Maternal Uncle

He opened his eyes to another new day.

Yang Yang lay on the single bed, sunlight streaming through the thin curtains from the window beside him, casting light into the dim room.

Almere had ultimately lost yesterday's match, but Yang Yang had won.

A brilliant goal had earned him recognition from everyone.

The final score was three to one. With Almere's players unable to mount any resistance, Ajax scored three consecutive goals in the second half, though none of them had much to do with Babel—two came after he was substituted off.

Tom De Mul, Amrabat, and Maduro each scored a goal, showcasing the strength of Ajax's players.

Though he was still a bit dissatisfied with the final result, Yang Yang understood that there was a huge gap in strength between Almere and Ajax. Holding the first half and sneaking in a goal was already enough to be pleasantly surprising.

Perhaps considering the large number of fans in attendance, Ajax's youth development higher-ups, including Van Basten, had left the stadium early once the match's outcome was all but decided but before it had officially ended. This left many Almere players afterward regretting it bitterly, while Yang Yang alone couldn't stop grinning.

Luckily, he had rushed over before the match to meet Van Basten, shake his hand, and take a photo together.

Ajax scout Fred Arroyo said that once the photo was developed, he'd get Van Basten to sign it before sending it over to Yang Yang. This filled him with anticipation, and he decided he'd definitely have it nicely framed and hung on the wall.

When he got home, took a shower, and went to bed, he entered the Super Training Ground to review the match with Old Bing.

This had been his routine for the past two or three months. Every review benefited him greatly, and he firmly believed that through this slow accumulation, it would bring huge advantages to his football career.

A major focus of last night's review was analyzing the sequence of continuous directional dribbles Yang Yang had used to get past Vermaelen. Yang Yang himself felt he had executed it fairly well, but Old Bing wasn't entirely satisfied, believing that this success had a fair bit of luck involved.

"That Belgian has at least the defensive level of a mid-tier Dutch Second Division player, or even a lower-tier Dutch First Division one. You getting past him was partly due to catching him off guard and a little bit of luck."

Old Bing's words still struck Yang Yang as surprising when he thought back on them.

The amateur match was only for players under eighteen, so Thomas Vermaelen should have been around seventeen or eighteen as well. To already possess defensive skills at the level of a mid-tier Dutch Second Division or lower-tier Dutch First Division player—that guy had an incredible future ahead of him.

But recalling the match process, he had to admit that he really struggled to gain any advantage over Vermaelen. That guy wasn't tall or particularly strong, but he was incredibly tenacious, with explosive speed and agility, and excellent in close combat. Being marked by him was definitely a nightmare.

Yet thinking about it again, Yang Yang couldn't help but feel a small sense of accomplishment.

Scoring a goal against a player like that was something to be proud of, wasn't it?

But more than that, it fueled his fighting spirit.

Vermaelen didn't seem much older than him, yet his strength was so much greater. This reminded Yang Yang once again that he had to keep working hard and improve his abilities as quickly as possible.

The Ajax Talent Day selection event was drawing closer and closer.

"Starting today, besides your daily training routines, add one more training item," Old Bing said calmly.

"Really? That's great!" Yang Yang asked happily.

Adding an item meant that Old Bing had acknowledged his progress.

Of course, training against the wall would continue, but since he was getting more and more skilled at it, the same training now took far less time than at the beginning. Adding some new items wouldn't require extra time.

Besides, Yang Yang was improving all the time.

"Get the marker cones. Starting today, add practice for the most basic footwork moves: inside cut, drag, push, chip, and outside cut."

Yang Yang was no longer the same person he was a few months ago. Not only had he gained a lot through practice, but he had also faced real opponents on the pitch, including defensive players like Vermaelen who were at the mid-to-upper level of the Dutch Second Division. His understanding had naturally deepened.

He knew well that any seemingly complex technical move was, at its core, a combination of the most basic actions. Take Ronaldo's continuous directional dribbles—if you broke each move down, you'd find they were actually very simple. The Pendulum Dribble was the same.

And Old Bing having Yang Yang use marker cones to practice these basic moves—inside cut, drag, push, chip, outside cut—was naturally aimed at further improving Yang Yang's mastery of [Ronaldo's Breakthrough] and its practical application in matches, unleashing greater power.

"Sure," Yang Yang agreed without hesitation. "When can you upgrade the level of the defensive player training against me again?"

Over the past month or so, Yang Yang felt he had improved quite a bit, but the defensive player he trained against was still at the third level. This left him somewhat unsatisfied, especially after seeing Vermaelen's strength.

"Not yet," Old Bing refused bluntly.

Yang Yang shrugged helplessly, but he believed that day would come soon.

"Hey, why are you up so early again today?"

When Yang Yang came downstairs for breakfast, he happened to catch his uncle heading out to buy groceries.

"I'm going to the park to practice after breakfast," Yang Yang replied with a grin.

