Although he had properties in London and Manchester, Beckham still bought a luxurious villa on the outskirts of Nottingham. The house was bought after he signed a contract with the Forest team. It had been there for half a year, and now people could finally start living in it.
His wife, children, and servants moved in, bringing life to the originally deserted house.
Today was the 10th of August. Before Beckham got up, Victoria was already busy in the sunny kitchen.
After Beckham got up, he did not immediately jump down to the bathroom to wash up. He sat on the bed in a daze for a while.
He had joined the Forest team for a month and a half and moved to this city for more than ten days. But sometimes he still felt a little absent-minded, wondering if he was still in Madrid when he woke up every morning.
Tomorrow was the first round of the new English Premier League season. After four years, he really did not know how to describe this feeling.
Beckham rubbed his face with both hands. He heard Victoria's cries downstairs, so he jumped out of the wide bed and washed up in his pajamas.
No matter what, he was now not a Real Madrid player, nor a Manchester United player, but a Nottingham Forest player.
The English Premier League had also changed a lot in the four years he had been away. Who would have thought that Nottingham Forest would suddenly rise in 2003? At that time, the Forest team was still struggling in the First Division (now the English Champions League), and no one knew Tony Twain's name. Manchester United had also changed. Van Nistelrooy had left, Roy Keane had left, Bart had left, and Phil Neville had left. Only Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville were still in the Manchester United team from the original Class 92. Where were the others? They were scattered among the various teams in the English Premier League. In the new season, he would inevitably have a showdown with his former good friend on the field, and the match against Manchester United was even more unavoidable.
It would be fine if it was at the City Ground stadium, but if he returned to Old Trafford, how would the fans there treat him?
Maybe he should ask Ruud. He had already represented the Forest team to return to Old Trafford once, so he must have relevant experience …
※ ※ ※
Tang En was awakened by Shania's screams in his ear. He patted Shania's head as if he was patting an alarm clock. As expected, Shania obediently stopped screaming.
"This alarm clock is pretty smart …" Tang En muttered as he sat up from the bed. He did not have the habit of wearing pajamas to sleep and always wore only a pair of underwear. However, because he had lived with Shania for a long time, both of them were used to it. Shania did not feel embarrassed when Tang En sat on the bed half-naked.
"Get up quickly, I made you a Brazilian-style breakfast!" Shania saw that her goal was achieved, so she ran out happily.
Wearing only a pair of underwear, Tang En washed up in the bathroom upstairs and put on his clothes before going downstairs. The newspaper was not placed on the table, but on the sofa.
Shania hated it when Tang En read the newspaper while eating. Her father did the same, so she always complained that it was a common problem for men. So, as long as she was in Nottingham, she would take the opportunity to wake up early to prepare breakfast for Tang En. She would put away the newspapers and place them on the sofa, then supervise him during the meal.
It must be pointed out that Shania's culinary skills had not improved at all. In the past, when Tang En said that her cooking did not taste good, she replied that it was because British food was not good to begin with. Today's Brazilian breakfast tasted just as special. What had improved was the tolerance of Tang En's stomach. Now, he no longer felt that the food tasted bad. At most, the taste was a little strange …
Ever since Shania volunteered to make breakfast for Tang En, Tang En had another reason to read the newspaper at the dining table — to distract himself.
Now, this method did not work anymore. Shania was very strict. Moreover, Tang En also knew that reading while eating was not a good habit. It was something that his parents had repeatedly taught him when he was young. It was as common as "washing your hands before and after eating."
"Don't you have any work during this period?" Since he could not distract himself by reading the newspaper, he would just chat with Shania.
Shania shook her head. "Even if I did, I would reject it."
"Oh, you're already learning to act like a big shot at such a young age." Tang En laughed.
"Even if I don't walk the runway now, I have enough money to not have to worry about food and clothing for a year." Shania used her spoon to lightly tap on the coffee cup in front of her. "After signing the endorsement contract with a big company, I naturally won't participate in a lot of small unrelated runway shows."
"I'm going to Liverpool in the morning. I don't have time to accompany you. What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to Liverpool too!" Shania raised her hand, giving Tang En a fright.
"Don't think too much. I'm not going with you. I'll get Mr. Fasal to accompany me. We'll go shopping and travel … and watch the game at the same time! In addition, I've also decided that as long as I don't have a job, I'll watch all your away games live! "
Tang En was even more shocked.
