The sun is gradually setting, and the earth illuminated by the afterglow of dusk will be shrouded by the darkness of the night.
It was getting dark, and the lamplighters climbed up their ladders and lit up the city with kerosene lamps.
This is no longer the era where we can only rely on moonlight and torches in the dark.
A tall, thin black man in a brown leather jacket leaned against the red and white brick wall outside the hospital and took out a black paper box from the inside pocket of his jacket.
The material of the paper box was even more exquisite than the paper used by the rich. The black box was written with Marlbora① in gold foil style. There was an opening at one-third of the box. With a gentle push, there were eighteen cigarettes inside.
The exquisite packaging and integrated cigarette holder design were different from the ordinary cigarettes at that time. It was obviously not a product of the same time period, but a product from the future.
There is a pattern of a blue bead printed on the cigarette holder. Press it lightly and you will hear a snap and the cigarette holder will have a mint scent.
He took out a box of matches, bit the delicate cigarette holder with his teeth, lit the last match in the matchbox, and leaned over the cigarette he had just taken out to light it.
He waved the lit match vigorously to extinguish it, then threw it to the ground carelessly and stepped lightly on it with his shiny black leather shoes.
He took a small puff, slowly exhaled a smoke ring, and said to himself,
"The last flame has been lit. This is the beginning and the end. Time is running out. Let's go have a drink."
Humming a cheerful tune, holding a cigarette in his mouth, he walked towards the dark place where there was no light.
Because only there can he feel a sense of security.
——————————————
The hospital corridors were filled with the smell of disinfectant, but the VIP private ward where Kirk lived had a faint scent of lavender.
The first thing you see is the smooth marble floor and the yellow nanmu bed. On the wall hangs a painting of the Sistine Madonna, a replica of the famous Italian painter Michelangelo. The painting is hung right in front of the wooden bed, and the Madonna's kind eyes are cast on the person on the bed.
Herman looked at Kirk, who had just given birth and looked haggard, and stretched out his right hand, stroking her face and said,
"Dear Kirk, you are always so beautiful, you are my muse. I just thought about the name of our child, how about Albert? Albert Einstein."
Kirk, enjoying her husband's pampering, responded,
"Listen to you, Albert is a really good name, a noble and wise being,
It is also a tribute to the late Prince Albert, son of the Duke of Gothic.
I hope our Albert will be a smart and kind child, and contribute to society and the world when he grows up."
Hermann responded:
"You really understand my heart. I have lived a mediocre life, but what I am most proud of is marrying you.
Secondly, I just hope that my children can be happy and successful, and not repeat my mediocre life. "
Kirk stared at her husband, realizing that he might not be satisfied with his current life, and comforted him,
"Mr. Hermann, please remember that although we are ordinary, we are not mediocre, and our current life is very happy.
Look, our children represent our future and our hope. Don’t give up hope, just keep working hard.
As parents, we naturally want to give our children the best, do you understand?"
After hearing the comforting words from his wife, Hermann decided to cheer up, just as she said, to build a career and provide a better life for his family. After thinking for a while, he stood up and called the nurse to bring the child over.
In an instant, Herman found a nurse from the nurses' station and asked the nurse to bring the child in. A fat female nurse immediately went to the nursery and took the child out. Of course, this was also due to the effect of some gold marks.
In addition to bringing the child, the fat nurse then thoughtfully brought a cup of hot coffee and hot milk and placed them on the table in the ward, and helped Hermann put two soft pillows behind the weak Kirk so that she could lean on them.
This coffee was originally a medicine for diabetics and Alzheimer's patients, but people found that the flavor of this medicine was very good and it gradually became popular.
As coffee became more popular, people discovered the value of coffee. Some coffee shops also appeared in society, forming a new industry chain. This is something that only the upper class can enjoy.
These coffee shops are often places where people gather and talk, which of course means that they are a reliable source of information. Some information dealers will also stay in the coffee shops for a long time waiting for customers to consult some confidential information.
For example, the direction of politics, the anecdotes of the upper class, and even the clues about mysterious powers.
"The coffee is a little hot, Mr. Hermann, please drink it slowly."
After speaking to Hermann, the fat nurse closed the door consciously, giving the family some quiet time together.
