After Paris Saint-Germain was removed from the list, I led England to victory!

(I have something to tell you all today. In the upcoming chapters about the matches, I plan to write 2 to 3 chapters for each match, instead of finishing them in one chapter. If I finish them in one chapter, the total number of chapters in the novel might not seem like enough.)

As everyone knows, my competition chapters are generally equivalent to five chapters in one. So after I finish writing the competition chapter, I try my best to write about everyday life. Sometimes people think I write a lot about everyday life, but it's not much at all. It's just because I didn't divide the competition chapters into separate chapters.

However, I hereby promise that even if I split the story into chapters later, the competition chapter will be written in a maximum of 3 chapters, and it will absolutely not be split into 5 chapters. Furthermore, the competition chapter will not be interrupted or left unfinished; it will be completed on the same day. If extra chapters are needed, I will add them. I hope everyone can understand.

The day after the match was a rest day.

Yan Yuan woke up naturally and stood on the second-floor terrace of his newly purchased villa.

This house, which blends classic English charm with modern design, is located in a quiet suburban community, with a spacious garden still lush with early autumn greenery.

He took a deep breath of the air, which smelled of grass and damp earth, took out his phone, and sent a message to a small group chat containing only the main players:

"Guys, type '1' if you're awake. The weather's nice today. I have a garden, how about a barbecue? I've got the meat and drinks ready, you can come empty-handed. I was thinking of inviting the professor, but he said he's spending time with his grandson today."

Within seconds of the message being sent, the response exploded.

Cancelo replied instantly: "1! As long as there's meat! Send me the address!"

Ashraf: "1111! Get up now! Do you need anything?"

Erdgo posted a drooling emoji: "1! Awesome! Finally, I can see your new palace!"

Ramsey: "1! Let's go right away! Do you need me to bring some salad?"

Rhodesley, more composed, said: "1. Send the address and details of where you need help along with it."

Aubameyang jokingly asked, "Do I need to bring swim trunks?"

Lacazette gave an "OK" sign.

Youngster Saka also chimed in: "1! Brother Yan! I'm coming right away!"

Yan Yuan couldn't help but laugh as he watched the replies flood the group chat.

He quickly sent his location to the group chat, adding, "If possible, could you bring some beer or juice? Nothing else is needed, I have most of those here."

……

An hour later, cars began to drive into Yan Yuan's private driveway.

The first to arrive was always the ever-energetic Ashraf, who jumped out of the car and shouted before even entering the house, "Yan! My good brother! This place is amazing!"

Peipei, who got out of the car afterward, looked around and nodded repeatedly: "Yan, the house you bought is in a great location, the environment is quiet, the house is beautiful, and it has good taste."

Ramsey, Odegaard, and Rodri arrived shortly afterward.

Ramsey was driving a solid SUV, loaded with several large boxes of different brands of beer and drinks, as well as a big bag of snacks.

"Hey guys! Look what I brought!"

He smiled and took it out of the trunk.

Odegaard, on the other hand, was holding two large, carefully wrapped bouquets of flowers.

"Congratulations on your brace in your first derby match!" Rodri said with a gentle smile, carrying a basket of fresh-looking fruit.

When Aubameyang and Lacazette arrived together, Saka also hitched a ride.

Obama opened the trunk and pulled out a portable professional sound system! "Music! How can you have barbecue without music!" he announced proudly.

Everyone gathered in Yan Yuan's spacious open-plan living room and connected kitchen, looking around curiously.

The modern kitchen is fully equipped, with a huge, mirror-like island and a floor-to-ceiling glass door facing the garden that is wide open, allowing a gentle breeze to enter.

"Wow, this kitchen is really professional. Yan, do you usually cook here?" Erdgao asked curiously, touching the gleaming stainless steel stove.

"I make it occasionally," Yan Yuan said with a smile, taking out various drinks from the refrigerator and distributing them to everyone. "The main reason is that I wanted to make something different this time. Come on, we've basically bought everything. Let's split up and get some fresh ingredients, and most importantly, meat."

"Didn't we prepare the meat?" Ashraf had already opened a can of beer.

"I've prepared everything," Yan Yuan blinked, "but I need some special meat, and also, we need a lot of vegetables and seasonings. I'll treat you to Chinese-style barbecue!"

"Chinese style?" Ramsey's interest was piqued. "I know Chinese food, but how is barbecue different?"

