【381】Comfortable Lorenzo

After coming to Curitiba, a small Brazilian city with a population of only 500,000 at this time, the Chinese national football team stayed in this small hotel called 'Comfortable Lorenzo' arranged by the Brazilian Organizing Committee.

Comrade Miao Qihui, a Chinese diplomat in Brazil who had arrived in advance, had already set up the room properly, and after introducing Huang Zhong, the team leader, to a local overseas Chinese Yuan Biao, who volunteered to act as an interpreter for the Chinese team, he led the team members into their respective rooms.

In front of the 'Cosy Lorenzo' goal, there is a turf the size of a football field, which has been drawn by the Brazilian organizing committee with lime powder, and the goals have been erected on both sides and the net has been pulled. On the side of the stadium, there are also a few simple flagpoles painted with white paint. Although the turf was slightly raised in the middle, the Chinese team needed a field to get used to after a week-long aerial journey in the Pacific.

Watching the players energetically wearing mesh training uniforms on the grass or pressing their legs or trotting, Li Fenglou couldn't care about the fatigue of the journey, and ordered loudly: "Assemble!" Warm-up exercises! ”

So the team members lined up neatly in two rows, widened the distance, and began to do soothing stretching exercises under the leadership of Li Fenglou.

After the warm-up, Huang Zhong ran out of the hotel, holding the five-star red flag that had just been ironed in the hotel in one hand, and a single-card dual-horn tape recorder stuffed with No. 1 battery in the other, and shouted excitedly: "Comrades! Comrades! Our first flag-raising ceremony in Brazil! Hurry up and stand still! It's time to raise the flag! ”

“…… Arise, you who do not want to be slaves! Put our flesh and blood into our new Great Wall! The Chinese nation has reached the most dangerous time......"

The rousing sound of the national anthem, accompanied by this rectangular stereo tape player, fluttered in the distance. The five-star red flag was slowly raised to the top of the six-meter-high flagpole by the leader Huang Zhong under the attention of everyone.

Next to the lawn, a group of curious locals gathered around to watch these strange Chinese from thousands of miles away.

In the crowd of onlookers, two local Brazilian journalists were also curiously watching these visitors from afar.

"Silva, look at these Chinese, the sportswear they wear looks very handsome, and those football boots, weishenme are also red? Like women wear it, how much shoe polish do they wear? It's so bright. ”

"Yes, yes, it didn't come in vain today! Oliveira, get out of the way, I'm going to take a picture, this will be the headline of the Curitiba newspaper tomorrow! "The Chinese football team came to Brazil for the first time!" Haha, it's very exciting to listen to. ”

Oliveira quickly got out of the way in front of Silva, stood next to Silva, who was half-crouching and busy adjusting the aperture, and said: "I'm going to interview the Chinese, Silva, you say, can they understand what I say?" ”

"Oh! Oliveira, you need a translator. However, you can try it first, maybe the Chinese brought their own translators, after all, they seem to have brought a lot of things. ”

"Well, then I'm not busy with the interview yet. You see, they put away that expensive radio and started warming up. That machine is a great invention, Silva, you say, is that a Soviet product? Or is it a new American product? It sounds great, and I wish I could have had one of those. ”

……………………

"Lao Huang, you put away the balls brought by China, let's use the football provided by the Brazilian side in the hotel for training, the two footballs brought by China are too light and too fast. It's good for training, but it's about to be a game, so you have to get used to the ball. Li Fenglou instructed the team leader Huang Zhong while directing the team members to train.

"Okay, Lao Li, you tell the lads to take it easy, don't get injured before the game. And ......"

"Ola~~~"

Just as the Chinese team was watching the locals in Curitiba, they scientifically carried out adaptive ball training. Santos, a reporter for the Brazilian News Agency, rushed up and tried to say hello in Portuguese.

Huang Zhong was stunned for a moment, remembering that when he was visited by the prime minister during the training camp in the northern capital, there was a young secretary to the prime minister, a cadre named Cao Xiaoqiang, said: "Greeting the Brazilians is very simple, that is, coming up with a sentence of 'Ola~~~', and saying hello to our people in the northern capital will say, 'Have you eaten?' It's a meaning. ”

Huang Zhong not only has a good memory, but also has a quick response, he called the local overseas Chinese translator Yuan Biao, who was excitedly watching the training, and instructed: "You said to this Brazilian journalist friend: 'I have eaten, what about you?'" ’”

Yuan Biao didn't react for a long time, and after asking what was going on, he held back his smile and his face turned red.

Yuan Biao finally couldn't hold back his laughter and hurriedly helped Huang Zhong to translate and introduce.

Seeing that Santos of the Brazilian news agency had already started his interview with a big name, two reporters from the Curtiba news newspaper, Silva and Oliveira, also rushed around to ask questions.

