Lin Shuyuan couldn't help but pull the collar of his clothes, just erected, just entered October, the San Francisco wind had already shown its power, sitting in the office all morning for the "World Journal" to catch up on the manuscript, not only missed lunchtime, but also the indoor-to-outdoor temperature attack almost made him turn back and go back.

But the hungry state awakened the desire to survive, he didn't want to eat instant noodles anymore, so he gritted his teeth, rushed out of the editorial office quickly, trotted all the way, pushed open the door of the restaurant in front of him, and began to think about what he should eat for lunch, but after walking indoors, the scene in front of him couldn't help but stunned.

The first reaction was to take a half step back, raise his head and look at the signboard outside the door, and once again confirm that he was not looking in the wrong place; Then I went indoors again, staring dumbfounded at the bustling scene in front of me, the sound of heated discussions echoing in the small space, as if I had entered a bar in the wee hours of the morning - it was a good time.

The problem is that this is not a bar, but a Hong Kong-style tea restaurant; It's not early in the morning, it's 2:08 p.m.; Also, today is Monday, a working day.

Lin Shuyuan couldn't help but open his mouth, his face was full of astonishment, he took a step in confusion, found an empty table, sat down, and then the owner of the restaurant walked over and greeted him familiarly, "What are you eating today?" Is it still barbecued pork rice? If you want to eat barbecued pork, the roast goose is good today, the fat is just right, and it won't be too fatty. ”

This is Cantonese, with a slight accent. In the vicinity of Chinatown, Cantonese can travel all over the world; Of course, Chinese is also available. The owner of this café is a second-generation immigrant, who still follows the customs and habits of some of the first-generation immigrants, and is more familiar with Cantonese than English.

It's just one block from the World Journal's editorial office, less than a five-minute walk; The reporters of the newspaper can be regarded as frequent customers here, and Lin Shuyuan has been in the company for more than nine months, so he is all too familiar with this.

"World Journal" is a Chinese daily newspaper, and all articles are written in traditional characters. As a third-generation immigrant, Lin Shuyuan's listening, reading and writing skills are not bad, but he is still more accustomed to English in the spoken part, after all, the living environment and education are still mainly English.

Faced with the boss's Cantonese order, Lin Shuyuan replied in English, "Okay, just follow your recommendation." That's what makes San Francisco different from New York – both cities are known for their cultural diversity and blending, but they are two very different ways.

"It's a touchdown, I told you, it's definitely a touchdown."

"But he's already flown out of bounds, doesn't that mean that going out of bounds doesn't count as a touchdown?"

"No, no, there are more rules for touchdowns, this is definitely a touchdown!"

"Nonsense, the referees have made a decision, and I know it's a touchdown. I mean, why is this one a touchdown? ”

……

The chattering discussion stopped abruptly, and everyone looked at each other so that they couldn't make a sound at all, and a large group of people surrounded them, but suddenly there was no sound, which was really a dramatic joy.

This is the reason why Lin Shuyuan was surprised just now, there were at least twenty or more people gathered in the cafeteria, all of them were young faces who looked like college students and high school students, all of them were sitting in a group, talking and expressing their opinions, and the scrambling looked like college students were discussing group topics; Not only that, but all of them wore the home team uniforms of the San Francisco 49ers, and the bright red jerseys were connected together, which was really visually impactful.

In a trance, Lin Shuyuan remembered yesterday's home game again, and the excitement and impassionedness were still bubbling in his chest.

"Where are they?" The owner of the tea restaurant noticed Lin Shuyuan's gaze and said enthusiastically, "A group of fans. You know, there's a Chinese-American quarterback here in San Francisco, and he's doing a great job, and now it's a sensation all over the United States, even if I don't watch sports. It's not easy. ”

The boss said with a smile, the corners of his eyes and forehead were full of folds, and his eyes that narrowed into a slit flashed with pride and pride, "Three weeks ago, I started to arrange a special event on the day of the game, calling on everyone to come and watch the game together, so as to cheer for our own people." ”

"My son and daughter are in high school now, and they said that the young man was so good that even their classmates started talking about it; Now in our neighborhood, these young people are also starting to get interested, I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but people are willing to come to my place to watch the game, and I welcome it. The boss had a relieved look on his face, "You know, it's always not easy for Chinese people to be here. ”

Lin Shuyuan also followed the boss's line of sight, and a group of young Chinese people gathered together to discuss rugby, such a scene is indeed too rare. In the No. 1 sport in the United States, the presence of the Chinese American community is always the lowest, not to mention the participation, and even the audience watching the game is really limited.

