Chapter 2 The Road Ahead

The next evening, Adriaanse indeed came with the contract and Mr. Li. Zhang Jun and Yang Pan had already called home and explained the details. Their families didn't object too much. After all, since they had chosen to play soccer, they would inevitably embark on the path of professional soccer. Starting in a foreign country was certainly better than staying in China. Now that a foreign club had come knocking, and it was a team in the Dutch Eredivisie, it was naturally the best option. Yang Pan's mother was more talkative, repeatedly urging Yang Pan to pay more attention, learn to take care of himself, not eat unsanitary food, add clothes when it was cold, not learn bad habits, listen to the coach, and maintain unity with Zhang Jun while abroad… If Yang Pan hadn't reminded his mother that it was an international call, she probably would have gone on for another hour. Zhang Jun's parents were much simpler. His father asked Zhang Jun if he had thought it through. "Yes," was Zhang Jun's answer. "Then fine, this is your own decision. I have nothing to say. Wait a moment, your mother wants to talk to you." Then there was the sound of handing over the microphone, "Hello, Mom?" In Zhang Jun's memory, his mother was a very strange person. She didn't talk much usually and was busy with business all the time. Although his father traveled around and wasn't home much, Zhang Jun had a deeper impression of his father.

"Zhang Jun, we can't take care of you in China. Be careful in everything, and help each other with Yang Pan."

"Yeah, I know."

"Since it's your own decision, we have no objections. Hey, do you have anything else to say to our son?" This last sentence was addressed to his father. Zhang Jun heard his father shout from the side, "What's there to say? He'll be back soon anyway, we'll talk when he gets back!"

"Alright, it's an international call, I won't say much more."

"Okay, Mom, goodbye…"

"Beep…"

Zhang Jun smiled wryly, it was always like this, so busy…

Adriaanse brought the contract, and Mr. Li translated it to them clause by clause, and communicated with Adriaanse about their questions. It was an apprentice contract, so it didn't specify a contract period or a transfer fee. According to Adriaanse, this contract was mainly to appease the Dutch Football Association, so that Zhang Jun and Yang Pan could enter the country legitimately. Then, they would be placed in the youth team for training. If they performed well in training, they would be transferred to the first team. If they continued to perform well in the first team, they would receive a formal professional contract from the club, including contract years, salary, bonuses, liquidated damages, etc. Their initial income was indeed not much, but they should take a long-term view and believe that they had a bright future. This last sentence was specifically addressed to Zhang Jun and Yang Pan by Adriaanse. He had seen many young people who complained about low pay and wanted to change their contracts before they had even made a name for themselves. To be honest, he had always looked down on those people and believed that they wouldn't have much development in the future.

However, to his delight, after Zhang and Yang had listened to Mr. Li's translation in detail, they signed their names on it without saying a word.

Mr. Li then told them that Philips (China) had already assigned someone to handle the relevant matters with the Chinese Football Association, and the work visas for the Netherlands were also being processed. There was nothing to worry about. The two just had to enjoy these few days in the Netherlands, then return to China to pack their luggage and wait for the club's call.

Everything was like a dream, happening so quickly, but Zhang Jun and Yang Pan had truly grasped this dream. From then on, their lives would no longer be the same.

The ten-day trip to the Netherlands quickly came to an end. Zhang Jun and Yang Pan seemed a little absent-minded during their subsequent visits to Ajax and Feyenoord. After all, their biggest gain in the Netherlands had already been obtained, which was the apprentice contract that represented their future.

When they returned to Luoyang, everything was still the same as usual, nothing had changed. The scallion pancake at the rice noodle shop at the entrance of the compound was as delicious as ever. Except for their parents, no one knew that they were about to go abroad to play soccer.

Zhang Jun returned home. As soon as he put his bag in his room, he came out to tell his parents about his "longing." The "touching scene" of reuniting after a long absence was like this. His father asked Zhang Jun, "Did you miss home these days? Did you miss me and your mother?"

Zhang Jun kept saying that he missed them terribly, while using the remote control to switch the TV from the news channel to the sports channel, then from the sports channel to the lifestyle channel, and then from the lifestyle channel to the movie channel…

His father saw that Zhang Jun was absent-minded and smiled, "Go ahead, Su Fei is at home."

"No, Dad, I finally came back, how can I leave you and Mom alone?" Zhang Jun sat up straight with a serious face, while straightening his collar as he spoke.

"Hehe! Kid, a father knows his son best! Don't dawdle, remember to call Su Fei over for dinner, let you taste your old man's cooking today!" His father "kicked" Zhang Jun out the door.

Knocking on the door, Zhang Jun began to think about what kind of greeting gift to give Su Fei. He had spent ten days in the Netherlands and was most interested in the etiquette of men and women kissing and hugging. He thought giving Su Fei such a greeting would be very romantic. Zhang Jun was lost in fantasy, and had already opened his arms, just waiting for Su Fei to open the door.

The door opened, Su Fei was wearing an apron, rubber gloves, and her hair was tied up. She was also holding a dirty brush in her hand. "What?" Su Fei looked at Zhang Jun standing at the door with open arms and pouting lips in confusion.

