Chapter 57 An Old Chinese Couple Picking Up a Bottle

The first sign of spring in England is the white "snowdrops" blooming all over the hills. This small white flower doesn't need to be very warm and can bloom as long as there is enough sunlight.

This small flower is shaped like a bell when it is not opened, and it looks like a low-hanging magnolia when it blooms, it does not raise its head, it blooms or closes, and it is always so shy.

When the camping season arrives in the UK, the "snowdrops" are already in full bloom, and in addition to the snowdrops, there are purple cornflowers, rhododendrons of various colors, lily of the valleys, and tulips. The camping season in the UK usually starts in April.

There is a saying in the UK that "the wind in March and the rain in April bring flowers in May", and spring in Britain is in April and May. Every year, 270,000 British children are camping trained, and the British aristocracy has set up various awards to reward children who excel in camping, or boy scouts. Among them, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award is the most famous camping award...... One.

The Duke of Edinburgh, whose original name was Philip Mountbatten, was a prince of Greece and Denmark - his father André was the fourth son of King George I of Greece, his great-grandfather was Christian IX of Denmark, and his mother was Alice, Lord of Hesse-Battenberg (based on the movie "Princess Sissi"); Myself...... He was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II and was named Duke of Edinburgh.

In China, "Duke of Edinburgh" is usually translated as "Prince Philip", but there is no title of "Prince" in the United Kingdom, and the title of "Prince" was created by the Qing Dynasty. Except for the Qing Dynasty, there is no other country on the earth that has the title of "prince". Therefore, the British are usually called: Duke of Edinburgh.

The Duke of Edinburgh (Camping) Award office provided everything except shoes and food: tents, sleeping bags, insulated mats, waterproof clothing, hiking bags, camping stoves and gas ...... A hiking bag includes everything you need for camping, food, clothing, shelter and transportation.

These are given away free of charge, and each year, the Duke of Edinburgh pays most of the expenses out of his own pocket, and the government compensates for some of the expenses. The 270,000 children who participate in camping training across the country can get a complete hiking kit with everything they need to apply for. At the end of the camp, the children will wash the items and hand them over to the Duke's office for the next year's campers.

Of course, if you don't want to turn it in, no one will ask for it. However, it is said that the number of people who do not turn in each year is only in the single digits. At the same time, every year the Duke Award awards a huge amount of camping equipment. There is a slight difference between the camping equipment that is hidden and the equipment that is rewarded - the camping equipment rewarded by the Duke has an extra royal badge. And this royal badge can't be sold in the UK, so as soon as the hidden camping equipment comes out, people will know that you stole it.

On this day, An Feng led Scarlett to the duke's office to get camping equipment, and seeing that it was still early, the two went to a small park nearby to sit down. This small park, where Scarlett learns to skate in the winter, has been transformed into a large green area with flowers on both sides of the snow-covered road in winter. Sitting on a stone bench on the side of the road, watching the children playing on the lawn, smelling the fragrance of flowers, and watching the butterflies flying, not to mention how relaxing it is.

In the process of seizing the golden car, An Feng didn't sleep for a few days and nights, his nerves were extremely nervous, and now he relaxed, feeling that the days were lazy, he lazily looked at the world around him, and listened to Scarlett's nagging absentmindedly, feeling that he was in it, and he was ** in the world. This kind of laziness of the bystanders makes him feel relaxed and comfortable.

"Look, the old man who picked up the bottle", Scarlett poked An Feng with her elbow, telling An Feng to pay attention to the old Chinese couple next to the roadside trash can. I remember that in winter, the old Chinese couple was picking up bottles, and now the spring is blooming, there are more people walking in the park, and their harvest has become more, the two of them are in public, the big bags at the feet of the Chinese old man are full, and the old woman is pushing a small cart with two or three bags piled on it.

An Feng looked at the old couple with dull eyes, his head was completely empty, this kind of daze was a kind of mental massage for An Feng. I don't know how long I looked, An Feng felt that something in his sight moved, and after looking at it, he found that the old couple was already sitting on the chair resting. The old man took out a bottle of drink and handed it to his wife, who was pushing and pushing, and the interaction between the two was very warm.

