The first punch that shocked the basketball world

The car was driving very fast.

In less than forty minutes, we entered the Alhambra territory.

Following Lin Fei's directions, the car was parked at an intersection not far from the restaurant.

"That's enough for now." Lin Fei unbuckled his seatbelt. "Thanks, Sophia."

"It's nothing," Sofia waved her hand. "Remember to let me know when your trial results come out. I'll write an interview for you."

"no problem."

Lin Fei pushed open the door and got out of the car.

He closed the car door and waved to her.

Sofia nodded, stepped on the gas, and the car drove off.

Lin Fei stood by the roadside and walked towards the restaurant.

It was already completely dark.

Many shops on both sides of the street had their roller shutters down.

The streetlights cast a dim yellow light, making the shadows very long.

I passed by a handmade jewelry store.

The glass cabinet displays hair clips, bracelets, and small pendants.

The warm yellow light shone brightly.

Lin Fei paused for a moment.

My younger sister, Zhu Xiuli, donated six hundred US dollars.

Regardless of whether you pass the trial or not, you have to take something back with you.

That way, I won't have that girl nagging me every day.

He pushed open the door and went inside.

There was no one in the store.

As soon as the bell rang, a young female shop assistant came out from behind.

His eyes lit up when he saw Lin Fei.

A height of 2.01 meters and a handsome appearance are not common in this kind of small shop.

"Hello, what would you like to see?" the female shop assistant asked with a smile.

Lin Fei was a little flustered.

He knew nothing about girls' accessories.

"It's for my younger sister," he said. "She's a high school student, can you recommend someone?"

The female shop assistant understood.

Take a few items out of the counter.

A small silver strawberry hair clip, studded with small diamonds.

A thin bracelet with a small moon pendant.

There was also a pair of small pearl earrings.

"Girls this age all like this kind of thing," the saleswoman said. "It's no exaggeration; they can even wear it to school."

Lin Fei glanced at it.

I think they're all pretty much the same.

He picked up the strawberry hair clip and the moon bracelet.

"These two, I guess."

I paid for it and put it in a small paper bag.

Lin Fei, with the bag in his pocket, walked out of the jewelry store.

I walked to the entrance of my aunt's restaurant.

The roller shutter door was pulled down halfway.

There's a light on inside.

Lin Fei bent down and crawled inside.

Uncle Zhu Yuliang was lying on a bamboo recliner by the door, scrolling through his phone.

He kept chuckling.

He didn't get up when he saw Lin Fei come in.

He pointed to the cardboard box on the table.

"Xiao Fei's back? Come and try this snack," he said. "It's osmanthus cake, sent from China by your neighbor Grandma Wang's son. You can't get this here."

Grandma Wang is an old neighbor.

They immigrated here in the 1980s.

He started out working illegally in a restaurant washing dishes, and after saving up for more than ten years, he opened his own breakfast shop.

It doesn't conflict with my aunt's restaurant.

We both run Chinese restaurants and are neighbors, so we see each other often and have always had a good relationship.

Lin Fei didn't stand on ceremony.

I walked over and picked up a piece of osmanthus cake.

I smelled it first.

The familiar sweet aroma wafts through the air.

It's soft, chewy, and sweet when you put it in your mouth.

It tastes just like it did back home.

For more than half a month since I transmigrated here, I have been eating regular meals at restaurants.

When I go out to play ball, all I can grab is a hot dog or a hamburger.

It's been a long time since I've had this kind of Chinese pastry.

In his past life, he didn't like eating these sweet and greasy things.

Now, when I put it in my mouth, it has a somewhat indescribable taste.

"Delicious." Lin Feichong's uncle gave a thumbs up. "Chinese pastries are still the best."

Zhu Yuliang smiled so hard his eyes narrowed.

He put away his phone and glanced towards the kitchen.

Then he leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"Xiaofei, I need to tell you something." He said mysteriously, "Your aunt is in a bad mood today. Don't upset her when we eat later."

Lin Fei raised an eyebrow.

Everything was fine when I left home this morning.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Zhu Yuliang sighed.

A hint of self-reproach appeared on his face.

"It's still about the vegetable delivery," he said. "Lao Hei, who delivers vegetables to us, got an order from a big restaurant last week. They have a large order and they paid a high price. Now, all the good stuff is delivered to the big restaurants first, and the leftovers are given to us small restaurants."

