Chapter 429 – Recognized
The next day, Lu Xia didn’t go to school. Early in the morning, she went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After meeting with the people there, she was assigned to familiarize herself with today’s work process.
Then she began her reception duties for the day.
As expected, among the clients she was receiving today were the Miller couple.
They were surprised to see Lu Xia.
“Oh… Xia, it’s so nice to see you again! We didn’t expect to see you here!”
Lu Xia greeted them with a smile and explained that she had been temporarily assigned to work here.
After a brief chat, the day’s work began.
The reception task for the day was to guide everyone on a tour of the factories in the capital city.
The first stop was a textile factory.
Lu Xia was a bit surprised when she first heard about it, but she didn’t think too much of it.
Upon arriving at the textile factory, they were personally received by the factory’s leaders.
They toured the workshop and the cafeteria with the group.
In fact, the textile factory had received notice of a foreign inspection team coming a few days ago…
It was said that this inspection was very important, so the factory had been on high alert, and they were quite nervous when the foreigners arrived, especially since they couldn’t understand what they were saying. During the tour, they could only try their best to provide detailed explanations, hoping that the accompanying translator would convey the information clearly.
Lu Xia had no intention of taking the spotlight, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had arranged two professional translators to accompany her, both of whom were official employees. She was just there as an observer.
However, the Miller couple seemed to be more familiar with her and stayed close, asking questions. She had no choice but to assist with the explanations.
Fortunately, she had briefly reviewed the things she needed to introduce today and, having grown up in the courtyard of the textile factory, she was quite familiar with the place. So, she managed to explain things very clearly.
But she could tell that these people weren’t particularly interested in the place.
The textile factory in the capital city was now officially called the Jingcheng Cotton Textile Factory, although people still referred to it as the textile factory. It was a major factory in the city, generating significant profits for the country and earning foreign exchange.
However, compared to foreign factories, whether in terms of machinery or product quality, it was still quite outdated, so these clients weren’t very enthusiastic.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs probably realized this, but they still dutifully provided explanations.
Lu Xia did the same. Besides explaining the factory’s development history, she knew that the Miller couple were interested in Chinese culture, so she also talked about the history of textile and dyeing techniques in China since ancient times. They were very interested and occasionally exclaimed in amazement.
Later, even other people who had been listening couldn’t resist joining in, and Lu Xia was initially nervous. However, with encouraging looks from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff, she persevered.
Fortunately, they finished the tour and left soon after.
What she didn’t know was that after they left, the news that the second daughter of the Lu family had been spotted in the inspection team spread around the factory.
She had forgotten that the original host had lived in the family courtyard for over ten years and had met many people. Although her appearance had changed somewhat, some people still recognized her.
Furthermore, she was seen with the inspection team, communicating with foreigners, which impressed many.
Some thought she had become a leader and envied the Lu family.
However, they quickly remembered the rumors from some time ago that the Lu family had cut ties with this daughter, so they took pleasure in the Lu family’s apparent misfortune.
There were even people who went to Lu Xia’s father and specifically told him about the situation, just to add to his worries.
*
Chapter 430 – Mrs. Miller’s Inquiry
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Lu Xia’s father was also surprised when he heard about it, clearly finding it hard to believe.
‘Isn’t Lu Xia studying at Peking University?’ he thought. ‘How did she become the leader of an inspection team?’
But he didn’t want to ask directly, so he pretended not to care, though he regretted it inwardly.
Finally, when he left work, he felt that people were looking at him differently on his way home.
Upon arriving home, he realized that the atmosphere at home was not good. It was evident that Lu Dong had also informed the family about the situation.
Mother Lu began to grumble and speak ill of Lu Xia.
After hearing this, Lu Dong’s mood soured, and he got up, planning to go out and hang out with friends.
However, as soon as he left and after a short while, he returned with a downcast look.
“What’s wrong? Did someone upset you?” Mother Lu asked with concern.
“No…” Lu Dong mumbled with a sullen face. “I just heard that when the factory director had dinner with them, he mentioned that my second sister was temporarily assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist in receiving foreign visitors. Now everyone knows that my second sister is a student at Peking University, and they’re all praising how amazing she is.”
Of course, there were also comments about their family’s lack of foresight—how they had such a talented daughter but chose to distance themselves from her.
Mother Lu fell silent upon hearing this, she was about to start berating Lu Xia again, however, at this moment, Father Lu frowned and interrupted, “Enough. From now on, that girl’s affairs have nothing to do with us. Lu Dong, you’re not allowed to mention your second sister anymore.”
He then turned to Mother Lu and added, “Lu Dong is getting older. You should find him a suitable match soon and get him married. It’s time to have children.”
Upon hearing this, Mother Lu finally smiled, saying, “Don’t worry, I’ve already thought about this. Our family has good conditions, with two regular jobs and few family members. We even have a house. We should be able to find a good daughter-in-law for Lu Dong.”
Father Lu nodded at her words. “Yes, you handle it.”
As for Lu Dong, he didn’t say anything. He had always obeyed Mother Lu’s words, and he didn’t have any strong opinions about marriage. Whatever Mother Lu said was fine with him.
…
As for Lu Xia, she didn’t know about the situation at the Lu family, and even if she did, she wouldn’t have cared. She spent the afternoon with the leaders of the textile factory after having lunch and then visited other factories.
In the following days, she was assigned to accompany the inspection team on various visits.
From the initial nervousness on the first day to gradually getting used to it, she never let her guard down. She would pre-study the places they were going to visit the next day and understand all the details to ensure that nothing went wrong.
Lu Xia’s meticulousness in her duties earned the satisfaction of the two Ministry of Foreign Affairs translators who were accompanying her.
At the end of the assignment, they gave her a very positive evaluation.
On the weekend, the members of the inspection team had a day off.
However, Mrs. Miller had arranged for another day of sightseeing in the city and invited Lu Xia along, as she felt that having someone familiar with the city like Jin Cheng would be beneficial.
Of course, the travel agency had been informed of this as well.
The next day was spent exploring the streets and alleys of the city.
After it all, Mrs. Miller asked something unexpected to Lu Xia, “What do you think of the development of China?”
Lu Xia thought for a moment and replied, “Currently, China may have some differences compared to developed countries, but I believe that the gap will continue to shrink in the future. The next few years will undoubtedly be a period of rapid and vigorous development for China.”
Mrs. Miller nodded after hearing this. “You said it well. Initially, we were somewhat disappointed with China’s current situation, but after observing these past few days, along with the presence of an outstanding young person like you, I believe that China will one day catch up with the rest of the world.”
Lu Xia smiled and responded, “Thank you!”
