“Shop Manager Shu, hello. I am Wen Xi.”
Wen Xi stepped forward and greeted him with a smile.
Shu Xicai paused slightly, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.
This girl really was just as Director Ji had described—different in every way. Fat, truly fat, and also very tall.
Even though he had already been told she was very heavy, seeing her in person was still shocking.
In his decades of life, he had never seen anyone as heavy as Wen Xi. Even wealthy landlords in the past had not carried this much flesh.
And he had never seen a girl so tall either—taller than most men. Standing beside her, Director Ji, at 1.78 meters, suddenly looked somewhat petite.
Despite her size and her worn, faded clothes, the girl gave off a clean, clear aura.
Looking closely, she wasn’t ugly at all. Her skin wasn’t especially fair, but it was more delicate than most northern women’s. Her lips were well-proportioned, her nose straight and defined, and when she smiled, she had shallow dimples on both cheeks.
Most striking of all were her eyes—phoenix-shaped, bright and clear like a mountain spring, filled with a lively intelligence.
Shu Xicai was absolutely certain that if this girl lost weight, she would be a stunning beauty with refined features.
“Comrade Wen, hello. Welcome to our bookstore. Old Ji must have told you—we urgently need a translator here.”
Shu moved a chair aside and gestured for Wen Xi to sit. As for Director Ji, he didn’t get such treatment and had to find a seat himself.
Wen Xi smiled and nodded.
“Yes, he mentioned it. I just happened to want to do translation work to earn some money, so I asked Director Ji to bring me here.”
These words framed her not as someone coming to help, but as someone seeking a job. It saved face for Shop Manager Shu while also giving Director Ji a bit of credit.
Both men were pleased, silently admiring how well-spoken she was.
Shu smiled more sincerely.
“I trust Old Ji’s recommendation, but I still need to see your translation ability. What foreign languages do you know?”
At this time, the most commonly taught foreign language in the country was Russian. Very few people knew other languages, and translators were extremely rare.
“I know some Russian and English.”
After considering the situation, Wen Xi only mentioned these two languages. In reality, she also knew French, German, Korean, Japanese, and could even speak a bit of Thai.
Before transmigrating, she worked in mechanical research and design and often communicated with international teams. She had learned English in school and later self-studied other languages during work.
With strong language talent and a practical environment, she had reached a level where daily conversation and reading materials in those languages were not a problem.
For now, there was no need to mention the others. She could reveal them later if needed.
“Good. We currently need an English translator. But before that, I still need to test your level.”
Shu took a folder from the bookshelf, pulled out a sheet of paper along with a thick English-Chinese dictionary, and handed them to her.
“Comrade Wen, please translate this article. You may use the dictionary for difficult words.”
Wen Xi took it and saw it was an article about advanced foreign radar detection technology, around 800 words long. It was likely taken from an academic newspaper, filled with technical terms and fairly difficult to translate.
After reading it once from start to finish, she picked up a pen and began writing rapidly.
Director Ji and Shop Manager Shu sat quietly to the side, afraid to disturb her. Even their breathing unconsciously became lighter.
The office was so quiet that only the scratch of the pen on paper could be heard.
The thick English-Chinese dictionary lay untouched on the table the entire time. She never opened it once after putting it down.
About ten minutes later, Wen Xi stopped writing and handed over her translation.
“Shop Manager Shu, it’s finished. Please take a look.”
Shu took it and immediately saw neat, powerful handwriting—so orderly it looked almost printed.
Looking at the content more closely, the translation was accurate, fluent, and coherent. In some places, her technical terminology was even better than theirs.
Hearing that someone could speak English was one thing. Seeing this translation was another entirely.
This level wasn’t just “knowing English.” Without deep linguistic foundation and strong professional knowledge, it would be impossible to reach this standard.
With her ability, she could easily qualify as a senior translator.
Shu’s face flushed with excitement, his eyes glowing as if he were looking at a piece of shining gold.
“Comrade Wen, you truly did not disappoint. We exactly need talent like you.”
He instinctively reached out to pat her shoulder, but remembered she was a female comrade and instead slapped Director Ji heavily on the back.
“Old Ji! You’ve introduced me to a treasure! I dare say even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would accept her!”
Director Ji nearly fell off his chair from the slap, glaring at him.
“Are you trying to murder me? That’s not how you treat someone after they’ve outlived their usefulness!”
“Haha, I’m just too happy, I didn’t hold back. Don’t be angry—I’ll treat you all to a big meal at noon.”
At the mention of lunch, Director Ji snorted and let it go.
To be honest, he was also very happy. He had indeed discovered a rare talent.
“Comrade Wen, let me explain the translator salary system. There are three levels: junior translator, intermediate translator, and senior translator.”
“Different levels handle different content. The higher the level, the more professional knowledge is required and the more difficult the translation becomes. Correspondingly, the pay is also higher.”
“With your English level, you can definitely reach senior translator status in the shortest time…”
Shu explained everything in detail.
Wen Xi already knew the evaluation system: junior required 50,000 translated words, with 90% accuracy. Higher levels required even more words and stricter standards.
Even at junior level, the rate was 1–3 yuan per 1,000 words. If she translated only 20,000 words a month, she could earn 40–50 yuan.
Combined with her consulting work at the machinery factory, she could easily earn over 100 yuan a month—more than that scumbag Song Mingyuan.
And she would definitely translate far more than 20,000 words, and she wouldn’t stay at junior level for long.
She was confident she could reach senior translator level quickly.
“Shop Manager Shu, I’ll take this translation job. Do I need to apply for an official work certificate?”
At this time, possessing foreign-language books could be troublesome. Although she could store things in her space, accidents might still happen. A certificate would be safer.
“Yes, there is a certificate. It will only be issued after your first submission proves your competence, along with an identity review.”
Translation work is a special national talent position, and certificates are strictly regulated and not issued casually.