Pet King

Chapter 711: Germans Who Love Dogs

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Early in the morning, even though the weather had yet to clear up, people were walking around at Potsdamer Platz.

Double-decker buses were dropping off groups and groups of excited tourists, and a great number of people had already joined the queue early to purchase tickets for the films that they were interested in seeing. There were many people who had dogs with them and were feeding their dogs hotdogs, burgers, or Turkish kebabs.

Just how much do Germans love dogs?

If one was to stop a random, middle-aged man on the street and ask him how many kids he had, he might answer––in all seriousness––along the lines of, “Three––one 8-year-old boy, a 6-year-old little girl, and a 2-year-old dog…”

If there was a housewife out for a walk on the street, she might be pushing a stroller with a little baby in it and walking her dog. The correct way to greet her is to first praise the dog and not the baby or the lady herself…

When the dog owners were tired, they would take a break on the benches by the road. They would take out their own food, or the food they bought from the food trucks, to munch on, while also feeding some to their dogs. They really treated dogs as their own children, and happiness shone on their faces.

Every single dog, be it purebred or not, was well-groomed and energetically healthy. One look was all it took to see that they were all well taken of.

Occasionally, large, aggressive dogs like Pit Bulls could be seen, as well, but these dogs all had a muzzle put on them to prevent them from biting anyone.

Zhang Zian followed what he saw. He squatted down and started to feed Famous the Turkish kebabs and currywurst that was in the paper bag in his right hand. ( Updated by BOX NOVEL.COM)

After observing for some time, Zhang Zian realized a very interesting phenomenon. Although there were very few stray cats on the streets, he couldn’t find a single stray dog; every dog he saw was leashed and had an owner that carried a paper bag and picked up its poop as they walked.

Since there were no other customers at the moment, the young Turkish chef made himself a burrito and squatted down right beside Zhang Zian, watching Zian feed Famous.

Zhang Zian also took a bite of the burrito. It had a soft and crisp wrap, with a refreshing salad mixed in with the sauce that complemented the fragrant, barbecued meat. All of those flavors together just stirred up one’s appetite.

“Very good––very nice!” Zian said in English as he gave a thumbs up.

“Thank you.” The young Turkish chef smiled proudly. “Are you here for the film festival, too?”

“I guess you can say that I am,” Zhang Zian casually replied.

“Chinese? Korean?” the chef curiously asked, staring at his black hair and yellow skin.

“Chinese,” Zhang Zian answered.

“Oh, Chinese. Forgive me for asking, but you don’t eat dog meat, do you?” the chef asked worriedly while keeping his eyes on Famous.

“…I don’t.” Zhang Zian almost choked. So the chef thought that Famous was with him so that he could have fresh dog meat––freshly slaughtered and eaten?

The chef’s question was nothing out of the ordinary, though. Since Germans really liked dogs, whenever an exchange student from China went to Germany, they were always asked such a question. It was like a way to distinguish friend from foe. Zian wondered if there would be any consequences, like discrimination or bullying, if anyone were to answer that they did, in fact, consume dog meat.

It seemed as though insisting on including the sentence, “Appropriate arrangements have been made for all animals that had made an appearance in this film,” was the right move, after all, Zhang Zian thought to himself. Otherwise the Germans who are really fond of dogs would certainly have doubts regarding that––and don’t even mention getting an award. Whether or not the film would even be allowed to participate in the main competition segment might be a problem in and of itself.

The chef’s expressions eased. “Oh, that’s great. Have you bought the tickets for the film that you’re interested in?”

“Not yet.”

“You’ll have to hurry, then.” The Turkish chef finished his burrito in two to three bites. “I’m getting off work early today to join the queue and get my tickets.”

His eyes glowed when he spoke. Evidently he was not just a skilled chef; he was also an avid film lover and was willing to give up the great opportunity to do his business just so he could purchase tickets to the film that he was interested in.

The people that were gathered in the queue––regardless if they were men or women, young or old––held within their hearts a love of film.

Both Zhang Zian and Famous had also finished their kebabs and currywurst. Stuffing their mouths full, they waved goodbye to the chef and indistinctly said, “Wish you all the best.”

After filling their stomachs, the fatigue caused by jet lag was greatly reduced. Zian glanced at Fina and the rest of the elfins, who were still staring at the Turkish Doner kebab, and softly said, “Let’s go, we’ll take a look elsewhere.”

According to the traditions of the Berlin Film Festival, the opening ceremony was to be held at the Potsdamer Platz Sony Center, a breathtaking building with a large number of tempered glass windows and poplar trees planted right at the entrance. It was a pity that it was winter, as the poplar trees were all bare, with not a single leaf on them.

There were still a couple of hours before the opening ceremony, but, due to the recent threat of endless terrorism activities within Europe, traffic controls and security checks had already commenced around the vicinity of Sony Center. A barricade made from red curtains and stainless steel fences were used to barricade off the middle of the road, which was meant as the passageway for stars and guests.

Zhang Zian also saw the legendary red carpet, but it was slightly disappointing, as it was much smaller than he had imagined. It was probably about twenty to thirty meters long; one would finish walking the red carpet in just a few steps.

Right at the entrance of the Sony Center stood a large model of the Berlin Bear mascot. It was overflowing with silliness and was very lovable, so many tourists and pedestrians were taking photos with it.

Zhang Zian knew that he couldn’t return home from Berlin empty-handed. Long Xian had specially asked him to bring a present back and Snowy had delivered fresh carps to him for a few consecutive days during the spring festival, a favor which he had yet to return.

Zhang Zian did not have any experience with picking out a gift for a girl. How about getting a few Berlin Bear dolls and distributing them among everyone? Young girls like dolls… and getting a few film festival limited edition Berlin Bear dolls from the souvenir shop should be a pretty good and inexpensive gift.

There was no rush for this matter, however. He could just get them before the return trip. Zhang Zian had the urgent task of heading down to a local pet shop to get a few sets of food bowls, water bowls, and the necessary things for Fina, Famous, and the others. The problem could not be dragged on; even ordinary cats and dogs were very unwilling to share their food and water bowls with their own kind, so it was intensified for the proud elfins.

Zhang Zian stopped a few pedestrians who were also walking their dog and had Richard inquire with them in German if there were any pet stores in the vicinity. One of them pointed him towards a direction and said that there was a well-known pet store that way. The person even offered to take him there.

Zian perked up when he heard the mention of a well-known pet store. Since it was well-known, it must have its own unique qualities. Zian then kindly rejected the offer from the person to bring him there since it wasn’t necessary. Zian was not a three-year-old kid, so he didn’t think that he would have any trouble finding the shop himself.

Zhang Zian thought about the saying that went, “Learn the merits of your competitors so that you can surpass them.” This was a great opportunity for him to learn from the advanced experience of the foreign pet stores. He would take a look at how people abroad from the same industry ran their pet shops.