Chapter 87: Knowledge Is Wealth
Chapter 87: Knowledge Is Wealth
Jiang Xia listened to Zhang Fuyan’s words and guessed that the girl was seeking her help because of her knowledge of French. Zhang Fuyan’s enthusiastic personality reminded Jiang Xia of her best friend from her previous life. "I’ll help if I can, but you don’t need to go to such lengths. These things are too valuable for me to accept, and I’m not sure if I can help you."
Zhang Fuyan smiled. "I’m just passing on a favor. My grandmother has plenty of these things at home, more than she can use. She asked me to bring them, and I didn’t spend a penny."
After placing the items down, Zhang Fuyan went to the backseat of her car and brought back a few French books.
"My aunt works at a publishing house, and they urgently need these foreign books translated and published. She asked me for help, but there are too many books for me to handle alone. I was wondering if you have some free time and would like to work on this with me?"
This was like getting a pillow just when you’re feeling sleepy. Jiang Xia glanced at the books. Three of them were thick volumes she had read translations of in her previous life. She said, "This is you helping me, not the other way around. I was actually looking for a part-time translation job."
Zhang Fuyan, of course, knew that Jiang Xia was looking for translation work. She had come specifically to ask her, and her aunt was indeed in desperate need of translators.
She picked up the three thick books. "My aunt pays one hundred yuan for each of the thicker books and fifty yuan for each of the thinner ones. I’ll pay you the same rate. How does that sound?"
This was the rate her aunt had given her, and she wouldn’t offer this much to anyone else. She had brought a few extra books specifically for Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia didn’t know the current rates for translation, and the books weren’t overly thick. She felt the price was more than fair. She nodded. "Sure, I can finish translating them in about a month."
Zhang Fuyan was surprised. There were seven books, three of which were quite thick. Could she really finish them in a month? She quickly said, "No rush. If you can finish one book every half month, that would be great. You can send each completed book to the publishing house and get paid immediately."
Jiang Xia replied, "I’ll start with one book and bring it to you in a few days for your review."
"Sounds good."
Zhou’s mother glanced at the books and silently counted on her fingers: one hundred yuan per book, three books make three hundred yuan, two fifty-yuan books make one hundred yuan, and four books make two hundred yuan. That’s a total of five hundred yuan. If Xia can finish them in a month and there are always more books to translate, she could earn five hundred yuan every month.
Goodness, she usually earns only about one yuan a day from weaving fishing nets, which amounts to around thirty yuan a month at most.
Knowledge is indeed wealth; it’s a universal truth!
Jiang Xia added, "Do you have any other foreign books that need translation? I also know English and Russian."
Jiang Xia didn’t want to overstate her abilities. She had seen English and Russian books on the original owner’s bookshelf, which is why she mentioned them.
Once she started university, she could take electives and bring out the six languages she had learned in her previous life, aiming to learn a few more in this life.
She had a natural talent for languages, a gift from the heavens. That’s why she had always chosen to study foreign languages during her four years of undergraduate study and her graduate studies.
Since taking additional classes at the university was free, why not take more? After paying off her debts, she wouldn’t need to work so many jobs and could use her free time to attend more classes.
Learning languages could be done while working, walking, taking the bus, or even showering. That’s why she had learned the most, mastering four languages during her undergraduate years and two more during her graduate studies.
Zhang Fuyan was speechless.
Had she really failed the college entrance exam three times?
Zhang Fuyan looked around the stone house and saw Zhou Chenglei in the yard, holding a chicken and swiftly slicing its neck with a kitchen knife.
Her own neck felt cold! Oh my, a man with restrained power and a woman who seems gentle but is actually hiding her true abilities. This rural courtyard is a place of hidden dragons and tigers?
Zhou’s mother, seeing Zhou Chenglei slaughtering the chicken, went out to help.
She had already prepared lunch, knowing her son and daughter-in-law would return today, but she wasn’t sure if it would be in the evening or at noon. She had gone to the dock early in the morning to buy some clams and mudfish, but it wasn’t enough to entertain guests.
Mrs. Zhou was about to go check if anyone was still selling seafood at the dock when a voice called out from outside.
"Fresh pork for sale! Fresh pork for sale!..."