Santos of the Brazilian news agency took the lead: "May I ask Mr. Huang, which company made the uniforms of the Chinese team?" It looks very modern, can you give us one? It's okay to buy one. ”

"This is a Chinese domestic Li Ning brand sportswear, we brought an extra 100 sets for exchanging uniforms with the opposing players after the game, and if there is any surplus after the game, we will give it to friendly people." Huang Zhong replied by pulling the competition uniform he had just put on in order to be cool.

Santos enviously rubbed the shiny competition suit on Huang Zhong's body with his hand. The scarlet color is very much in line with the enthusiastic character of Brazilians, the mercerized appearance of high-end sports fabric synthetic fibers is covetous, the soft texture, and the internal mesh lining show the high-end taste of this competition uniform.

Santos wanted to get such a decent football uniform, he hurriedly said: "Our Brazilian people are very friendly, I believe that the Chinese football team will fully feel the enthusiasm of the Brazilian people during this period of time in Brazil, and we welcome athletes from all Shijie countries to show their skills in Brazil and show themselves in the Shijie Cup."

For the Chinese football team that has worked tirelessly and traveled thousands of miles to Brazil to participate in the competition, I am here to express my warmest welcome and gratitude to you on behalf of the friendly and sincere Brazilian people. Mr. Huang, we Brazilians are as passionate as fire. ”

Huang Zhong saw that the three reporters were all looking at his football uniform, thought for a while, and immediately decided: "You wait for me." ”

After that, Huang Zhong turned his head and ran into the hotel, took out three sportswear and came back, and said: "In order to express the gratitude of the Chinese people for the thoughtful reception provided by the Brazilian host, on behalf of the Chinese football team, I will present each of the three of us with a set of our national team uniforms." ”

This move immediately won the favor of Santos, Silva, and Oliveira.

Photo reporter Silva was so enthusiastic that he changed the top of this football jersey directly on the spot, and his mouth was full of joy. Next, he did not hesitate to use all the remaining rubber rings for taking photos with Huang Zhong and filming the training of the Chinese team.

Even for reporters with higher incomes in this era, a set of regular football uniforms with pants and tops costs more than a dozen dollars at the cheapest, and more than 30 dollars for a better one. No! You can't buy it on the market!

Not to mention anything else, the Chinese national team emblem on the cuffs is embroidered extremely exquisitely, and it is thickly outlined with mercerized color threads, which has a luxurious feel to the touch. It looks like a relief. The three of them couldn't put it down, and they didn't even want to throw away the transparent glass plastic wrapping paper that was wrapped around their clothes.

"Mr. Huang, your football boots look very gorgeous, can you tell us about them?"

"Yes, this is also our Shuangxing brand football boots produced in China."

Huang Zhong introduced the reporters according to the information he obtained, except for the same paragraph 399 on Taobao, he said everything he knew. According to the tasks assigned by the superiors, it is required that "the Chinese delegation is a sports team and a propaganda team", but not to promote political slogans, but to promote Chinese products, so that Chinese products can go out.

"Ah, the shape design is fantastic, can the spikes be replaced? Sneakers produced in Europe can be changed to long or short spikes according to the soil quality of the venue. ”

"In order to protect the players from injury, our Chinese football boots are all plastic nails, and the spikes are not replaceable. But this also ensures that the weight of the shoes is relatively light, our shoes only weigh more than 300 grams, while the current steel spike football boots generally weigh more than 500 grams. ”

"I see." Text reporters Santos and Oliveira hurriedly wrote it down in their notebooks.

After attending the reception held by the Curitiba City Hall that night to welcome the arrival of the Chinese team, two enthusiastic articles appeared in the newspaper the next day.

A newsletter sent by the Brazilian news agency reads: "The newborn Chinese look very energetic, they are wearing beautiful and clean football uniforms and domestic professional football boots, and they seem to be playing quite well, at least in my opinion, very methodical." The Chinese are very warm to me, I can feel it, they are kind and hospitable. I have heard that their country has only recently gained independence, which is good news, and that we, the people of Brazil, should welcome this distant neighbor who has just joined the global village. Audience friends who buy tickets to enter, you must remember to cheer for the Chinese team, Ole! Ole! Ole! ”

The Kurtiba News also enthusiastically wrote: "The Chinese spent at least 200,000 US dollars to come to Brazil to participate in the Shijie Cup and cheer us in Brazil, and they came to Brazil on a charter plane specially provided by the government to show their friendship." Chinese team, I want to say to you, Brazil welcomes you, please treat this place as your home, play well, and enjoy the beach and sunshine! Zuihou, bring back the friendship of the Brazilian people, and I wish you the best of friends! Citizens of Kurtiba, you must remember to applaud these friends who have come from afar for friendship! Ora, Amigo! Ola! ”