Soccer: The Road to Extraordinary

Chapter 9
Time flies like running water, it seems to be the end of the year in the blink of an eye.

Maybe it's because of fulfillment, maybe it's because of being busy, Yan Feng hasn't paid much attention yet, the Chinese New Year is coming, and the winter training is over.

During the long Spring Festival holiday, everyone went home to celebrate the New Year.Lin Fan went home with his parents to celebrate the New Year, and even the emperor returned to his hometown in Bengbu.Before leaving, the emperor asked Yan Feng if he wanted to go together.These years, Yan Feng had already been used to celebrating the New Year alone, so he rejected the emperor.

In the club, almost everyone has gone home, only the guard and Yan Feng are left.Originally, Yan Feng also considered going back to Chaoshan, but did he think about where to live?And I have never spent the Spring Festival outside, so I just celebrate the New Year in Shenzhen. Maybe there is a different taste of the New Year?In the end it was decided to stay at the club and save money on the fare.

In the early morning of New Year's Eve, Yan Feng got up very early. The habit he had developed over the years, even if he was on vacation, he was not used to sleeping in late.

I just don't have the life to enjoy it. This winter morning is the best time to sleep in. Unfortunately, I just can't sleep.

Coming out of the extremely quiet club, the road outside is also a little quieter, no longer the bustling noise of the past.Except for the dead leaves blowing in the wind, there are not many pedestrians on the wide street, as if many people disappeared from the world overnight.

The city seemed to suddenly lose its vitality in winter.This is completely different from the feeling of celebrating the Spring Festival in my hometown. There are no playful children, and there are no returnees who gather in small groups.Everything is so quiet, so lacking in the flavor of the year.

This is the tragedy of immigrant cities.The vast majority of people stay in their hometowns. For Shenzhen, they are just passers-by.Shenzhen is just a place to make money, not their home.The purpose of coming to Shenzhen is to make money. After earning money, everyone should go home. The roads that are always jammed with traffic are not even seen.

In fact, this is exactly the tragedy of the Shenzhen football team.An immigrant city without cultural identity, regional cohesion, and citizens with a sense of belonging will have no fan base.Take a look at neighboring Guangzhou. Not only can it afford to support three teams, it can also support them well.This is the difference in cultural background between the two cities!
When I came to the riverside where there were no people, watching the river water passing away, with gusts of cold wind blowing, Yan Feng couldn't help feeling a lot.

Some people say that one leaf is dry and flourishing, and one flower is one world.

Even a dead leaf once had its own splendor.And what about myself?More than 20 years have passed since I was at a loss, and I still don't know where I came from?Has anyone ever left their own footsteps in the world?Maybe I am like this dead leaf, knowing the wind and rain, although I am in the same world, I have never entered other people's world.

I don't know if it's because of one person, or because it's the first time I'm far away from home, Yan Feng feels endlessly lonely, this year is too quiet!

With unspeakable sadness, Yan Feng walked back slowly.

On a street not far from the club, Yan Feng saw two sanitation workers, a man and a woman, sweeping fallen leaves on the floor.Not knowing what was driving them, Yan Feng actually walked over, took a broom from the garbage truck beside them and helped them sweep up.

"Uncle, Auntie, I'll sweep it too."

The two sanitation workers were taken aback. The young man suddenly walked over to sweep the floor, which puzzled them.Don't you have brain problems, or people who can't think about it?Glancing at each other, the female sanitation worker said: "No need, young man, you are not suitable for this job, besides, this is our job."

"Actually, I'm also a cleaner." Yan Feng said with a smile, perhaps only this kind of feeling can make him feel that he is not redundant in this world.

"Young man, don't be joking. It's Chinese New Year now, you should go home." The male sanitation worker said.

"Really, I won't lie to you. In fact, I have worked as a cleaner in Chaoshan for seven or eight years. I feel very kind to see you today." Yan Feng said seriously to them with a smile.

The two sanitation workers looked at Yan Feng's expression, they didn't seem to be joking, so they believed his words.

"Men, why are you staying here instead of going home for the New Year?" Continuing with the work at hand, the male sanitation worker asked Yan Feng.

"I'm the only one in my family. Wherever I am, my home is there. Now I work here, and I don't want to go back all the way and still be alone, and waste money." I don't know if it's because everyone used to be a cleaner. Or what, Yan Feng's sorrow has faded a lot.