Zhang Jun looked at the brush in Su Fei's hand in embarrassment, pursed his lips, lowered his arms, and walked in. "Are you cleaning?" He looked around, "Huh? Where are your parents?"

"Yeah, I haven't been back for a few days, so of course I have to clean it up!" Su Fei shook the brush in her hand, "My parents went to grandma's house, they're not coming back, I came back first."

"Oh, need any help?" Zhang Jun approached Su Fei, who was working hard, and asked with concern. He was thinking that Su Fei would look up and give him a charming smile: "No need, you just came back, you must be tired, go rest!"

But Su Fei pointed to a basin of dirty water at her feet: "Go change the water!"

Zhang Jun rolled his eyes, picked up the basin, poured it into the bathroom, and filled it with clean water again. When he came back with the water, he saw Su Fei standing on a stool, reaching up and craning her neck to wipe the tiles above the kitchen. Dirty water dripped down her arm, but the tiles weren't much cleaner.

Zhang Jun put down the water, rolled up his sleeves to his shoulders, and then said, "Let me do it?"

"No need, you just came back, you must be tired, go rest! It's just this one spot." Su Fei was still working hard, but her efforts were really having little effect. Zhang Jun shook his head, then put his arms around Su Fei's waist, and with a sudden effort, lifted Su Fei off the stool. Su Fei let out a soft cry, but didn't struggle.

Zhang Jun took the brush from Su Fei's hand, took a step, stepped onto the stool, and started brushing. His height of 1.83 meters made it easy for him to brush.

Su Fei stood below and looked up.

"Zhang Jun, you seem to have gotten stronger after going to the Netherlands!"

"No way!"

"Then you hug me like hugging a doll!"

"…"

"What?"

"Nothing… My dad said to go over for dinner later, he's cooking today."

"Yay!" Su Fei clapped her hands, "Finally, I can eat Uncle's cooking!"

"Hey, no need to be so excited, right?" Zhang Jun was almost knocked off the stool by Su Fei.

"Hehe! Uncle's cooking is delicious!" Su Fei stuck out her tongue.

"That's right, my dad's cooking, authentic Sichuan cuisine… Hey, a girl always thinking about eating, aren't you afraid of gaining weight?"

"Not afraid!"

"Why?" Zhang Jun was surprised that there was a girl who wasn't afraid of gaining weight.

"If I gain a little weight, you'll get stronger, hehe! There's always someone to hug me, what am I afraid of?" Su Fei said, hugging Zhang Jun's leg.

"Hey, hey! Be careful of the dirty water!" Zhang Jun became unnatural instead.

"Not afraid!" Su Fei didn't mean to let go at all, instead hugging tighter. "Anyway, you're leaving again soon…"

Zhang Jun stopped what he was doing: "Did my dad tell you?"

"Yeah. You came back just to pack your luggage, right?"

"Yeah."

"The Netherlands--" Su Fei finally let go of her hand, she looked up at Zhang Jun. "That's a very beautiful country, right? Windmills, tulips…"

Zhang Jun quietly looked at Su Fei, who seemed to be talking to herself.

"It's unfamiliar there, fortunately there's Yang Pan to accompany you, otherwise you'll be very lonely, right? There's not even authentic Chinese food there, can you get used to it? Your parents aren't by your side anymore, don't you miss them? And…"

Zhang Jun saw a light flashing in Su Fei's eyes. He jumped off the stool, threw the brush into the basin, looked down at the clothes that were already covered in stains, and asked Su Fei, "Do you still want that shirt? It's so dirty…"

Su Fei also looked down at the t-shirt that was soaked in dirty water, then looked up and shook her head.

Zhang Jun suddenly hugged Su Fei into his arms.

The water on the uncleaned wall slid down the smooth surface, the water in the basin was still rippling, reflecting a little golden light in the setting sun.

The time at home is always the most precious. Besides packing their luggage, Zhang Jun and Yang Pan were also busy preparing their mood and meeting their old friends.

Ren Yu Di wasn't seen. According to his mother, his father had sent him to a branch office in another city for training. It was a pity not to see him again before leaving. Zhang Jun thought that Ren Yu Di couldn't play soccer anymore, but seeing his good friends continuing his dream on the field would surely make him happy too, right?

And when Li Yong Le heard that the two of them had signed with a professional team, his eyes widened as he looked at the two, and then after a long while, he said with some annoyance: "Now it's 1:4!"

Among all the people they had to see, there was one person who was the most important. Zhang Jun and Yang Pan went to see him with great respect, although they had secretly made fun of him a lot in high school, he would always be their teacher, coach, and the most important person on their path to growth.

The two went to his house but didn't find him. His office at school was also locked. Just when the two had to regretfully accept the fact that they couldn't find him, Zhang Jun suggested going to the stadium to take a look. After all, they had fought there for three years, and now that they were leaving, they wanted to take one last look. They had heard Ren Yu Di say during the Spring Festival that the stadium would be renovated next year, and they didn't know what it would look like when they came back again.

