It was winter when I first arrived in Germany. On a very cold day, I sat on a warm floor tile with headphones on, waiting for the furniture to be delivered to my door. The newly rented room is empty, with only one telephone beside it. Through the French window of the living room, you can see the deserted small garden outside. There are many cars parked in a small street, and no neighbors can be seen except occasional passers-by. The names of four families are posted in the six mailboxes at the door. The house opposite me is empty. The landlord once told me that the house was involved in some lawsuits, so no one lived there. So now, in my opinion, this spire building should be regarded as all the residents.
The furniture company delivers goods to your door, and the arrival time is not necessarily. I have to wait. Sitting bored, I went for a stroll in the garden, trying to loosen the soil with the branches I picked up, but the soil froze, and the soil not only did not move, but my branches also broke. So I took a bottle of glass cleaner and cleaned the glass with old newspapers according to the method I learned in school when I was a child. After a long time, the furniture hasn't arrived yet, and I can't find anything to do, so I read my neighbor's name, but I can't remember the pronunciation at the moment. Finding a person named "Friday" made me laugh once. I remembered that the aborigines in Robinson Crusoe were also called "Friday", so I drifted to a foreign land and became Robinson Crusoe in China!
I haven't seen my neighbor for hours. I think German neighbors should be the kind of people who sweep the snow in front of their doors and die, but they are also very relaxed. Lest, as in China, the windows of some residential areas are crowded, and you can't decide whether you want or not the details of your neighbors' daily life. Looking at the forest in front of the building, the house next door is a little far from the back of the building, and another small building adjacent to it is also side by side, so in my rental range, whether it is sloppy or beautiful, it probably has nothing to do with the sight of others.
Day after day, I gradually lived in Germany for a long time, and my neighbors gradually recognized everything in and out. Most Germans look rigid, but as long as you open your mouth, you will find that they are all kind people who like to chat when they are ripe. However, their emotions seem to be closely related to the seasons. Greeting in summer is positive and loud, with a bright smile, but in winter it is the opposite.
Mr. Friday is the manager of our corridor. His blonde wife likes to drive a light runner, which is quite impressive. Mr. "Friday" is responsible for making the duty table, arranging each family to take turns cleaning the public basement, laundry room and clothes drying room once a month, and arranging each family to take turns shoveling the snow in front of the building when it snows. According to German law, if people slip and get injured in front of the house on a snowy day, the relevant expenses will be borne by the residents. This is something new that I didn't know before. It is reported in the newspaper that the population in Germany tends to be aging, and many elderly pedestrians are observed coming in and out. When it is my turn to sweep the snow, I am very nervous. As soon as the alarm clock rang, I jumped out early to sweep the snow, and sprinkled more salt on the road after sweeping. I really don't want an old lady with white hair and blue eyes to slip and suffer in winter.
I know Mrs Schmidt in the next building because I take out the garbage. One day, I was in a good mood. After dinner, I took the garbage to the big dustbin shared by two small buildings. As soon as I turned the corner, I saw Mrs. Schmidt pursed her huge hips and dragged a big box of flowers out of the trunk of the car. I hurried up to her and asked her if she needed help. She said, don't look back, do you think I am old? I was about to walk away with an unhappy face, but she turned her fat face with a smile and said, Ha! Just kidding! I noticed that it was already summer, and this season was a perfect match for a humorous German. I also smiled and threw myself into helping her move flowers.
Mrs Schmidt's home is beautiful and clean, and every trinket reveals her whole-hearted love for it. She told me that she gets up at five o'clock every morning to clean, and she enjoys it. I listened to her tongue and her daughter married herself and lived alone. When she opened her eyes in the morning, she looked for traces of dust with a rag. I really can't think of any reason why she has to clean her spotless home every day. Almost every window in Germany is bright and clean, and this result will definitely require labor. But I personally like it. For example, I will enjoy reading and listening to music comfortably on the sofa, sometimes I will forget the housework I have to do, and I will look at the snail on the computer before going to bed, hoping that a snail sister will really come out to help me cook and clean up like a fairy tale at night. Of course, such a good thing did not happen. I really admire Mrs Schmidt because she likes to keep cleaning her house.
Mrs Schmidt actually has a China cookbook, saying that she wants to eat Chinese food to lose weight! When I left, I had two pots of flowers in my hand and a note. Mrs. Schmidt wrote me the names of several flowers suitable for planting on a note, asking me to buy something to scrape the window. How do you clean the windows with newspaper?
I thought about it at home and was taken aback. It turned out that my gesture was still seen by my neighbors. Fortunately, this "Gestapo" is not the vicious figure wearing a black trench coat in the movie, but a fat old German Alfred! And it is more convenient to clean the glass with tools. Compared with other homes, my small garden is like a weed garden. Take time to take care of it carefully, even if you don't care about others, you can look good yourself! So I decided to send a China folding fan and a pair of exquisite bamboo chopsticks back to thank Mrs Schmidt.
I used to hate Mr Wagner very much. One day, the grumpy old man scolded a group of children who were playing loudly. At that time, the children were laughing and digging a bird's nest around a tree in front of the building. I heard a loud noise. Seeing Mr. Wagner's angry face through the window, I couldn't help feeling disgusted and blaming him for interrupting his hard-won lively voice. But later, my opinion changed. I once saw Mr. Wagner's car improperly inclined in the middle of the street and the fire was put out, which made people feel very strange. After careful inspection, I noticed a little squirrel in front of the car, holding a pine cone in his hand and chewing it with relish. Mr Wagner just waited patiently for the squirrel to throw away the pine cone and run away, and then lit the car again. Seeing such a scene aroused a warm feeling in my heart, and I couldn't help but greet him with a smile the next time I met him. Sometimes he would send me the mail he received for me.
Emma is a happy mother with red hair, dragging three children by herself, but there is no sad expression on her face. She often gives each child a loaf of bread and lets them go out to play like sheep. She dresses herself up for a date, and sometimes she calls the children home loudly after dark. After a few words, she also has her philosophy of life, saying that children will grow up and have their own families whether they eat rice or dry bread. As a mother, she might as well hurry to find her dream lover, as if dazzled. Sometimes she confuses her boyfriend's name and giggles when she says it. Her three children really don't look hungry at all. Looking at the carefree Emma, I always intend to have a secret talk with her and ask her for advice. What is the achievement, and you have developed such a good attitude?
It's autumn evening, the birds return to their nests in the sunset, and the remaining sunshine makes the sky not dark as early as winter, and the neighbors have all gone home. Listening carefully will still capture the movement of each family. Mrs Schmidt came to tell me the good news of her success in losing weight. She said it was mainly because of those chopsticks. It is not easy to put food into her mouth when eating with chopsticks. After playing a game, she often loses her appetite. She said that people who eat less naturally lose weight, didn't she? I heard laughter! I haven't heard that chopsticks have added this function, so I have no appetite for eating with chopsticks. On the contrary, everything has a bright side and has achieved the goal of losing weight.