Dong Qiangqiang's Story of Leaving Germany

Chapter 1159. The boy has just grown up, free as the wind

"It's good that you're not drunkard. Don't think I'm nagging. Alcohol is good for your mood, but heavy drinking can hurt your body and cause you to make mistakes." After listening to Lu Shan's explanation, Dong Qiangqiang finally let go of her wrist. He rarely lectured ordinary friends like this, but he was always worried about Lu Shan, fearing that she would become the second Lao Bai.

"Munich beer is highly recognizable in color, aroma, and taste. It can be regarded as one of the representatives of German beer culture. I also want Brother Qiang to taste the good stuff. Come on, brother, let's have a drink." Lu Shan said as he raised his glass again. The beer shone with a golden copper luster under the soft light. The deep amber body of the beer was crystal clear, reflecting the fine water droplets on the wall of the glass and the slightly moist breath in the air.
"I drink slowly, so please do as you please." Dong Qiangqiang was afraid that Lu Shan would compete with him, so he picked up his own wine glass and tapped it lightly against Lu Shan's glass while saying this. The moment the glasses touched each other, it seemed as if the restless times of the past few years were also tapped together. The rich white foam piled up at the mouth of the bottle immediately flowed down the wall of the glass slowly. Dong Qiangqiang, who had walked a long way, was inexplicably moved by the scene and took a big sip.

The beer is light yet smooth when it enters the throat, and delicate foam blooms on the tip of the tongue instantly, as if a soft feather brushes across the lips and teeth, warm and refreshing. The beer itself has a mellow and full taste, with the sweetness of malt and the slightly bitter hops perfectly combined, with a heavy feeling and a refreshing aftertaste, especially the slight bitterness mixed in the aftertaste, which makes him think of the old days, which seemed like a long time ago even though they were not long ago.

"Well, it's definitely different from the beer in Hanover and Trier."

"Brother Qiang, drink slowly. This wine has a strong aftereffect. The first time I drank it was in the afternoon, and I got drunk in the evening. I vomited all over the place in the second half of the night. But after vomiting a few times, my alcohol tolerance increased." Lu Shan drank more than Dong Qiangqiang, and the beer foam left a circle of beer beard on his mouth.

"Ha, you just said you weren't a drunkard, but I caught you in the act, didn't I?" Dong Qiangqiang joked, "When you work, you should pay attention to combining work with rest. What kind of work is it? Tell me more about it."

Lu Shan looked pleased: "In the morning I am at the Bavarian Engine Manufacturing Company, in the afternoon I am at the brewery, and sometimes I am at the brewery the whole day."

The first name was too difficult to pronounce. Dong Qiangqiang was unable to react for a moment when he heard it out of the blue. It took him a few seconds to realize what Lu Shan was talking about.

"Oh my god, you're in a BMW? That's great, kid. That's awesome!"

The company that Lu Shan was talking about is the full name of BMW, and BMW’s headquarters is in Munich.

"Hehe, sounds high-end, right? Actually, the hourly wage is not low, otherwise I can't afford to treat you to such good food," Lu Shan hurriedly explained, fearing that Dong Qiangqiang would misunderstand him, "I don't mean anything else, brother Qiang, I am willing to treat you."

"Yes, did you find this job yourself?"

"It was originally assigned to a classmate of Sister Lan, but the boy had to return to his home country temporarily, so the job fell on me."

"How long can you do this?"

"The first contract was for three months, and they said if I did well, they might sign a second one. I asked the German who was leading me privately, and he thought I wouldn't have much of a problem. The main reason was that there weren't many Chinese students with driver's licenses, and even fewer who had no language problems and could find stable jobs. German students didn't lack driver's licenses, but they disappeared during the holidays. Factories, on the contrary, preferred Chinese students like me who were always available and willing to work hard."

"With your style of work, are the working hours on your visa enough? Aren't there only 180 half-days of legal working time per year?"

