Chapter 447 Stop Beating Around
"Major Schmidt, long time no see!" Friedrich, who was sitting in a wheelchair, greeted Walter with a smile first.
Walter's last name is 'Schmidt', but we are all close so we rarely call him that.
Germans originally had no surnames, only given names. Many of today's "big surnames" are related to occupations. For example, Schmidt means "blacksmith"; "Müller" means miller; "Wagner" means "wheelmaker"; "Weber" means "weaver"; "Fischer" means "fisherman"; "Schafer" means "shepherd"; "Schneider" means "tailor"; "Schultz" means "tax collector"; "Bauer" means farmer, and so on. When dealing with Germans, many people can basically tell what their ancestors did by looking at their surnames.
Walter stood at attention and saluted Friedrich: "Sir."
Friedrich waved his hand: "Don't call me sir, that happened many years ago."
"Your legs..." Walter looked at Friedrich's legs: "When did this happen?"
"It happened half a year ago," Friedrich replied calmly. "It's much better now. Mr. Xiao, Mr. Fabian, please forgive me for not being able to come and meet you. It's really my leg..."
Xiao Peng finally understood what Heidi meant by 'Mr. Friedrich has a reason why he can't come'. He should just stop wandering around when he has no legs anymore.
"Hello, Mr. Friedrich." Xiao Peng extended his hand and shook his. "I'm really curious. We haven't had any previous contact. Why are you looking for me? And why is it so grand?"
Friedrich smiled and said, "Just call me Wolfgang. We've prepared the banquet. I sincerely apologize for the journey that brought you all here, and for what happened on the way. It was my inconsiderateness that frightened you all. However, I've heard from Heidi about Mr. Schmidt and Mr. Xiao's fearless resistance. I'm truly impressed. Dinner is ready. Let's eat and talk, okay?"
Xiao Peng smiled and said, "We are all rough people drifting on the sea. What we are most accustomed to is resistance."
Although he was talking, he was muttering in his heart: "Don't eat a full meal, don't eat a full meal."
It seemed as if God hadn't heard him, and what greeted him was a very grand formal dinner. A row of people sat at a long table, and there were special maids in the room to serve them - the number of maids was the same as the number of guests, that is, a one-to-one service.
Seeing this scene, Xiao Peng almost collapsed.
He really couldn't learn the etiquette of a formal dinner! Just using a knife and fork would take him half a day to study.
Many people assume that a Western dinner is just a fork in the left hand and a knife in the right. But the truth is, a proper meal isn't like that at all: there are over ten forks and knives on the table, each with a different purpose: there's one for entrees, one for fish, one for salads, a smaller fork for seafood, and one for desserts. You can't use these forks incorrectly! Even the glasses are arranged in a row. While the five wine glasses in a row may look similar, they're clearly distinguished: those for water, sparkling wine, white wine, red wine, and sweet wine.
You have to drink aperitif before the meal, then eat some snacks to fill your stomach, and then the main event comes: appetizers, soup, main courses, and desserts are served in order. It is very important to pay attention to what wine to pair with what food.
It can be seen that Friedrich really values him and has arranged a thirteen-course meal. It sounds like a lot, but there is only a small amount of each dish, which can be eaten in one bite.
But you really can't eat everything in one bite. You have to eat it slowly. Cut the food into small pieces the size of your little finger and savor them slowly. One dish can take about ten minutes to finish.
Why is it taking so long? We still need to chat!
In addition to Xiao Peng and the other two, there were six other people at Friedrich's family dinner, including men, women, young and old. I had no idea what they were talking about, but they chatted about all sorts of things, from the Thirty Years' War to World War I and World War II to the development of international finance, and even to the fact that someone was hiding against the wall at Widow Wang's house at the village entrance... It seemed like there was nothing they didn't talk about.
After everyone slowly finished a dish, Friedrich would tap the wine glass with his knife, and then the maid would come over to take away the plates and bring the next dish...
How long did the thirteen-course meal take? Four and a half hours! And the key is, I still wasn't full. Thirteen courses meant I basically took thirteen bites...
This is no longer just eating, it's suffering!
So many girls in China admire the European aristocratic lifestyle. They really should be given the opportunity to experience a real meal. It's not just about being able to cut a steak with a knife and fork that defines a high-class life.
Anyway, Xiao Peng doesn't know what others think. Let him live this kind of life? Haha, forget it. If he is forced to eat every day, he will tear down Friedrich's house!
In fact, this one feast alone had worn out Xiao Peng's patience. The key point was that during those four and a half hours, Xiao Peng did nothing but listen to these people rambling, and the key point was that in the end, they never got to the point.
Just as Xiao Peng was impatiently considering how to leave, the dinner finally ended. The maid took out a cigar and handed it to Xiao Peng, who decided to get down to business.
"You may not believe it, but everyone knows that Cuban cigars are the best cigars on earth. But you may not know that most Cuban cigars have German capital. The most expensive and best cigars in the world are all made by Germans," Friedrich introduced to Xiao Peng.
Xiao Peng lit a cigar and spoke frankly, "Mr. Friedrich, did you invite me over just to eat and smoke cigars? You probably rarely interact with Chinese people. We prefer simplicity and directness over beating around the bush! Believe me, if you did all this to irritate me, you've already achieved your goal!"
After hearing Xiao Peng's words, everyone in the room was stunned. Friedrich asked, "Mr. Xiao, don't you like all this?"
Xiao Peng nodded and said, "It's not that I don't like it, I really don't like it. For me, this is a waste of the most precious four and a half hours of my life."
Friedrich frowned and said, "But I consulted my friends who know China well, and they all said that Chinese people particularly like the European aristocratic lifestyle and are particularly attracted to it."
Xiao Peng took a deep breath. "Mr. Friedrich, I don't know who these 'friends who understand China' are, but I can tell you, I'm definitely not one of them. Your behavior is just showing off in my eyes. I understand how much you value me, so I did my best to cooperate with you for four and a half hours. This is the greatest accomplishment I can offer. Now I want us to get straight to the point. My patience has really run out."
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