The Way of the Center

Even on Christmas Day, the Oklahoma City airport was packed with people. [Full text reading] As the largest airport in Oklahoma, the total passenger traffic here last year alone exceeded 3.74 million passengers, and it has become one of the busiest airports in the world.

A tall Asian man wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap was sitting in a cafe in the departure hall, and with him was a black man also wearing sunglasses and a stylish snake-print suit. These two guys thought they were well disguised, but most people sitting in the cafe knew that they were the two 08-level rookies of the Thunder, Anjie and Russell Westbrook.

"Do you have any special etiquette in China? Do you put your hands together and bow when you say hello?" Westbrook kept asking An Jie. He didn't want to be rude in front of the teammate's parents. After all, last night when Westbrook was filming a commercial, Anjie, who had been trained extra, took good care of his visiting parents.

"You just shake hands with them and say hello." For this question, An Jie has answered him for the fifth time.

"Nihao, Nihao, um, I remember." Westbrook nodded as he spoke, as if he was very proud of his "pure" Chinese accent.

At this moment, An Jie's parents dragged their suitcases and walked out of the aisle looking left and right. Their son's height is very conspicuous, even in the United States. An Jie also saw them, and after slapping a hundred-dollar bill on the table, he and Westbrook quickly ran out of the cafe.

"Shi Ran, there! I saw Xiaojie!" An Jie's mother threw down her luggage and ran towards her son. This was the first time she saw her own flesh and blood since An Jie set off from China to Seattle. .

"Howl of mud!" Just as Anjie's mother was about to hug her son, Westbrook suddenly stretched out his hand, which startled Anjie's mother.

"Mom, this is my teammate, Westbrook, you should have seen it on TV, the one wearing the number zero jersey." An Jie saw his mother's predicament, and quickly introduced him.

Hearing what his son said, An Jie's mother had a little impression. There is no way, the snake pattern suit, pink trousers, crocodile leather shoes, Westbrook's dressing style is so unacceptable... If it wasn't for An Jie's introduction, his mother would think that she Being pestered by some unscrupulous person.

"I said Yudie, why are you so rude, people have been raising their hands for a long time." It wasn't until An Shiran who came up from behind reminded her that An Jie's mother Wen Yudie realized that she hadn't shaken hands with anyone yet.

In China, it is almost impossible to see people dressed like this on the street. No, even in the United States, only Westbrook dares to dress like this. Such a stranger greets himself,

It is human nature to be stunned for a few seconds.

Since Angie's Mazda RX-7 is a two-seater car, Westbrook drove his Hummer as the driver of the second elder. Anjie's father was very excited. As a fan, Westbrook drove himself to pick him up, which was enough to make people excited for a while.

Driving, Westbrook and An Jie took the two elders around the famous scenic spot Wanmu Garden in Oklahoma City. Although the scenery here is the best in spring, the scenery here is also unique in the snowy winter Average taste.

Anjie's mother kept taking pictures, and Westbrook, who accompanied Anjie's family, waited patiently throughout the whole process without any complaints. Westbrook's family background is not good, before he went to college, he never even walked out of the black area in South Los Angeles. He is a good boy from an ordinary family, so he empathizes with and understands the behavior of An Jie's family.

And he knew that if An Jie would accompany his family instead, An Jie would wait patiently.

After a short visit to the snow-white Wanmu Garden, Westbrook and Anjie drove the two elders back to Anjie's home, where Westbrook's parents were busy in the kitchen with great fanfare. Yes, Angie had invited the Westbrooks to his house for Christmas.

It is also rare for Westbrook to have the opportunity to reunite with his family. Anjie calls home every day, but sometimes he is too busy to call once in two or three days.

But Westbrook will definitely call home every day before training or games, and call again at the end. He is the same as Angie, ordinary, no tattoos, no pierced ears, and missing his family. Maybe it is because of these similarities that Westbrook and Angie become friends.

Although there was a language barrier, An Jie felt that all his efforts were not in vain when he saw the happy two families. Looking at the time, An Jie had to leave this happy house for a while, and this Christmas Eve would only be complete when those two people joined in.

"Mom, Dad, you rest here first, I will go to the airport to pick up two people, and I will be right back." Needless to say, An Jie, his parents also know who these two people are, because An Jie took them to that middle school during the draft. Dined in the restaurant. But Westbrook looked confused, anyone else?

"Russell, I'll take your car away. If you want to use the car, you can drive mine." Taking the car keys, An Jie couldn't wait to walk out of the room. Catherine, we are finally meeting.

Frustrated ten-game losing streak, comeback four-game winning streak plus five-game winning streak, and the recruitment scandal that caused a sensation in China and Ames City, although he was not by his side, Catherine's heart still went through everything with An Jie.

The moment Catherine got off the plane and threw herself into An Jie's arms, she really felt a sense of security. There is no barrier of distance, no provocation from tabloid reporters, no matter whether he is happy, angry, sad or happy, Catherine can see it now.

"Hi, Uncle." Catherine's head was still buried on An Jie's chest, she didn't rush her beard, and looked at the two young men with a smile on her face. It was Christmas a year ago, and this big Asian man broke into the lives of their father and daughter without any warning. They never expected that the impact would be so great.

When Angie walked into the house with Catherine and Beard, Westbrook finally knew what was going on.

"Okay, you, even I didn't know you had a girlfriend." Westbrook immediately "tortured" Anjie to extract a confession.

An Jie just smiled embarrassedly, neither he nor Catherine was ready to announce their relationship under the flashlight. Catherine said that at least she would not consider living with An Jie until after she graduated, and would consider making this relationship public. An Jie didn't object either. An Jie had already experienced how hard life under the spotlight was.

At half past eight in the evening, a sumptuous Christmas dinner was piled up on Anjie's long dining table. There are all kinds of dishes on the table, and the bearded chef is the chef. This table of Chinese and Western Christmas dinners made everyone salivate.

The NBA Christmas game is in full swing. They are also professional players, and Anjie and the others are very lucky to have a holiday on Christmas Eve. Even LeBron James, who had just played against Anjie, had to continue to present wonderful games to the audience in such a festival.

But today, the TV of Anjie’s family did not broadcast the live broadcast of the Christmas war, but a talk show was played randomly. We came as New Year's Day. In short, on this family night, basketball can only be temporarily sidelined.

During the meal, Anjie called his mentors Divac and Ricard, and his comrade Andrew Morris of the Cyclones respectively. As for Mike Taylor Anger, he can only express his greetings through text messages, because that poor guy had to follow Brandon Roy to face the challenge of "German Chariot" at the Rose Garden Stadium on Christmas Eve today.

Under the night sky, Oklahoma City outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of Anjie's house is like a vast starry sky, with little lights converging into a spectacular Milky Way. In the center of Wanmu Garden Plaza, the Christmas fireworks prepared by the Oklahoma City government for citizens were also set off on time. The colorful fireworks are very gorgeous, embellishing the night sky more charmingly.

In the midst of this intensive schedule, Anjie and Westbrook, the two first-year rookies, also had a rare and pleasant time.

Family, friends, partner... On a cold night in a foreign country, An Jie finally felt what it was like to live a life full of warmth. If possible, he really hoped that such a night would never pass away in the long river of time...

On December 25th, the rhythm of life was on this day, and I was finally willing to slow down my pace. (To be continued.)