They lived in a small fishing village where most people usually ate seafood. Very few could afford to buy meat, so it was rare for someone to come door-to-door selling pork. Today, however, was an exception, and Mrs. Zhou hurried out to buy some.
Jiang Xia noticed Zhou Chenglei was slaughtering a chicken. She had asked him to do it, as it was already lunchtime, and she wanted to make sure there was enough food for Zhang Fuyan, who was staying for lunch.
Jiang Xia wanted to help with the cooking, but she couldn’t leave Zhang Fuyan sitting alone in the living room, so she let Zhou Chenglei and Mrs. Zhou handle it.
Jiang Xia then asked Zhang Fuyan, "Do you have any German or Japanese books?"
Zhang Fuyan's eyes widened. "You know German and Japanese too?"
Jiang Xia replied, "No, I just want to learn."
Zhang Fuyan breathed a sigh of relief. "I have some. I'll get them for you."
She had been terrified for a moment!
As a student of foreign languages, aspiring to be a translator, she would have felt inferior if Jiang Xia already knew those languages.
At that moment, Zhou Zhou came running in with a handful of wild fruits. She paused when she saw Zhang Fuyan, a bit shy and unsure of what to do.
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "Zhou Zhou, this is Sister Yan."
Zhou Zhou softly called out, "Sister Yan."
Then, gathering her courage, she placed the wild fruits on the table. "Auntie, Sister Yan, please have some."
Zhang Fuyan smiled, took a fruit, and tasted it. "Did Zhou Zhou pick these? They're delicious! I've never had them before. Thank you, Zhou Zhou."
She then gave Zhou Zhou a doll and a toy airplane. "Thank you for the fruits, Zhou Zhou."
Zhou Zhou glanced at Jiang Xia, and Jiang Xia smiled. "Go ahead, Zhou Zhou!"
Zhou Zhou took the gifts and said quietly, "Thank you, Sister Yan."
Then Jiang Xia let her go play.
Zhang Fuyan asked Jiang Xia about her experience learning foreign languages. Since Zhang Fuyan was also studying languages, they had a lot to talk about and chatted until it was time for lunch.
After lunch, around three o'clock, Jiang Xia took Zhang Fuyan for a walk by the sea for over an hour. Zhang Fuyan took many photos until her film ran out.
Jiang Xia saw some fishing boats returning to the dock and bought a lot of seafood for Zhang Fuyan. She also gave her some dried golden threadfin bream, dried shrimp, two chickens and a duck that Mrs. Zhou had already prepared, a basket of sea duck eggs, and a bag of vegetables and fruits.
Jiang Xia was worried Zhang Fuyan’s car might fall into a pit again, so she and Zhou Chenglei accompanied her out of the village.
After seeing Zhang Fuyan off, Jiang Xia returned home, and Zhou Chenglei went to the dock.
Mr. Zhou and Zhou Chengxin were out at sea today, and Zhou Chenglei went to help unload the cargo.
When Jiang Xia got home, she organized the gifts Zhang Fuyan had brought and the three large bags of items from her mother.
She started with Zhang Fuyan’s gifts, making a list as she went.
Zhang Fuyan had brought a bag, a set of clothes, both of which were clearly for Jiang Xia and were quite expensive brands.
There were also two cans of milk powder, two cans of malted milk, two bottles of Maotai liquor, a box of Da Hongpao tea, two packs of Da Qianmen cigarettes, a large bag of cookies, a can of candy, and the doll and toy airplane Zhou Zhou was playing with.
Jiang Xia unwrapped a white rabbit candy and offered one to Zhou Zhou, then ate one herself.
At that moment, Tian Caihua walked in and saw the toy airplane in Zhou Zhou’s hand. Her eyes lit up. "Xia, is this toy airplane for Guangzong and Yaolu? Oh, you're such a good auntie! I knew you cared for them!"
She immediately snatched the toy airplane from Zhou Zhou. The toy airplane was even more impressive than the toy train the grandson of Uncle Qiang had!
Her youngest son had been pestering her to buy a toy train like the one the grandson of Uncle Qiang had, but those toys were too expensive and could only be found in the city. She couldn’t afford it.
Zhou Zhou was taken aback and lowered her head.
(End of Chapter)
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