Battle of the Rhine

Quincy canceled plans to go to Las Vegas to spend time at the Fiennes family's desolate ranch.He quickly learned to drive the tractor, driving slowly along the ditches.Michael showed him how to make the right-sized loops, but unfortunately he didn't have a proper calf to demonstrate.

"That's... alright." Michael threw out the rope loop, "Did you see it? Actually, I wasn't very accurate in throwing it."

"In the movie—" Quincy spun a loose loop of rope and threw it right at Michael's head. Kai said, "I've been caught by you! Are you going to sell me?"

"There's only one cow at home, and you'll get nothing if you sell it." Quincy imitated Michael's accent, "I won't sell it."

Michael frowned, "Don't learn these bad things!"

"It's very interesting," Quincy pulled back the rope, dexterously fiddling with his fingers, "What—is it a good thing?"

The tractor belches black smoke.The engine has been repaired and can go a long time at a time with a full tank.The sky is far away, and occasionally there are eagles circling.Mary called several times to thank "Kana" for the jewelry she thought was too expensive.During the week Michael was away, she took leave of absence and drove over to take Michael and his handsome boss to the carnival in the next town.

"We don't have much fun here." At Michael's request, Mary gave up the driving seat, "Dan originally planned to come with him... He accepted a small order to go to California, so..."

"Have you hired someone?" Michael asked.

"He hired a college student, a couple of accounting school graduates." Mary sat in the back with her youngest son, Robin.She looked a little reserved, "Well, I want to say..."

"What?"

"It's nothing."

Quincy sat in the co-pilot, fastened his seat belt obediently, put his hands on his knees, and said nothing.He is tense and sits upright. "You have to learn from your Uncle Mike," Mary taught little Robin. "If you don't study, you won't be able to find a job in the future."

"I can do chores for Dad." Little Robin didn't care, "I don't think school is boring."

"Going to school is fun, idiot," said Michael. "You get paid for your knowledge!"

"I have no desire for money."

"Robin!"

Robin must have been influenced by bad thoughts outside, and Mary was worried.There were hippies everywhere, with long hair and rags, men and women living in tents and smoking weed.There are just a few young men and women wandering around in the carnival, with cloth scarves tied on their heads, they look like gypsies at first glance.

"It's right to be against the war," Michael said, buying four sodas and refusing Mary's demand to pay, "but it's not good to dress like this—people should be serious about wearing pants, right?"

Quincy looked down at his bottle of Coca-Cola, then glanced at Michael's. "I haven't had a sip in three months," Michael said. "Just this once, I swear! You know, it's real American Coke, not German. I always think you German Cokes No sugar..."

"Isn't Germany?" Little Robin gestured, "Boom—"

"Huh? No, there is no 'Boom—'." Michael was very patient with the child. He could coax little Carl for an hour just to make him drink more milk. "Our Bavaria is the most beautiful and most In the state of Qian, Munich is the most beautiful city. Why not take a look? There is also Neuschwanstein Castle, the kind of perfect castle that only appears in Disney cartoons.”

"I don't believe it." Little Robin said, "Didn't Germany start a world war? Hitler, the history books say he is the world's top villain."

"Hey, my dear, Hitler is one thing, Germany is another. And, let me tell you a secret, Hitler is not German." Michael took advantage of Quincy's daze and quickly downed his Coke, "He's actually—— belch--"

The hiccup woke Quincy, who stared angrily at the empty glass bottle in Michael's hand. "I was wrong!" Michael threw up his hands in surrender, "Come on, little Robin, I'll take you to shoot balloons - your old Uncle Mike is very good at marksmanship, when I was your age, I could kill two hundred in one afternoon Mice! Let's compare—"

He slipped away with the little boy, and while away four or 10 minutes at the balloon stand, he won a stuffed teddy bear.The teddy bear was tied with an ugly fuchsia ribbon, and he gave the bear to Mary, who gave Quincy a look and said, "Oh, thank you."

"I got No.1." Michael was proud, "Do you want a hamburger? Or French fries?"

For adults, carnivals really don't mean much.At your age, you can't compete with the little girl for the seat in the carousel.Little Robin had a great time, and Michael took the opportunity to drink Coke several times.Encouraged by Michael and her son, Mary hit a balloon once, and she got a good shot and won the third prize.She flushed slightly with excitement. "I used to wish I could go to college," Mary said to Quincy. "I did well, and Mike knew—"

"She's the best in the class." Mike hugged the teddy bear. "I'm the worst in the class."

"Not going to college is the biggest regret in my life, but I did a good job in the factory." Mary smiled, "Mike, this guy, went to college... I envy him very much. In fact, he is a smart guy. It’s just that he didn’t study hard. Then he met Karna,” she stared at Quincy, “he went to college for Karna, you may not know, he was simply obsessed at that time, holding a German textbook every day to read and read Go. It's not a great book, just 'Hands Up', 'Guns Down', 'The War Is Over'..."

She stuttered and repeated the German sentences, "There's no love in that book, I remember, no 'love'—you got it by now, old Mike?"

"I have learned it." Michael checked his pockets, "It took many years, but fortunately I finally learned it."

"Is this sentence so difficult?" Little Robin raised his eyebrows in surprise, "How should I say it?"

Michael taught little Robin how to say "I love you" in German. "It's so simple, I remember it after listening to it once." Little Robin said, "Why did it take you so many years to learn it?"

"Because I'm stupid," Michael drove the car, "cherish your ingenuity, my dear, you will definitely be admitted to a great university."

Whether Mary knew the real relationship between Michael and Quincy, Michael didn't ask, and Mary didn't say either.She just kept writing, greeting Karna graciously, and sending small presents.She traveled to England, France, Switzerland, but never to Germany. During the 1972 Munich Olympics, she planned to go to Germany, but ultimately failed to make the trip.In this year, although the Olympic Games were held in front of his home, Michael did not watch any games, because "Da Vasili" sent him to Asia, and he could only get news about the Olympic Games from TV and newspapers, including That world-famous tragedy made him fear for a long time.When he managed to go back to Munich for family leave, he made a big mess again.

"You fascist," Michael snarled, "Nazi, if you dare to bully him again, I'll kill you!"

"Come on," Alexander Schwarberg sneered, "kind of kill me, you gay shit."