"Hard work is good, but don't overdo it. You're still growing. You just played a match last night, so take it easy today and rest at home. I'll cook you a nice meal at noon," Uncle Shen Ming said with a hearty laugh.

Nowadays, Yang Yang was like a living billboard for Shen's Chinese Restaurant. Not only did the Almere Youth Team players love coming here, but many locals also dropped by after hearing about it. Business was booming like never before, and even the usually slow lunch hours had become busy. Shen Ming was overjoyed.

But what pleased him most was his nephew's progress. Not only had he earned recognition from Almere, but even teams like Eindhoven and Ajax had taken a liking to him. Who knew—maybe one day he'd become a professional player in the Dutch First Division. Then his uncle would bask in the glory too.

Shen Ming now treated his nephew better than his own daughter. He was even thinking of hiring a few more people so Yang Yang could focus on football and not have to help out at the restaurant anymore.

"Don't worry, Uncle. I know my own body. After a good night's sleep, all the fatigue from last night is gone. I'm full of energy and just want to let it out," Yang Yang joked cheerfully.

"Full of energy? Let it out?" Shen Ming heard this and gave his nephew a careful once-over. It seemed like there was some fuzz growing on his upper lip and chin. "Looks like you're growing up. Time for some nourishment."

"Huh?" Yang Yang didn't understand. What did he mean?

"I'll make you a special dish—bull penis stewed with old duck. Our restaurant's exclusive nourishing specialty."

Bull... penis... stewed with old duck... what the heck?

Yang Yang didn't quite get it but felt a shiver run down his spine. Why did his uncle's words today sound so hard to understand?

"Ahem, you're almost seventeen, nearly eighteen in nominal age—you should start thinking about getting a girlfriend. You can't just focus on training and matches all day. They say heaven has the Heavenly Lord, and on earth, the maternal uncle. Since your parents aren't around, it falls to me to worry about this for you."

Yang Yang gave a wry smile. Wasn't this straying way off topic?

Just now they'd been talking about training, then it veered off into that so-called nourishing delicacy, and now girlfriends...

Uncle, your train of thought is way too fast. I can't keep up.

Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, fleeing is best. Uncle, take your time—I'm off.

With that, Yang Yang bolted away like the wind, leaving his uncle Shen Ming behind, shaking his head and sighing.

Kids these days... ahem...

Still, having played a full match last night and gotten up early this morning to train—when it came to hard work, his nephew was beyond reproach. He hadn't wavered through rain or wind these past few months.

If a kid like that couldn't make it, Shen Ming would have to say heaven was unjust.

While Yang Yang trained against a wall and around marker cones at the Skate Park, over twenty kilometers away in Amsterdam's Southeast New Town, Ajax's training base De Toekomst finally welcomed its new Technical Director.

The renowned Dutch coach Louis van Gaal, a name that shook all of European football, had officially decided to return.

This was van Gaal's first time back in the role of Technical Director, and the entire training base took it very seriously.

Club chairman Michael van Praag accompanied him personally, along with Head Coach Ronald Koeman, youth team head Van Basten, two Youth Training Assistants—Luther Carroll and Patrick Radru—and Chief Scout Tony Bruns Slots, among others.

All the core management of De Toekomst gathered to welcome him. After exchanging pleasantries at the door, they ushered the chairman and the new Technical Director into the meeting room, kicking off Ajax's first high-level football meeting of the new season.

The main agenda was to brief everyone on Ajax's transfer progress. Van der Meide and Chivu had both decided to leave, bringing in thirty million euros for Ajax—a hefty sum in the Dutch First Division.

But Ajax couldn't use that money to recruit new players, because many young First Team players were eagerly waiting for contract renewals and raises—the price Ajax had to pay to keep its talent.

On the recruitment front, Ajax had only secured French center-back Julian Escude so far. Since his contract with Rennes had expired, Ajax didn't have to pay any transfer fee for him.

However, the player's salary was much higher than what he earned at Rennes—that was the cost of luring him in.

At just twenty-three, this French center-back was a true professional winner. Four years ago, after a standout season in Ligue 2 with Cannes, he moved on a free transfer to Rennes. In his first season, he helped Rennes rise from Ligue 2 to Ligue 1, played three seasons in the top flight, and now had moved on a free transfer to Ajax, a European powerhouse in the Dutch league.

In just a few years, he had climbed steadily, step by step, each move solid.

For a player like that, everyone at Ajax was at ease. Escude knew exactly what he wanted, and every match for Ajax would see him give his all, every training session would be full effort.

Put simply, Ajax was just another stepping stone for him to rise further.

The next step was one of the top four leagues—that was certain. But which team he'd end up with depended on his performance at Ajax.

On that point, the club and the player's interests aligned.

After finishing with Escude, van Gaal suddenly noticed that the next topic was someone he knew.

Yang Yang.