champion godfather

Chapter 15 The George Wood Family
Because the next League One match was on January [-], fourteen days later, Twain gave the team two days off after the FA Cup.Tang En wasted the first day of vacation on seeing a doctor, pestering reporters, and cursing Nottingham's poor law and order.

Fortunately, I still have some change on my body, so that I don't even have the car money to go home.

The next day Tang En went to the bank to report the loss of his credit card early in the morning, and then went to the police station to report the loss of his ID card.After tossing around for almost a day, he dragged his exhausted body home from outside when everyone was drinking afternoon tea in the afternoon.This is also thanks to the timeless memory in his mind, otherwise he would not know where he should go to find someone.

When he got to the door of the house, he saw a little child standing there.

He is about the same height as himself, but has a childish look.

Dunn didn't understand what this kid was doing standing in front of his house. His face was still a bit dirty, with brown hair and wheat-colored skin, he should be of mixed race.Shouldn't it be a lookout for thieves?He glanced at the door of his house, and found that it was closed well, with no signs of damage.

When the child saw Tang En approaching, he kept staring at him, but said nothing.Tang En didn't like this kind of look, so he gave the child a look, and then walked from his side to his home.

At this time, the child spoke: "Are you the head coach of the Forest team, Tony Twain?"

Don't call me Mr., just call him by his first name, don't say hello, really not polite!Complaining like this in his heart, Tang En still stopped, looked at him sideways and said, "I am. If I want to sign an autograph, I'm not in the mood right now."

The child lowered his head and took out a black wallet from his trouser pocket, "I'm not here to ask for an autograph, this is your wallet."

Tang En took it suspiciously, and found that apart from the hundreds of pounds, the credit card and ID card were all there!

Although he was busy today, Tang En's mood improved immediately after seeing these things recovered.The way he looked at the child changed again, and there was a smile on his face: "Oh, did you pick this up? What a kind child... Thank you so much!" He touched his pocket and found Small change is too trivial, and it would be shabby to give it out to reward the other party.

"I'm really sorry, I don't have much money with me now. Come tomorrow, I will reward you well..."

"No, I don't want a reward." The child shook his head.

The first thought that flashed in Tang En's mind was that England also has living things!This child is really nice. Although his clothes are a little worn out and his face is a little dirty, he looks very energetic.It must be a child of a poor family. People who are poor have a lot of ambition, have a future, and have a future!
The kid went on: "I think your team should sign the best players in England."

It turns out that he is a loyal fan of the Forest team, so this explanation makes sense...

Tang En piled up a smile: "Are you talking about David Beckham? I'm sorry, we are a small club, and big stars don't like it..." He was about to reach out and touch the child's head, it's so cute... Although about the same height as myself.

Unexpectedly, the opponent avoided Tang En's hand: "Who is that? The best player in England is here!"

Tang En turned his head around, but he didn't find anyone...

"Where are you looking? It's right here, right in front of your eyes!" The child pointed to himself and said seriously.

The corner of Tang En's mouth twitched, and then he laughed out loud.Then he stretched out his hand again, intending to touch the other person's head. "What a cute kid..."

This time the other party directly slapped Tang En's hand off, "I'm not joking! I'm serious!"

There is something embarrassing about being slapped off by a child.The smile on Tang En's face froze, and then he coughed: "Okay, please tell me. Where are you playing football now?"

"I never played football."

Tang En stared at the other party for a long time. "Are you here to have fun?"

The child pursed his lips and said seriously: "If I haven't played now, it doesn't mean I won't play in the future. As long as I receive training, I will definitely become the best player in England!"

Tang En's tone eased: "Listen...what's your name?"

"George, George Wood."

"Listen, George. I appreciate you sending me your wallet back. But professional football isn't as easy as you think. Thanks for sending me your wallet. I'll take you home. Where do you live?"

George Wood was silent for a while, then lowered his head and said, "Sneinton."