"You'll find out soon enough!" Yan Yuan said, keeping everyone in suspense.

The group set off in several cars.

Our first stop was London's famous Chinatown.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, the rich atmosphere of Chinese life was immediately apparent.

The shops stand side by side, their signs with Chinese characters catching the eye.

Yan Yuan led them into a slightly secluded alley, where they stopped in front of a seemingly inconspicuous but unremarkable butcher shop with a sign that read "Zhang Ji Fresh Food".

This shop is where Yan Family Restaurant gets its meat, so the quality is trustworthy.

As you push open the door, a rich aroma of Chinese braising sauce mixed with the scent of fresh meat wafts out.

Behind the counter, a sprightly, gray-haired shop owner was chopping bones on the cutting board. He looked up, saw Yan Yuan, and his face immediately lit up with a delighted smile.

"Oh my! Isn't this our young CEO Yan? What a rare treat! What brings you to our humble shop today?"

He put down his cleaver and warmly walked around the counter to greet him.

Several customers in the store also looked over curiously, and they all recognized the star player who had just shone in the derby.

"Uncle Zhang, long time no see." Yan Yuan smiled and stepped forward to shake hands with the boss, very familiarly. "Our family shop often gets its supplies from you, so we specially brought our teammates to support your business and buy some good pork for barbecue."

"No problem! The meat that Mr. Yan wants will definitely be the best!" Uncle Zhang patted his chest to assure him, his smile widening as he glanced at the group of tall, muscular foreigners behind him.

"Are these all your team's star players? Amazing! I saw them on TV yesterday, those two goals you scored were beautiful! So satisfying!"

Under Uncle Zhang's warm hospitality and his slightly awkward but earnest efforts in speaking broken English, everyone gathered around the refrigerated display case.

Yan Yuan didn't look at the common pork chops and tenderloin, but pointed to the hind leg meat and pork shoulder.

"Uncle Zhang, I want these two parts, the key is that they don't have a fishy smell," he emphasized.

Uncle Zhang immediately understood: "I understand, I understand. It's a special supply. Don't worry, it's a specially selected breed and fed with specific methods, guaranteed to have absolutely no unpleasant smell!"

He immediately turned around and instructed the waiter, "Quickly, cut the best hind leg and pork shoulder that Boss Yan always takes, get the ones from the freezer at the very back."

While waiting for the staff to prepare the food, Uncle Zhang enthusiastically introduced other barbecue ingredients available in the shop, such as sliced ​​beef tripe skewers and chicken cartilage skewers.

Pepe curiously picked up a box of tripe skewers and examined it closely:

"You can bake this too?"

Yan Yuan nodded: "Of course, the taste is very unique."

Aubameyang showed great interest in the marinated honey-glazed chicken wings: "This looks like something I'd try!"

Finally, amidst Uncle Zhang's hearty laughter and farewells of "Come again, Mr. Yan!", the group emerged carrying two large bags of carefully prepared fresh ingredients.

Ramsey remarked, "This boss is so enthusiastic. He calls you 'Little Boss Yan,' which makes it seem like you two have a close relationship."

Yan Yuan smiled and said, "Their family is a long-term partner of my family's restaurant. This old man is very honest when it comes to cooking meat."

The second stop was a large supermarket.

In the spacious and brightly lit fresh produce section, everyone began their shopping spree.

Ramsey pushed the huge shopping cart, and Saka quickly tossed all sorts of fresh vegetables into it: bright green bell peppers, vibrant red bell peppers, long green beans, plump corn on the cob, tender eggplants, round potatoes, fresh chives, enoki mushrooms...

Erdgo carefully selected the fruit: oranges, grapes, and pineapples.

"Barbecue goes well with some refreshing fruit to cut through the richness," said Rodri, who was carrying several large bags of mushrooms and fresh lettuce leaves.

Ashraf headed straight for the refrigerated section and came back with several large boxes of fresh, plump oysters: "We absolutely have to have these! Yan, can you make that... garlic roasted oysters? The one I had at your house?"

Ashraf had previously visited Yan Yuan's restaurant and had grilled oysters there; he could hardly forget the taste.

Yan Yuan looked at the mountain of oysters, full of confidence:

"Of course! Leave it to me."

Aubameyang and Lacazette were in charge of the drinks section, filling another shopping cart with all kinds of beer and sparkling wine, and also grabbing various toasted bread slices, biscuits, and whole cans of barbecue seasoning powder.

