Chen Ying smiled and nodded.

"Chinese girl!" He sighed and said a long time. Chen Ying shook her head, indicating that she didn't understand.

"He said that when he saw you yesterday when he saw the exhibition, he wanted to ask if you were from China." The thin old man translated in English, "Because none of us have been to China and would love to know what it's like there." ”

"Why do you care so much about China?" Chen Ying asked.

"Because China has the longest and most complete history in the world, which is unmatched by any country or nation in the world. Three thousand years before the birth of Christ, there were records in Chinese classics. Moreover, Chinese hieroglyphs have been used from ancient times to the present day, and it is the oldest script in the world. ”

"It turns out that you admire Chinese culture." Chen Ying smiled, "If you really go there one day, you will find that you actually live in the so-called ancient civilization, and you also have to go to school, go to work, and go home to cook...... The days just passed uneventfully, year after year, and the content of each day was pale and weak, and there was nothing special about it. ”

"But you must know that most of the years that can be remembered by history are unfortunate periods—1918, 1929, 1939, 1945......" sighed the thin old man, "as long as people think of these years, they always know what happened, and I wish these records never existed." It has brought heavy disasters to the people of the world, and the German people have also suffered greatly. ”

The train sped along the tracks. As the day came, the temperature gradually rose, and the snow outside the window gradually turned into raindrops the size of beans. He looked out the window at the lonely fields, his blue-gray eyes unblinking, his face covered with wrinkles carved by time, and white stubble on his chin.

"I was neighbors with Hans when I was a child." After a while he continued, turning his head to look at the fat old man sitting next to him, "In the earliest days, we all lived in Berlin's Singers' Strasse. We went to the same elementary school and went home together after school. Later, when we were about to enter secondary school, his family moved to Martin Hoffmannstrasse, what would later become East Berlin. Construction of the Berlin Wall began in August when we were thirteen, and I have not seen him for almost thirty years. ”

Chen Ying looked at Hans sympathetically. The thin old man quickly translated for him in German.

"Franz is right." Hans pieced together sentences in broken English, "We didn't see each other again until 1992." ”

"The economic gap between the two sides at the time of the merger was very large. The East German mark was actually worth only half as much as the West German mark. However, in order to achieve national reunification as soon as possible, the government at that time adopted a one-to-one exchange rate. That is, the purchasing power of the West German mark was reduced by fifty percent. Franz gestured with his finger and said, "Even so, everyone thinks it's worth it, after all, we can restore ourselves to a whole country." ”

"You're traveling alone?" Hans asked from across his seat. He wore round-rimmed gold-rimmed glasses and looked at Chen Ying with a smile.

"Yes, I am an international exchange student. Recently on vacation, walking around. Chen Ying said.

"Have you ever been to Germany?" Hans continued.

"Not yet."

"Let's take a look." Franz said firmly, "Germany is no longer what everyone thinks it is." It took us decades to rise from the ashes of the war, and we also hope to make amends for the mistakes made in World War II. To this day, we continue to search for the victims of the war and make reparations. ”

"It seems that Germany still has a deep understanding of the war."

"Everyone needs to learn from history, or they will have to repeat the mistakes of the past. In the past, the Germans thought too little, so they would be gullible and make fatal mistakes. He sighed, took off his scarf and put it in his hand, "If Germany wants to truly regain its dignity in Europe, it must obtain the understanding of its neighbors." This is not an easy task — we try to shoulder as much of our international responsibility as possible and to provide assistance to other countries...... Once a person does something wrong and causes harm to others, even if he makes up for it later, he may not be able to get forgiveness back, so it is better not to say that some things do not happen. ”

"I think you've done your best."

"But it's not enough, it's not enough." He looked at the fat old man beside him, "We have experienced too many historical changes in our lives, and we have witnessed the unification, rejuvenation and development of the country. If it weren't for the effects of the war, maybe Hans and I would have been neighbors for life. I will not be unable to attend my grandfather's funeral in East Berlin. Of course, we don't deserve sympathy, after all, so many people in the world have been displaced or even lost their lives because of **, which is not worth mentioning at all. ”

"Because we made the wrong decision, we should be punished." Hans said.

"How's Germany doing now?" Chen Ying asked.

"Not bad." Franz said measuredly, "Other countries are willing to come to our country to invest and build factories, and there are also many international students who come to study and exchange." ”

"You have to come to Berlin." Hans said, "Berlin is fine right now. ”

"Yes, come on. And you can learn German better – German and Hanyu Pinyin are very similar. You know, it's the letter ü with two dots on it, and the pronunciation is the same. The Chinese will soon learn. Franz encouraged her, "Our country's mechanical profession is great, and medicine is also good, you can choose a favorite study." ”

"And German universities are not expensive." Hans followed.

"I'll think about it, thank you." Chen Ying smiled.