, making him look even smarter.
After leaving the plastic factory, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei went to the city for a casual bowl of noodles, then headed to a textile factory.
This time, the tractor couldn't enter, so Zhou Chenglei had to wait outside for Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia also gave the factory director some fish jerky and fish fry. These large factories had employee canteens, all potential customers for the fish jerky.
Since it was introduced by Editor-in-Chief Fan, the textile factory's director personally received Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei.
The director of the textile factory was a woman, around the same age as Jiang Mu, named Peng Yuhua, with a very assertive and subjective personality.
She disliked Jiang Xia at first sight! Most beautiful women with good family backgrounds were all style over substance.
Of course, she wouldn't show her dislike, but she immediately asked Jiang Xia to introduce herself in English.
After listening to Jiang Xia's introduction, Peng Yuhua's impression improved slightly. Her smile became more sincere, and her tone gentler, "Not bad. That's enough. We offer 25 yuan per day for interpreters, for about fifteen days."
Jiang Xia smiled, "Director Peng, can I choose to only receive a commission instead of the daily wage of 25 yuan?"
Peng Yuhua was taken aback, "What do you mean?"
Jiang Xia repeated her previous explanation about only wanting a 0.1% commission on the transaction amount.
Peng Yuhua furrowed her brows slightly, thinking, "As expected! Beautiful women are always trouble!"
Either they were beautiful but foolish, or they were arrogant due to their talents.
By refusing the wage, she probably thought she could negotiate large orders, and the commission would be more than the daily wage of 25 yuan. But Peng Yuhua wanted a full-time interpreter, not a part-time one. However, considering the Guangzhou Trade Fair, they might indeed need more than one interpreter. Hiring two would be too costly, so having Jiang Xia, who only asked for a commission upon successful deals, was a good option.
Peng Yuhua calculated in her mind how much a 0.1% commission would amount to.
She quickly realized that a 0.1% commission would only yield 10 yuan for a 10,000 yuan transaction, and 100 yuan for a 100,000 yuan transaction.
For a part-timer like Jiang Xia to negotiate an order over 100,000 yuan would be impressive!
"Alright! We'll do as you say. Only a commission, no wage."
Jiang Xia asked, "Director Peng, do you have fabric samples? I'd like to learn more about your factory's products."
Peng Yuhua was surprised that even a part-time interpreter was so dedicated, so she had her assistant provide Jiang Xia with color swatches of the fabrics they would showcase at the Guangzhou Trade Fair.
Jiang Xia flipped through the fabric swatches; there were polyester fabrics, suit fabrics, silk fabrics, and various colorful cotton fabrics.
Jiang Xia: "Do you have technical specifications?"
"Yes." Peng Yuhua had her assistant give Jiang Xia the technical specifications for the fabrics prepared for the Guangzhou Trade Fair.
Jiang Xia asked, "Can I take these with me to review?"
She still had another factory to visit and didn't have much time to spare.
"Sure!"
So, Jiang Xia left with the fabric swatches and technical specifications.
After Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei departed, Peng Yuhua instructed her assistant, "Go and hire another interpreter."
The assistant, knowing Peng Yuhua's dislike for beautiful women, said, "This female comrade seems quite dedicated, and her English is fluent!"
Peng Yuhua pursed her lips, "We'll see how dedicated she is later."
To be honest, even Peng Yuhua was surprised by Jiang Xia's serious attitude, but whether it was all an act or genuine dedication would only be revealed in time.
She never jumped to conclusions easily.
She handed the dried fish and fish fry that Jiang Xia had given her to her assistant, "Take these fish fry for yourself! Send the dried fish to the cafeteria as a side dish for everyone."
The next stop was the food factory, but before heading there, Jiang Xia first visited the publishing house. She delivered a translated French book, a magazine, and a hundred pounds of dried fish.
Jiang Xia also gave Editor-in-Chief Fan three jars of fish fry, each weighing five pounds, as a token of gratitude for the translation work she had recommended to her.
Editor-in-Chief Fan smiled and asked which factory she had chosen.
Jiang Xia smiled and responded, "I've chosen all of them. I didn't ask for a fixed salary; I only want a commission."
"Commission?"
Jiang Xia briefly explained, "It means no salary. I'll only get a commission if I successfully negotiate a deal, and I'm not even sure if I can. I'm just doing this for the experience."
Editor-in-Chief Fan understood and gave her a thumbs up, "That's great! The more you work, the more you earn. With your abilities, you'll definitely earn more than a fixed daily wage."