We returned to the villa with a full load of goods, and it was almost noon by the time we got back.

In the garden, Yan Yuan had already had a large charcoal grill prepared, with a wide grilling net and a pull-out groove rail specifically for grilling skewers.

The ingredients were laid out on the huge kitchen island, colorful and dazzlingly fresh.

"First step, process the meat!" Yan Yuan rolled up his sleeves, ready to get to work.

He cut the high-quality pork he bought from Uncle Zhang into large chunks, distributed them to his teammates, and then picked up a cleaver to demonstrate how to cut it.

"Watch closely, guys. Don't cut it into big slices like pork chops or steaks! We'll cut it like this..." With a swift motion, the sharp blade precisely sliced ​​the pork belly into small cubes, each about two centimeters square, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat.

"These are the sizes of meat cubes!"

Looking at the pile of pork chunks of varying sizes stacked up on the island, Peipei was a little confused: "Cut them so small? How are you going to grill them? Won't they be gone in no time?" The others also looked puzzled.

Yan Yuan explained with a smile, "Skewered! Small pieces on skewers cook faster and absorb flavor more easily. Eating and chatting while grilling creates a better atmosphere! In China, this is called barbecue skewers. Trust me, it's definitely more fun than large pieces of grilled meat!"

He picked up a long stainless steel skewer and gestured with it; this skewer was one he had prepared in advance.

"I see." Ramsey suddenly realized, his interest piqued. "That sounds really cool! Like a street party?"

"That's right! Come on, let's get started!" Yan Yuan distributed knives and cutting boards, and picked up a sharp kitchen knife himself.

The kitchen was instantly filled with the sound of rapid, rhythmic chopping.

Although Peipei looked a little clumsy holding the knife, her eyes were focused and her movements were as steady as possible as she cut the lean meat into even small pieces.

Rodri and Ramsey, on the other hand, showed considerable composure, cutting the meat into appropriately sized cubes.

Odegaard and Saka were in charge of the chicken wings and tripe skewers, which were easier to prepare with scissors.

Ashraf, Aubameyang, and Lacazette began washing and cutting vegetables: long leeks were cut into sections, green and red bell peppers were seeded and diced, potatoes were carefully sliced ​​thinly, corn was broken into small pieces, and enoki mushrooms were trimmed and washed...

An hour later, the island had transformed into a sea of ​​various ingredients:

The diced pork was piled up into a small hill; the leaner cuts were for health-conscious team members, while the cuts with a good mix of lean and fat were even more delicious.

Diced beef and diced lamb were piled up into two small mountains, with tripe skewers and chicken wings next to them. This was Obama's favorite dish.

Several large platters of freshly shucked and cleaned oysters, their plump meat lying quietly in the ground.

Finally, there was a huge amount of green bell pepper chunks, red bell pepper chunks, potato slices, chopped chives, corn segments, thickly sliced ​​eggplant, tender enoki mushrooms, as well as mushrooms and onion chunks.

And their staple food, packets of bread slices and small round cakes, were neatly arranged.

Besides the food, all the necessary seasonings were available, and a large amount of fresh garlic was peeled and piled up on one side.

A wide variety of bottled seasonings, such as soy sauce, cooking oil, sesame oil, chili powder, cumin powder, and salt and pepper, are ready to be deployed.

There were also several large stainless steel basins filled with water, and next to them were several bundles of long barbecue skewers and shorter seafood skewers.

"The second step is to skewer them." Yan Yuan picked up a few skewers and began to demonstrate.

"Skewer the pork pieces like this: one piece of lean meat, one piece of fat, one piece of lean meat... alternate them. When grilling, the oil from the fat will moisturize the lean meat, making it especially fragrant. If you want it spicier, you can skewer small pieces of red or green bell pepper in the middle."

He moved swiftly, and before he knew it, a skewer of meat, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat and garnished with bright green peppers, was ready.

"Vegetables are even easier to grill. Chives can be skewered in bunches, eggplants are grilled separately in thick slices, corn is simply broken into small pieces and skewered... Potato slices are thin, and they grill up crispy on the outside and soft on the inside..."

"I'll prepare the oysters separately later. Now, put on your favorite outfits!"

The process of skewering the meat was filled with laughter and joy.

At first, everyone was clumsy, either stringing the meat pieces too tightly or crookedly.

