The Zhang Family

Time flies.

The Spring Festival of 2017 is just around the corner.

The team quickly issued a notice, giving the entire team a 20-day holiday, allowing the players who had worked hard for a long time to return home for the Chinese New Year and rest before preparing for the next stage of the competition.

During this period, the format of the China League Two, or the Chinese amateur football league, was relatively simple.

The so-called first stage is the competition organized by each province. Winning the championship will qualify you for the national regional competition.

As a team aiming to advance to League Two, Fujian Tianxin's strength is certainly not comparable to those purely amateur teams in the province, and they easily won the championship.

The second phase will take place around the time after the Spring Festival.

At this time, the national regional competition was divided into four regions in the north and four in the south, for a total of eight regions.

The Fujian Tianxin team is in the South Zone 1, which is the Hangzhou Division, and they will be playing in Hangzhou.

That's all for after the new year.

Wu Bin bid farewell to his teammates and coaches and returned to his hometown.

His home was in a suburban county of Fuzhou, and it was already evening when he arrived home.

The moment I pushed open the door, the familiar aroma of food wafted out. My mother was already waiting at the door, her face beaming with an undisguised smile.

She quickly stepped forward and took the backpack from his hand, chattering away, "Binbin's back! Wash your hands quickly. Mom made your favorite braised pork and fried rice cakes. Knowing you work hard playing soccer, I specially stewed some pork rib soup all afternoon to nourish you."

The father sat on the sofa in the living room, holding the remote control in his hand, but his eyes were fixed on the sports news on TV. He pretended to be calm, but his eyes kept following Wu Bin's figure out of the corner of his eye.

Only when Wu Bin walked up to him did he slowly speak, his tone carrying a hint of deliberate concern: "It's good that you're back. You haven't suffered any grievances in the team these past few days, have you? Don't push yourself too hard in training. Your health is your most valuable asset. If you get injured, you'll be the one who suffers."

Wu Bin felt a warmth in his heart, and his nose tingled slightly.

Although he hadn't been in this world for very long, he had indeed experienced genuine paternal and maternal love.

Wu Bin had essentially given up his studies in pursuit of his dream of becoming a professional football player.

Although his father did not explicitly object, he was always frowning and often sat on the sofa smoking at night, worried that he could not endure the hardship of training, and even more worried that he would not make a name for himself and would not have a stable livelihood in the future.

His mother was constantly worried. During every video call, she would repeatedly remind him to be careful and not to push himself too hard. She even secretly shed tears several times, afraid that he would get hurt, be bullied, or that all his enthusiasm would ultimately be in vain.

Putting ourselves in their shoes, we can see that they really made a huge sacrifice!

At the dinner table, the lamplight cast the shadows of the three people. His mother kept piling food into his bowl—braised pork, fried rice cakes, and green vegetables—piling it almost full, while constantly nagging, "Eat more, eat more..."

The father put down his chopsticks, leaned forward slightly, and asked him earnestly about his situation on the team, from the intensity of daily training and the atmosphere among teammates to the details of the game, every word of which was full of concern.

Wu Bin put down his chopsticks, opened the competition video on his phone, and slowly recounted his experience while playing it.

"Dad, Mom, when I first joined the team, I was just a fringe substitute. Nobody believed in me, and I always fell behind in training. I thought about giving up several times."

"But things are different now. Last time against Nantong Zhiyun, we were down 0-2 at the start, and everyone thought we were going to lose. It was because I fought hard on defense, cut off the opponent's attacks several times, and led my teammates to a comeback victory!"

"The coach values ​​me highly now, and my teammates also recognize my abilities. I have secured my position as the starting defensive midfielder."

Watching the video of the boy on the court, who was calmly defending, making decisive interceptions, and getting up immediately even after falling down, with a determined look in his eyes, the mother's eyes reddened slightly. She reached out and gently touched his head, her voice full of heartache and relief.

"You've gotten stronger and darker; you must have suffered a lot. I used to worry that you were too stubborn and wouldn't be able to succeed, that you would suffer in the future. But now that I see how hard you work and how promising you are, I'm at ease."

As she spoke, she placed another piece of braised pork into Wu Bin's bowl.

