I don't know whether it was because of his injury to his left arm or because he had just slept for three hours. Dong Qiangqiang, who ran out of the police station, was not sleepy at all, but felt very hungry.
He looked around the train station and found that apart from one or two cafes, only McDonald's was still open.
Dong Qiangqiang reluctantly returned to McDonald's.
To his surprise, although it was not yet four o'clock in the morning, there were not many people resting and eating in McDonald's. Dong Qiangqiang estimated that there might be more people than when he first came. .
They were either dressed in rags or looked slovenly, clearly different from ordinary diners.
These people may be the legendary tramps or homeless people. Dong Qiangqiang looked at them carefully while walking towards the ordering counter.
Each of them was sitting on a chair or on the floor. No one was begging, no one was shouting, and no one was harassing other diners. Everyone was doing their own thing quietly, and some were even reading.
McDonald's didn't chase these people away and even provided them with some food.
Before Dong Qiangqiang came here, he heard from his classmates that German society is very tolerant and allows people to freely choose their own lifestyle. But he never quite understood why someone would choose to wander.
The thinking of the Germanic people is indeed different from that of other people.
Dong Qiangqiang stood in front of the ordering counter and looked up at the menu. He found that breakfast had not been served yet, so he ordered a set meal for two.
He devoured the Big Mac in three bites. While dipping the fries in ketchup, he took out his cell phone. It was almost ten o'clock in the morning in China, and his parents should be up.
Hearing the familiar ring tone of the landline, Dong Qiangqiang felt a little excited. Suddenly, a slightly older voice came from the receiver: "Hello?"
Dong Qiangqiang controlled his emotions and said in as calm a voice as possible: "Dad, I am Qiang'er, and I have arrived in Germany."
"Oh, it's Qiang'er. Qiang'er called. Just wait. I'll call your mother..." Dong's father threw down the receiver excitedly and turned to call his wife.
After a few seconds, a kind female voice came from the mobile phone: "Is it Qiang'er?".
"Mom, it's me. I'm in Germany. Everything is fine. Don't worry."
"Oh, I hope you're safe, that's fine." Mother Dong's tone was low and she seemed very calm, "Have you found a place to live?"
"Find it." Dong Qiangqiang told a white lie. It is a basic family etiquette requirement for every international student to report good news but not bad news when away from home.
"How is the condition of the house?" Dong's mother asked with concern.
"The room is quite big and has hot water, natural gas and so on. Don't worry." Dong Qiangqiang compiled quickly.
"Later, write an email with your address and phone number and send it to your dad to save him from nagging me all the time." Mother Dong suddenly complained in a low voice, "He didn't sleep all night last night and was waiting for your call. .”
"Why are you talking about this? It's something useful. It's really... international long distance is so expensive." Father Dong's voice immediately came from the other end of the phone, seeming to be dissatisfied with Dong's mother for leaking his secret. It seems that the old couple are listening by the phone at the moment.
Something crystal clear shone in Dong Qiangqiang's eyes, and he suddenly choked up.
He covered his mouth, trying not to cry.
"Then you say..." Dong's mother seemed dissatisfied with Dong's father's 'accusation'.
"What did I say? It's really... Just say it quickly..." Father Dong complained as he slowly walked away.
"This old man is getting more and more annoying as he gets older." Mother Dong said angrily, "Qiang'er, my mother will say one more thing: when you go out, you must pay attention to safety and protect yourself. Don't feel bad about spending money. Make more friends. If There is a suitable girl..."
"Mom, I understand. Don't worry. I came to Germany, not Africa. Everything is fine." Dong Qiangqiang was afraid that Dong's mother would mention his sadness again, so he quickly stopped her and continued.
"Call home as often as you have time. You can do it at any time." Dong's mother asked worriedly.
"Okay. You and dad should also take care of your health. Don't eat leftovers all the time." Dong Qiangqiang also had a lot of worries.
The two parties exhorted each other some more before reluctantly hanging up the phone.
Phone calls between relatives studying abroad are always like this: they start with missing each other and end with more missing.
Dong Qiangqiang checked his text message box. Except for the text message that exposed his whereabouts last night, he did not receive any other text messages, and that text message was just an ordinary "Welcome to O2 Germany" routine text message.
Putting away the phone, he looked at the second Big Mac set meal in front of him with some hesitation. He had no appetite at all, and handed it to a homeless man sitting next to him reading a book.
The homeless man didn't seem surprised by this. After nodding slightly to express his gratitude, he continued to read the book in his hand, which surprised Dong Qiangqiang.
He stood in the empty space outside McDonald's, smoking and thinking about where to look for a house during the day.
After much thought, he decided to go to the University of Hannover first, maybe he could find something there.
Dong Qiangqiang did not notice that in a corner of McDonald's, Wu Xiaoxi was sleeping quietly with her head tilted against the wall, with a few tears hanging on her face.
Because it was too early and it was a weekend, the first trains of the city's light rail and buses had not yet left. Dong Qiangqiang carefully studied the city map posted at the station and found that the distance between the University of Hannover and the train station was not too far. It would not take too much time to walk. Thinking of this, he rubbed his hands and took big steps. Set off towards the university.
In the morning in May, the temperature was still a bit low. Dong Qiangqiang was still wearing the jacket he wore when flying, and he was sweating from walking, so he didn't feel cold.
The whole city had just woken up, and Dong Qiangqiang saw people getting up early from time to time. To him, this experience seemed unique and novel.
After walking for nearly 40 minutes, Dong Qiangqiang could vaguely see the university buildings through the gaps between the branches and leaves in the woods. He couldn't hold back his excitement and joy, and turned from walking slowly to running quickly.
When he walked around a green plant that was as tall as a person, his eyes suddenly lit up, and a modern German-style palace suddenly appeared in front of him.
Is this a university? He couldn't believe it.
In his impression, a university should be a group of modern buildings. How could it be the building in front of him that looks like both a castle and a palace? Moreover, there should be walls and security guards outside the university complex. Why don’t you see anything here?
Did you make a mistake?
At this moment, the first ray of sunlight in the morning came out from behind the misty clouds. The round arched glass windows on the outer wall of the palace immediately reflected a golden light. Dong Qiangqiang felt that his eyes were blurry and he couldn't help but block it with his hands. before.
