Chapter 5 in less than ten days

"Are you hurt?" a girl asked

Thus, Qin Tian began her life of waking up at 4:30 and closing at 9:00, operating year-round without a day off

Qin Tian would certainly not be embarrassed by such a level of teasing, but merely smiled slightly, lowered her head, and quietly washed the dishes, her mind already contemplating how to comfort this kind-hearted aunt in the near future

Everyone instinctively imagined it, and then their faces turned green

Uncle Hank, the chef, chuckled, "That is our finest unit from Poland! Aunt Santa always has to show off whenever she sees someone, haha!"

Oh? Qin Tian showed some interest, "Why have I never seen him come here?"

Qin Tian fell silent

She clearly remembers that the Blitzkrieg occurred not long after, on September 1. It seems that now, or more than a month ago, Germany was already formulating plans to attack Poland. It seems to be called the White Plan.

Qin Tian returned to her small attic and looked at the calendar hanging on the wall; it is now May 13.

Qin Tian was unaware of what a common citizen should prepare before the war; she instinctively stored food, day by day, until it gradually became a habit, until she put on the coat she had arrived in

Uncle Hank laughed heartily: "What’s the matter? It’s nothing, really. There are many of us, and in just half an hour, the other side fell silent!"

Marilyn? That newcomer from the Warsaw Art Theatre?

"At that time, I cannot say I participated in the war; I can only say that I was caught up in that battle." Uncle Hank took a puff of his cigarette and recalled, "I was just a young waiter in a restaurant at the border, and it was very dangerous back then. I was hiding there when the army passed by and took me along. It wasn't long before we encountered the Russians."

The passage of time has imbued Uncle Hank's narrative with a sense of calm and a touch of nostalgia, yet the content remains anything but lighthearted. He exhales smoke rings while gazing at the pristine white walls of the kitchen, lost in thought.

Indeed, I saw her the night before last; she is truly a beauty, just having a conversation with the Deputy Minister of Finance

She has always felt a sense of instability, in this place devoid of support, in this land destined to become a place of subjugation, with nowhere to go and no one to rely on. As a person utterly powerless, where exactly can she find a way out

"Where did you encounter it?" a boy asked, his face full of eagerness

The weather is gradually turning cold, and autumn is drawing nearer. Qin Tian is increasingly anxious; she cannot express her feelings to the carefree people around her. Instead, she can only practice frugality with food. The dark bread and whole grain bread provided by the hotel as snacks are both easy to preserve. She eats half and saves the other half in a small alley. The people around her do not understand, and naturally, no one follows her example. The dark bread and whole grain bread provided by the hotel as snacks are both easy to preserve. She eats half and saves the other half in a small alley. The people around her do not understand, and naturally, no one follows her example

At that time, Poland did not even have flights to the United States. Firstly, she did not know how to fly; secondly, she lacked the courage to leave this newly familiar environment and venture alone to another continent

"Let me see. " Karen leaned over to look at the notebook in Qin Tian's hand, "Oh, you really heard quite a lot this time, there is progress."

The treaty has been signed, and Poland remains oblivious; the two great powers have secretly concluded that dubious treaty, which is being delineated on the maps of the two villains

Didn’t Lili just check into a hotel with General Savage the day before yesterday

She brought out the determination she had when learning English, holding a dictionary and engaging in conversations with people from all sides. Whenever she had the chance, she would mumble to herself. This dictionary contained annotations in nearly eight languages, and she managed to understand quite a bit. Coupled with the interpersonal foundation laid by her brother in the past, she quickly became quite adept among the restaurant staff.

What kind of bravery and fearlessness is required to muster the courage to confront that armored monster with mere flesh and blood? They advanced one after another, sacrificing their lives without a thought for death, yet ultimately failed to defend their homeland

Ah, those people do not care about these matters; as long as they have money, it does not concern them if others starve.

The Minister of Finance is once again involved with Lili

She is not particularly lively or cheerful; she is just a bit of a good-natured person at times, occasionally showing a bit of naivety. However, she is also quite shrewd when necessary, and possesses a touch of modern self-deprecating humor that makes her very likable, especially to the several uncles and aunts in the kitchen, who often introduce themselves and their sons to her

Uncle Hank teased, "Is the little girl already looking forward to the hero's return so soon?"

Qin Tian is not an ignorant young girl; at least she has seen what she should have during her university years. She remains calm about these matters and can even bring them up for jokes and discussions while helping out in the kitchen or chatting with friends.