But now, the change has finally begun.

"I was thinking about buying a TV with a huge screen and putting it on the wall, so that every game day, everyone could come together and cheer on that young man." The boss had a satisfied expression, "I heard that last week, two other bars also organized group viewing events, have you heard?" ”

Lin Shuyuan nodded, "Yes, I also went over to report." "Although it is said that there are still not too many spectators participating at present, only a dozen people; But a spark can start a prairie fire, and the audience is growing rapidly at an exponential rate.

The boss nodded, "There always has to be someone organized, and the community needs to be united." ”

"By the way, I remember, you were in charge of the sports column of the 'World Journal', right?" The boss suddenly remembered this incident, patted Lin Shuyuan on the shoulder enthusiastically, and without waiting for an answer, the boss couldn't wait to shout, "You guys come and ask him, he is an expert in this area." ”

Expert?

Lin Shuyuan is full of black lines, and he only really came into contact with rugby for the first time in this year's rookie training camp; Now, of course, a few months later, he's not a rugby rookie anymore.

Facing the burning eyes of the group of young people in front of him, Lin Shuyuan explained, "In a rugby game, the corner posts in the four corners of the end area, if the rugby ball or the ball carrier collides, it is also a touchdown. ”

"Wow!" Everyone let out an exclamation in unison, and the expression of sudden realization made people laugh; And the expectation in his eyes is full of hope, the hope of rugby expanding in the Chinese community, "so what about this attack......"

In a swarm, everyone flocked up, eager to ask, and the restaurant suddenly began to be lively in the afternoon.

A lunch, but fifteen minutes can be solved, but Lin Shuyuan stayed for forty-five minutes today, especially when he mentioned that he had interviewed Lu Ke face-to-face, the whole restaurant exploded, and the enthusiastic questions couldn't stop at all-

"You say, how did Lu Ke do it? He's the first Chinese-American quarterback in the entire NFL, right? ”

"Lu Ke has become the starting quarterback with his ability, does this mean that we can also stand on the NFL court in the future?"

"How do you need to train to be a quarterback? I don't have a clue at all, I feel really good on the ball, how do you define that? ”

"The last time I saw it on the Internet, Lu Ke is not yet twenty-two years old, is it true? So isn't he the same age as me? God, what is he doing now, and what am I doing now? I want to die! ”

"Wait, wait, you talked to Lu Ke face-to-face, what kind of person is Lu Ke?"

Brushing the ground, all eyes were concentrated, full of ardent expectations, and they all fell on Lin Shuyuan's shoulders, heavily. Just like Yao/Ming joined the NBA, Sun/Ji/Hai joined the European League, and Liu/Xiang broke the world record, every yellow person's breakthrough step can always bring infinite confidence.

For many third-generation immigrants, in fact, they have gradually lost their dependence and commonality on their homeland, and their daily lives have gradually integrated into the immigrant society of the United States; But in some special fields, such as competitive sports, the difference in talent still makes them realize that everyone is different.

Now, Lu Ke has become the first Chinese quarterback in the league to start, which has undoubtedly given many people confidence and really made them realize that if Lu Ke can do it, they can too. This kind of encouragement and motivation, words cannot describe at all, you can only feel it quietly.

"I've read the 'San Francisco Chronicle' before, and Lu Ke is a sunny college student who doesn't seem to be any different from us, and has a particularly cheerful personality, is this true?" The young man who asked the question just now further added, sensing Lin Shuyuan's puzzled gaze, he admitted calmly, "I like Lu Ke's style of playing, and I occasionally play rugby at school, but compared to Lu Ke, it is far behind." ”

Change, little by little, is seeping in.

Lin Shuyuan smiled, "Yes, Lu Ke is a very special young man, in private, he likes to joke, and he is also very approachable. If you stumble upon him on the street and you offer to say hello, he will respond enthusiastically. ”

"And what, what else?" A pair of impatient eyes urged Lin Shuyuan to continue sharing, which made Lin Shuyuan laugh dumbly, "In fact, I have only met Lu Ke twice, and I am not an expert." ”

"Two times is enough!" The young people shouted one after another, and the excitement and excitement that couldn't wait gradually infected Lin Shuyuan, so he also began to share his experience without hesitation, this meal was full of joy and excitement, so that when he left the restaurant, Lin Shuyuan's mood also brightened, and the fatigue of a morning disappeared.