Ender's Football

The wide river separates the two banks. On one side is the urban skyline lined with high-rise buildings, and on the other side is a hill that rises suddenly. On the top of the hill stands the vermilion pavilion left by the ancients thousands of years ago. From the best position, you can overlook Looking at the vibrant river city at its feet.

This city is quiet and peaceful, and it is hard for those who stay here to imagine what kind of tragedy is happening thousands of kilometers away.

Ander was sitting on the bus across the river, leaning on the window edge to enjoy the long-lost familiar scenery.

It has now been a week since he returned from Ukraine. A week ago, the city where he was located was still sounding air defense sirens all night. The fear of being involved in the war enveloped the hearts of the people at any time. In the struggle of the European Union, in some places even tanks have been driven into the streets.

At that time, he was unaware of the turmoil of the outside world, his heart was completely occupied by his father's death, the pain of losing his loved ones made him numb, and being in a foreign country made it difficult for him to move forward.Fortunately, the embassy immediately extended a helping hand after hearing about his situation. They contacted his relatives who were still in the country, helped him quickly deal with his father's funeral, and sent him to the plane back home.

Before leaving, an emotional staff sister even hugged him with red eyes, and praised him as "the strongest and sensible child I have ever seen".

He just carried the urn on the plane.

——This "urn" was given to him for free by the local funeral home: because the funeral home was very busy at that time, they even wanted to put it in a bag for him at first.Ender explained to them in Russian that his parents were gone now, which aroused the sympathy of the staff, and found him an iron box in which his daughter put candy, tore off the wrapping paper, and wiped it clean with a handkerchief. Let the last thing An Guoqing left in this world have a shelter.

The flight attendants may have been informed of his situation in advance, and several flight attendants came to see him from time to time, and brought him water and biscuits.

Ender thanked these strangers for their kindness, but he didn't feel that he was "strong and sensible". Therefore, tears cannot be hung on the face for a long time.

When they returned to China, grandma came to pick up Ender.

Seeing the nondescript "urn", the old man's legs softened instantly, and the always elegant lady almost fainted in the airport.But she survived, held her grandson's hand, and buried her son back to her hometown with the 13-year-old boy.

They didn't have a funeral.

Maybe it’s because An Guoqing has been playing football abroad all year round, and there are not many close relatives and friends left in China; maybe the old man doesn’t want to mourn again, reminding himself of the cruel fact that white-haired people send black-haired people.

In short, they did not hold a funeral for Anguo Day. The old and the young just buried him silently in the cemetery on the outskirts of Jiangcheng, so that this wanderer who had been wandering in a foreign land for many years could return to the hometown where he was raised.

And Ander also lived in Jiangcheng with his grandma.

"You are 13 years old now. If you have been in China, you should be in the second grade of junior high school. But at that time, the National Day insisted on letting you go with him, saying that the football over there is good. As a result... oh," the old man sighed, "Grandma Let me ask you, can you start again from the first day of junior high school in September this year?"

Ender thought for a while and asked her, "Can I not continue playing football?"

The old man was stunned: "Of course, if you want...you can play during physical education class."

"I don't want to just play in gym class, I want to be a professional football player," Ender said, and it was the only time in many days that the boy really showed his childishness in front of adults. "Me and... I I made it to my dad and I'm going to be the best football player ever."

A hint of helplessness appeared on grandma's face: "Zai Zai, you are still too young."

"Is it because of my father?" Ender asked her, looking up.His question hit the nail on the head, sharp and aggressive, showing a sharpness that did not match his age: "Because he failed, you think I can't do it either?"

His grandma watched him for a while, with a sour smile on her face.

This elderly, but still elegantly dressed lady with light makeup looked at her grandson, whom she had not seen for several years, as if she could see the appearance of her son from his face.

She admitted bluntly: "Yes, you said exactly the same thing as your father, and I have already lost a son because of his stubbornness."

Ender squeezed his lips tightly, bit his lips for a while, and then said: "I want to continue playing football."

"I'm not completely denying you, Zaizai," the old man said lightly, "but this road is difficult. Not only did your father fail, but he was devastated by failure, and he couldn't accept the fact that he had achieved nothing after the age of 30." ...I am an old woman, it is impossible to accompany you all the time, and it is difficult to provide you with any help when you fail, you can only be alone."

"I can," Ender said, and he repeated, "I can."

The old man stroked Ender's head lightly.

Her hands are well maintained, not as rough and weathered as people of this age generally have, and they are very warm.

