Chapter 131: New Year in Bei lai yin (Daily Life, Viewer Discretion Advised)

The New Year customs in Bei lai yin are somewhat similar to the Spring Festival in the Dragon Kingdom.

On the evening of December 31st, firecrackers rang out in unison, and dazzling fireworks tore through the night sky.

The staff of Lewokusen were beating drums and shaking bells all around the club, symbolizing the driving away of demons and evil spirits.

On the training field.

Professor Belenta secretly pulled out a double-barreled hunting rifle from her bag, pulled the bolt, loaded the ammunition, and tossed it to Li Kang.

"Fire a shot into the sky! This is my hometown's custom, don't be nervous..."

Before she could finish speaking.

Li Kang pulled the trigger!

Bang!

The gunshot was quickly drowned out by the sounds of firecrackers and fireworks.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder.

Professor Belenta hurriedly helped Li Kang up after he was knocked over by the recoil, laughing: "What I looked forward to most as a child was being able to fire a shot on New Year's Eve!"

The club cafeteria had a fir tree and a poplar tree set up, with silk flowers tied between the branches.

After finishing dinner, Wo Le Er reached into the inner pocket of his coat and pulled out a thick stack of envelopes.

"Happy New Year!"

Everyone eagerly took the envelopes, quietly opened them, and found inside were stacks of euro banknotes.

This custom is practically identical to the Spring Festival red envelopes.

The little assistant clasped his hands together: "Thank God for bestowing upon us..."

Suddenly.

The television blared with noisy sounds—it was an emergency news bulletin!

Outside the club, twenty li away in Cologne City, countless ragged goblins appeared!

Professor Belenta gripped her double-barreled hunting rifle tightly, muttering: "God dozed off..."

The security uncles didn't even have time to wipe their mouths before scattering and running toward all the entrances and exits of the club.

Wo Le Er lit a cigar, smiling: "Looks like we can only spend the New Year inside the club tonight."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The New Year atmosphere was so harmonious that the heaviness brought by the goblin incident vanished in an instant.

According to custom, everyone will gather together and wait until midnight.

Li Kang glanced at his phone—most messages were New Year greetings from national teammates and club teammates.

Tuopu Laotou said his car had been smashed to pieces.

Kramer said his house had been burglarized.

Brandt said his sausages had been stolen.

Havertz said he had caught two goblins.

As midnight approached.

Wo Le Er led everyone, stepping onto chairs.

The clock struck twelve.

Everyone jumped down in succession.

This New Year custom is a bit odd, symbolizing: shaking off last year's disasters and leaping into the new year.

January 6th, the chaos in Bei lai yin completely subsided.

The little assistant brought Li Kang, carrying several boxes of club memorabilia, and then headed to Feiltins to pay New Year respects.

After all, the other party had given him too many endorsement fees over the past half year, so formally, they had to go through the motions.

It was bitterly cold.

A business vehicle emblazoned with the Lewokusen team crest drove along the snowy mountain roads.

"Li, the director doesn't let you take on too many advertising endorsements, and there are many reasons for that..."

Li Kang nodded, indicating his understanding.

Unlike young players and stars, the most important task is still to play football well.

The tablet was replaying the round of 16 match: Benfica vs Juventus.

It must be said, there are no weak teams in the Champions League.

Benfica's strength is terrifying; if it weren't for the crossbar helping out, they would have been just a hair's breadth away from overtaking and turning the tide.

As for Juventus, the old lady is no longer the powerful team that broke into the European peak last season; they have fallen into a painful period of neither old nor new: Pirlo has gone far to America, Pogba is very alone, Morata is weak when facing weakness, Dybala is still immature, Cuadrado likes to show off, and Marchisio is prone to going mad...

They rely entirely on the defensive heavenly team formed by Buffon, Chiellini, Barzagli, and Bonucci to hold firm.

Fortunately, in the final moments of the match, Chiellini scored with a header, completely killing the qualification suspense.

Li Kang couldn't help but think: if I were the sporting director of Juventus, which players should I buy to solve the problem...

Unconsciously.

The business vehicle drove into the ancient town of Feiltins.

Snowflakes dotted the wooden houses and carved sculptures, and the fountain's pool surface was frozen solid.

Madame Sandra handed Li Kang and the little assistant each an envelope; judging by thickness and width, one could tell they contained a lot of money.

The New Year visiting custom in Bei lai yin takes a bit of time.

The little assistant and the staff of Feiltins were chatting enthusiastically.

Li Kang pushed Claudia's wheelchair, walking around the ancient town again and again.

He had already memorized the street map, so he would never get lost again.

Although they had reached the legal marriage age in Germany, their communication and behavior did not cross the line in the slightest.