Shania was not an ordinary little girl. She was a supermodel who was extremely popular throughout Europe. Her various print advertisements had already appeared frequently in the busiest commercial areas of the big cities. Her television advertisements were also broadcast in rotation on the major television stations. Even ordinary people who did not understand the fashion world had seen her face. With such a person running around with his team … wouldn't the happiest be the media? The most developed thing in England was not their Premier League, but the omnipresent paparazzi.
He really wanted to put on a stern face and say "no." But on second thought, Shania was still a child after all. All these years, she had practically given up all the hobbies a child should have for the sake of her modeling job. Her childhood had been spent in various kinds of training rooms. Now that she had money and status, she no longer had to run around like a dog to make a living. What was wrong with having some fun? She could just take it as compensation for her lost childhood …
"Uh … then you have to be careful of those paparazzi," Tang En reminded her. "The media in England is not like other countries."
Shania's eyes darted around. Then, she bit her teaspoon and nodded happily with a smile. "Don't worry, Uncle Tony. I have a lot of experience. "
Tang En continued to eat with ease. After eating a few mouthfuls, he suddenly raised his head and looked at Shania. "Be careful."
Shania was stunned at first, then she smiled and nodded.
※ ※ ※
"George, what time does the team gather?" Sophia asked as she cleaned up the cutlery she had just used in the kitchen.
Wood was packing his backpack in his room. When he heard his mother's voice, he poked his head out and answered, "10: 30."
The bright sunlight shone in through the window, shining on George's hands and backpack. It was a little warm.
When he walked out of the bedroom with his backpack, his mother also came out of the kitchen when she heard his footsteps. "Are you leaving now, George?"
Wood looked at the fine beads of sweat on his mother's forehead and then placed his backpack on the floor. "No, there's no rush, Mom."
He walked past Sophia and went straight to the kitchen. He began to take over the work his mother had not finished.
"Hey, put it down. I'll do it." Sophia hurriedly turned around and tried to snatch the plate from Wood's hands.
Wood did not listen to his mother's words. He used his broad back to block Sophia behind him, protecting the plate in his hands and the sink in front of him as if he was blocking the ball on the court.
Sophia knew that she could not persuade the stubborn Wood. She was also very happy to see her son helping her with the chores around the house.
She stood at the side and gave Wood a hand.
"George."
"Yes?"
"Tell me honestly. Do you have a girlfriend? A big star like you must be very popular, right? "Sophia said with a smile.
Wood shook his head firmly. "No, Mom."
"Find a good girl, George. It's a good time for young people to fall in love. "
Unexpectedly, Wood shook his head again. "I don't want to …"
"Why?" Sophia was a little surprised.
"It's good to have a mom."
Sophia could not help but laugh. "Silly boy, your girlfriend will become your wife in the future and stay with you for the rest of your life. Can you, Mom? "
Wood was silent for a moment. Then he lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, "Before that … I'll just stay with Mom."
Hearing this answer, what else could Sophia say other than a smile? Having lived with her mother for a long time, she knew that George had an Oedipus complex. This was the result of the mother and son relying on each other. She did not know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. Mother and son loved each other deeply, but she could not stay with Wood for the rest of his life. He had to find a girlfriend. Even if he did not get married, she had to let him understand what love was …
There was something she kept in her heart, but did not dare to say it out loud. Because every time she mentioned "death," George would fly into a rage and glare at his mother, forbidding her to say the word.
But it was a fact that his mother was not in good health. Even if the Forest Club paid for the surgery, a broken body was broken. It was not like a machine, which could be repaired by changing parts and polishing. Once Mom died, what would George do alone?
She gently hugged Wood from behind and leaned her face against Wood's broad and strong back.
"George, George, my silly boy …" she murmured in a low voice.
※ ※ ※
"Garay, what are you still dawdling about!"
Outside the door of an ordinary red-tiled house, a short and fat middle-aged man stood in the bright and somewhat dazzling sunlight. He had just raised his head and shouted upstairs, and now he frequently looked at his watch impatiently.
"You started packing your backpack half an hour ago, and you haven't come downstairs yet! What's in it? An atomic bomb? A carbine? Or a bunch of Oasis CDs? "
"Coming, coming!"
Just as the short and fat man was chattering away, the sound of footsteps coming downstairs came from inside the house.
"Goodbye, Mom."
"Goodbye, son."
There was the sound of a kiss.
The door in front of the short and fat man opened, and a tall young man with a protruding mouth and monkey cheeks poked his head out. The short and fat man standing by the door grabbed his backpack, pulled him out, and then opened his backpack without any explanation.
"Oh, damn it …" He groaned. "Sunscreen, hair spray, mirror, comb … Why didn't you bring a pack of sanitary napkins? You are … "The fat man froze for a moment when he looked up and saw his son's face. Then he flew into a rage and grabbed the sunglasses off his son's face.