"From now on, make sure you eat well in the team and don't skimp on food. If you need money, just tell your family. No matter how difficult things are for them, they will support you."

Watching Wu Bin's performance in the video, his father's furrowed brows relaxed, and he nodded heavily: "Good, well done, you didn't let the family down. Since you've chosen this path, play well, train diligently, and compete seriously. Don't try to take shortcuts, and don't give up easily. The family will always be your strongest support. No matter how well or poorly you play, your parents will always be there to support you."

Hearing this, Wu Bin put down his chopsticks and sat up straight: "Dad, Mom, don't worry, I will definitely be able to support myself through football, and make a name for myself through football!"

"We believe in you," the parents said in unison, their eyes full of trust and support, without the slightest hesitation.

The mother wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said with a smile, "Mom doesn't ask you to be great or to earn a lot of money. I just ask that you be safe and sound and be able to do what you love. That's enough."

The father nodded in agreement: "Yes, safety is the most important thing. Play well and don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"Alright, why all the sentimentality? Let's eat," Wu Bin said with a smile.

"Yes, yes, let's eat! Haha..."

This Spring Festival was free of the worries and estrangements of the past, filled with the warmth of family reunions and the lively atmosphere of everyday life.

On New Year's Eve, the family put up Spring Festival couplets and the character "福" (good fortune) together. The mother was busy preparing the New Year's Eve dinner in the kitchen, while the father and Wu Bin cleaned the house together. Occasionally, they would talk about how Wu Bin used to run around in the yard with a soccer ball when he was a child, their eyes full of warmth.

When neighbors and villagers come to pay New Year's visits and ask about Wu Bin's job, his parents proudly pull them aside to show them photos of Wu Bin on the football team, saying with a smile, "My Binbin is a professional football player, a key player on the team, he's so successful!" The pride in their voices is impossible to hide.

Of course, Wu Bin didn't spend his Spring Festival holiday like other people his age, visiting relatives and friends, eating, drinking, having fun, or staying up late scrolling through his phone...

He always kept his identity as a player in mind, and even on vacation, he dared not slack off in the slightest.

Every morning, Wu Bin would change into his training clothes, carry a soccer ball, and head to the stadium near his home for morning exercise.

Since he had no teammates, he initially focused on Rijkaard's physical training.

Push-ups, sit-ups, squats, shuttle runs...

Incorporate some ball-based training exercises, such as dribbling and shooting, to avoid making it too boring, while also ensuring that basic skills practice is not forgotten.

After receiving "special training" from two of the Dutch trio, my understanding of football has indeed improved, and my training efficiency has increased significantly.

After the New Year, people started coming to the stadium to play football again, and Wu Bin would join in, saying, "I'm not very good at it, count me in."

On a streetball court like this, Wu Bin's current skill level is obviously far superior, but he doesn't play streetball to show off his skills.

He remained obediently positioned in the defensive midfield role, pondering techniques for defensive positioning.

It can be said that this Spring Festival is not only a festival for family reunion, but also a good opportunity for him to reflect on himself and improve himself!

He makes new progress every day!

As for that QQ group for football bigwigs, Wu Bin naturally checks it every day.

Besides watching videos to solidify my knowledge, it's even more important to see if I can get help from some expert to further improve!

But Rijkaard quickly offered his advice.

[Frank Rijkaard]: @I am a football player, you must remember to train your physique first, then your defensive skills. This is absolutely the only way to become a top defensive midfielder.

[Frank Rijkaard]: You really can't rush things. Master these two things first, and then I'll teach you more advanced content. Otherwise, you might not be able to digest it all in a short time, and it could backfire.

[Diego Maradona]: I disagree. I don't think it's difficult to learn ball control, dribbling, passing, and shooting all at once...

Seeing this, Wu Bin felt relieved and continued practicing.

With the promise of a black swan event, something good is sure to follow!

And he's right, apart from a very few genius players, most people need to improve gradually.

You can't get fat in one bite!

Just like Kanté, the strongest defensive midfielder in this era, he was originally a pure sweeper.

But gradually he learned and developed more and more skills, and his driving and passing skills reached a very high level, so he became an all-around midfielder...