She could only remain silent. I remember when our high school history teacher used to reminisce, he lamented that there were many tragedies during World War II, one of which involved the Polish cavalry charging at tanks with sabers

"What?! Aunt Santa is furious. How can this be? What will those young men eat? What will they use?"

"Hehe, how can a general have as much money as the Minister of Finance..." The person whispered again, "I heard that the military supply allocation from the previous period has only reached half of what was intended for the army!"

In his view, it was still a world war, or even just a major war, because the pride of Europeans blinded them to the conflicts occurring elsewhere. Uncle Hank had actually participated in World War I, a fact he had never mentioned before

Qin Tian was taken aback. She recalled briefly and confirmed that Uncle Hank was indeed referring to Katyn. She immediately thought of the Katyn massacre she had seen, which coincided with the sixtieth anniversary of World War II. During that time, there were particularly many revelations about the secrets of World War II. She felt somewhat conflicted, as it seemed that the Katyn massacre was related to World War II, but was it World War II or World War I

Hehe. Qin Tian yawned and said, "Are you still chatting? It's ten o'clock, time to sleep, right?"

As the premier hotel in Warsaw, the Eisenhower Hotel attracts guests from the upper echelons of society. Although Qin Tian is merely a cleaner in the corridor from the first-floor restaurant to the restroom, she has had her eyes opened. Those politicians, glamorous stars, military personnel, and wealthy merchants engage in all sorts of activities in places they mistakenly believe to be private. On several occasions, while washing the mop in the restroom, she heard a man and a woman banging against the stall door. When they emerged, they saw her, humble and focused on her task, yet they transformed into a friendly demeanor. In the restaurant, they exuded an air of elegance and untouchability.

Suddenly asked, Qin Tian was taken aback, and with a confused expression, she raised her head and forced a smile: "You speak so quickly that I can only grasp the general idea; I can't catch the specific details..."

"Hehe, alright..." Uncle Hank made a face and continued, "What I’m saying now is light-hearted, but war..." He sighed, "Just a moment ago, that person was talking to you, and the next second he was dead. And the squad that just assembled, five or six people, hadn’t even shouldered their rifles yet. A shell fell, boom! And all that was left was a crater, filled with blood, shattered flesh, entrails, and dirt. You can hardly believe that just a second ago, so many people were standing here."

She neither possesses a golden touch nor the talent for eloquence and literature, unable to develop Poland's armaments or persuade Aunt Santa to call her son back. There are many helpless situations, naturally leading to silent frustration. The so-called feeling of watching the clouds roll by, this sense of being an aloof sage, turns out to be so depressing

She has been reminiscing about the history of World War II. Regarding this period, because she chose to study German as a second foreign language, her German teacher required them to give presentations in German every day. She has done this several times, as the information was readily available, mostly discussing World War II and Hitler.

Qin Tian was embraced by Aunt Santa, her expression blank. She did not know how to face these oblivious Poles.

Uncle Hank continued, "I followed the group for a while, and at first, there was no sound at all. But suddenly, the big guy next to me pushed me down to the ground, and right after that, a body fell beside me. It was another soldier who was next to me; he didn't manage to dodge. That was a shameful ambush. We hadn't done anything, and already a number of us had fallen."

As for the Jews here, she never managed to gather any information. Lina's uncle did not appear again after that day, and she had nowhere to turn. When she asked a few Poles, either they could not provide any information, or they looked at her with disdain and were unwilling to help

She truly could not bring herself to say the words of congratulations to Aunt Santa, and after a long silence, she quietly asked, "When will he retire?"

The war came swiftly and ended just as quickly; she could not recall whether it was particularly brutal. At this moment, she had nowhere to go. She had completely forgotten about her brother's letter regarding their home in France, was unaware of their home in China, and had no idea how to get there, leaving her to shrink back in this place.

She had also complained about that irresponsible brother, but she knew how capricious her complaints were. No one believed that there would be a war here. Her brother had laid a solid foundation for her social connections at the hotel, and in his heart, he probably thought that even after the war in China ended, his sister would still be absolutely safe

Everyone formed a circle, looking up at him, filled with anticipation yet fearful of what he might say next, for most of those present were Polish.

Aunt Santa is a kitchen helper. Although her tasks mainly involve washing dishes, calling out orders, and assisting with cleaning the kitchen during her free time, her long tenure has made her a veteran figure in the hotel. She is exceptionally kind and treats Qin Tian as if she were her own daughter, often sharing stories about her son, Carl.