Tang En searched in his mind and found that this place is a famous slum area in Nottingham.Blacks, Indians, and descendants of various colored races live here, and there are student apartments nearby.It is the most chaotic place.Although a few hundred meters from this area is the most expensive high-end residential area in Nottingham.

Looking at the clothes on Wood's body, Tang En suddenly softened.There will be poor and rich people in any country and region. Nottingham, a famous commercial center in the UK and one of the few industrial cities, does not lack these two classes.

"Okay, no matter what, I'll take you back." Seeing a taxi that had just got off in front of him, Tang En stretched out his hand to stop it.Snington is on the east side of the city, while his home, Wilford, is on the southwest side of the city. God knows how this poor boy got here.

The car stopped next to the two, and Wood didn't object, and got into the car.In the car, he didn't speak, and the atmosphere was a little awkward.Dunn decided to find something to say.

"George, why do you have to play football?"

"make money."

Tang En glanced at Wood, and this kind of answer was in line with his identity.

"Then you can go to work... wait, you should be in school now, right? How old are you?"

"Seventeen. I don't want to go to school. I can't make money by going to school. And I have a job, but the money is too little."

"What do you do?"

"A porter from a moving company."

In the UK, the income of a porter for a moving company is ten pounds each time, which is neither high nor low.The job is very simple, that is, to move the things from the customer's house and put them on the truck, and then move them off the truck when they arrive at the destination.This kind of work requires a physically strong person to do it.Tang En glanced sideways at Wood, this kid really has what it takes to do this job.Look at the muscles on his body, they really don't look like those of a 17-year-old kid.

The legal minimum wage in the UK is four pounds and fifty pence, and Wood's income is more than double that.Dunn didn't understand why he still thought he had less money.

"What do you want so much money for?"

Wood didn't answer the question, and the car suddenly became a little awkward again.

Born under the red flag and raised under the red flag, Twain has been taught since childhood that 17-year-old children should receive education at school instead of going out to work.So he emphasized: "I think you should go back to school."

"I hate school." Wood said coldly.

Tang En found that this kid was just like his former self, the stone in the latrine—smelly and hard.Unable to communicate at all, he didn't say anything anymore, and turned his head to look out the window.

The world outside the car window is sunny, the blue sky is as blue as washing, the bustling streets, the bustling shopping malls, and the tourists.Tang En could even see tourists from China in the taxi.In the sunshine of the 21st century, is it possible to imagine such places as ghettos?
But it is here, in this city.The scenery outside the car window gradually changed. Driving past the most magnificent residential area, Tang En could still see the million-pound villas behind the iron carved railings.It used to be Nottingham's textile factory and warehouse, with a very nice name "Lace Market".

Even a head coach of a professional club like Tang En couldn't afford to live in such a place.The place Tang En lives in is considered the most common type of residential area in Nottingham City. The place where ordinary people and the working class live is no different from an ordinary residential area in China except for a two-story building with a single family.

There are poor people in the UK, but in a society with high welfare, their life is not too difficult.You can live a leisurely life by saving food and money.Snington, where George Wood's family is located, can no longer be regarded as a poor settlement, and it is almost "extremely poor".In the UK, places where people of color and illegal immigrants gather are without exception "ghettos".Manchester now has the largest slum in Europe.No matter how poor the white people are, they will be better than the colored poor, because there is also racial discrimination involved.

George Wood was biracial and considered colored.It was no surprise that he lived in a place like Snington.

In Nottingham, slums are not only poor, but also "chaotic".Public order is the biggest headache for Nottingham's local police.You can see shops that openly sell guns and ammunition on the street. Groups of gangsters wander around on the street, looking at everyone passing by with malicious intent, robbery, theft, drugs, prostitutes, violence... this is the kind of place business card.They are the gray areas of the city, and they are forbidden areas that many people hope to hide as far away as possible.

