I went to school late that morning, because there had been several days of fighting, and the whole place was in shambles, and the large barracks had been burned to the ground.

So I'm staying at home these days, and I can't even say a word of the vocabulary I learned before. He thought he would stop going to school and go to the wilderness to have fun, because he had no talent anyway.

The weather is so warm and so sunny!

The thrush sings like a song by the edge of the woods; A group of people who speak the same language as us in an abandoned sawmill are cutting down trees and sawing them to the way they need to.

Further on, soldiers with their weapons were laid down, holding timber and hammers, and the sound of clanging knocks from the surrounding buildings.

From time to time, on both sides of the road, you can see a few soldiers with shovels happily carrying the mud, as if they were a group of imps who have never played with the mud.

In the field behind, a group of cavalry men with their trouser legs rolled up to their knees were pulling the harvester with their horses, but they were clearly not used to the job.

Looking at the crooked lines they plowed, I bet even me and a stupid donkey could be better than them.

A general-looking man in the clearing was surrounded by a group of officers, and the medic on the opposite side was carefully picking out the thorns from the big man's hand.

It was clear that the big man wanted to use it when he saw that everyone else was busy, but he didn't know anything about "farm work", and instead of helping, he added to the chaos.

Walking through the country road to the town, I saw many people standing in front of the billboard. Almost every bad news over the years has come from there.

It's not taxes, it's conscription, it's droughts, it's floods.

But this time there were no more weeping and cursing, and instead there were cheers and praises.

Curiosity drove me to see what was going on, but when I heard the bell ringing not far away, I reluctantly pulled myself out of the crowd and ran towards the school.

The butcher next door saw my panicked appearance and made fun of me: "You don't need to be so fast, child, believe in yourself, you are number one!" ”

I thought he was making fun of me, so I rushed to school out of breath.

Today's class was particularly noisy, and a group of people whispering inside it was like falling into a mosquito nest by the pond.

The teacher on the podium was banging on the table with a large iron ruler.

"Quiet! Shut up! Damn it! Stop me! ”

I was going to sneak in, but the crowd turned me away.

In order to get into the classroom, I could only shout "Report to the teacher, I'm late!" ”

The teacher said, "Come in!" Sit down, we're going to start class! ”

In the end, I could only walk into the classroom in full view, and what was even more terrifying was that the original noisy scene suddenly became quiet at this time, which made me feel even more frightened and ashamed.

I crept around the bench and sat down, then buried my head in my arms, and it took a while for the hot sensation on my face to subside.

At this time, I noticed that the teacher's appearance seemed to be a little different, with a black top hat, a red bow tie, and a yellow suit.

He usually wears it this way only for holidays, and there is an unusually festive atmosphere throughout the classroom.

There were a lot of people from the town besides the parents of the students, as well as people I didn't know.

There were old people, children, women, and their husbands, all smiling, and the miser of the town was lending his reading glasses to an old farmer with a withered face, and the two of them were holding a textbook together.

That's when I finally realized that I still had a brand new book on my desk, just when I was surprised.

The teacher spoke: "Fellow citizens, we will soon have a brand new course. Paris has compromised, and the German language will enjoy equal status in Alsace-Lorraine and French.

Actually, I'm as German as everyone else, and we were born to speak about it, but we never learned it in school. The French don't send us new teachers, so I hope to work with you! ”

When I heard these words, I felt very sad, ah, those bad guys, they put them on the bulletin board of the town office, it turns out that this is what happened!

I want to learn not only French, but also German! It's terrible!

I don't know how to write in French yet, so I'm afraid I'm going to double the crooked letters. And those heavy books! Double as well!

I feel a little sympathetic to the teacher now, because he is already in the same boat as me at this time, because his work is going to be doubled!

Poor man!

He must have thought that he would never be able to go to a party again before he wore that precious dress to school!

Why are all the people in these towns who don't have to go to school here? They must have come to laugh at us. What a devil!

"Does anyone really think you're French? Men go to the mines, women spin, children have to leave their textbooks and work in the fields, but what do we get?

Not to mention the hardships and hardships of life, they were also subjected to unprovoked bloody repression. Those French gendarmes could break into the houses of residents with impunity, search for those they felt guilty, and then carry them out in a bloody manner.

What kind of people do our flesh and blood feed, foreigners who regard us as domestic animals! ”

Then, the teacher talked about one thing and that, and talked about pronunciation. He said that German is by no means the most beautiful language in the world, but it is clear, understandable, precise.

And we must keep it in our hearts, and never forget it, and that the people who have died and become slaves, as long as they keep their language firmly in mind, are like holding a key to open the prison door.

After the grammar class, we went to the word practice class. On that day, the new books were temporarily printed with beautiful round characters everywhere: "Deutschland", "Alsace", "Lorraine", "Vienna".

At this time, the old mayor, who had not spoken, spoke.

"What a mobilization it is to print so many books in a few days and transport them from Vienna to Alsace-Lorraine, and what a powerful country to accomplish such a fantastical project in such a short time!"

The pigeons on the roof cooed and whispered, and I thought to myself, "Perhaps these pigeons have also come from Germany, otherwise how can they bring peace and tranquility?" ”

After the lesson, he taught another lesson, the history of the Alsace-Lorraine, who belonged to the Germans for most of our history.

Then it was spelling time, and the teacher was completely inexperienced as he said, and with some emotion, there were often strange voices coming out.

The crowd imitated his voice to make more strange noises and laugh heartily, and I really don't want to forget it.

Suddenly, the church bell struck 12 times. The prayer bell rang too. Outside the window there was another chaotic sound of drums and trumpets - the German allied troops were assembling and they would leave by this time tomorrow, and the French lord would be back.

The teacher stood up, his face pale, I don't think he had ever been so tall.

"My friends," he said, "I—I—"

But he choked, he couldn't go on.

He turned to the blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and with all his strength, wrote a sentence:

"Long live Germany!"

Then he stayed there, leaning his head against the wall, and without saying a word, he made a gesture to us: "Dismissal, let's go." ”

(The previous one was blocked, and I don't plan to apply for unblocking.) That's it. ）

(End of chapter)