Hero of the Penalty Area

Chapter Twelve Relationship is Treating Guests for Dinner ()

When Popovich received a notice from assistant coach Porter that he placed Chen Yingxiong in the weekend's youth team league roster, he was surprised.

You know, the hero has only been training with the team for two weeks, and less than three weeks. Coupled with the language barrier, there is no way to talk about the tacit understanding between him and his teammates. Just let him play, what can he show?

Of course he knows what this request is for.

It must be Ed Wo Carter who wants to see the strength of Chen Yingxiong, so as to judge whether the player signed by this predecessor has the strength to stay in the team, if not enough... Then rent him out, enough for the expiration of the two-year contract. If you don't renew the contract, Chen Yingxiong will naturally get out.

However, it was completely unfair to use the game to examine Chen Yingxiong's strength so early.

To be honest, Popovich's perception of Potter is not very good because of his "chuckling".

He even suspected that the assistant coach had made this idea. He wronged Potter. Porter doubted the strength of Chen Yingxiong, but it was head coach Ed Wo Carter who came up with this idea.

"I can't agree with this." Popovich shook his head and shrugged. "He has only joined the team for less than three weeks, and he has very little time to train with his teammates. As a center, he is very dependent on the midfielder and requires a tacit understanding with his teammates. Now you let He is on the court and you can't see anything!"

Potter was noncommittal about Popovich's words.

"If his strength is really as good as you said, then I think he can solve the game by himself. It shouldn't be a problem to score alone?"

Popovich took Potter's words as a mockery of him, and his face collapsed immediately.

He originally wanted to reject it directly, but then he thought...If Chen Yingxiong could really slap this old man in the game, he really wanted to see the expression of this person at that time.

After two weeks of training, Popovich feels that he has an understanding of Chen Yingxiong's header ability. In the youth team, his header should be considered outstanding.

The Zenit youth team is the first place in the Russian youth league group under the age of 18. The team's defense performance is quite outstanding, and this defense line can also represent the highest level in this group of youth leagues.

But in training, Chen Yingxiong was still repeatedly hit with his head.

This should be able to explain Chen Yingxiong's header strength.

Thinking about it this way, Popovich nodded: "Okay, I will send him in the youth league on the weekend, but I have the final say in the playing time."

For this assistant coach, he is not weak at all as the head of youth training.

He has the final say on all matters of the youth team. You are a new assistant coach, I am not a fan of you.

When Chen Yingxiong learned from coach Popovich that he would play in the weekend league, he was first surprised, and then happy.

I'm going to play the game? !

Chen Yingxiong, who only came to the team for less than three weeks, did not expect his first official game to come so quickly. He originally thought that he still had to practice with his teammates...Although he wanted to participate in the game, but until now the club promised to find him the translator and language teachers are not in place, language communication is very difficult, he and his teammates Tacit understanding is always a big issue.

Although his relationship with his teammates in the team is pretty good now.

As a newcomer, he did not act very low-key, on the contrary...he was very high-key.

I was very active in the locker room. I couldn't speak Russian, so I spoke English, even with gestures. The most important thing is that Chen Yingxiong always puts a smile on his lips. He speaks loudly, and he is enthusiastic, and he is indifferent at all. This is particularly likable.

He doesn't mind making jokes, and he also makes jokes with others. He is a very easy person to get along with.

Although he abused his teammates before entering the team, he abused his teammates again in training. But he was very clever, and asked each teammate to have a drink to solve it.

This kid will buy people's hearts... This is how Popovich, a bystander, feels. Sometimes it’s not like an eighteen year old...

"Uh, I have a request, Mr. Coach..." When he was happy, Chen Yingxiong said to Popovich.

"Well, you said."

"Then can I trouble you to inform everyone... I will treat you to dinner in the evening!"

Popovich froze for a moment.

"A treat? Why?"

"Hey, celebrate my selection to the weekend league squad!" Chen Yingxiong said.

"If you are selected, you will treat you? Then, don't you want to treat every day?" Popovich was amused. This reason...

"No, this is the first time. The first time is very important and very memorable. I would like to invite everyone to have a meal to commemorate it!"

Popovich glanced at him-he didn't think that Chen Yingxiong was really so purely planning to commemorate his first selection to the big list.

This is the first time he has played on behalf of the team. Before that, the tacit understanding between him and his teammates on the court was not enough, and he is a type of player that relies heavily on the cooperation of his teammates. If he does not have a good relationship with the players , Once he is isolated in the game, he won't want to show anything...

Popovich felt that Chen Yingxiong must have made this decision out of this consideration. But what makes him strange is that he didn't tell him what the weekend game meant to him. How did he know to perform well in the game?

Did he just use the youth team as a springboard from the beginning? Or does he have the same idea in every game-to score as much as possible and perform well?

