Chapter 727: Any Empty Beer Bottles for Sale
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Compared to the vast land of China, Germany was very small. Hamburg in the north to Munich in the south only stretched over 700 kilometers.
Zhang Zian departed from the hotel in the morning. Although he had spent some time in the souvenir shop in the middle of the journey, they still made it to their destination––a small seaside town in the north––in the afternoon.
The influence of the Berlin Film Festival did not affect this town. The town was obviously emptier than Berlin, as it was right in the afternoon but there were not many people on the street.
It was colder than Berlin and the sky was overcast. Outside the car window, the strong sea breeze whizzed past. The pedestrians on the road had all wrapped themselves up tightly. It was almost as cold as the coldest time in Binhai City.
“This queen is asking––is this the small German town that is covered in 72 thousand tons of diamond?” Fina asked in disbelief as it surveyed the area outside. “Where are the diamonds? This queen can only smell salted fish!”
Zhang Zian had long forgotten about his exaggerated words, yet Fina still had it in its mind. Zian let out a dry cough, summoned up his courage, and said, “Yes it’s here, but don’t worry! Just think about it––if the diamonds were all displayed in public, wouldn’t it all have been taken away by the others already? There wouldn’t be any left for you, right?”
Fina gave it some thought. The explanation seemed reasonable so she nodded and said, “So be it. The queen shall wait a little longer. But what you said earlier was incorrect––all the diamonds in the world belong to this queen. Any mortals who dare lay their hands on them shall be sent to build the pyramids!”
“Pei pei pei! Sweet talking, stinky man! Continue with your bull and I’ll see how you clean up your own mess!” Snowy Lionet was gloating. “Let me say this first: when that time comes, I won’t be eating roasted eggs any more. I’ll be having fried eggs with sausage!”
Zhang Zian was perturbed and was contemplating a solution as he drove around looking for the address of Reina’s father.
At noon, both Zian and the elfins were hungry, and the hungrier they were, the more they couldn’t think of a solution. So Zian suggested, “How about this––let’s look for a place to eat first, okay? It’s also not a very convenient time to visit a stranger’s house since we might be interrupting their meal time.”
As soon as food was mentioned, Fina’s attention was temporarily diverted and it readily agreed with Zian’s proposal.
Zhang Zian parked the car outside the entrance of a restaurant. The elfins were all not fond of the cold weather outside and they all refused to leave the car. Zhang Zian got out of the car and prepared to have his meal before bringing some food back once he was done.
The exterior and interior of the restaurant had a strong, traditional German design; the scent of beer permeated the air and there were square wooden tables and chairs.
The service staff in the restaurant was all dressed in uniforms that had a traditional design. The waiters were in white shirts matched with black lederhosen trousers and black leather shoes with their white socks stretched up to their knees. There were only two colors on them and they looked very neat and tidy. The waitresses, on the other hand, wore a Bavarian-style dress that swayed with the wind as they walked.
There was an unnamed band performing live with a keyboard and a trumpet as they played cheerful country music.
Walking into the restaurant was just like crossing time and space to an old-fashioned brewery from a few decades, or even a few centuries, ago. Although there was one thing that felt off: it was the big screen television in the restaurant that was showing their local soccer competition.
Unlike other quiet, western restaurants, the one Zian was in had a boisterous atmosphere. Diners were talking loudly and gallantly downed one beer after another. It was worth noting that if one look around the restaurant, they wouldn’t be able to see any skinny people around, be it male or female.
The temperature in the restaurant was very high. Zhang Zian sat himself down after finding an empty table, removed his jacket, and placed it on the side. Zian studied the menu and the neighboring table’s order before he placed an order with the waiter for a set of Germany’s specialty eisbein.
“Brother, why are you not getting a beer?” someone behind him asked in English as Zian looked down at his phone. The person might have overheard him converse with the waiter in English.
Zhang Zian turned to look; it was a diner from the neighboring table. On his table was a set of eisbein and a mug of light beer—the mug of beer had already reached the bottom and the eisbein was half eaten. Zian’s order was based on this person’s order, just without the beer.
The diner was about sixty to seventy years old, his hair was white, and he had a bright red brandy nose. Though, old as he was, his body was still big and strong like a bear.
The diner looked a little drunk, but he observed Zhang Zian and sized him up. The diner spoke with a lisp and shouted out loudly to the waiter, “Two more beers!”
The waiter quickly served up two mugs of golden, frothy beer.
“This mug is for him. Put it on my bill.” The brandy nosed diner pointed at Zhang Zian, gesturing for the waiter to put one of the mugs on Zhang Zian’s table.
Zhang Zian quickly waved his hands and said, “Thank you, but I can’t drink. I still have to drive later.”
If you drink, don’t drive, if you drive, don’t drink. Zhang Zian had always abided by the traffic regulations.
The brandy nosed diner laughed out loud as if he heard some kind of a joke. He said, “You’re a foreigner? First time here in Germany, right? Who told you that you can’t drive after drinking?”
Zhang Zian was puzzled. He had a blank look on his face and almost suspected that he had heard wrong.
The brandy nosed diner pointed to the side at a female diner who had just finished her meal and was about to leave, hinting for Zhang Zian to pay attention.
On the female diner’s table was an empty beer mug. There was still some foam left on the walls of the mug, an obvious sign that she had just drank the mug of beer.
The female diner put on her coat and scarf, wrapped herself up tightly, and left after she settled her bill.
Zhang Zian kept his eyes on her through the window glass. He saw her enter a car that was parked outside before she started up the engine and left.
It was a common occurrence here; the other diners and the service staff were not in the slightest bit surprised.
Following closely, another diner had also finished his meal and settled his bill. He, too, had some beer and also drove off in a car…
Zhang Zian looked and was dumbfounded by what he saw. Wasn’t all of Germany strict and law-abiding? They were drinking and driving so openly, yet no one was bothered…
The brandy nosed diner stared at Zian’s face. He laughed even harder until his face flushed red.
“Kid, let me tell you––beer is considered a beverage here, just like the coke you always drink! Consuming this amount of alcohol is not considered drunk driving here in Germany. Don’t apply the traffic regulations of other countries here in Germany! In Germany, cars and wine are not disassociated!”
The diner’s voice was very loud––all the diners at the neighboring tables could hear him. They all turned and smiled at Zhang Zian, raising the beer in their hands and gulping it all down.
The waitress served up Zhang Zian’s order of eisbein and heard what the brandy nosed diner said. She laughed and said, “Young man, drink up––it’s okay. How can you not drink when you’re here in Germany? Just one mug of beer won’t influence your driving and also, our beer and eisbein is a great combination!”
“Drink! Drink! Drink!” Under the lead of the brandy nosed diner, the surrounding diners started to chant as they patted the table.
“Goal!” At that moment, the local soccer team managed to score a goal and the entire restaurant erupted.
Zhang Zian found it difficult to decline their great hospitality. He raised the mug, took a big gulp, and praised, “Great beer!”