Chapter 57: The old Chinese couple picking up bottles

The first signal of the arrival of spring in the UK is that the white "snowdrops" blooms all over the hills. This white little flower does not need to be very warm, it can bloom as long as there is enough sunshine.

This small flower is shaped like a bell when it is not blooming, and when it is blooming, it looks like a drooping magnolia. It does not look up, bloom or closes, and is always so shy.

When the camping season in the UK comes, "snowdrops" is already in full bloom. In addition to snowdrops, there are also purple cornflowers, various colors of azaleas, various colors of lily of the valley, and tulips on the hills. The camping season in the UK usually begins in April.

There is a saying in the UK that "March wind and April rain bring flowers in May". April and May are the spring in the UK. Every year, 270,000 British children receive camping training. At the same time, British nobles set up various awards to reward children who perform well in camping, or Boy Scouts. Among them, the Duke of Edinburgh Award is one of the most famous camping awards...

The Duke of Edinburgh was originally named Philip Mountbatten, and was a prince of Greece and Denmark. His father Andre was the fourth son of King George I of Greece, his great-grandfather was Christian IX of Denmark, and his mother was Alice, Princess of Hesse-Battenburg (the prototype of the movie "Princess Sissi"); he...is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II of England and was named Duke of Edinburgh.

In China, "Duke of Edinburgh" is usually liked to translate "Prince Philip", but Britain does not have the title of "Prince", and the title of "Prince" was founded by the Qing Dynasty. Except for the Qing Dynasty, no other countries on the earth do not have the title of "Prince". Therefore, the usual title of British people is: Duke of Edinburgh.

The "Duke of Edinburgh (Camping) Award" office offers everything except shoes and food: tents, sleeping bags, thermal pads, waterproof clothing, hiking bags, camping stoves and gas... A hiking bag includes everything you need for outdoor camping, food, clothing, housing and transportation.

All these are given free of charge. Every year, the Duke of Edinburgh pays most of the fees out of his own pocket and the government compensates some of the funds. 270,000 children participating in camping training nationwide can get a complete mountaineering bag with all kinds of things in it. After the camping is over, the children need to clean these items and then hand them over to the Duke's office for campers to use for the next year.

Of course, if you don't want to hand over, no one comes to ask for it. But it is said that the number of people who don't hand over each year is only in single digits. At the same time, the Duke Award rewards a huge amount of camping equipment every year. There is a slight difference between the camping equipment that is privately hidden and the ones that are rewarded - the Duke Award rewards has an additional royal badge. This royal badge cannot be found for sale in the UK, so once the privately hidden camping equipment is carved, people will know that you are stealing it.

On this day, An Feng led Scarlett to the Duke's office to collect camping equipment. Seeing that it was still early, the two of them went to a nearby small park. This small park is where Scarlett learns to skate in winter. Now it has become a large lawn green space. In winter, the road covered with snow in the road is full of flowers. Sitting on the stone benches by the roadside, watching the children playing on the lawn, smelling the fragrance of flowers, and watching the flying butterflies, I feel so relaxed.

During the process of seizing the golden car, An Feng had not slept for several days and nights, and his nerves were extremely tense. Now that he relaxed, he felt that his life was lazy. He lazily looked at the world around him, listening absent-mindedly as Scarlett nagging, feeling that he was independent of the world. This kind of laziness of the bystander gave him a kind of relaxed comfort.

"Look, the old man who picked up the bottles." Scarlett poked An Feng with his elbow, asking An Feng to pay attention to the old Chinese couple next to the trash can on the roadside. I remember that in winter, the old Chinese couple was picking up the bottles. Now that spring is in full bloom, there are more people coming to walk in the park, and their harvest has become more. The two are in public. The old Chinese man is full of big bags at his feet. The old woman is pushing a small car with two or three bags piled on it.

An Feng looked at the old couple with dull eyes, his head was completely empty, and this state of dazedness was a kind of brain massage for An Feng. I don’t know how long I looked, An Feng felt an object moving in his sight. He looked at it intently and found that the old couple was sitting on a chair and resting. The old man took out a bottle of drink and handed it to his wife. The old wife was pushing her back. The interaction between the two was very warm.