Popovich did not go deep into it. After training, he announced the decision in public.

"Your dinner is over, boys!" He pointed to Chen Yingxiong and said. "Our Chinese hero intends to invite you to eat... his hometown food!"

"Oh?! Is this true? Coach!" someone shouted, exhilarating.

There are Chinese restaurants everywhere in St. Petersburg, and there are now more than 300, and they are still growing at a rate of two every month. But in fact, there are only 5,000 Chinese in St. Petersburg, and 3,000 of them are Chinese students. So many Chinese restaurants are definitely not just for Chinese people. Otherwise, even if these 5,000 people eat every meal in Chinese restaurants, they will not be able to feed so many Chinese restaurants.

In St. Petersburg, Chinese food is more and more popular among young people. The improved Chinese food has become a favorite of many Russians.

Chen Yingxiong didn't expect that the head coach would propose to eat Chinese food... But he didn't know anything about local Chinese restaurants, so he looked at Popovich for help.

Popovich patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry, I won't take you to high-end restaurants like Beijing Hotel and Hong Kong Hotel, ha!"

The big red pillars in the hall are lined up with red lanterns hanging high. The lucky boy on the poster looks at you with a smile, and even the bar is decorated with traditional Chinese cornices. It's really a restaurant in China, maybe there are few such decorated restaurants, but here is still very attractive to those Russians who have such a strong curiosity about Chinese culture.

Although this decoration style is no longer popular in China, when Chen Yingxiong saw these traditional Chinese elements, his eyes were hot-he was homesick again. This is more than half a month...No, it should be said that I haven't eaten a Chinese meal for more than a month. At first I thought Western food was quite fresh and delicious. After eating a lot, I realized that I still like Chinese food the most...especially the home-cooked dishes my mother cooked.

Twice-cooked beef, beef stew with potatoes, rotten pork vermicelli, lung slices, fatty intestines... even the homemade diving kimchi are delicious.

Just thinking about it, you can drool.

But now looking at the "Chinese food" on the table, he hasn't flowed at all.

Not everyone chooses to eat out at night, many of them return to their homes. But today, all Zenit youth team players gathered in this Chinese restaurant called "Ruilongju" to enjoy Chinese cuisine.

His teammates think the Chinese food here is simply delicious, but Chen Yingxiong is really not used to these obviously improved "Chinese food"-too sweet and sour.

Holding his chopsticks, he tasted every dish, and found that all dishes were like this, so he gave up.

Most of the time he just drank beer-the youth training coach Popovich did not come. It was a place where young people were there. With him as a coach, everyone couldn't play, so he was very witty and went home for dinner. ——Watching the teammates eat very happily.

Well... anyway, his teammates are happy, and his goal is achieved.

Popovich actually guessed right. It’s not for Chen Yingxiong’s dinner to commemorate the first time he was selected for the big squad...It is to use this idea to increase the players’ feelings and build a good relationship with everyone-the previous relationship. It's already pretty good, now it's time to further improve the relationship.

The relationship was good before, but at least there was no conflict of interest. It's different now. What if everyone just wants to show themselves when it comes to the game and don't pass the ball to him? As the saying goes, you can eat people's mouths, take people's hands, and invite them to dinner. At least in the game, it won't make things difficult for me, right? It’s not too difficult to ask them to pass the ball to me, right?

Chen Yingxiong made such a small calculation, his teammates may not know. Anyway, someone treats guests to Chinese food and can drink as much as they want. Everyone is very happy.

The wine table is indeed a place that can enhance the relationship, and soon there are teammates who drink too much to pull Chen Yingxiong to chat. Although Chen Yingxiong did not understand the other party's Russian at all, he could guess the general meaning of the other party based on the other's facial expressions, and then make the correct response...

"I'll tell you, hero... We have no choice but to be merciful if we didn't choose the'Beijing Hotel'!" The drunk man is the team's main central defender Krotkov. When Chen Yingxiong showed his great power in the air many times, he was a poor supporting role, Green Leaf.

But now that I drink too much, I can't remember those grievances.

Seeing him holding Chen Yingxiong in his arms, it was as if the two had been best friends who had known each other for ten years.

Hero Chen couldn't understand Krotkov's words, so he could only smirk to accompany him.

Someone came to rescue him at this time.

"Are you Chinese?" A Mandarin with a distinct Northeast accent sounded behind Chen Yingxiong. Chen Yingxiong, who hadn't heard Chinese for a long time, now seemed to hear the sound of nature. He turned around abruptly. I saw a middle-aged man standing behind the seat. He has yellow skin and black hair, and wears metal-rimmed glasses. He looks very elegant.

"Ah...Ah, I, I am, of course I am! You, you too?" Maybe it's been too long since I spoke Chinese, and Chen Yingxiong was a little stuttered.

