A few people chatted and laughed before getting into their respective cars.
Su Xiaotian was specially arranged by Director Duan to be sent home, along with a large bag of gifts.
Grandma Su knew Su Xiaotian was returning home today and was waiting for her.
Hearing the sound of a car at the door, she hurried out to see.
To her surprise, she saw Su Xiaotian and the driver busy unloading things from the car.
"Xiaotian, did you move the entire foreign mall back?" Grandma Su asked in surprise.
The driver, who was helping Su Xiaotian unload, glanced at Grandma Su in surprise.
He was astonished that an old lady knew about malls.
After all, malls were a new concept that had only appeared in the last two years, and there weren't many domestically.
"Grandma, these are all gifts from others. We'll talk about it at home."
It took Su Xiaotian and the others quite some time to move all these items into the house.
Grandma Su invited the driver to have some tea, but he politely declined.
She never expected that this seemingly amiable and low-key young girl came from such a well-off family.
Although many families' living conditions had improved in the past two years, homes like the Su family's, with televisions and refrigerators, were still rare. These were expensive items.
It was no wonder she was so capable at such a young age; it seemed the Su family was no ordinary household.
Grandma Su wanted to offer the driver some water, but he firmly refused.
After the grandmother and granddaughter expressed their thanks, they politely saw the driver off.
After the driver left, Su Xiaotian collapsed onto the sofa inside.
The trip had been exhausting, leaving her with no energy to move.
"Grandma, I'm so tired!"
Without outsiders present, Su Xiaotian was clearly a spoiled young girl, speaking coquettishly to Grandma Su.
Going out this time was truly difficult. It wasn't just the food and drinks being unaccustomed to; she also had to handle so much work.
Moreover, she encountered things she couldn't even have imagined before. For Su Xiaotian, who had no experience with such matters, the pressure was immense.
Su Xiaotian was utterly exhausted.
Grandma Su watched her with a heart full of concern.
"You child, really, how did you get so tired?"
Despite her words of complaint, Grandma Su was already busy fetching fruit and pouring milk tea for Su Xiaotian.
Grandma Su knew her granddaughter was returning and had prepared a meal waiting for her, along with all of Su Xiaotian's favorite things like fruit and milk tea.
Su Xiaotian took a sip of the milk tea prepared by Grandma Su and couldn't help but close her eyes.
This felt so good.
Watching her, Grandma Su couldn't help but start muttering again.
"Why do you put yourself through so much trouble? Why does a young girl have to work so hard?"
According to Grandma Su's consistent belief, hard work should be left to the boys. Her precious granddaughter should be enjoying life at home.
After all, the family had the means.
But now, the reality was the opposite of her thoughts. Su Xiaotian not only wasn't enjoying life but was working harder than her brothers.
A large portion of the family's fortune had been created by this young girl, Su Xiaotian.
For this family, this child had truly given her all.
It could be said that without Su Xiaotian, the Su family would not be where they were today.
"Grandma, it's nothing, just tired from the long flight. And the food on the plane was bad, and the foreign food was also not good. I miss your cooking."
Su Xiaotian quickly found an excuse, fearing Grandma Su would continue to nag.
The excuse was also the truth; there were indeed such problems.
Su Xiaotian wasn't a particularly picky eater, but because Grandma Su cooked so well, Su Xiaotian had high standards for food.
Hearing her granddaughter miss her cooking, Grandma Su immediately perked up.
"I knew you'd be hungry when you got back, so I didn't go anywhere this afternoon. I stayed home to cook for you. I'll go bring it to you now. Eat something and then wash up and go to bed."
For the older generation, eating well and sleeping soundly was the greatest happiness.
Grandma Su, who doted on her granddaughter the most, wanted her granddaughter to live a happy life.
At home, Su Xiaotian was completely relaxed, enjoying the lovingly prepared meal that suited her taste buds under Grandma Su's meticulous care.
She had to admit, home-cooked meals were the best.