"Honey, look at our big fat boy. He's sleeping. He's really heavy. He must weigh eight pounds."
Kirk gently held Albert, who was as thin as a bone, and looked at her first son, and said.
"Look at his nose and mouth, they look exactly like yours," Hermann responded.
The family spent a warm day celebrating the new life coming into the family.
—————————————
Dr. Youdekao, dressed in a neat suit, walked home alone. The light from the kerosene lamp was gradually dimming.
As the cool breeze swayed, it seemed a little unclear. There were few pedestrians on this stone road.
Most residents of Umr do not have the habit of staying on the streets after dark, except for some drunkards, hooligans and security patrol officers.
The weak light of the kerosene lamp shone on the pale blue slate, which was covered with pits and holes, scars left by the years. Several black feathers fell from the sky and floated onto the slate.
After a day of hard work, Dr. Yudkau was a little tired, but he seemed to be in a good mood. He thought of the generous Mr. Hermann today.
"Oh, lovely gold marks! Praise God! Extra income doesn't come around often, and that vicious woman at home would certainly make me hand over all these charming gold coins if she knew.
No, no, I'd better go to the Black Pepper Bar secretly to have a drink, listen to the bard sing a few rhythmic poems, and watch the drunks fight each other, hey! "
Dr. Youdekao thought so, so he changed direction, crossed two alleys, and came to the door of the Black Pepper Bar.
There are two wooden barrels with lids placed on the right side of the door of the Black Pepper Bar. They are cleaned by the bar owner himself every day. They are barrels prepared for drunkards.
If the bar owner senses something is wrong, the owner will use his extraordinary strength to lift the collar and throw the person out the door, open the lid and stuff the person's head in. Often at this delicate moment, the liquid will pour out, of course accompanied by a sour and smelly smell.
There is a strange symbol painted on the door of the bar, which looks like a huge figure hovering above a city. It is quite scary.
According to past conversations with the bartender, the bar owner was once a sailor at sea. He found this symbol on a deserted island during his adventure at sea. He thought the pattern was quite mysterious so he wrote it down. No one knows what the symbol means or what it symbolizes.
There were several gentlemen wearing gentleman's clothes and tall hats standing outside the door, some smoking cigarettes, some smoking pipes, chatting with each other, they were all upper class people. There were also several hooligans wearing linen clothes rolling cigarettes secretly, but judging from their expressions, they might not be rolling tobacco.
Pushing open the door of the bar, noisy sounds came flooding in. The space inside the door was much larger than what was seen from the outside. There were about dozens of tables inside, all full of people. It was obvious that the Black Pepper Bar was doing very good business. After all, it was the only bar in Ulm.
Unlike the smoky bars in other cities, the owner of this bar is a mysophobe and pays great attention to every detail in the bar. Some even think that his mysophobia is a bit like obsessive-compulsive disorder.
But this also makes the Black Pepper Bar popular among the upper-class men in Umr. Although there are many people and noisy here, there is order. The one who sets the rules in the bar is naturally the strong former sailor and current owner Mills J. Monk.
Dr. Yudkao looked inside and found a familiar figure. It was a middle-aged man with golden curly hair named Proventer Rice. He was slightly fat, kind, and always had a smile on his face.
He was the owner of a grocery store that Dr. Yudkao often visited. The two of them got along very well, and of course they also had a tacit understanding when it came to drinking. Dark beer was their favorite, and they both had beer bellies.
"Hey, Mr. Purvent, why are you here too!" Dr. Yudkao patted Purvent who was sitting at the bar and said.
Puvent raised the beer in his hand and responded,
"Ha, of course it's for the fragrance of the malt!"
Then he turned around and said to the bartender,
"Two more glasses, one for me, with ice, and one for our great greeter of life, Dr. Yodkau!"
Upon hearing the sound, the bartender turned around and took out two refrigerated beer glasses. He tilted the glasses and slowly let the black and gold beer flow into them.
If an amateur pours beer, he might make a fool of himself by pouring out half a cup of foam. Only professionals know how to pour a perfect beer, 70% of the beer and 30% of the foam. This is the golden ratio.