"You're a professional player, not a gigolo! Look at your hair, it's as hard as steel needles. Are you going to murder the opposing player on the field? How much hair spray did you put on? "He reached out to stroke his son's hair, but his son nimbly dodged it.
"Hey, Dad. It took me a long time to get this hairstyle done! "The little monkey, Gareth Bell, grumbled in dissatisfaction.
"You've been doing this for an hour?" The man's voice was laced with anger.
"You just said it was half an hour …" Bell protested cautiously.
"Shut up!" The short and fat man showed his authority as a father and glared at his son. "Don't think that you can talk back to me now that you've won the European Championship! I'm telling you, even if you win the World Cup, you're still my son! "
"Yes, yes, yes …" Bell nodded obediently.
"How many times do I have to tell you? You're a professional footballer. You should put your mind on how to train hard and improve your ability, not dress up … Look at you now. Everyone will think that you're a groupie who worships some pretty boy star. Who would think that you're a footballer? A person's energy is limited. When you put too much energy on your appearance, you won't have enough energy for training and games. How old are you? You still have a long way to go. Don't you admire George the most? Look at him, when did he ever care so much about his appearance? He's always the most hardworking one. You have to learn from him … "Bell's father began his long-winded speech again. His lips moved up and down like a Gatling gun. Bell's saliva flew in front of him, causing him to roll his eyelids worriedly, for fear that his father's saliva would get on his hair.
His action caused his father to "bombard" him even more fiercely. "What are you doing? Why are you rolling your eyes? Are you not happy with what I said? Why do you think we gave up our home in Cardiff and moved to Nottingham? It's all for you, Bell! Why are you lowering your head? Look up and into my eyes! "
Bell felt a little helpless. He looked up at his father and said, "Dad, if you keep talking like this, we'll have to drive to Liverpool ourselves."
At the same time, his mother's voice rang out from inside, "Darling, you haven't left yet?"
"Ah …" The fat man reacted. He raised his wrist to look at his watch. They had indeed been delayed long enough. But who was the cause of this delay? He glared at his son and walked over to the car parked on the side of the road. "You spent an hour to get this hairstyle. It will only take thirty seconds on the field and you won't even be able to recognize yourself …"
"It's half an hour, Dad …"
"Shut up! Get in the car! " The fat man slammed the car door. "If you get substituted midway because of your poor performance, I'll deal with you when I come back!"
"Dad, the starting list has not been announced …" Bell opened the door and stepped in, then reminded him.
"Shut up! My son must be in the starting lineup! Gareth Bell is a genius! That Italian can't adapt to the pace of the game, the weather, and the food here. I promise you, he'll go home after a season! "
"But there's still Leighton …"
"Well, he's a good kid, but in terms of talent … he's a little worse than you!" His father turned back and grinned at Bell, then turned back to start the car.
"Fasten your seat belt, son, we're in a hurry!"
With the roar of the engine, the silver-gray Ford rushed out like a wild horse.
※ ※ ※
Tang En wore his sunglasses and stood beside the red bus with his hands behind his back. The glaring sunlight made him look bold and confident even with his sunglasses on. No one would silently criticize him for "pretending to be cool."
Kerslake, on the other hand, was sweating profusely in front of the car door, doing a headcount. Dunn got on the bus early, enjoying the air conditioning and ignoring what was happening outside.
Ever since Dunn was promoted to the First Team's assistant manager, Kerslake had been specifically responsible for handling all kinds of trivial matters, such as caring about the players' lives, collecting information on each player's performance in the game, telling the players how many yellow cards they had and the possibility of being suspended in the next game, supervising the team's condition during training … assembling the team and doing a headcount was also within his scope of responsibility.
Dunn's job, on the other hand, was relatively much simpler. He was responsible for one-on-one informing the players of the game's tactics and tasks.
"Only George Wood and Gareth Bell are left." Kerslake did a headcount twice, then turned his head and said to Tang En behind him.
Tang En did not say anything. He just nodded, and the two continued to wait under the sun.
Soon, Wood's figure appeared in front of them. He was carrying a bag and running over. After seeing the bus and the two men standing outside the car door, he quickened his pace. His speed became faster and faster, as though he was reaching the final sprint of a 10,000-meter run. This was also his special way of warming up.
Wood rushed in front of the two managers like a gust of wind and stopped in his tracks. Tang En looked at him. The T-shirt he was wearing was already drenched. "Do you still have any clean clothes in your bag?" he asked.
