Cannon Fodder Husband Ch.423-424

Chapter 423 – Tour Guide Jin Cheng

After they entered and stated their purpose, they were led into an office.

The person in charge inside smiled when they saw them. “Both of you are the high-achieving students from Peking University introduced by Mr. Li, right? Welcome, welcome. My surname is Zhu, and I am the director in charge of international affairs.
I’ve been waiting for you for quite a while. Recently, there have been more foreigners coming to China, and we are short on English-speaking tour guides. Your timing is perfect. We have two tourist groups tomorrow. Do you have time?”

Lu Xia didn’t expect them to be accepted so easily; she thought they would need some training first. So, she nervously asked, “Um, don’t we need some training first? We don’t really know much about the procedures.”

Director Zhu shook his head with a smile. “Don’t worry, we won’t have you lead a group on your own right away. Tomorrow is just a simple city tour. We will assign a professional tour guide to accompany you. Your job will be to translate. Once you get familiar with it, you can take on tour guide duties as well.”

Upon hearing this, both of them felt relieved and assured Director Zhu that they would do their best. After that, Director Zhu explained their part-time salary and the benefits provided, and they discussed the arrangements for the next day.

After they left the office, Jiang Junmo was waiting for them in the same place. Lu Xia and Chu Liangchen greeted him and then left.

On the way back, Lu Xia was still excited. “I didn’t expect Director Zhu to accept us without any hesitation. Not only did he give us a job right away, but he also offered a very high salary.”

Jiang Junmo smiled and said, “You were recommended by Teacher Li, and you’re students from Peking University. He probably trusts you. Plus, this job involves serving foreign tourists, so the prices are usually higher.”

Lu Xia nodded excitedly. “I need to study well and make sure we don’t make any mistakes tomorrow.”

Jiang Junmo nodded and didn’t say anything more.

The next day, Lu Xia declined Jiang Junmo’s offer to drive her and instead took a car to the travel agency. She dressed casually for the day, aiming for comfort during the long hours ahead.

When she arrived, Chu Liangchen was already there, but they were responsible for different tour groups today, so they exchanged greetings and went their separate ways.

Lu Xia waited for a while in the same spot, and soon, a young man in his early twenties approached her.

“Are you Miss Lu?” he asked.

Lu Xia nodded. “Hello, I’m Lu Xia.”

The young man smiled warmly. “Hello, I’m Jin Cheng. I’ll be your tour guide today. Let’s work together to complete our tasks.”

Upon hearing that he was her partner, Lu Xia immediately smiled. “Great, I hope we have a pleasant cooperation.”

Before the clients arrived, Jin Cheng briefly introduced himself and the situation for the day. He was 24 years old and had previously been an educated youth. After returning, he couldn’t get into a university and found a job. However, his English skills were lacking, so he usually only handled itineraries for overseas Chinese or Chinese nationals.

He admired the well-versed foreign language tour guides because foreign tourists were generous, and tour guides who spoke foreign languages not only earned higher salaries but also received substantial tips after the tours. This job was coveted by many, but coveting it alone was useless. Learning a foreign language wasn’t easy, and Jin Cheng had started learning English after coming to the realization. However, he still had a long way to go before he could independently handle clients.

During this period, there was a surge in foreign tourists visiting China, and the travel agency was overwhelmed. The English-speaking tour guides couldn’t handle the workload, so they decided to seek help from outsiders. Jin Cheng was chosen due to his decent tour guiding skills and efficient work style.

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Chapter 424 – The Miller Family

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Jin Cheng and Lu Xia had an agreement for the day: he would be responsible for guiding and explaining while Lu Xia would handle the translation. They would split any tips equally.

Lu Xia was pleased with the arrangement. She didn’t see any issues with it and believed that setting the terms in advance would lead to better cooperation. Besides, Jin Cheng was open and had a good attitude, which made her feel comfortable. So, she readily agreed.

Seeing her enthusiastic response, Jin Cheng smiled in relief. It seemed that she wasn’t a stingy person and didn’t take offense.

Since both of them were satisfied and looking forward to their cooperation, they began to prepare in advance.

Before coming, Lu Xia had prepared some items to bring with her, such as a water bottle and tissues, which she had in her bag. However, Jin Cheng, being an experienced guide, had come well-prepared. He had not only brought everything they might need but had also thoughtfully prepared a hat for her.

Lu Xia was even more satisfied upon seeing the hat. In the morning, she had regretted not having something to shield herself from the strong sun. Now, with the hat, she felt much better. So, after expressing her gratitude, she accepted it.

They spent some more time discussing the day’s itinerary before their clients arrived.

This time, they were to welcome a family of three from the United States. The couple didn’t appear to be very old, but their child was already in his early teens, likely around eleven or twelve years old. He was quite tall, probably well-fed, and had grown tall.

Lu Xia briefly introduced the two of them, and then they set off.

Since they were exploring within the city of Beijing, their transportation was straightforward: they would take a public bus.

The three foreign visitors were very enthusiastic about Lu Xia. It was likely that they rarely encountered someone who spoke English fluently here and could communicate with them easily. They were excited.

After exchanging greetings, they asked Lu Xia if she had an English name.

Lu Xia was taken aback; she had never had an English name in her life. However, she recalled that her teacher had given her one during an English class in a previous life, but she couldn’t remember if it was Linda or Mary.

Since Chinese pronunciation could be challenging for foreigners, Lu Xia didn’t want them to struggle with her full name. So, she smiled and said in English, “You can call me Xia.”

“Xia, is that a Chinese name? Wow, it’s easy to remember!”

They then introduced themselves. They were the Miller family, and their son was named Kevin, the younger of their two sons. They had an older son named Bruce, who was currently attending university and hadn’t come on this trip.

Lu Xia was surprised by their age; she didn’t expect them to be so mature.

They went on to explain that they had always been curious about Chinese culture, and they had come here because a local overseas Chinese organization had organized an investment exploration event in China. They decided to follow along and learn about the cultural background of Beijing, the capital of China.

Lu Xia was taken aback; she didn’t expect them to be here for investment purposes! But shouldn’t such guests be received by the state? Why did they come through a travel agency?

Feeling the pressure, Lu Xia immediately focused and prepared to provide them with excellent service. If she didn’t do well, they might change their minds about investing!

They continued to discuss their initial experiences in China, and it seemed they were a bit disappointed by the less-developed environment compared to what they were used to. Lu Xia smiled and started introducing the history of the buildings outside the window, steering the conversation in a more positive direction. As expected, they became very interested.

Once they showed anticipation for the day’s activities, Lu Xia signaled Jin Cheng to explain the day’s plan to them, while she acted as the translator. Jin Cheng had no idea what they had been discussing, but seeing Lu Xia’s serious demeanor, he became equally serious in his explanation.

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