For Li Dong, going abroad was the first time in both his past and present lives.
Before going abroad, Li Dong was full of expectations.
However, when Shen Qian arranged for a group of people to follow him, his expectations were greatly diminished.
If it wasn't for the 300 million yuan that he had to get back, Li Dong wouldn't even think about going abroad.
On the 7th of July, Li Dong embarked on his journey to Germany.
He transferred from Pingchuan to Beijing, and then from Beijing to Germany. In 2006, there were no direct flights from Beijing to Berlin, and he had to transfer at Frankfurt. It was a long journey.
He departed from Pingchuan at nine in the morning, and the plane finally landed at Tegel Airport at two in the morning.
After a seventeen-hour journey, both Li Dong and the energetic Hu Xiaorui were exhausted.
Tegel Airport wasn't big, and Su Wenhao, who was introduced by Shen Qian, was explaining the general situation of the airport to Li Dong.
"Tegel Airport is the busiest of the two commercial airports in Berlin. It's not big, about the same size as the airports of prefecture-level cities in China, but Tegel Airport sends more than 10 million passengers every year …"
Su Wenhao wasn't old, only in his early thirties.
He looked gentle and scholarly. Of course, he could also be considered a scholar.
Su Wenhao was a teacher in the Foreign Languages Department of Jiangbei's Administration Institute. He was proficient in German and English, and he was quite famous in the school. That was why Shen Qian invited him.
Jiangbei's Administration Institute was only a professional college.
In fact, the Administration Institute was a talent reserve for the government. Every year, there would be teachers or students entering the government, and many officials would enter the institute to study.
Su Wenhao was nervous and excited to be selected by Shen Qian to be Li Dong's interpreter.
Being scholarly didn't mean that he had no desires.
What did scholars want the most from ancient times to the present?
To be a government official!
Su Wenhao had been in the School of Administration for five to six years. Every year, he watched his colleagues and students rise to the top. Of course, he had fantasized about this day.
Now that the opportunity had come, how could Su Wenhao not seize it?
After a brief introduction, Su Wenhao saw Li Dong looking up at the sky. Seeing that the sky was not completely dark yet, he quickly explained, "There's a seven-hour time difference between Germany and Beijing. Although it's already two in the morning in Beijing, it's actually only around seven in the afternoon in Germany. The days are long in summer, so it's not dark yet. "
Li Dong nodded to show that he understood. Hu Xiaorui, who was next to him, became more energetic and asked, "Teacher Su, are there any other fun places in Berlin besides watching the World Cup?"
Su Wenhao glanced at Hu Xiaorui and Qin Yuhan. After thinking for a while, he said, "If Ms. Hu and Ms. Qin are interested, Friedrich Avenue and France Avenue are more suitable for you."
Then, Su Wenhao briefly introduced the situation of the two streets.
France Avenue had the famous Chocolate World. You could buy all kinds of shapes and flavors of chocolate there.
If you liked it, you could also choose your own ingredients to customize your favorite chocolate.
On the other hand, Friedrich Avenue was a famous shopping street in Berlin. You could buy all kinds of world-renowned luxury goods there. Also, there was an advantage to buying fake goods there.
Speaking of Germany's crackdown on fake goods, Su Wenhao was very respectful.
Li Dong interrupted impatiently, "Which country doesn't have fake goods? It's just a matter of how many there are. The situation in China is different. There are more than a billion people, and there are always places that are out of our control. How big is Germany? There are only a few people. It's not objective to compare Germany with China. "
Su Wenhao wanted to refute Li Dong's words, but he thought about it and stopped talking.
They chatted for the next few days. It didn't take long for their passports to be checked and stamped with the exit stamp. They could enter the country.
…
Outside the airport.
Hsu Shengzhe came with Bai Yue Qin to pick them up.
When he saw a large group of people following behind Li Dong, Hsu Shengzhe couldn't help but laugh, "I say, Old Li, can you change your nouveau riche style? People who don't know might think that you're some country's dignitary coming for an inspection."
Li Dong smiled and didn't say anything. He hugged the two of them.
Then, he introduced Qin Yuhan, "This is my girlfriend, Qin Yuhan. She's studying at Beijing University."
Then, Li Dong introduced Hsu Shengzhe and Bai Yue Qin respectively.
As for Hu Xiaorui, there was no need to introduce her. When this girl saw Hsu Shengzhe, her face and nose were not the same.
Hsu Shengzhe didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He whispered to Li Dong, "Why did you bring this little girl here?"
Li Dong touched his nose and sighed, "Do you think I want to? Don't mention it. When we came here, she insisted on playing cards with me on the plane. We messed around for five to six hours. I was so tired that I couldn't even straighten my back. "
Hsu Shengzhe couldn't help laughing. The two of them talked in low voices for a while, and Bai Yue Qin also became familiar with the two girls.
Although Bai Yue Qin felt a little pity for her best friend, Yue Qin was a smart person. Naturally, she wouldn't show any unhappiness in front of Qin Yuhan.
Knowing that Qin Yuhan was Li Dong's girlfriend and that Hu Xiaorui was the daughter of a rich family, Bai Yue Qin was very polite to the two of them. In just a few minutes, the three of them started chatting.