"The vegetables delivered these past few days have all turned yellow, and the meat isn't fresh either. Your aunt called and said that Lao Hei (Old Black) was quite arrogant, saying that this is the quality of the vegetables lately, and if you're not satisfied, don't take them."

Lin Fei frowned.

"Where's the contract?"

"The contract has clauses," Zhu Yuliang said with a wry smile. "They said the supply is tight, so delivery can be delayed up to 72 hours. If they're deliberately trying to annoy us, delivering every three days, there's nothing wrong with the contract. But how can our restaurant afford to wait three days?"

"Your aunt had a fight with him on the phone this afternoon, but it didn't work."

Zhu Yuliang scratched his head.

"I went to his vegetable market this afternoon too. I argued with him for ages, but he didn't take it seriously at all. When I got back, your aunt scolded me, saying I was useless and that I always had to make her, a woman, take the lead in everything."

He sighed repeatedly.

"I'm just bad at arguing, I can't win an argument with them."

Lin Fei nodded after listening.

His face was expressionless.

The person in question had a gentle personality and would likely pretend not to hear such things.

But the current Lin Fei is not like that.

If they bully us, we won't let it go so easily.

However, he didn't say anything in front of his uncle.

Just as he was about to speak, the kitchen door curtain was lifted.

Lin Xiuqin came out carrying two large plates of food.

Upon seeing Lin Fei, she forced down her anger and managed a smile.

"Ah Fei's back?" She put the dishes on the table. "Go upstairs and call your sister down for dinner."

"Yes," Lin Fei replied.

He turned and went upstairs.

Zhu Xiuli's room is on the second floor, towards the back.

The door wasn't closed properly.

Lin Fei knocked twice and pushed the door open to go inside.

The little girl was playing on her phone while hunched over her desk.

His eyes lit up when he saw Lin Fei come in.

"Brother! You're back!" She hid her phone behind her back. "How did the tryouts go? Did you get selected?"

Lin Fei leaned against the door frame.

"I don't know," he said. "Wait for further notice."

Zhu Xiuli smiled slyly.

"I heard that if they tell you to go back and wait for a call, it basically means you're out of luck." She shook her head. "I think your chances are slim."

The expression on his face was incredibly irritating.

Lin Fei walked over and flicked her forehead.

"You're so happy I won't get elected?" he said. "Don't forget, you invested six hundred dollars. If I really don't get elected, that money will be gone."

Zhu Xiuli clutched her head, wincing in pain.

"I told you not to flick my head! It'll make me stupid!"

She took two seconds to react, then suddenly screamed.

"Oh no! I forgot you took my savings!" She grabbed Lin Fei's arm and shook it. "No way, bro! You have to be elected! That's half a year's worth of pocket money I've saved up!"

Lin Fei was both amused and exasperated by her shaking.

"Don't worry," he said. "Your brother's really something. Come on, let's go downstairs for dinner."

The two went downstairs one after the other.

Four dishes and a soup were already laid out on the table.

Braised fish, stir-fried greens, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a plate of stir-fried pork.

They all taste like home cooking.

The four of them sat down to eat.

At first, we chatted about everyday things.

School matters, restaurant matters, neighborhood gossip.

Halfway through the meal, Lin Xiuqin suddenly seemed to remember something.

He looked at Lin Fei.

"By the way, Xiaofei, you went out so early this morning?" she said. "I asked Xiuli to go to the court to call you and tell you you weren't there."

Lin Fei took a bite of rice.

He remained unfazed.

"I went for a job interview."

"puff!"

Zhu Xiuli almost spat out her mouthful of rice.

She quickly covered her mouth and forced herself to swallow.

On second thought, what my brother said wasn't wrong.

Going to try out for a basketball team is basically the same as applying for a job.

Lin Xiuqin didn't notice her daughter's little actions.

Her eyes lit up when she heard the word "job application".

Lin Fei played ball every day during this period, and although he became physically stronger, it was not a long-term solution.

The fact that the child now knows to proactively look for a job shows that he/she has grown up and become sensible.

"What kind of job are you applying for?" she asked quickly.

Lin Fei didn't want to talk about playing basketball.

I'd have to explain for ages if I told her, and my aunt might not believe me.

It's not too late to talk about it after the election.

"Caddie," he mumbled, "is someone who helps pick up balls and tidy up the court in the stadium."

"A caddie," Lin Xiuqin smiled. "That job doesn't sound tiring, it's pretty good. How did the interview go?"