It was nothing more than the woman speaking, while the man occasionally nodded or shook his head.

Gradually, the cold wind blowing on them no longer felt so cold.

Until night fell.

Just then they said goodbye.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, the Bundesliga winter break was about to end.

Van Dijk arrived at Lewokusen Club, completed his medical examination, and then followed the staff toward the training base.

After all, he was still an obscure young defender; even if the club wanted to hold a welcome ceremony, few fans would show up.

Although Li Kang's signing ceremony had only cost a few thousand euros to hire many extras, Wo Le Er was unwilling to spend money on the Dutchman.

Van Dijk surveyed Lewokusen's training facilities, his expression relaxing.

He had originally thought this Bundesliga upper-middle club would be poor, of course, compared to Southampton, it was far inferior.

But deep down, he also cherished this loan opportunity.

He must perform well, striving to shine on the Champions League stage...

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

One after another, violent explosions stimulated everyone's ears!

The little assistant glanced at his watch, smiling as he explained: "Li comes to the training field every morning, but to avoid disturbing the staff's schedule, shooting practice only starts at ten o'clock."

Van Dijk found it hard to believe, and asked tentatively: "Did he not go on vacation during the entire winter break?"

The little assistant shook his head.

The Dutch center-back was inexplicably fed a bowl of chicken soup:

Li Kang is a European superstar rookie; during the winter break, shouldn't he be enjoying warm sunbathing in Dubai?

Upon arriving at the training field.

Wo Le Er suddenly stopped, saying: "Go steal Li's ball!"

Van Dijk nodded seriously, then excitedly charged onto the training field!

Li Kang felt a bit surprised.

He pressed the ball down with his left foot.

When the Dutch center-back closed in, he showed no tendency to tackle.

His gaze was not fixed on the ball, but on the opponent's eyes.

The one-on-one attack and defense drill began!

Li Kang advanced with the ball!

Van Dijk maintained a certain positional distance, beginning to retreat!

Wo Le Er furrowed his brow, praising: "Very cautious—he is observing Li's rhythm changes and step frequency, waiting for the right moment to strike! His positional distance perfectly blocks Li's passing space."

"His retreat speed is very fast!"

Dino couldn't help but exclaim: "His defensive awareness is perfect! He has put Li in a passive state, unable to easily shake him off; his nickname during his Eredivisie days was..."

A few seconds later.

Li Kang pressed the ball down again!

Van Dijk struck decisively!

Now!

Smack!

Perfect tackle!

He lowered his head to look.

He discovered he was actually standing outside the baseline.

Everyone had black lines on their faces.

Wo Le Er spread his hands, turned, and left.

Dino shook his head helplessly, "Damn, I only got halfway through praising him!"

The little assistant asked again: "What was his nickname in the Eredivisie?"

"Retreat-type center-back!"

Van Dijk looked embarrassed, reached out to apologize to Li Kang.

Immediately, he picked up the ball and carried it back to the thirty-meter area, signaling to start over.

The sun set in the west.

On the training field, the two conducted one attack and defense drill after another.

The winter break ended.

All first-team members returned!

Son Heung-min's injury healed.

Brandt gained a bit of weight.

In Li Kang's dormitory living room, many local specialties were displayed—kimchi, pork sausages, and so on...

Calhanoglu did not bring back the whole roasted sheep; instead, he put down a handmade carpet from the Star and Moon Country.

On the training field.

Filled with Tuopu Laotou's roar: "Where is Papadopoulos? Where is our starting center-back?"

Dino helplessly explained: "He sprained his ankle stepping on mossy stones while celebrating New Year in Greece... temporarily unable to train, but we still have Van Dijk!"

Tuopu Laotou froze for a moment, slapped his forehead, then remembered the Dutch signing by the club.

Then he blew the whistle.

Divided the first-team members into two groups, began the intra-squad training match!

Four days later.

The Bundesliga returned to the viewers' sight.

The wonderful match day arrived.

Li Kang and his teammates boarded the plane together, heading for northern Germany—Lower Saxony!

The world-famous Volkswagen headquarters!

Leverkusen will arrive at the away venue, challenging the Bundesliga powerhouse—Wolfsburg!

The league table and historical records of the upper-midtable Bundesliga teams over these two years are completely useless paper, with no reference value whatsoever!

Wolfsburg had De Bruyne last season, their performance was extraordinarily stunning!

Simply the second hegemon of the Bundesliga!

Made Leverkusen, Mönchengladbach, Schalke 04 and other powerhouses suffer greatly!

The plane pierced through the thick cloud layer.

Landed at a corporate airport in the Brunswick region, very few airlines operate routes here, mostly used for private flights.

Everyone walked out of the arrival hall, even without a cordon: because fundamentally no fans could enter this area.

