Dong Qiangqiang's Story of Leaving Germany

"Oh, good morning." The landlord looked back at Dong Qiangqiang on the balcony and then turned back to concentrate on his work.

In the vegetable garden, which was shrouded in falling mist, radishes were growing as strong as ever. In addition to radishes, the land also planted other fresh vegetables and bright edible flowers that doubled as vegetable companions, ranging from cool and mysterious blue-purple to cheerful and bright orange. According to the landlord, these flowers help attract pollinators and deter pests. The landlord also scattered some marigold seeds near the fence on the outer edge of the vegetable garden. She hoped that they would climb up the vines, grow spicy leaves, and bloom proud flowers.

Dong Qiangqiang stood on the balcony and looked towards the mountain. The bright gossamer-like clouds were plated with warm gold by the rising sun, floating gracefully above the ridgeline. The geese with golden edges slowly flew south from the top of the mountain. When he was a child, he thought that the geese flew to the south of China to spend the winter. When he grew up, he realized that they flew to the other side of the earth. The clumps of trees below the ridge were no longer green after several hearty rains. The dense shade of the trees a few weeks ago was sparse in the blink of an eye. Several gradient color bands from green to yellow to brown gradually disappeared. All natural things were endowed with a different kind of withered beauty by autumn. The sudden and impermanent colors also made Dong Qiangqiang feel desolate and the impermanence of the world. The flood came without warning and left without any nostalgia, taking away his summer at the same time.

He looked up at the sky, the clouds were hanging low overhead, the sky seemed particularly clear and high, the autumn morning light shone on him without any shielding, with a chill. The wind in the forest was getting stronger and stronger, bringing autumn's greetings, and there were always leaves that had left the branches, like larks, fluttering freely on the winding treetops and steep branches.

There is no concept of solar terms in Germany. According to the lunar calendar, the beginning of autumn has passed long ago, so there has been a lot of rain and the weather has cooled down quickly. This is already his second autumn in Trier, and also his second autumn at his landlord's house.

Time flies so fast, he sighed, his gaze drifting towards the foot of the mountain following the dancing leaves. The rushing river, the farmland along the river, the various parks and lakes, and the green mountains farther away all showed various shades of green, as if they were all bidding their final farewell to the summer.

He retracted his gaze and looked down at the entire yard at his feet. The fallen flowers and leaves in the yard sparkled in the thick dew, while some still stood proudly on the branches, refusing to fall into the autumn mud and swaying with the west wind. The grass in the yard was hit by the night dew and all fell down and softened. After a period of bitter wind and rain, the yard was rarely in a mess, with dead leaves and weeds everywhere. Not only were there clumps of "small mines" vaguely visible in the grass, but the surface of the pond and the lotus leaves were also floating with poultry and bird excrement. The once clear and transparent pond water was so turbid that it was impossible to see the bottom at a glance. The old lotus leaves curled up like chopsticks and were bitten by goldfish on the water surface, floating and sinking. He then remembered that he had not taken good care of the yard for a long time, and the landlord had not urged him to do this since he went on vacation. He was busy digging the pond first, and then preparing for the exam. After the exam, he left immediately and forgot about this matter. Thinking back to when he first moved in, Dong Qiangqiang was very diligent in his work because he was worried that the landlord would be unhappy with him. But as time went by, he realized that the landlord only looked fierce, but was actually a friendly elder, so he started to slack off. He said "I shouldn't have done that" with guilt, put on his clothes and rushed downstairs.

Dong Qiangqiang ate a few bites of bread and milk and strode into the yard. Seeing him, "Radar" jumped up from the grass beside the landlord, came to him in small steps, and rubbed his leg with its head as a gesture of friendship. The cat lay quietly on the pile of earth at the edge of the vegetable field, basking in the chilly morning light, staring at the huge creature that suddenly appeared in the yard with coldness and even indifference.

Since he had no mood to review again, he might as well take the initiative to clean up before the old lady became dissatisfied. Duanmu didn't ask him to revise the report, so he had plenty of time and it was also a rare time for outdoor leisure. Thinking of this, Dong Qiangqiang went to the landlord.

The landlord was throwing rotten vegetable leaves, small branches and twigs, and handfuls of leaves from the vegetable garden into one of the garbage bins nearby. Dong Qiangqiang bent down and imitated him while offering to take over, "Leave these boxes of garbage to me. I'll clean up the yard later."

The landlord stopped what he was doing, looked around the yard, and said with a smile, "It's time to clean up, but have you finished your exams? If you haven't finished your exams, I can understand. I'll do it myself. After all, I was the one who cleaned up when you weren't here. Of course, I'm happy if you want to clean up, so that I can take advantage of the good weather to get the vegetable garden ready. They're almost done now."

"I'm fine, Ms. Yulia."

"Thank you for your hard work. But these boxes are not garbage, they are all my treasures." The landlord patted the trash can with his gloved hands, and the box made a dull thumping sound. "Not only can you not dump this box, you have to keep the other boxes as well. They are relied upon for making compost." The landlord pointed to a pile of dark soil in front of the vegetable patch. "I made those in the spring, and they are just right for using now." Dong Qiangqiang grew up in the city. Not to mention that he had never heard of the German word for "compost", he would not have understood the landlord even if he spoke Chinese at this time. He never cared about such things and immediately asked humbly.

The landlord spoke rapidly, and because he was used to chatting with Dong Qiangqiang, his speaking speed was even faster than normal. Dong Qiangqiang could only hear the landlord saying that this was her family's secret recipe for making green and environmentally friendly organic fertilizer. As for the biological and chemical words, they were all about lawsuits. However, not understanding did not prevent him from carrying out the landlord's intentions. If the landlord wanted to collect garbage, he could do so. If he was not allowed to dump it, he would not dump it. He saved himself a lot of trouble. Thinking about the three new houses BJ bought, which also had a considerable yard, it seemed that he would have to use more tricks with the landlord from today on. It might come in handy when he returns to China in the future.

"If you throw all these in, it will become compost? It's that simple?" Dong Qiangqiang felt unbelievable, fearing that he had missed some key information.

"In addition to what you just threw in, fruit peels and the like will be fine. Just cover them with the lid and wait for them to ferment." While the two were talking, the landlord gathered another handful and threw them all in.

Thinking of what the landlord had just said, Dong Qiangqiang sniffed hard, but didn't smell any strange smell from the dark soil. He couldn't help but wonder, "You put that pile in the box in the spring. After a whole summer, why can't you smell any odor at all?"

Seeing Dong Qiangqiang's enthusiasm, the landlord further explained: "Because there is soil covering the garbage, it is like burying it underground. When these biological garbage are completely decomposed, the residue will be integrated with the soil. When you take it out again, the soil in the box will be rich in organic fertilizer."

"That's it, it's interesting."

"I have taught Zheng Chunhua before, and she also showed interest in this. Have you never been exposed to this since childhood?"

"We don't have a yard as big as yours."

"Next time, take Li Lei with you (to clean the yard) and let him learn. He will have to do it in the future. The yard belongs to all of us. Forget it this time. Your neighbor goes to bed when I get up in the morning." (End of this chapter)

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