Don’t be silly. Gretel said that although she was repeatedly warned not to say that her brother was stupid, what kind of person didn’t even have a bathroom?
I don’t know if Bruno said it was better than saying there was no hot water.
Gretel looked out of the window for a while, then turned around trembling. I’m going back to my room to play with my dolls. She said they look much better than that place.
With that, she left through the hall and went back to her room, leaving the back door behind her, but instead of playing with her doll, she sat on the bed with a lot of thoughts.
At the same time, her brother was still looking at hundreds of people outside, those little boys and big boys, fathers, grandfathers and uncles, who were lonely as if they had no relatives. At last, an idea flashed through his mind that they were all wearing the same clothes, striped pajamas and striped hats.
That’s strange, he muttered before leaving.
Chapter V Exceptions from Entry and Exit
One thing to do now is to have a talk with my father.
That morning, my father left Berlin several days before he took the bus with them, that is, when Bruno came home, he found Maria in his things, including what he was hiding behind the closet. Those days, his mother Gretel Maria, the kitchen housekeeper Bruno, spent all their time packing things and going to a new truck together.
On the last morning, when the house was moved, the warmth and warmth of the old home were gone. When they put the last piece of furniture in the box, a bus with a red and black flag was parked at the door waiting to take them away.
Mother Maria Bruno was the last person to leave the house. Bruno was sure that when they were there, her mother didn’t find the maid. Before they left, they looked around the hall where they had spent several wonderful times together. There was a Christmas tree in December and a wet umbrella in winter. There was also a special place for Bruno to put his dirty shoes, although he had never done so before. At this time, her mother shook her head and said a few strange words.
We shouldn’t let Yanshou come home for dinner. She said that some people finally succeeded in their decision.
As she turned, Bruno could see tears in her mother’s eyes, but when she saw Maria looking at her not far away, she was shocked.
Maria, she’s still in shock. I, you’re in the car
I was just leaving, said Mrs. Maria
I didn’t mean that my mother explained, shook her head and went on explaining. I didn’t mean to say.
I was just about to leave when Mrs. Maria repeated that she might not know the rule of not interrupting when her mother was talking, and then she quickly went through the front door and got into the car.
Mother frowned and then shrugged her shoulders. It seems that there is nothing to care about anymore. Bruno said that she took Bruno’s hand and closed the door. Let’s pray that when it is all over, we can go home.
The bus with the flag in the front pulled them to the train. This train has a wide platform, two railways on each side, and both railways are waiting for passengers. There are many soldiers on the other side of the platform to patrol, and a long row of the two rails is for the signalman to live in the cabin. Therefore, Bruno took a quick look at the waiting crowd on that side and shared a comfortable carriage with his family. There were few people in the carriage, and many people pulled the windows. There was fresh air in the carriage. Bruno thought that the two trains were moving in different directions, so there was no curiosity. Strange, but the fact is that they all face the east. Bruno once had an idea in his mind that he wanted to run across the platform and tell the waiting people there that he still had a lot of seats in the carriage, but he just did it because he knew that even if his mother was not angry, Gretel would be hysterical, and the situation would be even worse.
Bruno had never seen his father since he arrived in their new home. His father was in his bedroom, but an unfriendly young soldier came from the door. He stared at Bruno with stern eyes and no warmth. He didn’t hear his father’s loud words or his father’s boots whispering on the floor, but people did come and go. When Bruno was struggling in his heart, it was a good time. He heard a commotion from the building, so he ran to the corridor and looked.
He saw five people smiling and shaking hands at the door of Lou’s father’s office. Among them, his father’s military uniform looked heroic and handsome. His thick hair had just been dyed and carefully combed. Although Bruno looked at him from a distance, he could still feel that he respected and feared his father. Unlike other people, of course, they were not as handsome as their father. The military uniform was not crisp enough, and the boots were not loud enough. They all seemed to be vying to show themselves in front of their father. Bruno could explain a few words to the floating conversation.
He made a mistake as soon as he came here.
Discipline, another person said, is still efficient. Since 1994, we have been stagnant and have not.
Obviously, the data is very clear. Obviously, the commander, the third person said
Let’s build another one. The last person said, imagine how exciting it would be. Imagine that we can
Father waved his hand in the air and the four men were quiet. Father was like a quartet conductor.
Gentlemen, he said, Bruno can hear every word clearly now, because no one can make everyone in the room hear his voice clearly like his father. I am very grateful for your advice and encouragement, but let bygones be bygones. Let’s make a fresh start, but let bygones be bygones. Now I want to help my family settle down here, or I will trouble you like those people outside.
These people all burst out laughing and shook hands with their father in turn. When they left, the four men lined up like toy soldiers and waved their arms in one direction in unison, just as my father taught Bruno to salute. The palm of his hand was stretched out from his chest and pushed forward, and Bruno shouted two words loudly in his mouth. Bruno was educated. When someone told him these two words, he had to follow them. Then when they left his father, they turned back to his office. He was forbidden to enter the office without exception.
Bruno walked slowly downstairs and hesitated at the door for a moment. He was a little sad because he was there for almost an hour. His father didn’t come to say hello to him, but he also knew that his father was busy most of the time and shouldn’t be disturbed by trifles like saying hello to Bruno, but the soldiers were gone. Bruno thought it would be okay to knock at the door now.
Bruno entered his father’s office only a few times in Berlin, usually because he was naughty and needed a severe lecture. However, the rules of his father’s office are the most stringent. He is not stupid enough to think that this rule is not suitable for going here together. But since his father has not seen each other for several days, he wants to knock at the door now and no one will blame him.
So he knocked on the door carefully twice, gently.
Maybe my father didn’t hear me, or maybe Bruno didn’t knock loudly enough, so Bruno knocked again, this time louder, when he heard his father Hong Liang coming in the room.
Bruno turned the doorknob and walked into the room, swinging his eyes and opening his mouth wide into an O-shape. Unconsciously, he felt his arm stretched out from his side again. The rest of the room might be a little dark and there was nothing to explore, but this room was an exception. The carpet on the soles of his feet made Bruno feel that he was almost sinking in. Bruno could hardly see the wall because they were blocked by mahogany shelves, just like his old home in Berlin. From there, the wall opposite him was inlaid with huge windows and he could see the outside of the garden. The window is a good place to sit. Father is sitting behind the huge oak table. When Bruno came in, his father’s eyes moved from his hand. He looked at Bruno and laughed.
Bruno said that he came around from behind the table and shook hands with the children firmly because his father was not the kind of person who hugged everyone like his mother or grandmother. They gave me too much and kissed my children. After a while, he added.
Hello, father Bruno greeted him lightly. He was a little dizzy by this gorgeous room.
Bruno, I’m going to see you in a few minutes, I swear, my father said, but I have to return a letter after a meeting to write that you arrived here safely, right?
It was father Bruno who said
You helped your mother and sister clean the old house in Berlin, didn’t you?
It was father Bruno who said
Then I’m proud of you. Father praised him and said, Sit down, son.
He pointed to a wide armchair across the table, so Bruno climbed up, his feet could hardly touch the ground, and his father turned back to the back seat of his desk and looked at Bruno. They looked at each other for a while without saying anything, and finally his father broke the silence.