Saka's leek skewers were crooked and twisted, making Ashraf laugh at them.

Pepe used too much force and almost broke the bamboo skewer. Odegaard's carefully designed "red bell pepper-pork-green bell pepper" combination was very beautiful.

Ramsey and Rodri worked together seamlessly, one cutting and the other stringing, making them very efficient.

Aubameyang focused intently on skewering his chicken wings, striving for perfection with each one.

Lacazette fell in love with the feeling of skewering tripe and wondered what this strange thing would taste like when grilled.

The kitchen was filled with relaxed laughter, the soft rustling of ingredients being skewered, and conversations as people showed off their "creations."

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a warm golden hue over the busy, collaborative, and vibrant scene.

"The third step, the soul of the dish: garlic sauce." As the work on the meat and vegetable skewers neared completion, Yan Yuan once again revealed his hidden Chinese culinary skills.

He took out a large clay pot that he had prepared specially.

A large amount of fresh garlic cloves were put into a food processor and ground into fine minced garlic, leaving a small portion that was not so finely minced.

Place the casserole on the stove and pour in plenty of fragrant sunflower seed oil or corn oil.

He heated the oil to a simmer and quickly poured most of the minced garlic into the pan.

"Sizzle—" A pleasant popping sound rang out, and the rich aroma of garlic instantly filled the entire kitchen space!

Everyone's attention was drawn to it, and even the most energetic movements slowed down.

"Wow! It smells so good!" Erdgo took a deep breath.

"This smells so tempting!" Ramsey put down the potato chips he was holding and walked over.

Yan Yuan used long chopsticks to gently stir the garlic in the oil, ensuring it was heated evenly.

The key is controlling the heat; you can't let the minced garlic burn. You have to patiently fry it until it turns a beautiful golden brown.

A few minutes later, the minced garlic turned an enticing golden color, and the garlic aroma became mellow and mild.

After turning off the heat, Yan Yuan quickly removed the casserole from the heat source.

While the oil in the pan was still warm, he immediately added the remaining small amount of raw minced garlic (to enhance the aroma), a suitable amount of salt, a little sugar, a touch of oyster sauce to enhance the flavor, and a generous amount of garlic chili sauce to the pan.

Stir quickly and evenly; the hot oil brings out the aroma of all the ingredients, blending them perfectly.

Soon, a pot of glossy, fragrant garlic sauce with a hint of red oil was ready.

Golden garlic granules float in the bright red oil, exuding an irresistible charm.

Yan Yuan took out a baking tray and neatly arranged the prepared oysters.

He skillfully used a spoon to evenly spread spoonfuls of still-warm, rich garlic sauce over each plump oyster.

The oyster meat is soaked in oil, and the aroma of garlic and the salty freshness of seafood blend together in a delightful fusion.

"Final step, start baking!" Yan Yuan waved his hand, exuding the confidence of a head chef.

The charcoal stove has been lit, and the charcoal fire slowly turns from grayish-white to dark red.

The oven was moved to an open space under the shade of the garden trees, next to which a long outdoor dining table and folding chairs were set up, covered with disposable tablecloths, and set with various bowls, plates, condiments, fruits and drinks.

Yan Yuan personally took charge and was in charge of the overall situation.

He first brushed a thin layer of oil onto the large grill rack of the barbecue grill to preheat it.

The first things placed on the table were several large platters of oysters covered with glistening garlic sauce.

"Oysters need to be grilled for a while to absorb the flavor and cook through," he explained, placing the grill pan steadily on the area of ​​the grill where the temperature was just right.

Next, he began processing the freshly skewered meat and vegetables.

He took a handful of meat skewers and arranged them on the grooved track.

The flames danced beneath the skewers, and the sizzling oil produced a delightful "sizzle" sound as it heated up, accompanied by wisps of white smoke and a rich, enticing aroma of meat.

Yan Yuan skillfully brushed a thin layer of oil onto the skewers. When the skewers were half-cooked and began to change color, he picked up cumin powder, chili powder, and salt and pepper, and with a flick of his wrist, sprinkled them evenly onto the rolling skewers.

The smoke, carrying the aroma of spices, forcefully entered everyone's noses, causing stomachs to rumble and saliva to be swallowed.

"First batch of lamb skewers, anyone want some?" Yan Yuan picked up a few of the first lamb skewers that were grilled, with a good balance of lean and fat.