Maybe it was An Feng's sluggish gaze that made the old couple a little misunderstood, the old man raised the drink bottle to An Feng, and asked the other party if he needed it with his eyes, although An Feng was in a daze, he was very sensitive to his moving objects, and immediately woke up from the daze, and quickly smiled and shook his head at the old man, and raised the mineral water in his hand. Said that he already had something to drink.

This response immediately made the two old men put down their work, and the old lady took the lead, showing a smile at An Feng from afar, and said, "Child, I remember you." You're some old skating kid. Look at this little girl next to you, she looks so handsome (show). ”

Am I that eye-catching?

An Feng tilted his head and thought about it for a while, and immediately understood: Approximately, most Chinese people will show an expression of disgust when they see picking up rags, or show a condescending attitude of looking down. And An Feng looked at the other party's gaze without discrimination, and even showed a little admiration and appreciation. The old Chinese couple felt the difference in attitude, so they remembered An Feng.

People are social animals, and this old Chinese couple doesn't understand a word of English, and they have no one to talk to for several years, and they are already very lonely and lonely. Now that there are people who can communicate on an equal footing, they can't wait to come over to greet them, to explore, and to inquire about the movement of their hometowns.

Before An Feng could answer, the old man next to him also spoke: "Young man, are you used to it?" Is the school okay? ”

"It's okay, it's okay", An Feng moved the mountaineering bag beside him, vacated a place, and said, "We just went to get camping equipment and take a breath here...... Auntie and uncle, are you all right? ”

"Good! Good! As soon as the old man spoke, the old lady stopped talking. She pushed the cart to An Feng's side, touched An Feng lovingly, and the old man hurriedly scolded: "You have dirty hands, don't move...... Young man, don't blame the old woman, I have a grandson who is as old as you. She sees you and misses her grandson. ”

An Feng smiled and nodded, he quickly translated the old man's words with Scarlett, Scarlett moved her body and beckoned the old man to sit down, the old man insisted on not wanting to sit, stood next to him and continued: "Young man, have you contacted your family recently?" Let me tell you, you should always contact your family, don't worry about phone bills or anything, money is earned, not saved......"

The topic turned to China, and the old man took the opportunity to inquire about the domestic situation. The elderly couple could not read English TV and newspapers, and most of the local Chinese-language newspapers and periodicals were in traditional Chinese, so it was estimated that they had a hard time reading and were not easy to get their hands on. So the topic extended to this, and the old couple seemed hungry.

Seeing that it was not early, An Feng was about to get up and say goodbye, but the old man looked reluctant: "Child, we are going back to China recently, if you are free, come and see us more recently." If you want to bring something home, we can take it with us when we go back......"

An Feng still remembers the situation introduced by the other party, the old Chinese couple came to see their daughter, who was studying at the University of Leeds. The family visit visa was only six months, but they stayed for three years. Now that there is a record of "overdue return" in the passport, the Chinese couple may not be able to obtain an entry permit once they return.

"This ...... Uncle, if you go back, I'm afraid you won't be able to come back", An Feng explained the entry regulations, and the old man replied repeatedly: "I know, I know, we know this." If you can't come back, you can't come back, we are a fallen leaf and return to the roots. ”

The old lady interjected on the side: "Child, don't worry, I have been picking up bottles with your uncle for three years, and I have earned a million in three years." We haven't seen so much money in our lives, and I thought to your uncle that with this money, we can spend our old age in peace when we go back. ”

"A million? Pound sterling? An Feng asked in surprise.

"How could it be the pound, of course it's RMB", the old man was very proud: "Equivalent to one million RMB!" ”

The old lady added on the side: "I heard you just now, the country is fully opened, let's go back and open a small shop, we really can't do anything, we don't do anything, this money is enough for the elderly." As for the children, alas, the children and grandchildren have their own children and grandchildren, and now that the children are settled, we are also relieved. ”

An Feng suddenly thought of Dr. Zhou's accompanying procedures...... It takes at least half a year to complete the formalities, and the old man and the old lady have been here for three years, so his daughter may have found a job in the local area after at least finishing her doctorate.

Perhaps, this is what the old man and the old lady think of as "stability".