After boarding the club bus.

Li Kang lowered his head to flip through the map of the Wolfsburg region, gazing at the towering Krim Hill, forming a rough impression of the several clubs in Lower Saxony.

Kramer put down his game console, saying: "Wolfsburg were very strong last season, sold off many stars in the summer window! But they won't be easy to deal with! They are a tough nut to crack!"

Bendel nodded: "Draxler is excellent, a genius midfielder of a different style from De Bruyne, plus the former Bayern starting center-back—Dante!"

Wolfsburg can be said to be Leverkusen's nemesis.

In recent years, every encounter between the two teams, the outcome has no reference value, but there will never be a shortage of goals.

Last season, they even produced a super high-scoring 4-5, wildly reversing each other, making fans of both sides need to take quick-acting heart pills!

Two hours later.

The Leverkusen bus slowly drove into the Volkswagen Arena.

The capacity of this stadium, compared to the BayArena, can only be described as roughly equal.

It can only accommodate 30,000 spectators, occasionally hosting large car exhibitions!

But Wolfsburg's fan culture is much richer than Leverkusen's, especially after their German Cup final last season where they defeated Bayern Munich, registered membership numbers surged.

The green-and-white themed elements filled the underground parking lot!

Tuopu Laotou walked toward the press conference venue with ease.

Along the way, he even patted the opponent's mascot—the big gray wolf Woei!

Pre-match press conference.

Hei Jin enthusiastically shook Tuopu Laotou's hands.

The two share a deep connection.

During their playing days, Hei Jin was Tuopu Laotou's disciple.

After obtaining his coaching license, his first job was as Tuopu Laotou's assistant coach.

Journalists eagerly raised their hands to ask questions.

"Mr. Tuop, Leverkusen have failed to beat Wolfsburg for two consecutive years! Do you have confidence today to leave the Volkswagen Arena unscathed?"

"Mr. Hei Jin, can you defeat this season's Bundesliga first-half champions?"

The two head coaches' answers were very consistent.

"We will win!"

In the player tunnel.

Players from both sides warmly greeted each other.

No trace of sword-drawn-and-bow-taut hostility.

Perhaps there was still a life-or-death confrontation atmosphere two years ago.

But now, many players in both squads formed deep friendships during their youth training days.

For example, Draxler and Kramer, their private relationship is very close.

Another example: Schürrle and Kramer, the two are good buddies all the way through the German national youth teams,

Li Kang surveyed the opponent's lineup, discovering many familiar faces from classic match recordings.

"CTV5! CTV5! Good evening, viewers!"

"Welcome to watching the 14th round of the 2015/16 Bundesliga season!"

"Wolfsburg home against Leverkusen!"

"Every encounter between these two clubs will deliver a thrilling attacking battle for the viewers!"

"I am the commentator for this match, Duan Xuan!"

"I am He Wei!"

"Now let me introduce both teams' starting lineups!"

"Wolfsburg's side is deploying a 4-3-3 formation!"

"Goalkeeper: Castels!"

Right back: Trafsch!

Center back: Dant partner Knohe!

Left back: Rodriguez!

Defensive midfielder: Gustavo!

Central midfielder: Arnold, Giraldo!

Forward: Kruse, Draxler, Hürler!

Live broadcast room.

The audience saw Wolfsburg's formation and were a bit confused.

-【Draxler playing as a striker? Has Black Gold gone crazy? Don't mess around!】

-【It's normal. Last season, De Bruyne played in midfield and often pushed forward to the front line!】

-【Draxler should be playing as a false nine! Dropping back! Creating space for midfield battles! Anyway, as long as the attack is strong, it's fine!】

-【Stop overthinking! This is just an attacking battle!】

-【I miss Draxler under Magath! Black Gold doesn't know how to use players!】

Leverkusen also lined up in a 4-3-3 formation!

Goalkeeper:...

We saw a new face! Dutch center-back from the Premier League club Southampton, Van Dijk!

He will replace the injured Papadopoulos in this match!

We look forward to Leverkusen's new defensive signing's performance!

-【What did Leverkusen buy?! Wasting money! Was Van Dijk's performance in the Euro 2016 qualifiers not disastrous enough?】

-【Friendly reminder: The Dutch team is very likely to fail to qualify for the 2016 European Championship!】

-【Correcting that: it's not a purchase, it's a loan. I estimate Van Dijk will definitely be better than Papadopoulos! The intensity of Bundesliga mid-to-upper table matches is not as high as in the Premier League.】

-【What's going on with the transfer market? In recent years, why are excellent defenders getting more and more expensive? Even disappearing? We'll never see defenders with distinct traits like Cannavaro, Maldini, Nesta, or Baresi again!】