Lu Shan scratched his head and said, "It will definitely be enough this year. I didn't work much in the first half of the year because I was busy with the preparatory exams, so my working time is basically full. I didn't expect that I could find two jobs so smoothly this time, but I can't give it up now. I have used up all the credit on the first-level tax card with the lowest tax rate. I can only use the sixth-level tax card with the highest tax rate to pay the rest. Although it is ridiculously high, there is no other way. I have to use it. After the sixth level is used up, I will have to think of other ways. Let's take it one step at a time. I can't take care of it now. Maybe I won't be able to find another job after these two jobs are finished, so I won't worry about it."

Lu Shan raised his glass again after he finished speaking. Dong Qiangqiang clinked his glass with his, and asked knowingly, "What exactly do you do in there? Do you sit in the office?"

"I think so. In the past two weeks, apart from tightening screws in the workshop, I did hard labor like moving tires. Although I had tools and such, I still had to use my hands to be steady in many places. The only easy thing was driving a forklift to load and unload goods. Speaking of which, I should thank Mr. Bai for lending me money to let me learn to drive. As a result, I ran away without leading a group after my driver's license was issued, and I didn't pay back all the money. Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Bai..."

Dong Qiangqiang finally understood where the oil stains and fatigue on his face came from, and comforted him: "Don't take it personally. You didn't leave Hanover to travel around. He won't mind. You must be tired from working, right?"

Lu Shan nodded, but his face was nonchalant. "It would be a lie to say I'm not tired. There were a few times when I couldn't move the tires or even hold the electric drill, let alone work. But aren't we young? My sister said I was too squeamish. Young people should not be afraid of hardship and should take the initiative to adapt to the environment. This way, when we work and study, we won't be unable to bear it. I think what she said makes sense. After all, although it's tiring, I earn much more than in Hanover. Apart from Volkswagen, there are really no decent job opportunities in Hanover. Maybe there are only some small jobs at the annual industrial exhibition and the airport. I also worked part-time at Volkswagen over there. Frankly speaking, it's not as tiring as here, but it's also true that the hourly wage is not as high as here. Now I understand why Chinese students from all over Germany like to rush here by train during the holidays. Except for you and Mr. Bai who work in tourism, if you want to find a decent job and have a stable income, you probably have to find a big factory here. Anyway, as long as there is money to be made, I don't feel it's hard, and there's nothing to complain about. It's hard when there is no money. "As Lu Shan spoke, his eyes turned red, as if something was on his mind, and he took a few gulps of beer.

Dong Qiangqiang looked at the young man in front of him, but what came to his mind was the girl who fell into a puddle while riding a bicycle during a thunderstorm last summer. Time passed so quickly, and a year went by in the blink of an eye.

The pizza had rich toppings and crispy edges. Dong Qiangqiang felt sorry for Lu Shan who had to eat too much, so he quickly cut the pizza with a dinner knife and put it on his plate.

"If you work there, can you see their assembly lines? I heard they are all fully automatic?" Talking about cars, Dong Qiangqiang had an idea. It seems that if he wants to know more about cars in the future, he can ask Lu Shan more. It can also be regarded as a source of information. After all, Volkswagen and BMW are the leaders of the German automobile industry system. "What do you think of working there?" "You can see it without going in to work. They have factories open to the public from time to time, and there are documentaries in the automobile museum that also introduce this. At first, I thought the assembly lines were all fully automatic, but later I found out that they were not. Instead, they are a perfect combination of highly automated programmed operations and manual monitoring. They still retain manual monitoring. I may be used to thinking that as long as it is an electronic program, there is a probability of error, and of course the same is true for people. As for the production process, there are four words: very shocking, or breathtaking. If you have a chance, you should really go to the BMW Museum, especially to see the first turbocharged engine it brought to F1, and you will know how awesome BMW is. As for my feelings, I majored in automation, and automation in the automotive field is also a very important application direction. The German automotive industry is the world leader, and we will definitely follow the path they have taken. When our automotive industry also develops in this direction, what I have learned will be valuable. Maybe this is the second meaning that this job brings to me. "

"Are you planning to return to China to develop your career after graduation?" Dong Qiangqiang understood the implication of Lu Shan's words.