But one million yuan is not too much, and now speaking of it, this money is a salary for decades, and you can buy three or five houses. But ten years later, it's questionable whether the money can buy a toilet. An Feng wanted to remind him, but immediately decided to give up.

The old man and the old lady don't understand a word of the local dialect, so they can take advantage of the opportunity to stay in the local area when they come to the UK to accompany the study, and pick up a millionaire when they pick up the bottle...... far beyond An Feng himself.

Therefore, there is no need to worry about the old man and the old lady starving themselves, they will never starve.

In an instant, An Feng was shocked by the spirit of the old man and the old lady. It turns out that you don't need to have a high IQ to make money, how proficient you are in the local language, how well you know the local environment, as long as you are willing to put down your body and be willing to endure hardships, this is enough.

An Feng solemnly translated the deeds of the old man and the old lady to Scarlett, and secretly despised himself in his heart: I was so content that I was slack, and I was satisfied with the first income. Look at the old couple in front of you, people don't know anything, and they can become rich by picking up bottles. What a shame for me, who has the advantage of being a prophet, to be this perseverance.

An Feng didn't know that when it comes to the inspirational stories of the Chinese, there are many, many countries in various countries. Old couples who get rich by picking up bottles are not alone, there are also those who get rich playing the violin in the subway, those who wash dishes, those who wash cars, and those who shine shoes and sell newspapers...... The list goes on and on.

This inspirational story won Scarlett's awe, and the two were speechless all the way after saying goodbye to the Chinese couple, and their thoughts were immersed in memories and reflections.

At home, Vera's mother's office is almost furnished, and now the living room (living room) of the house is her mother's office, and her mother has installed a new phone, advertised it in the newspaper, and at the same time notified familiar friends and asked them to introduce each other. When An Feng and Scarlett went home, her mother was calling the office phone, she covered the receiver and shouted: "Kane, Scarlett, your father called back and asked about your camping arrangements, he has a suggestion, you had better call him and ask him for his advice." ”

Scarlett jumped over and picked up her home phone to contact Bartlet, and Vera's mother continued to talk on the phone, listening as if asking the food supplier about the brand and price of the wine. An Feng said hello to Scarlett and consciously went into the kitchen. Sure enough, the snacks baked by my mother in the oven have been baked, the alarm light is flashing, and if you don't turn on the oven, the things will be mushy. And the soup of the stewed dishes on the stove has been boiled dry......

Mom has now recognized An Feng's cooking skills, An Feng has been granted permission to move freely in the kitchen, he skillfully cleans up the mess in the kitchen, sets up the utensils and waits for Mom to finish the call. After a while, it was Scarlett who greeted first, and she held the earpiece and repeated: "Brother Kane, Dad said: Since you went to the Duke of Edinburgh's office to get a hiking bag, you have to meet the requirements of Lord Duke......"

She listened to the earpiece for a moment before repeating: "Dad used to be in the Duke Award camp, he said...... The rule is: let the participants think and act as independently as possible, while it is safe to do so. ”

"The phone doesn't work unless it's ...... emergency"

"Don't be afraid of danger, the instructor sent by the Duke will hide in a place we can't see, and we can rush to the first time if there is a situation."

"You can sit on the floor anywhere and don't make a fuss when you see cow dung......"

"You can't walk along the road - to keep children safe."

"You can't cross private land - respect other people's property and the relevant laws."

"You can't take a national hiking trail with directional signs – for the sake of orienteering."

"The boys walk in front of the line, responsible for pulling the branches and opening the way......"

"It's up to the girls to try it when they cross the swamp – the girls are lightweight. It is necessary to select the most attentive girl in the team and let her find the most solid place to stay. ”

……

"Keep up with Kane...... This is what Dad said to me, and he said that he believed in your abilities and believed that you could take care of me. Brother, I'm counting on you! Scarlett finally added that she pressed into the phone, "Dad, Kane is preparing dinner, do you have anything to say to him?" …… Kane, is there anything you would like to say to Dad? ”

"Tell Dad: Don't worry, I'm trustworthy!" An Feng replied.

When Scarlett hung up the phone, she shouted to Vera's mother, "Mom, Daddy said: remember to pay Kane's housework in advance this week...... Well, and mine. ”