Jiang Xia smiled and exchanged a few more pleasantries with Editor-in-Chief Fan before heading to the finance department to settle the accounts.
After Jiang Xia left, Editor-in-Chief Fan received a call from the textile factory. Unable to find a better translator than Jiang Xia, and remembering that Wen Wan's English was also good, she recommended her.
When settling the accounts in the finance department, Jiang Xia also gave them a jar of sweet and sour fish fry. These were all potential future clients.
Snacks were always a staple in offices.
The finance department staff settled the payment for Jiang Xia, and after she left, they couldn't help but exclaim, "This is the first time I've settled translation fees and fish sales at the same time!"
Selling dried fish? Is this really a high-ranking leader?
But these fish fry were indeed delicious and mouth-watering. In no time, the finance department staff had devoured most of the jar.
Someone commented, "Eating fish makes you smart. My kid doesn't usually like fish, but I'm sure they'd love these fish jerky. I wonder if Comrade Jiang Xia is selling them?"
"Let's ask her next time. They're so tasty, I'll buy some for my child too."
"My mom loves fish fry. I'll buy some for her and bring it back for the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Next stop, the food factory.
Jiang Xia didn't bring her homemade fish fry to the food factory; she only gave them a bag of dried fish.
Her intention was to let them know that her family was in the fishing business, so if they needed to purchase any fish for raw materials, they could contact her family in the future.
With the large ship almost ready for delivery, they would soon be able to venture into the open sea for fishing, catching even more fish.
Selling the fish directly to the food factory meant they could negotiate a higher price. The food factory would also benefit from buying directly from them instead of through middlemen, as they wouldn't have to pay commissions or middleman fees.
As they entered the factory, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei walked into the office of the food factory's director.
The director was a middle-aged auntie, and upon seeing Jiang Xia, she smiled warmly, "Xia Xia, I knew Editor-in-Chief Fan was talking about you."
Jiang Xia: "..."
Once again, it was a case of her recognizing others, but others not recognizing her.
Instinctively, she glanced at Zhou Chenglei, who looked back at her.
Jiang Xia: "..."
Jiang Xia could only smile and say, "Aunt Fang."
Fortunately, she had asked the security guard, and since Zhou Chenglei hadn't met Fang Aiyuan before, he addressed her as "Director Fang."
"Why be so formal? Just call me Auntie, like Xia Xia does. Please, take a seat!"
Aunt Fang smiled and invited them to sit down, serving them a cup of tea. Then, she smiled at Jiang Xia and said, "Since you're working as a translator for the food factory, Auntie will be at ease. How about we calculate it as 150 yuan per day?"
Jiang Xia smiled and repeated her explanation about the commission-based pay.
Aunt Fang listened and laughed, "No salary won't do. How about this, we'll calculate it as 100 yuan per day, and then add the commission."
A transaction amount of 100,000 yuan was already impressive for the food factory, but with a commission of only 100 yuan for such a large transaction, she would feel awkward accepting it.
She was acquainted with Jiang Mu, and Jiang Xia was classmates with her son. How could she take advantage of Jiang Xia?
Jiang Xia politely refused, "Aunt Fang, I've already promised other factories to work as a part-time translator for them. I can't dedicate a whole day to the food factory, so there's really no need for a salary. Just the commission is fine."
Jiang Xia didn't feel embarrassed about accepting a day's worth of payment; after all, she wasn't working for the food factory full-time.
Aunt Fang said, "Alright, as long as you've worked as a translator for our food factory, we'll consider it a day's wage, and we'll also calculate the commission. Don't argue with me!"
Jiang Xia didn't say anything further, leaving the final calculation for later.
As they were leaving, Aunt Fang had several boxes of food carried to their tractor, saying it was for them to sample and get to know their products.
Jiang Xia felt a bit embarrassed.
Aunt Fang smiled and said, "Taste them properly and give us your feedback. Help us attract more orders for the food factory!"
Jiang Xia smiled and agreed, "Aunt Fang, we'll see you at the Guangzhou Fair. We're off now."
Aunt Fang smiled and nodded, "See you at the Guangzhou Fair. Jing Xuan said he'll be back too, and he'll also help with the translation."
Zhou Chenglei's body stiffened.
Jiang Xia was confused. Who was Jing Xuan?
Seeing everyone's comments asking for more updates, I'll add a few more today.
Thank you, everyone, for your support!
(End of Chapter)
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