Especially the dishes Grandma Su had cooked with love for her granddaughter, their taste was indescribably good.
All the dishes were prepared according to Su Xiaotian's preferences. Su Xiaotian felt this was the greatest happiness in life.
"Your fourth brother has been with Christina lately. I don't know what they're up to, but they're never home." Grandma Su chattered while serving Su Xiaotian.
Su Xiaotian caught the key point. Did her grandmother mean Christina had come to China?
"Grandma, are you saying Christina is in China? When did she arrive?"
She hadn't heard any news about Christina coming to China before. How did she suddenly arrive?
Grandma Su said, "She arrived the day after you left. She said she was going to open a large mall or something. She's been with your fourth brother every day for the past few days."
"My fourth brother also runs a mall, so perhaps they can cooperate."
In this life, her fourth brother had taken the lead and opened a large mall.
In her previous life, she heard that the first people to open malls in China were foreigners. Perhaps Christina was one of them.
"I haven't seen Christina for a while. Since she's here, I should spend some time showing her around China." Su Xiaotian said while gnawing on sweet and sour pork ribs.
Grandma Su nodded, "You're right. This child came looking for you as soon as she arrived. I heard she was very disappointed when you went abroad. Luckily, your fourth brother understands their language."
She babbled on, but Grandma Su didn't understand a single word. However, Christina was a cheerful child, someone who was likable at first glance.
"If my fourth brother comes back tonight, I must ask him where Christina is staying."
She had a few days off, and Su Xiaotian thought she would invite Christina for dinner tomorrow and go shopping.
Although Christina might stay for a while this time, she was busy. After this break, she didn't know when her next break would be.
"She's staying at our house. Since most of you siblings are not home most of the time, we've let Christina stay with us. You'll see her tonight." Grandma Su said with a smile. "This child is also very considerate. I let her stay with us, and she's not at all impolite. When she comes home, she even helps me with chores."
Hearing Grandma Su chatter about Christina, especially when she mentioned Christina helping with chores, Su Xiaotian suddenly had a whimsical thought.
Perhaps Christina was destined to be part of their family.
Her fourth brother's marriage was still unresolved, and the family, especially her grandparents, had been nagging about it.
Although her fourth brother wasn't old yet, people of this era generally married early, so Grandma Su was anxious.
Thinking about her fourth brother's marriage, Su Xiaotian then remembered her fifth brother.
After graduating from military academy, her fifth brother joined the army and was developing well. However, being in the army, where there were few female soldiers, she didn't know when her fifth brother would find someone he liked.
He wouldn't end up like her second grandfather's two uncles, would he?
One of them had just found a girlfriend this year and got married recently, while the other was still single. This often angered her second grandfather and grandmother, who frequently scolded them for being useless and unable to even find a wife.
If her fifth brother followed the same path as his uncles, Grandma would likely have more in common with her second grandmother.
Thinking of this possibility, Su Xiaotian couldn't help but smile.
Grandma Su was talking when she saw her granddaughter suddenly smile slyly and asked, "What are you smiling about, child?"
"Grandma, don't you think Fourth Brother and Christina are quite suitable? Would you be happy to have a foreign granddaughter-in-law?"
Su Xiaotian asked tentatively.
Although her grandmother liked Christina, she didn't see her as a potential granddaughter-in-law. If she were to become one, her grandmother might not agree.
Grandma Su was clearly taken aback for a moment.
"My dear child, don't say such things. I heard Christina is from a prominent family. How could she fancy our family?"
Although they had been established in the capital for a long time, Grandma Su still felt like they were the mud-legged villagers from Nanling Village back in the day.
"Grandma, just tell me, if Christina agrees and Fourth Brother also likes Christina, would you agree or not?" Su Xiaotian asked.
"I haven't thought about it, but I'm an open-minded old lady. As long as your fourth brother likes her, I certainly won't object." Grandma Su said very openly.
After the meal, Su Xiaotian felt completely revitalized.
But even with her energy fully restored, she still needed to sleep.
