"Clap, clap, clap." Du Ronghui walked out of the office and clapped his hands, attracting the attention of all the employees in the business department.
"Everyone, listen carefully!" Du Ronghui said. Whenever he said this, it meant that there was a big task, so everyone looked at him attentively.
Du Ronghui nodded with satisfaction and continued, "There's a big client coming to the company this afternoon to sign a contract with the boss. You all know that big client. He's the old white man from Florida last year. Everyone has seen him before. But the boss said that this time, in addition to the people signing the contract, he is also coming with his son. His son is a Chinese, and it is said that he is particularly interested in our country's traditional culture."
Du Ronghui paused and said, "So this time, our business department not only needs to send someone to translate for the boss but also someone to accompany the client's relatives. This task is very important, not only because the contract is very big, but also because it is related to our company's image and subsequent orders, so we can't afford to make any mistakes."
He pointed at Han Yan and said, "Han Yan's English is the best. You are responsible for signing the contract with the boss. Is there anyone who knows more about our traditional culture?"
Most of the salespeople present were from English or international trade backgrounds. If you asked them to talk about English literature, they might be able to say something good. But when it came to Chinese traditional culture, they had already handed it back to their high school teachers. How could they dare to say that they were familiar with it?
Han Yan was different. He read a lot of books, and his memory was very good. It was not an exaggeration to say that he had a strong memory. Looking at the colleagues in the office staring at each other, Han Yan was ready to step forward and ask for the task.
"Manager Du, let me do this. When it comes to Chinese traditional culture, I am definitely the one who knows it!" The voice that Han Yan hated behind him sounded again.
With a thought, Han Yan withdrew his right leg that had taken half a step forward.
Brian's voice was very arrogant, and his words were also very annoying. Han Yan knew that Brian was a big idiot. He didn't know anything and only knew how to boast about himself.
When Brian heard that Han Yan was going to translate for his uncle, the jealousy in his eyes almost burned Han Yan. He couldn't let Han Yan steal the limelight, so he quickly recommended himself to Du Ronghui. Regarding this mission, Brian had also considered it. He felt that a foreigner could not possibly know much about Chinese culture. As a native Chinese, he would definitely be able to fool him.
He said that it had to be him, but Han Yan felt that if she was the boss, even if everyone in the office died, she wouldn't hire him. It would be a big joke to say that a young master who only knew how to drive a car to pick up girls was proficient in traditional Chinese culture. Han Yan did not intend to expose him. Since he was always against him, she would let him have a taste of his own medicine.
The other colleagues did not say anything either.
Du Ronghui frowned and looked around. He could not wait for anyone else to recommend themselves, so he nodded and let Brian be in charge of this. Although Brian was not very capable, he was still the boss' relative. Du Ronghui had no other choice, and he could not openly suppress him. He was just an old subordinate, not the boss, so he had to leave some leeway.
There were no problems during the signing of the contract. Han Yan accompanied them throughout the whole process. His clear pronunciation and English with a native American accent made the old American give him a thumbs up. After signing the contract, the second boss left, leaving the big boss and the old American to open a bottle of red wine to celebrate. Then, the two of them started to chat.
The big boss had actually studied in the United States before. Although his English was not very good, he could still communicate well. Han Yan's accompanying translator was mainly to take care of the second boss who did not understand English. Now that the second boss had left, there was nothing for Han Yan to do. He walked out and gently closed the door of the meeting room.
At the stairs of the third floor, Han Yan saw a few female colleagues in the department gathered together and whispered. This was not a common situation. Why did they all come out? He walked up and greeted them, "Sister Wu."
Wu Caiyan saw him and said, "Han Yan, you are back? How is it on your side? "
"It's a success. The mission was successfully completed. Why did you all come out? "
"Aiya, nothing happened on your side, but we had a problem!" A few female colleagues began to talk.
"Brian could not continue the conversation with the client."
"That Brian is an idiot. He doesn't know anything and just blindly joined in." Bao Chunfang shouted.
Wu Caiyan covered her mouth and said, "Fang, lower your voice."
She explained to Han Yan in a low voice, "Brian was just talking with the client. The client said a poem. In the end, he did not even know who wrote it. He blushed and ran away."
"He ran away at the last minute. Now, Manager Du doesn't even know how to clean up the mess." Bao Chunfang said.
It's time to clean up the mess. If I don't go now, I will drag Manager Du down. Han Yan pushed the door and walked in.
When Du Ronghui saw Han Yan come in, the stone in his heart finally fell. His general had finally arrived! He quickly introduced Han Yan to the client.
The client was not young. He looked to be in his forties. He wore glasses and looked gentle. He wore a white coat and an emerald bracelet on his left hand. It was very Chinese.
Han Yan reached out his hand and said in English, "Mr. Smith, welcome to China."
