"That's fine. Grandma, these are all dishes you've made before, so there's nothing too difficult. Just perform as usual!"
After a moment's thought, Su Xiaotian added another piece of advice: "Grandma, it would be even better if you were more careful when plating."
Liang Xiu took the recipe book from Su Xiaotian and read it aloud to Grandma Su.
It was unavoidable; Grandma Su was an excellent cook, but when it came to learning, she was a typical underachiever.
In several years, she had learned no more than three hundred characters.
Therefore, for anything involving text, Liang Xiu had to step in to read it to Grandma Su.
After listening, the old woman grinned, patted her chest, and said, "Don't worry about that. Grandma promises to make it exquisite! I'm great at making these dishes!"
Su Xiaotian was naturally reassured. Not only were these dishes familiar to Grandma Su, but they also tasted exceptionally good, easily capturing people's taste buds.
It was a pity that the ingredients were rare; otherwise, they could have been signature dishes at Yiming Pavilion!
When Su Xiaotian returned to the private room, the others were already talking.
Of course, they were communicating amicably in Felix's presence.
Christina sat aside, looking bored.
Seeing Su Xiaotian enter, she immediately perked up and pulled Su Xiaotian to talk.
Su Xiaotian looked at Shi Yuliang, feeling quite speechless.
She had been hired by Shi Yuliang as a translator, originally for their cooperation. But now, it felt as if she were specifically there to accompany Christina.
August, seeing the exchange between Su Xiaotian and Shi Yuliang, smiled and said to Christina, "Tina, don't be restless. We have important matters to discuss now."
Christina was displeased but complied with August's wishes, sitting quietly beside him.
Su Xiaotian gave Christina an apologetic glance. She actually liked this lively and adorable foreign girl.
Especially since, from the moment they met, this cute foreign girl had shown maturity when it was needed.
After a brief moment of wandering thoughts, Su Xiaotian decisively switched into work mode.
Although Su Xiaotian had the appearance of a teenager, her aura shifted instantly when she entered work mode.
A sweet and charming young girl suddenly transformed into the image of a powerful businesswoman, making people overlook her age.
August was slightly surprised. This Chinese girl easily sparked a desire to explore.
Today was not the start of formal negotiations, merely a warm-up. Although the atmosphere was tense, it wasn't confrontational.
Half an hour later, the dishes began to be served, and the conversation among them came to a pause.
Su Xiaotian quietly wiped the sweat from her forehead.
This job was indeed not as easy as she had imagined.
August was undoubtedly a shrewd businessman.
He was constantly trying to set traps, and on several occasions, if not for the system's timely reminders, Su Xiaotian might have made mistakes.
At this moment, August also had a new understanding of Su Xiaotian.
He hadn't expected a young girl acting as a translator to be so adept, perfectly avoiding his traps.
"Mr. Shi, you've found a good translator!" August said with a smile.
As soon as he finished speaking, Felix, the translator behind him, immediately translated his words to Shi Yuliang.
Shi Yuliang was not someone who shirked his responsibilities. Through the half-hour conversation, he had begun to grasp some of the nuances.
Moreover, he had a vague premonition that Su Xiaotian would play a much larger role in this negotiation than he had initially anticipated.
He cast a look of approval at Su Xiaotian, feeling fortunate that he had chosen her as the translator this time.
He even felt that it was a great stroke of luck for the factory that the temporary translator, who was unable to work due to a sudden issue, was unavailable.
Su Xiaotian's professionalism far surpassed that of their factory's translator, and this young lady even alerted him to his oversights at critical moments.
"Mr. August, you are too kind. Su Xiaotian is an excellent translator!"
Shi Yuliang's tone was filled with pride, but his words of praise seemed rather limited!
"Mr. August, you flatter me. I am just an ordinary high school student and do not deserve such praise!" Su Xiaotian said politely.
"You deserve it!" August stated calmly.
"The cold dishes have all been served. Please, Mr. August, Miss Christina, Mr. Daniel, and Mr. Felix, enjoy your meal. We hope these Chinese delicacies will awaken your taste buds."
As soon as Su Xiaotian finished speaking, young waiters in the restaurant entered with the decanted red wine.
Their movements were not perfect, but they were commendable, having remembered many of the points Su Xiaotian had previously made.
Su Xiaotian personally poured a glass of red wine for everyone, including herself.
This action further surprised everyone present.
Shi Yuliang looked at Su Xiaotian with confusion. He had not asked Su Xiaotian to prepare red wine, nor had he prepared any himself.
August's gaze, however, held more admiration.
He hadn't expected to find such mellow red wine in this Eastern country.
"Esteemed Mr. August, Miss Christina, Mr. Daniel, Mr. Felix, upon arriving in our country, we should have prepared our nation's beverages for you. However, thinking you would be more accustomed to red wine, Factory Director Shi has specially prepared this bottle for you. We hope you enjoy it!"
"I truly didn't expect to encounter such fine wine in an Eastern country!" August said, raising his glass, gently sniffing it, and smiling with a hint of intoxication.
"Mr. August, China has been brewing grape wine for over a thousand years, since the Tang Dynasty."
For some reason, Su Xiaotian blurted out this sentence, as if wanting to prove something for her country.
August gently swirled the wine in his goblet.
It was indeed good; this bottle of red wine was considered top-notch among those he had tasted.
"As far as I know, the best grape wine is not produced in your country!"
His tone was casual, but Su Xiaotian detected a hint of disdain from August.
As a translator, Su Xiaotian dutifully translated August's words to Shi Yuliang and Lü Ruya before smiling and engaging August in conversation.
"I do not deny that the best grape wine is produced in France, but our country's wine also has a thousand-year heritage. Chinese ancient method brewed grape wine is very good!"
"Oh?" August, for reasons unknown, found himself engaging in a battle of wills with Su Xiaotian.
"Mr. August, you may not be fully aware, but Tang Dynasty poets in my country described grape wine with countless brushstrokes."
August said calmly, "I'm eager to hear more!"
He felt increasingly intrigued by this young girl, wanting to know how many surprises she could bring him.
"'Fine wine and jade cups at night, the pipa urges us to drink on horseback.' 'Looking afar at the Han River's duck-head green, it resembles grape wine just fermented.'" These are examples!"
Although speaking ancient poetry in German was indeed difficult, it was not particularly challenging for Su Xiaotian.
Not only did Su Xiaotian fully convey the meaning and content of the poems, but she also managed to capture some of their ancient charm.