Gong Mingjie packed the original and translated versions into an envelope. He would send them to the Foreign Translation Bureau tomorrow for evaluation, after which they would rate Xu Qinghuan.
Three or five yuan per thousand characters might seem dirt cheap to future generations, but in this era, it’s considered a very high manuscript fee.
Of course, Y language and Russian don’t fetch such high prices, mainly because many people can speak these two languages.
If the rating is high, this unit price will surely go up.
Jiang Xingye was happy for Xu Qinghuan, yet he deeply felt the vast gap between them, like the distance between heaven and earth, or clouds and mud.
"Leave your contact information. Once you pass the evaluation, I’ll inform you," Gong Mingjie had a gut feeling that this girl would definitely pass. Currently, translators proficient in the D language were the most scarce.
Xu Qinghuan gave him her na, identity, and contact address and then said, "Director Gong, if there’s any ’Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry Self-study Series,’ could you keep them for ? I’ll take any subject."
Gong Mingjie nodded, "Alright, no need to be formal with one of our own!"
As they left the Xinhua Bookstore, Xu Qinghuan asked Jiang Xingye, "Didn’t you give all your money to ? How co you still have so? Is it enough?"
Jiang Xingye replied, "I set aside a little for ergencies, but I haven’t spent it. Luo Jinhao cos to my place every day to get vegetables, and we settle the bill every ten days, usually earning three or five yuan each ti.
This ti working at the machinery factory assembling harvesters, I also took a side gig. They paid twenty yuan."
Xu Qinghuan was truly astonished. So people seed to be lucky with money, even managing to get side jobs while helping the production team with harvesters.
"I noticed that the harvester was made through forging. Have you done this before?" Xu Qinghuan was genuinely curious.
He shook his head, "No. My third uncle asked the factory director to find soone for . I had nothing to do, so I helped out. Seeing I was doing well, he let do it myself. After a couple of tis, I got the hang of it."
Xu Qinghuan had nothing more to say. In her previous life, everyone said she was a genius, and she had been quite proud of it. Now, she realized it was because she hadn’t t Jiang Xingye.
As they entered the state-owned restaurant, they t Li Zhaodi, who was busy. Seeing Xu Qinghuan, she called out, "Sister, you’re here!"
Xu Qinghuan greeted her with a smile and took an apple from her pocket. "Sister, you’re busy!" she said as she handed it to her.
Jiang Xingye went to order food, while Li Zhaodi winked toward that direction and asked, "Who’s that? Your sweetheart?"
With the way they looked at each other, even a blind person wouldn’t mistake it.
Xu Qinghuan smiled and said, "Fiancé."
"Ah, you’re engaged already. Congratulations!" Li Zhaodi quickly wiped a table clean, "Sit here, call if you need anything!"
"Sure, sister, go on with your work, don’t mind us!" Xu Qinghuan waved her hand at her.
Li Zhaodi took the apple out from the kitchen and sniffed it. It slled wonderful.
In these tis, fruits were a rarity. The top-grade Guoguang apple was 0.27 yuan per jin. This apple, so red and large, was definitely top-grade.
Li Zhaodi couldn’t bring herself to eat it and decided to take it ho for her family to taste.
Jiang Xingye ordered braised pork, shredded green pepper with pork, two liang of rice, and half a catty of buns. Before they had even been seated a while, everything was served to their table, whereas the others who ca earlier hadn’t received their food yet.
When Li Zhaodi brought the dishes, she observed Jiang Xingye thoroughly, noting how he washed the chopsticks with tea before handing them to Xu Qinghuan and placing the rice in front of her.
Seeing how considerate and attentive the man was, Li Zhaodi gave Xu Qinghuan a thumbs up, causing her to smile, feeling a bit proud.
It made Li Zhaodi smile too.
She found her charming deanor quite endearing.
Xu Qinghuan only ate about one liang of rice before she couldn’t eat anymore. Jiang Xingye looked at her helplessly; she had only taken a few bites. "Do you want to eat a little more?"
Xu Qinghuan shook her head, having eaten too much braised pork, leaving no room for rice.
Jiang Xingye had no choice but to take her bowl. Xu Qinghuan tried to stop him with her hand, "Shall I force myself to finish it?"
Nobody had ever eaten her leftovers before, and she felt quite embarrassed.
"Don’t force yourself if you’re full; overeating is uncomfortable!" Jiang Xingye couldn’t bear to see her stuffed. He took the bowl and quickly finished it, along with the remaining food and buns.
With one bun left, Jiang Xingye wrapped it in oil paper, planning to save it in case Xu Qinghuan got hungry later at night.
He Jinfeng and Yu Xiaochan, after work, planned to have a treat at the state-owned restaurant. As they entered, they saw Jiang Xingye sitting facing the door.
A female comrade, with two loosely braided pigtails, wearing an army green coat, sat across from him with her arms on the table, gazing at the man opposite her.
Seductress!
Despite not seeing her face, He Jinfeng internally despised this woman. A look like she had never seen a man before, staring at soone like that?
She walked straight over and greeted Jiang Xingye, "Jiang Xingye, you here to eat too?"
He Jinfeng provocatively glanced at Xu Qinghuan, shocked by her beauty. After a brief dumbfounded mont, she quickly regained her composure and sat beside Jiang Xingye with a thud, startling him to his feet instantly.
He was inexplicably confused; he didn’t even know this woman.
Though they had crossed paths a few tis, even fought with five n sent by her, Jiang Xingye hadn’t bothered to rember what He Jinfeng looked like. Seeing her again, he failed to recall her from mory.
"I’m He Jinfeng, the scheduler in workshop one at the machinery factory. I t Comrade Jiang there. Are you Jiang Xingye’s sister?" He Jinfeng graciously extended her hand to Xu Qinghuan.
Xu Qinghuan glanced at her indifferently, "If your eyes are bad, you should get them treated."
He Jinfeng was taken aback; a re country girl dared to be so bold in front of her? She retorted angrily, "Who are you saying has bad eyes?"
Jiang Xingye beca angry, "Are you deaf? Can’t you tell I’m saying your eyes are bad? This is my fiancée."
He Jinfeng hadn’t expected Jiang Xingye’s fiancée to be so stunning, with skin as white as snow and beauty so dazzling it stirred envy. Weren’t rural people supposed to be sunburned and rough?
But this woman had such fair and tender skin, like an egg without a shell, it almost seed unfair.
No wonder Jiang Xingye wouldn’t even look at her.
He Jinfeng, with teary eyes, imdiately looked at Jiang Xingye, "Fiancée? When did you ever tell you have a fiancée? Why did you want to marry if you already had one?"
In an instant, the entire state-owned restaurant fell silent, with all eyes turning toward them. Li Zhaodi was shocked, having just praised her sister for choosing such a good man.
Jiang Xingye was thunderstruck and utterly confused, not knowing what had happened. He called out nervously, "Huanhuan!"
Xu Qinghuan did not look at him but smirked, "Who do you think you are that my fiancé should tell you our business? Marry you?
No mirror at ho? Don’t know what you look like? Do you think if you stood next to in front of him, he’d even give you a second glance?"
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