Chapter 133: No Regrets Being Born in Huaxia
The old man took the stack of work ID cards from Su He.
Thankfully, this era hadn’t yet seen a flood of fake IDs—otherwise, he would’ve thought she was in the forgery business.
He flipped through them and couldn’t help thinking: The range of jobs this girl’s had is wild!
Just those three factories alone… How desperate must they be for staff to all hire the same person as a salesperson?!
But then he thought again—if she could land that many jobs, she probably had real skills.
Maybe… she’s worth a try?
Just then, Su He said, “That foreigner just now called you a hick.”
The old man frowned. “Hick? What does that mean?”
“It means a bumpkin. Rustic, uncultured.”
The old man snapped the other arm off his glasses!
His face was full of a deadly chill. Standing beside him, Yue Zhongcheng even shuddered.
This was a man who’d clearly seen bloodshed.
Su He suddenly realized why he wore glasses—without them to soften his look, the foreigners might think he was here… to silence them permanently.
Just as she thought he was about to explode, the old man took a deep breath, pulled a folded paper from his pocket, and began muttering under his breath:
“Unity is forged and developed through contradiction. People differ, just as their faces do. We must seek common ground while respecting differences…”
Su He: “…”
So this old comrade was doing self-counseling.
It made sense. He clearly had a wartime background and probably held deep-rooted hostility toward foreigners. He likely carried this paper to remind himself not to let emotions cloud his judgment at work—for the sake of the bigger picture.
Su He whispered, “We should show unity to friendly guests. But for those who insult us, we should push back. Otherwise, they’ll think people of Huaxia are easy to bully. Kindness is good—but only when built on mutual respect.”
The old man stopped reciting and looked at her. “You make a valid point, but it’s hard to control the line. If we mess it up, the others may complain.”
Su He smiled. “We’re in the right—what’s there to fear? Besides, weak people rarely earn respect. If we keep backing down, they’ll start thinking all sorts of things.”
The old man mulled it over, then said through gritted teeth, “Alright, you can give it a try. But fair warning—if things get out of control, I’ll use you as the scapegoat and give you a public scolding.”
Anyone else would’ve dropped everything upon hearing that.
I came to help, not be your punching bag!
But Su He didn’t even hesitate. She nodded. “Okay.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re not afraid you might lose control of the situation and face harsher consequences?”
Feet together, back straight, Su He replied seriously, “Sir, your generation shed blood for Huaxia. Even now, you still shine in your posts and endure for the greater good. What’s this little sacrifice of mine in comparison?
Even if I were to be punished—or lose my life—I’d accept it without regret. I have no regrets being born in Huaxia. If there’s a next life, I want to be born here again!”
Her words might’ve been dramatic, but they came from the heart. When she heard that foreigner spouting nonsense earlier, she had half a mind to jump-kick him right there.
In that moment, her patriotism surged to an all-time high.
The old man was deeply moved. Though it wasn’t quite proper to pat a young lady on the shoulder, he did anyway. “Good. You’re a fine comrade!”
Yue Zhongcheng was also impressed. Who would’ve thought this young Comrade Su had such passion for her country? Remarkable!
Su He asked, “Could you give me a brief rundown of the guests’ background? I’d like to be prepared.”
That earned her even more approval from the old man. This girl’s way better than those other four clowns—at least she knows to ask first.
Unlike the previous four who had rushed in trying to chat with foreigners without even understanding their language—utterly embarrassing!
The old man introduced himself as Gu Jinting, from the Foreign Trade Department of Huaxia.
All the foreign guests had attended the Canton Fair in April. Although no deals were finalized, many expressed interest in various products. So the department arranged site visits to different factories in hopes of sparking cooperation.
That said, a lot of these foreigners were mostly in it for the free sightseeing.
And the hosts couldn’t exactly call them out for it, so they just had to play along.
Originally, a translator named Lao Yan was scheduled to accompany them. But just before boarding the train, he was rushed to the hospital with severe abdominal pain—likely kidney stones or appendicitis.
Old Gu initially planned to postpone departure and wait for a replacement translator.
But some of the foreigners refused to wait—they insisted on leaving immediately.
Left with no choice, Old Gu brought them aboard and tasked Yue Zhongcheng with finding a translator on the train.
After hearing all this, Su He could barely contain her excitement.
She’d already set her sights on the Canton Fair. Sure, the spring session had ended—but there was still the autumn session!
Getting a booth for a small county like An Country was nearly impossible.
Yet now—opportunity had landed right in front of her!
If she helped Old Gu handle these foreigners smoothly, maybe she’d secure a booth for the autumn fair.
As for what products to showcase—that could wait. First, she had to lock down the spot!
Once Old Gu finished explaining, Su He strode confidently down the train car.
The soft-seat section had separate cabins, but all the foreigners had gathered in the dining car.
A bearded man was loudly proclaiming in English:
“Huaxia isn’t even as good as our rural towns back in M Country! What a bunch of hicks! And seriously, in this huge country, barely anyone even speaks English…”
His name was John. He loved being the center of attention.
He figured the Huaxia folks didn’t understand English anyway, so he could say whatever he pleased.
And even if they did understand—so what? They still had to smile and serve him!
But midway through his rant, he noticed everyone was looking past him. He turned and saw—
—a young Huaxia girl walking toward them. She looked no more than 17 or 18.
Her clothes were simple, but she radiated a confidence that made her seem to shine.
Most of the Huaxia people they’d met either glared at them, fawned over them, or shrank back timidly.
It was the first time they saw someone who was poised, dignified, and neither submissive nor aggressive.
Su He walked up, smiled, and spoke in fluent English:
“Good day, honored guests. I’m Su He, your translator from the Foreign Trade Department. I’ll be assisting you for the rest of your journey.”