Perhaps An Feng's dull gaze made the old couple misunderstand. The old man raised the drink bottle and asked the other party whether he needed it with his eyes. Although An Feng was in a daze, he was very sensitive to his moving objects. He immediately woke up from his daze. He smiled and shook his head at the old man, raising the mineral water in his hand. He said that he had already drunk it.

This response immediately made the two old men put down their work. The old lady went first, and smiled at An Feng from afar, saying, "Child, I remember you. Which old skating child are you? Look at the little girl beside you, she looks so handsome. "

Am I that eye-catching?

An Feng tilted his head and thought about it for a moment, and immediately understood: probably, most Chinese people would show disgust when they see those who pick up rags, or show condescending attitude. However, An Feng looked at the other party without discrimination, and even showed some admiration and appreciation. The old Chinese couple felt the difference in attitude, so they remembered An Feng.

Humans are all social animals. This old Chinese couple doesn’t understand a word of English. For several years, no one can talk to each other. They are already very lonely. Now there is someone who can communicate equally, so they can’t wait to come over to greet, explore, and inquire about the movements in their hometown.

Before An Feng could answer, the old man next to him also spoke: "Young man, have you adapted? Is the school okay?"

"It's okay, it's okay," An Feng moved the mountaineering bag beside him, freeing up a seat, and said, "We just went to get the camping equipment, and take a breath here... Uncle, are you all okay?"

"Okay! OK!" As soon as the old man spoke, the old lady stopped talking. She pushed the cart to An Feng and touched An Feng lovingly. The old man quickly scolded: "Your hands are dirty, don't move... Young man, don't blame the old woman, I have a grandson, who is as old as you. She sees you and misses her grandson."

An Feng smiled and nodded. He quickly translated the old man's words with Scarlett. Scarlett moved his body and asked the old man to sit down. The old man insisted on not wanting to sit down. He stood beside him and continued, "Young man, have you contacted your family recently? I told you to contact your family frequently, and you don't have to worry about phone bills. Money is earned, not saved..."

When the topic turned to China, the old man took the opportunity to inquire about the situation in China. The old couple couldn't understand English TV and newspapers. Most of the local Chinese newspapers were traditional Chinese. It was probably difficult for them to read and it was not easy to get it. So the topic extended to this point, and the old couple seemed hungry.

Seeing that it was getting late, An Feng was about to get up and say goodbye. The old man seemed reluctant to leave: "Child, we are going back to China recently. If you have time, come and see us more recently. You want to bring something to your home, and we can bring it with you when we go back..."

An Feng still remembers the situation introduced by the other party. This old Chinese couple came to see their daughter. Their daughter was studying at Leeds University. Their family visit visa was only half a year, but they stayed for three years. Now there is a record of "overdue return" on their passports. Once the Chinese couple goes back, they may never be able to obtain an entry permit.

"This... uncle, if you go back, I'm afraid you won't be able to come back again." An Feng explained the entry regulations, and the old man replied repeatedly: "I know, I know, we know this. If we don't come back, we won't come back. We are the fallen leaves."

The old lady interrupted: "Child, don't worry, your uncle and I have picked up a bottle for three years and earned one million in three years. We have never seen so much money in several lifetimes. Your uncle and I think that with this money, we can spend our old age in peace after we go back."

"One million? pounds?" An Feng asked in surprise.

"How could it be the pound, of course it is RMB?" The old man was very proud: "It is equivalent to RMB one million!"

The old lady added: "I heard you just now that the country has been fully opened. We go back to open a small shop, but we really can't do anything. We don't have to do anything. This money is enough to support our elderly. As for the children, alas, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Now that the children are stable, we are relieved."

An Feng suddenly thought of Dr. Zhou's accompanying education procedures... It takes at least half a year to complete the procedures. The old man and the old lady have been here for three years. So, his daughter has at least finished her doctorate, and maybe she has found a job in the local area.

Perhaps, this is what the old man and the old lady think of as "stability".