Wood nodded. There was one more for him to change after the game.
"Take it off and change into this." Tang En pointed at the wet T-shirt he was wearing.
Wood obediently took off his clothes, revealing his strong and sturdy muscles. He took out a clean T-shirt from his bag and changed into it in front of everyone, as though there was no one else around.
"Very good. Be careful not to catch a cold. Let's go up now. "Tang En pointed to the car door.
After Wood got on the bus, he greeted his teammates and sat in his seat.
Tang En and Kerslake continued to wait for the last person — Gareth Bell.
The mid-August morning sun was as hot as the sun, roasting people to the point of irritation. However, the two managers stood in the sun under the bus, not the slightest impatience on their faces.
An ear-piercing sound of brakes and the roar of a motor came from the front of the road. Then, a silver-gray Ford flashed dazzlingly under the sun and rushed into everyone's field of vision with a spectacular "drift." Kerslake, who was not wearing sunglasses, could not help but narrow his eyes when he was swayed.
Beside him, Tang En whistled. "What a show-off father."
Bell did not have his own car. When he came to the training base to train, his father would always drive him. Everyone was familiar with the two silver-gray Fords.
The small car made another beautiful drift in front of the bus before stopping. Before the car door opened, Bell's father's voice rang out. "Look, we're not late! I told you to believe in your father's skills. Your father used to be a karting driver. It was only because he chased after your mother that he did not become an F1 driver … That's really a loss for the F1 world, and Michael Schumacher's fortune! "
Hearing this, Tang En and Kerslake could not help but laugh. They still remembered the scene when this fat man brought his son to Nottingham Forest to sign a contract. This fat man loved to show off and was confident. They had long gotten used to it. It was like that four years ago, and it was still like that four years later. He would probably still be like that even if there were a few more years.
Bell "rolled" out of the car. His legs were weak, and he almost could not stand.
"Dad, if I don't perform well, it must be because I sat in your flying car … I'm going to puke …"
The players gathered near the car door roared with laughter, their attention attracted by the flying car.
Only then did Bell notice that everyone had arrived. He hurriedly stumbled over.
"Boss …" He greeted cautiously, afraid that the boss would punish him. It looked like he was late.
Tang En nodded. He had no intention of punishing him. "Get in the car."
Bell let out a long sigh. He had just put his foot on the first step when Tang En's devilish voice rang out again. "Your starting position is gone, little monkey."
His teammates, who were watching from the side, saw Bell's surprised expression and laughed.
Amid the jeers of his teammates, Bell got into the car with a frown.
Kerslake jumped into the car as well. Tang En was stopped by the enthusiastic Bell's father. "Hey, Tony."
"What's the matter, Mr. Bell?" Tang En turned to look at him.
The pudgy man moved in front of Tang En and whispered in his ear, "Give him a chance, Tony. He didn't mean to be late. I lost my temper at him and delayed him. It's all my fault … "
Tang En interrupted him with a smile. "If he performs well, he'll have a chance. Mr. Bell. "
This answer did not satisfy the old man, but he did not dare to express his dissatisfaction to his face. He could only mutter, "You're not even letting him play. What else can he do?"
Tang En patted him on the shoulder and smiled. "Wait at home to watch TV, Mr. Bell." Then he turned and jumped into the car. The car door slowly closed behind him.
"Guys." Looking at the players who had returned to their seats, Tang En raised his arm. "This is the first game of the new season. We're going to Liverpool with the title of European champions …" He glanced around and waved his hand down. "Don't mess it up!"
The third day of the dog season was the hottest day of the year, and the middle of August was the last day of the dog season. The sun shone brightly in England today, from Newcastle in the north to Southampton in the south. Under the scorching sun, the image on the road ahead was even a little blurry.
In such weather, Nottingham Forest's red bus slowly drove out of the gates of the Wilford training base and headed northwest.
The fiery summer was not over, but the fiery new season had already begun.
※ ※ ※
Notes:
Nottingham Forest's new season squad list (26 players):
Goalkeepers: Edwin van der Sar (1), Igor Akinfeev (12), Dale Roberts (25).
Defenders: Leighton Baines (22), Gareth Bale (2), Pascal Chimbonda (3), Sun Jihai (21), Gerard Piqué (5), Vincent Kompany (33), Pepe (6), Wes Morgan (30), Robert Ayala (4), Rafinha (14), Grosso (28).
Midfielders: George Wood (13), Martin Petrov (8), Rafael van der Vaart (23), Chris Commons (20), Aaron Lennon (17), Franck Ribéry (7), Stephen Sidwell (26), David Beckham (24).
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