"Maybe I'll find a German company to learn skills for a few years, and then go back when I'm done. My roots aren't here, so I can't stay here forever. It's enough for me to just see the world for myself."

"It's not in vain that you have this understanding. Come on, drink! Eat food!"

Dong Qiangqiang was sincerely happy for his little brother, not only because Lu Shan found a job that could guarantee his life, but more importantly, he found the direction to strive for in the future. Dong Qiangqiang enthusiastically served food to Lu Shan, and Lu Shan diligently served wine to Dong Qiangqiang.

The two sat lazily at the table, chatting and tasting the delicious food. When the pizza was served, the hot steam was mixed with a sweet and light grass fragrance, the tomato sauce was bright in color, and it was dotted with chopped cheese and a few slices of freshly picked mint. One bite was like eating the leisure of an entire Mediterranean afternoon.

"Are you going to start from the first semester?"

"Correct."

"I remember you studied in China for one semester before you came out, so you should be able to be exempted from individual classes, right?"

"Yes, although I only studied for one semester, I can be exempted from classes," Lu Shan swallowed the pizza in his mouth, "but I decided to start from the first semester. Hmm, this pizza tastes better than the last time."

"From the beginning?" Dong Qiangqiang was incredulous. "I heard that your major is difficult to apply for and even harder to graduate. Are you sure you want to start from the beginning?"

"Well, it's not hard to make up my mind. After all, what we learn in China is completely different from what we learn here. Although it takes a lot longer to start from scratch, the foundation will be more solid. It's a good idea to sharpen the knife before chopping wood. Otherwise, I will skip the previous classes and not understand the later ones. I will fail the exam anyway. It would be a waste of time if I fail the exam. Besides, if I really wanted to save time, I might not even take the preparatory course and go directly to East Germany to find a university to get a diploma. That would save more than a year, but that diploma would be useless and I would definitely not be as good as I am now."

Dong Qiangqiang showed approval and gave a thumbs up: "We all try to avoid it if possible, but you are actively asking to learn more. That's good, you are not an ordinary person. I toast to you. But since you have made the choice, you have to stick to it and not give up easily. Come on." Dong Qiangqiang took the initiative to raise a glass.

"Thank you, Brother Qiang. It's not easy for me to come out with this family's conditions. I won't fool anyone. I have to be worthy of everyone who cares about me. It's okay if it takes a long time. The knowledge I learn is mine. It's not a loss no matter how you look at it." Lu Shan picked up the wine glass and drank Fugen'er's wine in one gulp.

"Take it easy. You've only been here for a short time and you already...have so many." Dong Qiangqiang didn't want to say anything bad about Lu Shanpang, so he gestured with his hand to indicate the width of the place. "Is the food in the staff cafeteria over there very good?"

"In fact, I was fat before I came to Munich, mainly because of the high academic pressure, so I tended to focus on eating. After I found a school, I started to work hard to make a living. After I got my part-time job, I relaxed completely. In addition, I worked in a brewery, so I gained weight very quickly. Sister Lan said that I would lose weight after school started. I couldn't gain weight even if I wanted to, and I couldn't finish my homework."

"Did Du Lan also introduce the brewery to you?"

"That's not the case. The labor agency I registered with approached me."

"What do you do in there?"

"It doesn't require much technical skills. It's mainly loading, unloading and cleaning. It's tiring but you don't have to be too serious. It's easier than driving a BMW. You can drink unlimited beer. There are also many interesting things in the brewery, so I am happy to go to work every day, haha..."

"For example?" Dong Qiangqiang had never worked in a brewery before, and his curiosity was immediately piqued.

"It was the first time in my life that I got close to a German brewery and learned about the German beer industry. Although I just passed by the production workshop every day, I was still somewhat excited when I saw the various giant stainless steel tanks and intricate conveyor belts, and smelled the rich yeast aroma floating in the factory. The Germans told me about the history of their beer every day, and I had to listen." Lu Shan started talking nonstop.