When Li Chuchu entered, Teacher Xie lifted her head slightly. A sharp glint shone through her black-rimmed glasses.
Chuchu was suddenly startled and subconsciously glanced at the clock by the door.
The minute hand was pointing right at the 55-minute mark.
She wasn't late yet, was she?
Seeing Li Chuchu looking so frightened, Teacher Xie helplessly adjusted her glasses. "Stop standing there like a fool. There's some text translation work for you to do today. The time is tight and the task is heavy. So, hurry up with everything."
Teacher Xie was a person who was efficient in her work and too lazy to waste words. For her to say such things, it mustn't be a trivial matter.
Without a word, Li Chuchu quickly returned to her seat. Sure enough, she saw a thick stack of English materials and a big English dictionary on her desk.
These were the latest English reports on the cooperation between some foreign companies and Lotus Steel Plant.
"Good morning, Chuchu!"
Mu Wan also came in from outside.
Li Chuchu was surprised. "Senior sister, why are you here? Isn't your shift in the afternoon?"
Mu Wan hung her backpack on the back of the chair and whispered, "I had just finished getting ready to go out this morning when Teacher Xie called me and told me to come over. She said it was an urgent matter."
That was really bad.
What could be worse than getting all dressed up to go out and then being called in by your boss to work overtime?
Li Chuchu gave her a sympathetic look.
Mu Wan patted her on the shoulder and instead comforted her, "It was a blind date arranged by my family with the son of my dad's friend. Actually, I didn't want to go either. It's better to come to work."
Seeing Mu Wan had also arrived, Teacher Xie took the opportunity to speak up. "We need to process this English report this morning, compile it into the latest manuscript, and broadcast it before noon."
In order to publicize the news that Lotus Steel Plant was further expanding its foreign trade market and aiming to capture a larger share in the international steel market, this news needed to be translated word by word and broadcast repeatedly in the plant.
Teacher Xie was tidying up the materials on the desk. "The translation work is originally the responsibility of the Foreign Affairs Section. But their translator, Mr. Wang, broke his leg a few days ago. And the section chief can't find a new person to replace him for the time being. So, we have to do the translation ourselves."
As she flipped through the newspaper, she said, "The time is very tight. Chuchu, see if you can do the translation. If you can't, then you can write the manuscript."
Teacher Xie's words were very straightforward.
She seemed to have engraved the word "efficiency" into her bones.
Li Chuchu took a look. There were some professional terms in it, but the difficulty wasn't too great. She thought she should be able to handle it. "Teacher Xie, you can leave the translation work to me."
Teacher Xie had witnessed Li Chuchu's professional ability and knew she wasn't a person who exaggerated. She nodded trustingly. "Okay, then you just focus on the translation this morning. Mu Wan will be responsible for the broadcast manuscript. I'll go into the recording studio today. You don't have to worry about the broadcasting."
Judging from what Teacher Xie said, she would be the one to do the broadcast today.
Mu Wan immediately perked up, straightened her chest, and her eyes lit up. "Sure thing. I guarantee I'll complete the task!"
Li Chuchu put down her shoulder bag, placed the glass cup from her bag on the table, and then devoted herself wholeheartedly to the English materials.
When Teacher Xie looked up again,
she saw that Li Chuchu had an English newspaper on her left, a white notebook on her right, and a big dictionary beside the transparent glass cup. She was buried in her work, and the pencil in her hand kept moving.
The rolling mill outside was making a deafening noise, and the scorching sun carried the smell of rust and coal smoke in the air.
Li Chuchu frowned and quickly left a few lines of beautiful and elegant handwriting on the white paper.
Mu Wan was preparing the outline of the manuscript beside her, wracking her brains to come up with a suitable beginning and ending. There were already a few discarded pieces of manuscript paper on the side.
"Factory Director Chen."
Teacher Xie saw the person standing at the door and politely stood up to greet him.
Factory Director Chen nodded and said politely, "Teacher Xie, today's broadcast is very important. This matter is related to the influence of our steel plant on society. The higher-level leaders will send people to inspect. Can you manage here? If you need help, I can call a few people over."
"With Li Chuchu helping with the translation, the workload isn't too heavy. We don't need help for the time being. I'll let you know if we need it."
Teacher Xie was still stingy with her smile when facing Factory Director Chen. She still had a serious and earnest expression. And she didn't take credit for others' work. It was clear who did what.
With Teacher Xie in the broadcast room, Factory Director Chen was very relieved.
He saw Li Chuchu and Mu Wan both burying their heads in their work, so he didn't disturb them. After giving Teacher Xie a few instructions, he backed out.
When Li Chuchu finished translating the manuscript and handed it to Teacher Xie for review.
Teacher Xie took the manuscript and read it from beginning to end.
Li Chuchu not only translated it accurately, but also made annotations in more accessible words for some language differences with other countries. She also underlined the important information.
She had done better than Teacher Xie had expected.
Teacher Xie nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good. Mu Wan, take a look at this material and add the information from it to the manuscript."
Mu Wan immediately rushed over to do as she was told.
In the broadcast room, there was only the sound of turning pages and quiet breathing.
...
Before noon, they finally integrated this material.
Teacher Xie took the final version of the manuscript and walked into the recording studio. She looked serious, elegant in posture, and leaned slightly forward towards the microphone. "Comrades, all the cadres and staff in the factory, good noon. Now, we'll broadcast important news of our factory."
As soon as this voice came out, a sense of solemnity and grandeur rushed towards them. Li Chuchu felt as if she had accidentally entered the hosting site of China Central Television.
"Today, our factory has successfully signed strategically significant export contracts for steel products with important customers from multiple countries! The successful signing of this large-scale foreign trade order is an important milestone in the development history of our factory. It marks that the high-quality steel produced by our factory, with its excellent quality and good reputation, has officially stepped into the vast international market with high heads."
Teacher Xie's voice was solemn and steady.
Her enunciation, pauses, and breath control were all just right. As she told the story slowly, those complicated words seemed to turn into vivid pictures.
The machines also slowed down quietly, and the "clank, clank" sound of the machines gradually became smaller. The workers outside stopped in their tracks and looked up one after another, searching for the source of the sound.
The workers in the workshop pricked up their ears to listen to the voice on the radio.
Someone said half - believingly,
"Is this really our factory? Is our Lotus Steel Plant already well - known among foreigners?"
Another worker said proudly, "Of course. Didn't you hear the announcer say that we're now striding forward and entering the international ranks!"
The voice on the radio kept coming:
"This is not only the fruitful result of our factory responding to the national call of 'earning foreign exchange through exports' and actively participating in international competition and cooperation. It is also a vivid manifestation of the improvement of China's steel industry strength and its participation in the international economic cycle. It is a magnificent stroke in the process of the country's modernization drive!"