"Two glasses, two marks and forty pfennigs, Mr. Provent," said the bartender.
Upon hearing this, Dr. Yudkau took out three marks and gave them to the bartender. He waved his hand to stop Pwent who was about to pay and said,
"No, no, no, this time it should be mine. I have an extra gain today."
Puvent drank the dark beer in his hand and raised his glass to salute Dr. Yudkao.
"Ha, cheers to Dr. Yudekao's generosity!"
Yudkao picked up the glass, took a sip of the delicate beer foam and said,
"Cheers! And to the truly generous Mr. Hermann, no, Mr. Hermann."
"Oh? But that electrical appliance merchant Hermann Einstein? He is a stingy person in the business world. It's not easy to get money from him," Provent responded.
"No, no, no, today is the day his son was born, and I was responsible for delivering his child. Getting some extra "labor fees" is a customary remuneration, after all, this job is very tiring.
You know that. But I didn't expect that Mr. Herman would give us 20 gold marks today. Praise God, and we can ask Mr. Mills to grill a delicious bar specialty, black pepper pork knuckle, for us.
That’s Boss Mills’ special skill, and I heard the sauces are all secret.”
Yudekao said with a proud look on his face, feeling like a small-minded man who had succeeded.
"Then I won't be polite today. Next time you come to my grocery store, I'll give you a discount and give you a few things.
Recently, a batch of goods arrived from Japan, and there are several picture albums in it. The paintings are exquisite and lifelike. Maybe I can let you pick a few to take back and take a look at them later."
Puvent looked at Yudkao with a look that every man could understand and raised his eyebrows. The bartender also laughed silently.
"Haha, thank you for your kindness, but if you leave this picture album in the store, aren't you worried that your rebellious little boy Philip will find it? He is only eleven years old, and these "stimuli" are too early for him." Yudkao said with a smile.
"Alas, lately the child has been less willing to talk to me than ever before. Ever since his poor mother passed away, he has become silent. Visits to famous doctors and child specialists have been of no use.
He only gave me some advice, asking me to accompany him more, but I have to go stocking up during the day and look after the store in the afternoon, not to mention the chores at home. Since Ariana left us and went to God, I can only rest after the moon rises. How can I have time to accompany him? "Puvent shook his head, sighed, drank half a glass of beer in one gulp, and continued,
"Look, this wine is so good. Once you're drunk, you'll forget everything."
Yudekao's eyes dimmed when he heard this, but he spoke to comfort Puwente,
"Alas, everyone has unspeakable sufferings. Perhaps this is God's test for us. Don't be too discouraged, my old friend. Why don't we let Boss Mills roast our pig's knuckles for us now?"
After a while, Mills came to the bar himself carrying a large wooden plate.
Although the tall, bald Mills was covered in muscles and had many scars on his back, all the drinkers present understood that as long as you didn't cause trouble here and brought enough gold marks to the Black Pepper Bar, Mills would be your most cordial old friend.
"Hey, gentlemen, this is my most famous roasted pork knuckle with black pepper, please eat it while it's hot. Today, I'm in a good mood, so I'll give you a portion of fried onion rings. Please enjoy the delicious food to ease your sorrow."
Mills poured sauce on the pig's trotter and said,
"And don't forget to pay the bartender after your meal. It only costs six gold marks, so forget the change. It's for Dr. Yudkau's generous tip."
This pork knuckle is made from the fattier part of the pig's hind leg. After being marinated for three hours, it is steamed in a steamer for twenty minutes.
At the same time, take out the soup in the steamer, and then put it into the pine wood stove and bake it on medium fire for 30 minutes. The baked surface will show a golden luster and the skin will be crispy. The collision of fennel, basil leaves and black pepper will produce a wonderful aroma in the air.
Cut open the skin, and the fat inside will show an attractive luster, accompanied by firm, rich-tasting hind leg meat. The soup in the steamer is evenly poured over the special pickled cabbage and dumplings on the side dishes. ⑥
After eating and drinking, the two of them, with their big bellies bulging, supported each other as they walked out of the bar, slowly singing local folk songs while staggering towards their residences.
The wild dogs on the roadside were frightened by the two people's irregular steps and fled in panic.