The two walked into the stadium. The soccer field was empty, but there was a person sitting in the stands. Because it was backlight, they couldn't see their face clearly. The two looked at each other and decided to go up to the stands to take a look.

"Teacher Liang?" Walking up to the stands, they found that the person who had been sitting motionless in the stands was Liang Ke, Coach Liang, who they had been looking for.

Liang Ke was a little surprised to see his students. He had been in a daze just now and hadn't noticed that there were two more people on the field. "I heard that you went to the Netherlands to visit… You're back already?"

"Yeah, but we're leaving again soon." Yang Pan sat on Liang Ke's right, while Zhang Jun sat on Liang Ke's left. "We signed a contract with a club in the Eredivisie, and we'll be reporting in a few days."

Liang Ke's reaction wasn't as surprised as when he had just seen them: "Hehe, I knew this day would come!"

"We want to hear the teacher's teachings again before we leave."

"Teachings, haha, when did you become so polite?" Liang Ke laughed. "For you, Yang Pan." He turned to look at Yang Pan, the captain of the former glorious Shuguang period, he was resilient and unyielding. "I have nothing to say, you are the darling of any coach, all you need is to try to maintain your form and avoid injury."

Yang Pan nodded.

"Zhang Jun…" Liang Ke looked at Zhang Jun on the side again, "I'm a little worried about you, your mind isn't as mature as Yang Pan's, and it's easy to have ups and downs in a long season. Also, you've been injured before, and as a center forward, the chances of getting injured are high, so you must protect yourself and don't be impulsive for the sake of winning or losing a game. Losing one or two games doesn't matter, as long as you're not injured, that's the biggest victory. Also, don't be proud when you have achievements, and be sure to obey the coach's arrangements. Su Fei isn't by your side anymore, you have to learn to be strong!"

Zhang Jun blushed.

"Haha!" Liang Ke also laughed, but he quickly put away his smile and said to the two of them very seriously: "It's more difficult for Chinese players to survive abroad than others, not just because of the language. You must stay there, don't give up halfway, staying there is victory. I'm very relieved about Yang Pan, after all, he's been the captain for several years. But Zhang Jun, you have to be careful, your personality determines that your road will be very difficult!"

After saying this, Liang Ke stopped talking. He stared at the empty field again, until Zhang Jun and Yang Pan said goodbye to him without any reaction. What was he thinking about again? Maybe it was the matches that took place here during those high school years, those goals, the extremely intense and exciting matches, scenes from the past, Zhang Jun, Yang Pan, An Ke, Ren Yu Di… He had personally pulled them one by one when they first entered high school, and then watched them grow up one by one, walk out of this school gate one by one, and then embark on their own paths one by one… Three years, just like that, had passed…

Three days later, Zhang Jun and Yang Pan left Luoyang with the farewells of their relatives and friends, and went to Beijing, where the people from Volendam Club were waiting for them to fly to Amsterdam, Netherlands together.

Luoyang Airport was once again a scene of farewell. Yang Pan's parents were still reluctant to let go, pulling Yang Pan and constantly exhorting him. On Zhang Jun's side, his parents didn't say much, but silently helped him check whether his luggage was all packed. It was really strange, Yang Pan had such an independent personality, but had such uninhibited parents, while Zhang Jun's personality had such uninhibited parents.

Su Fei's family also came, but Su Fei also didn't say much. Watching Zhang Jun and Yang Pan's parents giving them instructions, Su Fei just stood aside and watched silently, until the last two were about to board the plane, Su Fei came over and gave each of them a hug. When hugging Zhang Jun, she deliberately hugged him a little longer. Zhang Jun was going to the Netherlands to work hard for his ideals, and she had to finish college in China. She couldn't give up her studies. She loved Zhang Jun, but she didn't want to depend on Zhang Jun. Once he left, she didn't know when she would see him again. She wanted to hug him a little longer, so that she could remember Zhang Jun's scent. One hug for several years, not knowing when he would return… Cherish the last warmth now, and hope that when they meet again, things and people will not have changed.

Su Fei just hugged Zhang Jun tightly like this, unwilling to let go for a long time. She wouldn't care what others thought of her now. Zhang Jun was leaving, and she didn't know when she would see him again. Now she just wanted to hug him like this, until the end of time.

The airport broadcast was urging that the flight to Beijing would take off in ten minutes. Zhang Jun whispered to Su Fei: "Okay, I have to go…" Su Fei pulled her body away, but her head was still against Zhang Jun's chest. She grabbed Zhang Jun's arm with both hands and pinched it hard, and then let go when Zhang Jun grimaced in pain, and looked up at Zhang Jun. "Okay, goodbye…" Su Fei said, biting her lip.

Under the gaze of pairs of reluctant eyes, Zhang Jun and Yang Pan finally boarded the flight to Beijing. Although Zhang Jun didn't understand why Liang Ke would say that his personality determined that his path would be very difficult, he still carried the teacher's advice, his parents' concern, and his friends' envy, and began a new story…

The plane flew across the sky, drawing a white trace, the wind rose, raised the sails, and started a long voyage with thoughts of longing…