After a while, Hsu Shengzhe said, "I thought there weren't many of you, so I only rented a seven-seater car. Why don't I pick up a group of people to go back to the hotel first and pick up the rest later?"
Li Dong waved his hand and said, "No need. Take a taxi. Don't they say that taxis in Germany are all Mercedes-Benz? Let us experience the charm of a Mercedes-Benz taxi. "
Hsu Shengzhe smiled, "That's not a lie. Mercedes-Benz is indeed the mainstream, but there are some Volkswagen and other brands mixed in. But most of them are E-class, which isn't worth much in Germany."
"It's not worth much in Germany, but it's worth a lot in our country."
Li Dong smiled and then arranged for Su Wenhao to take Zhou Haidong and the other three to take a taxi.
However, Zhou Haidong was unwilling to do the arrangement and insisted on staying with Li Dong.
Li Dong couldn't persuade him. In addition, Hsu Shengzhe rented a seven-seater car. With Chen Ke and Zhou Haidong, there were seven people, which was enough.
Hsu Shengzhe didn't have any objections. Although Su Wenhao had just come to Germany, he had studied in Germany when he was young and often traveled to Germany for business in recent years, so he was more familiar with the place than Hsu Shengzhe.
Hearing Hsu Shengzhe say the name of the hotel, Su Wenhao immediately nodded and said, "I'm familiar with the Adlon Hotel. We will wait for you at the entrance when we arrive."
Li Dong smiled and said, "Why are you so sure that you will arrive first?"
Su Wenhao smiled and said, "General Manager Li doesn't understand German taxi drivers. Taking a taxi will always be faster than driving."
Li Dong asked Hsu Shengzhe, "Is that so?"
Hsu Shengzhe smiled and said, "Probably, but it depends on the location. Berlin is the capital, and the World Cup finals are in two days. There are many people in the city now, so the taxis don't dare to drive too fast."
After chatting for a while, Su Wenhao took Zheng Long and the other two out of the taxi and left.
Li Dong and the others got into the car that Hsu Shengzhe rented. It wasn't too far from the Tegel Airport to the city.
However, the short journey allowed Li Dong to see the difference between China and abroad.
Not to mention the difference in architectural styles, in Berlin, Li Dong felt that the most obvious things were the parks and small patches of forest that could be seen everywhere.
Forests, rivers, parks …
If he didn't know that he was in Berlin, Li Dong wouldn't have believed that this was the capital of Germany.
Thinking about Beijing, every inch of land was worth its weight in gold!
If it were in Beijing, these forests and parks would have been flattened long ago. Such a big place would be built into a high-rise building, and it would cost a lot of money.
However, the national conditions were different.
There were too many people in China. In Beijing, there were more than 20 million permanent residents, and this was only the statistics on paper. In reality, it was more or less double.
As for Germany, the total population of the country was only about 80 million.
With a small population, the demand for housing was naturally not as high, and people could afford to do greenery.
Hsu Shengzhe explained to Li Dong as he drove, "Berlin usually doesn't have a lot of people, but now it's almost overcrowded. The World Cup finals are on the 9th, and now a large number of French and Italian fans are pouring into Berlin. It's a bit chaotic here these two days, so be careful when you go out tomorrow. "
"Chaotic? Didn't you say that Germany has good order? "
"That depends on the situation. Usually, it's not a problem to rely on the police in Berlin to maintain law and order, but not now. There are too many people. It's still okay today, but in the next two days, you'll know what it means to have a sea of people. Forget it, talking to you is like playing the lute to a cow. You don't understand the passion of the fans for the World Cup. You'll know the day after tomorrow. "
Li Dong glanced at him and was too lazy to continue the topic. He said, "After watching the World Cup on the 9th, I have to go to Switzerland on the 10th. Is there any problem on your side?"
"So urgent?"
Hsu Shengzhe was a little puzzled. "Why don't you stay for a few more days? It's not easy to go abroad, so you should visit the scenic spots. If you leave on the 10th, you won't be able to finish visiting the places in the next two days. "
"There's no other way. Do you think I'm as free as you? There are a lot of things to do at the company, so I have to go back as soon as possible."
Hsu Shengzhe did not refute this time. Li Dong was indeed busier than him.
So far away, there was the recent development of a real estate company and the acquisition of Time. The fact that Li Dong could find time to go abroad at this time already surprised Hsu Shengzhe.
After that, everyone stopped talking and focused on looking at the scenery outside the car.
Although the sky was getting darker, Berlin looked even more beautiful at night.
There were probably too many people for the police to handle these two days. Li Dong saw a lot of drunkards lying on both sides of the road.
Of course, it wouldn't take long before the police on duty sent them to where they needed to go.
Hsu Shengzhe saw Li Dong staring at the drunkards, smiled and said, "Don't look anymore. The German team lost in the semi-finals two days ago. These German fans have been drinking and dreaming for the past two days and are looking for someone to fight. If you meet these guys, don't tell them you're an Italian fan."
Li Dong said lightly, "I'm a fan of the Hua Xia team, so no one will beat me up if I say that, right?"
Everyone in the car suddenly laughed. Hsu Shengzhe was speechless. "Don't be sarcastic. It's not easy for them either. Let's understand each other."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
