Su Nanyue glanced at it—it was a well-known foreign novel, not particularly lengthy and of moderate difficulty.
She took the book, walked to the side, and began translating immediately.
Her speed was remarkably fast; she finished the translation in less than ten minutes.
She handed both the translated pages and the original book to the other person.
The cashier accepted them casually, not holding much hope since Su Nanyue appeared too young.
But as her eyes scanned the translated text, they lit up instantly after just one glance.
Originally seated on a stool, the cashier immediately stood up.
She spoke with some urgency, “Please wait here for a moment. I’ll go fetch our store manager.”
Su Nanyue curved her lips into a smile. “Alright.”
Outside, Jiang Yan noticed that nearly twenty minutes had passed, and Su Nanyue still hadn’t emerged.
Worried something might have happened, he asked Wang Jian Guo to keep an eye on their belongings. Scooping up Da Bao and Xiao Bao in his arms, he strode toward the bookstore.
By the time he entered, the cashier had already gone inside, leaving Su Nanyue standing alone by the checkout counter.
His gaze swept over the thick stack of books on the counter as he asked, “Did something happen?”
Xiao Bao stretched out his arms toward Su Nanyue as soon as he saw her.
Su Nanyue reached out and took Xiao Bao from Jiang Yan’s embrace. “I applied for a job and am waiting for the result.”
Jiang Yan wanted to ask what kind of job she had applied for, but since she didn’t elaborate, he refrained from questioning further.
As they were talking, someone descended from the second floor.
Leading the way was the cashier, followed by a middle-aged man in his forties. The man had a scholarly demeanor and was dressed in a gray Zhongshan suit.
Seeing him, Su Nanyue felt reassured.
This must be the bookstore manager.
Sure enough, the cashier introduced them upon approaching, “This is our store manager.”
Then, turning to the manager, she said, “This is the comrade who translated the article.”
Su Nanyue took the initiative to greet him, “Hello.”
Zheng Guowei scrutinized her, and Su Nanyue remained composed, allowing his observation.
Impressed by her demeanor, Zheng Guowei spoke, “Young comrade, I’ve read your translation draft. It’s very well done.”
He produced a book—not particularly thick. Su Nanyue glanced at the title and noted it was another novel.
Zheng Guowei continued, “Take this book back to translate. The payment rate is currently two yuan per thousand characters. Does that work for you?”
Su Nanyue wasn’t sure what the standard translation rates were at the time.
She calculated briefly: this was a medium-length novel, estimated at around 150,000 characters in total, which would earn her three hundred yuan.
Given the book’s thickness, if she put in extra effort, she could likely finish the translation in about a month.
Her eyes sparkled at the thought.
She nodded promptly, “That’s acceptable.”
Remembering something, she asked, “Can I take this home to translate, or must I do it here?”
Zheng Guowei chuckled, “You can translate it at home. Once you’re done, bring the draft here. After I review and correct it, I’ll issue the payment.”
After confirming she would take on the task, Zheng Guowei gave her a junior translator certificate.
Su Nanyue set Xiao Bao down on the floor and was about to pick up her books.
Just then, a large hand reached out and gathered all the books she had bought, along with the one she needed to translate, into his arms.
Su Nanyue glanced at Jiang Yan, who was holding books in one arm and Da Bao in the other, but said nothing.
After greeting Zheng Guowei and the cashier, she picked up Xiao Bao and walked out with Jiang Yan.
Once they had left the bookstore, Jiang Yan asked Su Nanyue, “When did you learn English?”
Su Nanyue thought back to the original plot—the original character was merely a supporting female role.
The main text didn’t elaborate on her background, but the extra chapters briefly mentioned it.
The original character’s parents were both elite talents who had returned from abroad. She had grown up overseas with them.
At fifteen, a sudden family upheaval occurred—her parents were sent down for re-education. Before that, they entrusted her to a friend.
Later, the friend was also sent down, and the original character lost all her memories after a high fever.
When she ended up homeless, the female lead, Su Wan Ning, took her in.
However, she didn’t share any of this with Jiang Yan. Lowering her gaze, she replied, “I forgot. I only realized I knew it when I saw it just now.”
Jiang Yan didn’t press further, though a flicker of thought passed through his eyes.
It was nearly noon. After placing the books Su Nanyue had bought in the car, the four of them went to the State-Run Restaurant.
Jiang Yan carried the two children to find a seat while Su Nanyue went to order.
“One serving of braised pork, one of potato stew with meat, one of pickled cabbage with vermicelli, and six liang of rice.”
As she finished and began counting her money and coupons, the cashier impatiently cut in, “We’re out of braised pork.”
Su Nanyue didn’t overthink it. “Then give me sweet and sour carp instead.”
“Sweet and sour carp is also gone,” the cashier retorted rudely.
“What about fish with pickled cabbage?”
“No meat left,” the cashier snapped, her face sour.
Su Nanyue’s expression cooled. “Then tell me, what do you have?”
The cashier rolled her eyes. “There are so many dishes—how could I list them all? Are you going to order or not? If not, hurry up and leave.”
She muttered under her breath, “Dressed up like a peacock—clearly up to no good. Ordering so many meat dishes without a care—she has no idea how to manage a household.”
Su Nanyue never expected that simply trying to have a meal would lead to such an encounter.
She let out a cold laugh. “How exactly am I ‘dressed like a peacock’? And what business is it of yours whether I know how to manage a household or not?”
The cashier hadn’t expected her muttering to be overheard.
But she remained unapologetic, looking at Su Nanyue with disdain. “Did I say it was you? Why take it personally? If you’re so capable, don’t eat here.”
Jiang Yan, who had just found a seat and settled down, noticed the situation with Su Nanyue.
After instructing Da Bao and Xiao Bao to sit quietly on the stools, he stood and walked over to Su Nanyue.
Reaching her side, he leaned in and asked softly, “What’s wrong? What happened?”
Before Su Nanyue could respond, the cashier eagerly jumped in.
“Comrade, this is your wife, right? You ought to keep a tighter rein on her. She comes in and orders two meat dishes right off the bat—completely inconsiderate.”
She looked boldly at Jiang Yan. “If you ask me, a man should marry a virtuous woman. Someone who spends so recklessly clearly doesn’t know how to run a household.”
She had taken a liking to Jiang Yan when he came to eat here previously with his comrades.
But it had been crowded then, and she never got a chance to speak to him.
Now, seeing him enter with two children and a woman, she felt instantly resentful—hence her deliberate targeting of Su Nanyue.
By now, Su Nanyue understood perfectly. She turned her head slightly and cast a calm, meaningful glance at Jiang Yan.
Under her gaze, Jiang Yan quickly spoke up, “I don’t know her.”
When he turned to look at the cashier, Jiang Yan’s expression turned cold as he said sharply, “How my wife spends money is none of your concern. I earn money precisely for her to spend.”
“Making judgments about a stranger you’ve just met for the first time, and deliberately trying to drive a wedge between us as a married couple—I now seriously doubt your personal capability and character.”
“Now, I demand that you apologize to my wife for what you just said.”
The cashier was an eighteen-year-old girl. In this era where sons were favored over daughters, she had been pampered and had everything go smoothly for her since childhood.
Now, after being so bluntly criticized by Jiang Yan, her eyes instantly reddened.
She stamped her foot in anger, “I was only thinking of you!”
Jiang Yan’s face darkened, his voice icy and intimidating, “Not needed.”