The gorgeous high-end residential area has passed, and the taxi is visibly bumped.The magnificently decorated buildings outside the window were nowhere to be found, replaced by dilapidated red brick houses, wooden window frames with cracked skin, and mottled walls.As the car dealership deepened, more dilapidated houses than this one gradually increased, and the number of dangerous people wandering around also increased.

The prostitute who dressed herself up with cheap jewelry and makeup, but couldn't hide the tired crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, leaned against the door to smoke and solicit customers.A grim-looking man (or boy?) in a black jacket with crude tattoos protruding from his thick arms.Heads down, hurrying passers-by.In groups of three or four, chasing and fighting children.One piece of asphalt covers one piece, and the patch looks like a narrow road with potholes.The colorful plastic bags and newspapers discarded all over the place swirl and fly over people's heads when the wind blows.The people here live like these colorful rubbish, when they are blown by the wind, they flutter numbly, and finally fall into a stinky ditch, forgotten and no one mourns.

Tang En was looking at the world outside the car, and the people in that world were also staring at him maliciously, as if what they saw was a pile of piles of pound sterling, or bread with butter.

Wood directed the driver to park the car in front of a red brick house, and Tang En paid for the car.The driver drove away quickly.Just at the moment of stopping, several children were already patting on his car window.He was afraid that if he stayed for a while, something unexpected would happen.

Wood was a little surprised that Tang En also came down with him. "I thought you'd go straight in the car."

"I thought so too. Actually... I'm used to getting out of the car when it stops." Tang En avoided the dirty hands of those children, who were asking him for money.

"Sir! Just give me one pound, just one pound!" The child who was probably only five or six years old shouted with a runny nose.

It wasn't that Dunn didn't have sympathy. There wasn't a penny in the wallet that was returned to him. He still had around fifty pounds in change, which was his travel expenses.What should I do with these children?

Just when he was in trouble, Wood shook his fist at the group of children: "Get out!"

The kids made faces at him, gave him a middle finger, and dispersed.

To be honest, Tang En did not expect that Wood, who was also in the poor area, would be so unfriendly to those children. "You are so unfriendly."

"They're not friendly to me either." Seeing Tang En standing on the side of the street looking around, Wood also stopped, "There's nothing to see, this is where I live. It must be an eye-opener for you, right?"

Tang En looked back at the boy, grinned and said, "It's okay. Can you take me to your house?"

Wood nodded, took out the key and opened the door.

This is a two-story brick house.Entering the door is a narrow corridor and stairs, and Wood walks straight up.Tang En also said at the door: "Excuse me."

"There is another family on the first floor, and my house is on the second floor." Wood looked back at Tang En strangely, "That family came back very late."

Tang En touched his nose in embarrassment, and followed Wood upstairs.

Hearing footsteps, a woman's voice sounded: "George?"

"I'm back, Mom."

Tang En asked in a low voice from behind: "Where's your father?"

"He's dead." Wood, who was walking in front, didn't turn his head back.

"Uh... sorry..."

"Are there any guests?" Tang En heard the woman ask.

"A football coach."

During the question and answer room, Tang En and the others had already reached the door of a room on the second floor, which seemed to be a restaurant.A dark-haired woman sits at the kitchen table, peeling potatoes.The curtains were closed tightly, and the lights were not turned on. The room was dim, but Tang En felt that this woman was the only one shining in the room...because she was very beautiful.To be honest, seeing George Wood's square face, he really didn't expect that the child's mother would be so beautiful, so young, how much hardship would it take for such a weak woman to raise the child alone in such a chaotic place?He felt some sympathy for the woman.

Petite and pale, he seemed ill.But this brings out a kind of morbid beauty instead.And this woman also looks like a mixed race.How should I describe all of this... Ever since Tang En entered this slum, he was devastated, and the world seemed to be dominated by gray until he saw this woman.She is the only light source in this simple room, the only color in this world...

(End of this chapter)