But one million yuan is not too much. Nowadays, this money is a salary of decades, and you can buy three or five houses. But ten years later, it will be a problem whether you can buy a toilet. An Feng wanted to remind him, but immediately decided to give up.

The old man and the old lady don’t understand a local saying, and they can take advantage of the opportunity to come to the UK to accompany their studies and stay in the local area. If they pick up a bottle, they will pick up a millionaire. In terms of vision, hard work, the motivation to make money, and the courage to put down their figure... they are far beyond An Feng himself.

Therefore, don’t worry about the old man and the old lady being hungry, and they will never be hungry.

In an instant, An Feng was shocked by the spirit of the old man and the old lady. It turned out that making money didn’t require a high IQ, how proficient in the local language and how understanding the local environment was, as long as you were willing to let go of your figure and endure hardship, that was enough.

An Feng solemnly translated the old man and the old lady's deeds to Scarlett, secretly despising himself: I was content with the fact that I was lazy, and I was satisfied with the first income. Look at the old couple in front of me, I can become a rich man even if I pick up a bottle. This unremitting spirit is so ashamed to me who has the advantage of the prophet.

An Feng didn't know that when it comes to the inspirational stories of Chinese people, there are many, many countries. It is not an isolated case for old couples who get rich by picking up bottles. There are also those who get rich by playing violins on the subway, some wash dishes and get rich by washing cars, some wash shoes and sell newspapers... There are countless such things.

This inspirational story won Scarlett's awe. After saying goodbye to the Chinese couple, the two were speechless all the way, and their thoughts were immersed in memories and thoughts.

At home, Vera's mother's office has been arranged almost the same. Now the living room (living room) of the house is my mother's office location. My mother has installed a new phone number, advertised in the newspaper, and notified familiar friends to introduce each other. When An Feng and Scarlett returned home, their mother was calling the office number. She covered the receiver and shouted: "Kane, Scarlett, your father called back and asked about your camping arrangements. He has a suggestion. You'd better call him and ask about his suggestions."

Scarlett jumped over and picked up the home phone to contact Barthley. Villa's mother continued to say something on the phone, listening to the content, as if asking the food supplier to understand the brand and price of red wine. An Feng greeted Scarlett and consciously entered the kitchen. Sure enough, the snacks baked by her mother in the oven were already baked, and the warning lights were flashing. If you don't turn on the oven, the things will be baked. The dishes stewed on the stove have already been boiled...

Mom has now recognized An Feng's cooking skills. An Feng has obtained permission to move freely in the kitchen. He skillfully cleaned up the mess in the kitchen and arranged the tableware to wait for his mother to finish the phone call. After a while, Scarlett greeted him first, she covered the receiver and recounted: "Brother Kane, Dad said: Since you went to the Duke of Edinburgh's office to get a mountaineering bag, you must meet the Duke's requirements..."

She listened to the receiver for a moment and continued to retell: "Dad has participated in Duke Award camping before, and he said... the rule is: keep participants thinking and acting independently as much as possible while ensuring safety."

"The mobile phone cannot be used unless there is an emergency..."

"Don't be afraid of danger. The instructor sent by the Duke will hide in places we can't see, and you will be able to arrive as soon as possible."

"You can sit on the ground anywhere, don't be fussy when you see cow dung..."

“You can’t walk along the road – to keep children safe.”

“You cannot travel through private land – respect other people’s property and related laws.”

"You can't take national hiking routes with directional signs - in order to exercise your directional ability."

"The boys walk in front of the team, responsible for clearing the branches and opening up the road..."

"When passing through the swamp, girls should try it - girls are light in weight. Choose the most careful girl in the team and find the most solid place to stay."

...

"Follow Kane... This is what Dad said to me. He said he believed in your ability and believed that you could take care of me. Brother, I rely on you all!" Scarlett finally added, and she asked in the phone: "Dad, Kane is preparing dinner. Do you have anything to say to him?... Kane, do you have anything to say to Dad?"

"Tell dad: Don't worry, I'm trustworthy!" An Feng replied.
Chapter completed!