Yonghe Road

Chapter 70 Small Town
The white tea town is sunny and crowded with people.

The semi-finals started at seven o'clock in the evening, but the whole town was already immersed in a tense and enthusiastic atmosphere, as if the air had been quietly ignited by flames.

This was an opportunity that Luo Youcai had fought hard for, and it was also the only competition held by the Tea BA in townships.

Baicha Town made meticulous preparations for the semi-finals. Luo Youcai, along with members of the town's sports association and town government staff, set up the competition venue early. After learning that the local Baicha team had successfully advanced to the semi-finals, they inspected the venue for several days.

The playing field was a plastic surface, and the town's volunteers meticulously swept away leaves, paper scraps, stones, and other debris with brooms, fearing any debris could trip players or affect the ball's motion. They used hair dryers to blast debris from corners and edges that couldn't be reached with brooms. Even stains on the surface were repeatedly wiped clean, using a damp cloth and then a dry cloth to prevent moisture from causing players to slip.

Luo Youcai also personally led the team to carefully check the stability of the basketball stand, the number, elasticity and roundness of the basketballs, the scoring equipment, the field signs, etc., and prepared a set of electronic scoreboards and manual scoreboards. The center circle, free throw line and other important signs, the width of the free throw line, the three-point line, the restricted area, the boundary line, etc. were all rechecked one by one to see if they met the standards and whether the lines were clear.

The inspection of safety facilities is the responsibility of the town government's security team, which will check whether the fence around the basketball court is strong, whether the height is higher than 2 meters, whether there are any damage or openings; whether the stairs, railings and other facilities of the basketball court stands are loose or damaged, whether the spectator entrances and exits are unobstructed; the buffer zone around the court, whether the coverage is sufficient, whether the rubber mat is damaged or aging, etc.

In short, no matter how big or small, make sure everything is perfect.

In the evening, the head coach and Luo Chuxiu led the team to Baicha Town smoothly.

Luo Youcai first led the players to the venue to familiarize themselves with the course. After they had dinner, he took them to his own tea shop to have tea and rest, waiting for the evening game.

On the wall, photos of Luo Youcai with various celebrities attracted everyone's attention. Everyone walked to a wall in the corner that was filled with flowers. The photo of Luo Youcai and a beautiful woman hanging on the wall immediately aroused the players' cheers.

"Boss Luo, what a beautiful lady—"

Luo Youcai coughed, pointed at Zhong Ziqi at the back of the crowd, and said, "Why are you teasing me? His girlfriend is a famous writer!"

Everyone turned to look at Zhong Ziqi, and he felt very uncomfortable being under so many stares.

There were two evening matches, each pitting four teams against each other in pairs, with the winner advancing to the championship night finals. The matchup between the two White Tea teams was the second, so during the first match, the players sat at the long tea table in the tea shop, sipping Luo Youcai's fine tea while watching the large-screen TV on the wall, connected to the live broadcast equipment, following the action in real time.

The first semi-final match will directly determine who their opponent will be on the championship night, if they can successfully defeat the White Tea Team from Northern Fujian and advance to the finals.

After more than 20 days and countless rounds of matches, the local Baicha team had been undefeated, leaving the players feeling relaxed tonight, as if victory in the semifinals was a sure thing. The head coach even promised everyone a karaoke night and celebratory drinks after the championship night.

Wang Zian, Zhong Ziqi, Shao Feng, Ye Shensu and others exchanged glances. Haha, they would probably not be allowed to attend the celebration banquet. After all, they had not played in any of the many games, leaving such strong players to sit on the bench as spectators.

The head coach had several players under his command, and they had played against each other in the last village BA basketball selection tournament held by the city, so their level might not be higher than theirs.

This time, while the Tea BA played in every game, the credit for the team's victory lay almost entirely with the three foreign players. Besides running around and shouting, they played no significant role. Some of the foreign Tea teams they defeated didn't use any foreign players, which always left Wang Zian and the others feeling like their victory was unfair. However, they didn't get a chance to play, and the head coach wouldn't give them a chance to speak, treating them as mere extraneous parts of the grand event.

Don't hold it in if you don't agree.

Luo Chuxiu couldn't hold it in any longer. After listening to the head coach's boasting for half an hour, she couldn't help but interrupt, "Actually, the White Tea team from Northern Fujian also played very well in the last few games. They also hired foreign players, so their strength shouldn't be underestimated. Otherwise, they wouldn't be meeting us in the semifinals..."

The four players from Baile Village immediately sat up straight.

Several of the head coach's trusted players remained silent. The three foreign players, however, spoke frankly and objectively, explaining that they had watched the live streams of the previous games, that their foreign players were often called in to help out with the kings of streetball, and that their local players were also very strong. The head coach coughed and said, "We're about to go on the court. Don't encourage others and undermine your own prestige."

So, the chat ended.

The first game is coming to an end. Judging from the live scores, the Gongfu Black Tea team from eastern Fujian is sure to win and there is no suspense.

The team would face this Red Tea team on championship night, not the losing team for the third-place trophy. The head coach was confident and unfazed. He stood up and organized everyone to leave Luo Youcai's tea shop and head to the competition venue.

The stadium is brightly lit and crowded at night.

The fence surrounding the stadium was meticulously decorated, with colorful flags affixed to it—red, pink, green, and yellow—all fluttering in the wind, like a vibrant rainbow encompassing the vast field. Brand-new billboards were neatly arranged around the stadium, their vibrant designs interwoven with eye-catching text. These billboards featured the names and slogans of Baicha Town's major, medium, and small tea companies. At the entrance to the fence, an arched gatehouse, woven with flowers and foliage, hung a long banner. The words "Baicha Town Welcomes the 'Tea BA' Basketball Tournament Semifinals" were written in bold, powerful, and imposing characters.

Volunteers held up the sign of the local white tea team and led the players into the gatehouse, which instantly aroused cheers from the audience. In fact, the first half had not yet ended, but the huge score difference made the result of the game expected.

This is the home advantage.

At this moment, the stadium and outside were packed with spectators.

The audience inside the venue were all sitting on soft blue cushions, while those outside were crowded around the fence, three layers inside and three layers outside, all craning their necks.

The rostrum was filled with distinguished guests, including Director Mei Wending, Executive Director He Bing and other leaders, as well as President Ji Tong and others.

A magnificent lighting rig was erected on the podium, its multicolored lights interwoven into a dazzling starry sky, casting a shadow across the center of the field. The first half drew to a close as the commentator excitedly announced the Gongfu Black Tea team's victory.

During the half-time break, the children from the town’s central primary school went on the field to do exercises, while the players from the two white tea teams were also warming up on the side.