Smith also reached out and shook his hand in a friendly manner. He smiled and said, "Thank you. Your English is very good, but let's talk in Chinese. I like China very much. Chinese culture is broad and profound."
Han Yan smiled and said, "Mr. Smith, your Chinese level is very high! If Manager Du didn't mention it, I wouldn't have known that you had never been to China before."
"I have a Chinese teacher. I was taught by him." Smith beamed with joy.
"By the way, my colleague just said that you memorized a poem. Can you let me hear it? Maybe I have some understanding of it."
"Of course." Smith thought for a moment, then recited the poem.
"The distant Mount Tai,
Shows a dark figure;
Thick and heavy foundation,
Supports the shallow high-level;
If one day,
Someone takes the Reversal of Heaven and Earth;
Old traditions,
Will be met with a landslide."
Smith shook his head as he recited the poem. He was very engrossed. However, Han Yan frowned as he listened. This poem sounded very strange, and he had no recollection of seeing this poem before.
After Smith finished reciting, he told Han Yan that the poem was not the original. His Chinese teacher read it to him from an English translation and he translated it himself. That made sense! Han Yan chatted with Smith as he searched his memory for a poem that matched the meaning.
"I like this poem very much! I heard from my teacher that this poet came from the hometown of Confucius. I think this poem can best represent China!"
Smith told Han Yan that the poem had a very deep meaning. He did not know what the meaning was, so he explained it in English as "has, many, messages, implied". It expressed the poet's great ambition to overthrow the feudal system.
Han Yan finally matched the poem that had been translated twice with the original! Thinking about the original, Han Yan could not help but laugh. As a result, he was glared at by Du Ronghui.
Han Yan told Smith that he remembered who wrote the poem. Han Yan said, "The poet of this poem was a general at that time. His name was Zhang Zongchang."
"Yes, yes, yes. It was Zhuang Chongchang." Smith said in surprise. His speech was not standard.
Smith happily chatted with Han Yan as if he had met a soulmate.
Han Yan also told him some anecdotes about General Zhang. For example, General Zhang married 23 concubines, his character was wanton, and his mother abandoned him when he was young. However, not only did he not hate his mother, but he also brought his mother back after he became a high-ranking official.
Smith and Han Yan chatted happily. Not only did he forget Brian's rudeness, but he also praised the company to his father when he left. When the company was praised, everyone was also honored.
After the client left, the company definitely rewarded Du Ronghui and the business department. When Du Ronghui came back, he also praised Han Yan. He conveyed the company's reward: Han Yan's bonus for this month would be doubled, and the others would also receive a bonus of 200 yuan. For a moment, everyone in the business department was jubilant.
Brian, who was an eyesore, had already run away in shame. Everyone understood and did not mention him. They were afraid that mentioning him would ruin the atmosphere.
Bao Chunfang ran over and asked Han Yan, "Han Yan, what poem did the client just recite?"
Han Yan had a smirk on his face as he recited the poem that Smith recited. He asked with a smile, "Does anyone know the original text of this poem?"
Du Ronghui smiled and said, "Han Yan, just say it. I saw that you couldn't help but want to laugh. There must be something strange about it!"
Han Yan seemed to be unable to keep them in suspense, so he said, "This poem was written by a warlord during the Republic of China. Zhang Zongchang did not study much when he was young. Later on, his poems became popular because his poems were special. Although it was a bit of a show off, it was really vulgar and cute. The poem just now was called You Taishan. The original text was:
From afar, Taishan looked black and sticky, thin at the top and thick at the bottom.
Like turning Taishan upside down, thin at the bottom and thick at the top."
After hearing the original poem, which was even more of a limerick than a limerick, everyone was stunned for a moment. Then they burst into laughter, almost tearing open the office.
Bao Chunfang laughed until tears came out. She slapped the table and said, "Why do I feel that the client's translation is better than the original poem?"
Han Yan also laughed and said, "Yeah, I didn't dare to tell him the original work. Do you know? I held back my laughter for a long time."
Du Ronghui pretended to be serious and said, "We have to learn from Han Yan. We have to be loyal to the business of foreign trade, dare to face the magic of the client, be good at holding back the laughter in our hearts, devote our limited lives to talking nonsense with the client, and contribute our strength in an ordinary position!"
Du Ronghui's words caused the whole office to laugh again. It had to be said that Du Ronghui's ability to arouse the enthusiasm of his subordinates was very strong.
The day's work ended in laughter. Du Ronghui did not arrange for anyone to work overtime today, so Han Yan was able to get off work on time.
On the crowded bus, there was almost no place to stand. Han Yan looked at the sunset in the west. After the rain, the sky was dyed with two thin clouds that were faintly golden. The afterglow of the setting sun was reflected on the glass walls of the high-rise buildings. There was an endless stream of cars and pedestrians on the road. It was a busy and orderly scene. Han Yan felt very happy.
However, at this time, a phone rang, shattering this moment of peace and making his heart jump again!