"Well, let's have dinner with us that night." Maybe some string was touched, the female sanitation worker looked at Yan Feng with complicated eyes and said.

"Okay. Let's eat together at night." Yan Feng had an indescribable feeling, a feeling he had never had but longed for, so he agreed without thinking.

Although it seems strange, strangers who have never met before can chat so easily.Maybe it's because everyone is a migrant, maybe because everyone has done the same job before, and they all feel a sense of intimacy.While sweeping the fallen leaves and chatting, there was no sense of disobedience at all. I didn't know that I thought it was a family of three.

The three chatted happily, and after sweeping the street, Yan Feng also knew something about the two of them.The woman's name is Liu Meng, from Hubei, she is only in her 40s, and she has been working as a sanitation worker in Shenzhen for many years. For some reason, she always has an invisible vicissitudes on her face.The man's name is Wang Zhuo, from Henan, also in his 40s, and has also lived in Shenzhen for more than ten years.

Yan Feng originally thought that the two might be husband and wife, but in fact they were just colleagues who had worked together for many years, because they lived next to each other and got along for a long time, so they became very good friends.

Afterwards, they agreed on a time and place for dinner in the evening, and then separated.

When it was getting dark in the afternoon, Yan Feng bought a lot of New Year's goods and brought them to the place where Aunt Liu lived.This place is quite crude, after all, it is a residence provided by the environmental sanitation company, so don't expect it to be good.

"Aunt Liu, Uncle Wang, I'm here. This is something I bought by the way when I came." The two of them were already gathering food at Aunt Liu's residence, and when they saw Yan Feng coming, they came out to welcome him.

"Just come, what else do you bring?" After letting Yan Feng in, Aunt Liu poured him a cup of tea. "The place is a bit small, so you can make do with it first."

"The place is very good. Although the sparrow is small, it has all internal organs." Although the space is not large, there is no shortage of toilets and kitchens.

"Xiaofeng, sit down first, you can eat soon."

"I'll help too." Yan Feng said, ignoring Aunt Liu's persuasion, and went directly to the kitchen to help.

There are three people crowded in the small kitchen, but it has a warm atmosphere.The three of them worked together, and the speed was much faster, and soon a small table was filled with various dishes.During the period, Yan Feng also showed his skills, cooking some dishes that he is good at.Therefore, the dishes on the table also have their own characteristics. The hometown dishes from the three places add a lot to the food, which makes people mouth-watering.

"Come on, Happy New Year!" Three people from different places raised their cups and said loudly.

"Bang, bang, bang ``````" At this time, fireworks were set off in the distant sky.The blooming cycads and silver flowers in the sky add a lot of festive flavor to this year.

I had a very happy meal, and I also felt a sense of happiness that Yan Feng hadn't tasted for many years.Ever since Lao Yan passed away, Yan Feng had always had New Year's dinner with him.Every time I think of other people having a family reunion, I can't help but think how great it would be if I had my biological parents around.

At the end of the meal, everyone stopped talking and seemed to be thinking about something about themselves.

Maybe she thought of something, Aunt Liu looked at Yan Feng quietly, the water in her eyes turned and turned. "If my son is still alive, he should be as old as Xiaofeng, right?" Tears flowed down her eyes gently, brushing off the vicissitudes of life on her face, Aunt Liu turned her head and looked out the window.Is it pain?Still missing?Maybe both.

"Your Aunt Liu once had a son, but it's a pity that it's gone. Hey``````" Uncle Wang knew about Aunt Liu very well, but he didn't want to say more. "Actually, I used to have a happy family. In a car accident, my pregnant wife passed away`````" Happy people in the world are similar, but unfortunate people have their own misfortunes.

"If you don't dislike it, treat me as your son." Yan Feng's desire for relatives is actually stronger than anyone else.Although we only got together for a short day, the intimacy between them was very homely.

Perhaps the acquaintance of strangers does not require too many words, and the feeling in the heart will shorten the distance between each other.

This year has not been as lonely as imagined, but more of the warmth that each other needs in the world.The New Year in a foreign land has a unique flavor``````
In the days to come, Yan Feng will visit the two of them if he is free.In fact, Yan Feng really hoped that the two could form a family, but unfortunately, for some unknown reason, it seemed that there was an invisible wall separating the two.

The long holiday of the Spring Festival is said to be long but not long, it will end soon, and the spring training of Chinese professional football has also begun.

(End of this chapter)