Chapter Nine: Days Pass One After Another

“Have you heard? That kid from the Fan family has already joined the Bayi Football Team!”

“Yes, out of the twenty or so kids from our compound, he was the only one who made it! I always knew that boy was extraordinary! Just look at him on a normal day—he never seemed like a five-year-old at all.”

“The Fan family really has something to be proud of now! Getting into Bayi means he’ll never have to worry about a job. Five years old and already on the Bayi team—remarkable!”

The news that Fan Pengfei had been selected for the youth squad of the Bayi Football Team spread through the entire compound in no time. As the only child from their community to secure a spot, he instantly became the talk of the town.

Fan Yuhan could hardly contain his joy. He was a casual football fan himself, but never imagined his son would be so outstanding. He could see clearly now that as long as his boy kept playing like this, staying on the Bayi team would be no problem. With such a future set, he wouldn’t need to worry about his son anymore.

What pleased him even more was that his son was wise beyond his years and highly independent. Even if he had to leave his parents, he would be able to fend for himself. Besides, Fan Yuhan knew a few people at Bayi who could look out for him. With a little help, everything would be fine.

Seeing Fan Yuhan’s recent good spirits, Long Yuyun couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy. But what could he do? His own son had failed to seize this opportunity; who else was there to blame?

“Dad, I’m sorry.”

That evening, after dinner, instead of practicing his usual “training”—which mostly consisted of kicking a ball against the wall by himself—Long Bisheng walked up to his father, head lowered, and spoke these words.

“Sorry? Why are you apologizing?” Long Yuyun, surprised, stubbed out his cigarette and asked.

“I didn’t make it through the selection,” Bisheng replied honestly. “If I had, you wouldn’t have been so glum these past few days. It’s my fault for not performing well enough.”

Long Yuyun burst into laughter and scooped his son onto his lap. “You think you have to apologize for this? Bisheng, you don’t need to do that.”

Long Bisheng blinked, a little confused.

“The reason I let you try out wasn’t to bring honor to me in the compound. It was to give you a chance, to let you try something for yourself… If you want to play football, it’s not because of me—you should do it for yourself. Do you understand? You don’t? Well, just remember, play for your own sake.”

Long Bisheng grinned happily. He didn’t fully understand his father’s words, but it was enough to know that his father wasn’t angry at him for not being selected.

“And besides, Bisheng, you did very well this time—much better than I expected. Honestly, I thought you’d be eliminated early on, but you made it to the end. That shows you have a good foundation and physical strength. But in the group matches, you struggled. I think it’s because you always play alone and never with other kids. Why is that?” Long Yuyun asked.

Long Bisheng lowered his head. “They don’t want to play with me because I always hold them back.”

“So you just play by yourself?”

Bisheng nodded.

“It’s alright. I’ll find some training plans for you. Your Uncle Liu said they’ll hold more selections in the future; you’ll have another chance.”

Upon hearing this, Bisheng brightened. Long Yuyun patted him on the back. “Alright, go practice your football.”

With that, Bisheng eagerly grabbed his ball and returned to his solitary training—kicking the ball against the wall. Long Yuyun and Yin Xiuping exchanged a helpless glance and shook their heads.

Such a simple child… But whether this simplicity is a blessing or a curse remains to be seen…

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It didn’t take long for Long Bisheng to forget the disappointment of failing the selection.

Fan Pengfei soon reported to the Bayi Team. To celebrate, Fan Yuhan hosted several banquets in the compound for everyone—much like what happens when a child goes off to university—except he didn’t accept any gifts from the others.

Fan Pengfei’s near-legendary feat remained a favorite topic in the compound for a long time. It was said that among all those selected, he was the youngest, and this record would stand forever, since Bayi never held such selections again. A few years later, lacking both financial resources and foreign players, the Bayi Football Team was relegated from the top league and never returned.

As for Long Bisheng, he continued to grow, becoming taller by the day. By the time he entered elementary school at seven, he was already 1.4 meters tall—about the height of many middle schoolers.

He attended the local elementary school near the base, where most students were children from military families or local residents, predominantly Han Chinese. There were few Uyghur students, as they had their own schools.

Bisheng wasn’t exactly a model student. He was a bit slow, slow to react, and always seemed a step behind in learning. But Long Yuyun didn’t mind. He knew his son well, and Bisheng worked hard in everything—studies or football. Diligence can make up for shortcomings, he thought. Who knows, maybe one day Bisheng’s mind would open up, and with his perseverance, getting into a military academy would be no problem!

Once he started school, Bisheng’s life became even more structured. Every day he ran to and from school, always with a football at his feet—a training method Long Yuyun had heard about, supposedly to build better ball control. After coming home, he practiced shooting or passing against the wall, and when he had free time, he’d watch the other kids play in the compound.

It’s worth mentioning that after Fan Pengfei left for Bayi, the football fever in the compound gradually faded. More kids turned to other sports, like basketball. Perhaps the selection made them realize they just weren’t cut out for football—many had been eliminated during the basic skills tests.

In any case, life went on, day by day. And so Long Bisheng grew up, one day at a time.

ps: I have to attend a family banquet today, so this afternoon’s update will be posted in the evening. Hope you all understand.