The man smiled: "I am the owner of this restaurant. Of course the owner of the Chinese restaurant is Chinese!"

Meeting a compatriot in another country, Chen Yingxiong was very excited. He quickly stood up and shook hands with the other party: "Fortunately to meet him."

"Fortunately meeting. My name is Ren Tianhua, from Harbin. How about you?"

"Chen Yingxiong, from Chengdu."

After introducing himself, Ren Tianhua took a look at the players of the Zenit youth team who were eating well: "I heard that the waiter talked about many people, and I was afraid that they could not take care of them. Come and take a look. I didn't expect to see them in the crowd. A compatriot. To be honest, there are a lot of Chinese compatriots who come to me, but they are repeat customers. I have never met you, haha!" Ren Tianhua has the ostentation and directness unique to the Northeast.

Chen Yingxiong scratched his head: "I only came to St. Petersburg three weeks ago... Today is my first time... Hi, the first time I came to the city in more than two weeks."

"Oh? What did you come for? Go to college?"

"Uh, it's not...I'm here to play football."

Ren Tianhua was taken aback for a moment.

It's not that he doesn't know about football. He also knows that there is a professional team in St. Petersburg. But he couldn't connect this professional football team with a Chinese for a while.

"Kicking?" he asked back.

Hero Chen nodded.

"Professional?"

Chen Yingxiong continued to nod his head. His contract is indeed a professional contract, although the various treatments are only slightly better than the average youth team...thanks to the fact that he has not been able to go anywhere in the past few weeks, he can only carry it in the dormitory, and there is no place to spend money. Therefore, in addition to keeping his salary, the rest is remitted to the house to help pay off the debt. After all, his father borrowed the debt for his own sake. How could he ignore it and just enjoy himself?

Ren Tianhua laughed: "That's really a rare guest!" He pulled Chen Yingxiong out, and the two stood in front of the bar and chatted. Chen Yingxiong is indeed a rare customer. His restaurant has received many Chinese guests, most of them are tourists, as well as Chinese students in St. Petersburg. But this is the first time to receive professional players from China.

"It must be a great level to sign with a professional team!" Ren Tianhua asked.

"Hey, it's okay!" No matter how humble his mouth is, in fact, a fool can see that he is not humble at all.

"Ha! Play well! Win glory for the Chinese! Did you hear me? Do it! Don’t let those old guys look down on us Chinese! Haha! Good! It’s great, I didn’t expect to meet a Chinese professional player today. ..." Ren Tianhua laughed. "In this way, your consumption here today is...free!"

Chen Yingxiong was taken aback. He didn't say anything, but how embarrassed the boss was to behave so enthusiastically? The people of the Northeast are as enthusiastic as the legend is so cool...

Seeing what he was going to say, Ren Tianhua raised his hand to stop him: "Don't say anything, it's all fate! This order is free, I am the boss, I have the final say! By the way..." He suddenly slapped his forehead. . "I said you can't get used to this dish, right?"

Chen Yingxiong shook his head: "Where is it? Used to eating, used to eating..." People are exempted from ordering themselves, so why are they embarrassed to say that the dishes are not suitable for them?

I don’t think the boss glared: "Don’t lie to me, how can a Sichuanese eat dishes that are full of sweet and sour flavors? Let me tell you..." He looked around, lowered his voice, "Those dishes are all It is made for the Maozi to eat, and they like the taste. But the Chinese people here, I always cook authentic Chinese dishes, I will never fool my compatriots of the motherland! You wait, I will make a new one for you Take it out!"

After finishing speaking, before Chen Yingxiong said anything, he ran to the back kitchen by himself.

Looking at this enthusiastic northeast man, Chen Yingxiong smiled, no matter how sweet the Chinese dialect is, he is still kind to the compatriots of the motherland!

In the end, Ren Tianhua really waived Chen Yingxiong. You know that so many people eat a lot... He wiped it all with a wave of his hand.

And when he left, he took Chen Yingxiong and said, "If you want to eat hometown food, come to me! Guarantee the authenticity! I have a chef from Sichuan here, and I will tell you that Sichuan cuisine is made with Gangbangdi!" He gave a thumbs up and raised his eyebrows at Chen Yingxiong.

Chen Yingxiong was amused by the enthusiastic Northeast boss. He nodded vigorously: "Okay!"

Indeed, the last guess the boss gave him was really authentic Chinese. His Russian teammates all said they couldn't eat it after one bite, it was too spicy. So Chen Yingxiong swept all these dishes into his stomach alone, and he ate them very well.

In addition to the good food, the enthusiastic boss also moved him very much. He felt very warm when he met his compatriots in a strange country, and he was still such a warm and hearty compatriot.

I just wanted to further improve the relationship with my teammates, but I didn't even think of relieving my homesickness...

Chen Yingxiong felt that his decision to entertain him for dinner was extremely correct.