"It's alright," Lin Fei said. "Let's wait for further notice."

Lin Xiuqin became more and more satisfied with what she saw.

He kept piling food into Lin Fei's bowl.

"Eat more," she said. "Work is physically demanding. If you get elected, do your job well and don't get into conflicts with others."

Zhu Yuliang, standing to the side, buried his head in his rice, not daring to utter a single word.

My wife is still angry today.

He didn't want to get himself into trouble.

Lin Fei took a sip of soup.

Put down the spoon.

After hesitating for a moment, I finally spoke.

"Auntie, I heard that the delivery of vegetables this afternoon didn't go very well?"

These words were spoken.

Zhu Yuliang's chopsticks trembled slightly.

He secretly glanced up at Lin Xiuqin.

Sure enough, Lin Xiuqin's face immediately darkened.

She slammed her chopsticks down on the table.

He turned and glared at Zhu Yuliang.

"Did you tell Xiaofei?!" Her voice rose. "Didn't I tell you not to tell the child these things? Zhu Yuliang, you're really something! You can't handle things, so you just gossip, right? You useless thing, are you trying to drive me crazy?"

Zhu Yuliang's face turned pale.

He waved his hands repeatedly.

"It wasn't me! It really wasn't me!" He was so anxious he could barely speak. "I didn't..."

Seeing his uncle's clumsy and tongue-tied manner, Lin Fei knew that the more he explained, the more he was scolded.

Hurry up and interrupt.

"Aunt, it's not Uncle's fault," he said. "When I came back, a few neighbors were chatting at the door, and I overheard a couple of sentences."

Lin Xiuqin was stunned for a moment.

In the afternoon, she argued with the vegetable deliveryman at the door, and quite a few neighbors did watch.

Her expression softened slightly, but she was still sulking.

"Those old folks, all they do is gossip all day long," she cursed. "They're just bored and have nothing better to do than care about other people's business."

After hurling her insults, she looked at Lin Fei.

His tone became serious.

"Xiaofei, don't get involved in this," she said. "And don't cause trouble for others. Just focus on your job and try to keep it stable. You don't need to worry about anything else."

She was afraid that Lin Fei, being young and impetuous, would rush over and start a fight.

What if something serious happens?

She couldn't face her elder brother in the afterlife.

Lin Fei knew what was going on.

He definitely has to take care of this.

But I can't let my aunt know.

He smiled and continued eating.

"I know, Auntie," he said. "I was just asking out of curiosity. How could I possibly cause trouble for someone?"

Lin Xiuqin rolled her eyes at him.

He tapped the edge of his bowl with the tip of his chopsticks.

"If you have so much free time, go wash the dishes later. Don't meddle in things that aren't your business."

"Yes," Lin Fei replied.

I've already made up my mind.

After you finish eating, go there by yourself.

Under the table.

Zhu Xiuli nudged Lin Fei's foot with her toe.

a bit.

Lin Fei did not react.

Two times.

Still no response.

Zhu Xiuli became anxious.

She kicked him several times, trying to get Lin Fei to see her.

She heard it all!

The food delivery guy is bullying people!

Her brother will definitely stand up for her!

Tell her quickly!

"Snapped!"

Lin Xiuqin slammed her chopsticks on the table.

"Zhu Xiuli!" she shouted angrily, "Why did you kick your brother? Are you going to eat or not? If not, get out!"

Zhu Xiuli shuddered.

He quickly lowered his head and shoveled rice into his mouth.

"Without Mom... my brother and I were just joking around..."

She ate her rice while glaring fiercely at Lin Fei.

Her eyes clearly said—it's all your fault! You made me get scolded!

Lin Fei looked up and smiled at her.

His smile was incredibly irritating.

Zhu Xiuli's cheeks puffed up with anger.

He shoveled rice into his mouth with all his might.

The meal was coming to an end.

Suddenly, the sound of a car engine came from outside.

Immediately afterwards, there was a screech of brakes.

Someone is shouting outside.

"Lin? Are you there?"

It was a female voice.

Lin Fei was stunned for a moment.

That sound...

Sofia?

Why is she back?

He put down his chopsticks, got up, and walked out.

Lin Xiuqin and Zhu Yuliang exchanged a glance.

They also looked curiously towards the doorway.

Zhu Xiuli stretched her neck even further.

The fire of gossip burned fiercely in his eyes.