Indeed, it is time to sleep. Everyone wished each other good night and gradually dispersed

The Ba Gua Society has once again unfolded, and this time, for some unknown reason, Uncle Hank brought up World War I

O God, punish these devils. Aunt Santa clasped her hands together

Germany once used the pretext of helping the Jews to invade many countries, unaware that many of those countries harbored anti-Semitic sentiments no less than their own. Qin Tian, with no way out, could only shrink back in this hotel.

Oh no! someone exclaimed

Aunt Santa laughed and said: "How could that be! I told him not to come back until he becomes a general!"

Uncle Hank shook his head: "I am only in my teens, without a gun and lacking training, so of course I wouldn't dare to stick my head out. However, that older brother who saved me, as soon as he peeked out, his head was shot through, with brain matter mixed with blood, all splattering on my face"

How could such a society possibly not fail? Fortunately, there are no pinhole cameras these days; otherwise, who knows how many scandals would emerge.

He! Aunt Santa had a proud yet feigned complaint on her face, "The child has grown up and his ambitions are grand; he is in the cavalry unit!"

Qin Tian often found herself suddenly pausing in the midst of laughter and conversation, silently observing the carefree expressions of those around her. She was not a sentimental person; rather, the shadow of war loomed too large, causing her to wake in the middle of the night and leaving her feeling as if she were in a dream.

During this period, she also met quite a few young people of similar age, some of whom were part-time university students. They possessed good temperament and decent looks, making them well-suited to navigate the hotel lobby in waiter uniforms. Others were the children of the local workers or long-term employees; they were hardworking and strong, often taking on the more labor-intensive tasks. The pay was relatively high and the environment pleasant. In their leisure time, the young people would gather together to chat and laugh. The two hotel managers were kind-hearted, and when work was not too demanding, they would turn a blind eye to the young people's jokes.

I hid behind a tree, yet I never lost consciousness; I almost watched everything with clarity. Then, I left the group in a small town... I originally wanted to join them, those damned Russians... However, in the end, I didn't dare to; at that time, I was too young, having only ever carried plates...

"Do not feel guilty, Hank. In such situations, no one knows what will happen," comforted the librarian.

At this time, it is already August 25

"At a time like this, how can one retreat?" Aunt Santa laughed, "Where is there a war now?"

Germany arrived in early September, less than ten days before the war began

Ah, it is estimated that soon the new socialite of the upper class in Warsaw will be replaced

Katyn

However, Qin Tian is not very willing to talk about her son with Aunt Santa

Aunt Santa said in a gruff voice: "Hank! Don't say such disgusting things, we still have an important dinner to prepare for."

Uncle Hank repeatedly mentioned the Russians, which reminded her of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact mentioned in history books. The teacher said that this pact indirectly reflected Germany's ambition to invade Poland, and shortly thereafter, around September, World War II broke out

Hehe, Tian, how much have you understood?

Qin Tian looked up and saw that Aunt Santa's expression was not very pleasant. Suddenly, she remembered that she had a son in the cavalry regiment on the border of Bode, and an uneasy feeling gripped her heart, as if war was approaching.

Just now, while I was tidying up the room, Lili had just gone out, and I even heard her cursing Marilyn

She still remembers that day, helping Aunt Santa wash the dishes, when she suddenly heard her say: "By the way, Qin Tian, my son is about the same age as your brother, he's a good young man!"

In this time when there are no televisions to watch and no time to listen to the radio, all the staff are particularly interested in the gossip news they see and hear every day. After work each day, they gather to discuss for a long time. Qin Tian was not originally keen on gossip; in her previous life, she was like a Ultraman among her peers. However, she is now extremely interested in it, as it truly is the best place to practice speaking and listening skills.

Take one step at a time, this is the only thing she can do

In the forest, the Russian soldiers wore their ugly, filthy uniforms. We could not see them and had no choice but to hide. There were more than one hundred people in the group, and the commander, with his big beard, was shouting something loudly, but I could not hear it clearly. Bullets whizzed past my ears, making a whooshing sound. You cannot imagine it; it was as if death itself was flying past you, trying every possible way to take your life. I hid behind a tree, not daring to move at all

A wave of anxiety surged through Qin Tian as she reached out to embrace Aunt Santa's neck and softly said: "Aunt, please let Brother Sart come back"