The past few days of mental strain had been tough. Even though Su Xiaotian was very resilient, she was still tired.
She needed to rest peacefully.
"Grandma, I'm going to sleep for a while. Call me when Fourth Brother and Christina get back."
Grandma Su could tell her precious granddaughter was too tired to even speak and urged her to go to bed.
When Su Xiaotian woke up, it was already dinnertime.
She was woken up by Grandma Su, but Fourth Brother Su and Christina had not yet returned.
However, the other family members had returned.
The family had dinner, and Grandpa Su and Grandma Su continued watching television, while Liang Xiu and Third Brother Su busied themselves with other tasks.
Only Su Xiaotian had slept, so she wasn't sleepy and accompanied the elders watching television.
It wasn't until past ten o'clock in the evening, and Fourth Brother Su and Christina still hadn't returned, so Su Xiaotian stopped waiting and went back to bed.
According to the usual regulations, she had three days of rest this time, giving her ample time to go shopping with Christina.
However, Su Xiaotian did not get her planned rest and was called back to the Translation Department.
This greatly disappointed Christina, who was eagerly looking forward to shopping with Su Xiaotian.
Fortunately, Fourth Brother Su took Christina out to play in time, which made Christina feel a bit better.
Meanwhile, Su Xiaotian quickly arrived at the Translation Department.
Her colleagues at the Translation Department had slightly strange expressions when they saw Su Xiaotian, but she didn't pay it much mind.
When she arrived at Director Du's office, she realized she had apparently earned another merit.
Director Duan reported Su Xiaotian's performance to the leaders of the Translation Department.
Director Du was extremely surprised by what he heard but also felt a sense of lingering fear.
This girl, Su Xiaotian, was a rare talent. Any oversight would be a huge loss.
This girl was too daring.
She needed to be properly lectured. She couldn't take such risks when going abroad in the future.
"Comrade Su Xiaotian, I've heard from Director Duan about your trip abroad. Your performance was excellent and fully embodies the chivalrous spirit of our Chinese people."
Hearing Director Du praise her right from the start made Su Xiaotian feel a little creeped out.
She felt that with such an incident, Director Du wouldn't be praising her.
She expected that, according to normal procedure, Director Du would lecture her.
As expected, after the praise, Director Du changed the subject, "However, Comrade Su Xiaotian, as your leader, there are some things I must say to you."
Su Xiaotian thought to herself, just as she expected. She knew being called here wasn't just for praise.
In this world, the words "however" and "but" were the most feared.
Su Xiaotian still put on an attentive posture, ready to listen.
Director Du was indeed very satisfied with Su Xiaotian's performance during this event, but he was also worried that Su Xiaotian was drawing too much attention.
When he heard Director Duan's words, he even felt as if he might faint at any moment, his heart rising and falling with Director Duan's narration.
Ultimately, he decided to invite Su Xiaotian over to give her some advice.
For ordinary people, Director Du would at most send a message through someone else, but Su Xiaotian was different.
Su Xiaotian was now the darling of the Translation Department, and she had to be protected well. Su Dan Novel Network
There couldn't be the slightest mishap, or he wouldn't know how to regret it.
"Director Du, please say what you need to say directly. I will humbly accept it."
Su Xiaotian's attitude was very proper, like a good student attending a lecture.
Hearing Su Xiaotian's words, Director Du was momentarily at a loss for words.
This child was truly something.
But he still had to say what he needed to say.
"Comrade Su Xiaotian, you are a talent that our Translation Department is prioritizing for protection. In the future, no matter what you do, you must first ensure your own safety."
Oh!
Su Xiaotian felt that she was indeed very important. When she was abroad, Director Duan had arranged for people to take care of her, and now Director Du was saying this.
But how could she be worthy of such high regard from her leaders?
Su Xiaotian suddenly felt a little ashamed. She was actually just a very ordinary young woman, how could she deserve this?
"Director Du, actually, I'm not as outstanding as you think..." Su Xiaotian said hesitantly after thinking for a long time.