"I see," she said.

The bus crossed the river smoothly, and after driving forward for a certain distance, it stopped beside a platform.

A gentle reminder sounded: "Zhongshan Avenue International Plaza Station, here we are, please get off from the back door, please pay attention to your feet when you get off..."

Ander, who was lying on the window sill, came back from his memory, immediately stood up from his seat, and jumped off the bus nimbly.

It was working hours, and there were not many people in the square.The big screen outside the shopping mall was showing the match between Germany and Algeria a few days ago. Thomas Muller's funny "flopping" free kick and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer's save highlights were repeated. playing.

Ender stopped and looked at it for a while, then took out a football from the black backpack with the Shakhtar Donetsk team emblem embroidered behind him, kicked it as he walked, let the ball spin under his feet, and flexibly demonstrated how to use the street lamp pole on the square from time to time. Dribbles.

After playing all the way back to the door of the house, Ender picked up the dirty football from the ground and took out the key hanging around his neck to open the door.

"Grandma? Are you home yet?"

As soon as he opened the door of the house, Ender saw a pair of exquisite ladies' high-heeled shoes at the door. He let out a "huh" and asked into the room.

There was a woman sitting in the living room of their house at this time, she was sitting on a single sofa with her back to Ender's direction, opposite to Ender's grandma.The woman's beautiful long hair was tied behind her head, and a hairpin inlaid with pearls was pinned in her hair, which made her look extraordinarily gentle. Her windbreaker was also very beautiful, it was a quiet blue color, with a smell that did not belong to her. The breath of this home.

After hearing the sound of Ander entering the door, the woman turned her head. At this moment, crystal clear tears appeared in her black eyes, she shook her lips, and the voice she made was also full of tears and tears. Trembling: "... Zaizai."

Ander froze in place.

He was at a loss and didn't know how to react. It was different from when his father died. At that time, although he was in pain, he knew that he had to become rational and be a strong man. But now, when he saw this woman appearing in front of him, The pain buried in his heart in the past seemed to be activated all of a sudden, the past began to burst out from every pore in his body with tingling pain, his hands and feet became cold, and his eardrum seemed to be crushed by something .

He becomes vulnerable and vulnerable.

Like the kid who used to cry on the street corner, waiting for his mother to come home.

"...Zaizai."

When he was in a daze, the woman walked up to him.

She is so beautiful, as always, with willow-leaf eyebrows and peach-blossom eyes, which contain the gurgling stream that gently pats the pebbles with water flowers in March in the south of the Yangtze River, and the willow branches lightly brushed by a few swallows in spring.Not to mention that she put on her makeup carefully today. The makeup is very light, but very gentle. It reminds Ender of the memory of being led by her on the streets of Moscow, and the two happily ate a piece of chocolate together. , and she took herself through the bright summer sun, and watched the children tenderly outside the barbed wire when they had football lessons together.

She was so good, but such kindness suddenly disappeared one day and no longer belonged to him.

Ender didn't want to blame her. He knew her pain and helplessness, but he was the one who was left behind, so it was impossible for him to be completely free of resentment.

He gave a soft "hmm" as a response, then avoided the woman's eyes, looked over her figure, and looked at the grandma behind her.

"what are you going to do?"

His parents had been divorced for several years, and his mother had married far away to Germany. They broke up in a disgraceful way, and they were not the kind of couple who could be friends. Therefore, Ander had told his grandma in advance of the funeral not to disturb her.

But at this moment, she crossed thousands of hectares of land, came miraculously from Western Europe, and appeared in front of him.

Don't think about it, it must have been notified by grandma.

What does she want to do?

His grandma was sitting on the couch, looking over with a very clear look: "Since you want to continue your football dream, then go with your mother."

"...Me?" Ender pointed to himself.

His grandma gave a heavy nod, stood up, and walked over to the two of them.

The legendary woman has grown old and aged, but her words are short and firm, and her tone is firm: "You say you are going to be the best football player ever, I don't know how to do it, I don't know what to offer you I don’t even know what it will be like if you don’t take the college entrance examination in the future... But I know that Europe has the best football, and your mother can send you to the youth training camp there and let you participate in their training. It's much better if I send you to sports school."

After she finished speaking, she stared deeply at her former daughter-in-law, and then put Ender's hand on hers: "I will pay for the children's schooling and living expenses - don't refuse, just treat it as me making up for the debts that have been owed." Well, I'll hand him over to you."