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

When the plane landed at the airport, the Hoffenheim players still wore the fatigue from their trip to Seville, but even more so, they were filled with the excitement of escaping death and the satisfaction of a precious victory.

On the way back to the training base, Gnabry seemed to have thought of something, and he gently nudged Yan Yuan, who was looking out the window.

"Hey, our goal scorer," Gnabry deliberately dragged out his words, with that characteristic German teasing tone, "what you said about... the Chinese feast, does it still count?"

Gnabry's shout immediately drew responses from the people in the front and back seats.

Ute leaned out from the back of the front seat: "Yeah, yeah! A game-winning goal in exchange for a big meal, Yan, you promised."

Amiri, standing nearby, chimed in, "Yan, you better keep your word! My legs are about to give out trying to pass you the ball!"

Even the usually composed Vogt cast an expectant glance from the back two rows.

The commotion drew Yan Yuan's gaze from the scenery outside the window. He nodded, "It's a promise, of course it's a promise. On my day off, I'll cook for you myself and treat you to some authentic Chinese flavors."

The carriage erupted in even louder cheers and whistles.

"That's awesome!" Ute patted the back of the seat excitedly.

"But don't get too excited yet," Yan Yuan said, throwing cold water on the idea. "Whether we can make it depends on whether we can buy the ingredients, and... you might not be able to stand the taste."

Yan Yuan recalled the expressions on the faces of the Birmingham customers when they first tasted Chinese food at his mother's restaurant when it first opened.

At the time, Aunt Yan lacked experience and made some spicy dishes. After the customers finished eating, they kept wanting to drink milk, so spicy dishes were no longer on Aunt Yan's restaurant menu.

"What's there to be afraid of!" Gnabry said confidently. "I've seen your last ridiculous left-foot arc, why would I be afraid of your style?"

"Exactly!" Amiri chimed in. "At worst, we can have Vogt help you buy groceries. He's an expert in this field; he knows which supermarket has the freshest meat and which has the most vibrant vegetables."

Vogt shrugged from a distance, indicating his agreement; he was a seasoned stay-at-home dad.

The suggestion was immediately approved by everyone, and Yan Yuan thought about it and agreed.

Involving others is more meaningful and helps to bring people closer together than preparing alone in silence.

Moreover, he does need a "mentor". As a 17-year-old professional player, Yan Yuan's time is filled with training and matches, and things like getting a driver's license and learning to drive are not yet on his agenda.

He doesn't know how to drive yet.

The day after returning to the club, on a rest day morning, the sun was shining brightly, with a touch of early winter chill in the air.

Vogt arrived at Yan Yuan's dormitory building right on time in his large SUV.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Gnabry leaned out of the passenger seat and waved at him.

Yan Yuan opened the car door, and in the back seat, Ute and Amiri were having a heated discussion, the car filled with the energy and debate of young men.

"Everything ready? Target: Asian supermarket," Vogt asked Yan Yuan, his hands firmly on the steering wheel like a seasoned hunter.

"Yan, have you decided on the menu?"

Yan Yuan nodded and named a few dishes: "Three Treasures of the Earth, Sweet and Sour Pork, Braised Eggplant, Smashed Cucumber, Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes..."

After he finished reporting, he looked at the curious faces around him and added, "Don't worry, these dishes are mainly fried and sweet and sour, which I think you'll find easier to accept. There are also some refreshing cold dishes."

Yan Yuan has a deep understanding of this. In the small restaurant his family runs in Birmingham, England, the best-selling dishes are sweet and sour pork, or crispy fried pork, which are especially popular with European customers.

Dishes that don't sell well are those that are too spicy or have a strange taste, such as preserved eggs, which some Chinese people can't accept.

Yan Yuan's experience of helping out in restaurant kitchens from a young age gave him a keen understanding of the acceptance and popularity of these dishes.

"OK! The meat is mine," Vogt said confidently. "I guarantee I'll pick the best piece."

Captain Vogt, a disciplined center-back and fitness enthusiast, has almost exacting standards when it comes to selecting high-quality protein.

The car first drove to the largest Asian supermarket in Hoffenheim.

As soon as you step inside, you're greeted by a mix of soy sauce, spices, and various dried goods. Yan Yuan is very familiar with this place, but the others are completely unfamiliar with it.

Ute curiously poked at the large dried shiitake mushrooms in the packaging bag; Gnabry picked up a bottle of chili oil, looked closely at the label, and then put it back with a hint of surprise.

Amiri stared blankly at a row of soy sauces of different brands and colors:

"These are all... soy sauce? Why are there so many different shades of color?"

Yan Yuan explained, "The lighter-colored one is light soy sauce, used to enhance flavor and seasoning; the darker-colored one is dark soy sauce, mainly used for coloring, like in braising or stewing..."

He skillfully navigated the condiment section, muttering familiar names as he deftly retrieved bottles of what he needed from the shelves: soy sauce, white vinegar, aged vinegar, small bottles of sesame oil, sugar, potato starch (essential for coating dishes like "Three Treasures of the Earth" and "Sweet and Sour Pork"), and fermented bean paste (unplanned, but he wanted to prepare it for making some spicy braised eggplant)...

"This meat is absolutely delicious!" Vogt's eyes lit up in front of a freezer. He picked up a box of pork tenderloin that looked shiny and had a nice color.

"This piece of pork tenderloin looks tender and lean enough; it'll definitely taste delicious when cooked." He examined the meat's color carefully under the light, as if appreciating a work of art, and then put it into his shopping cart with satisfaction.

He then clearly selected a large piece of lean pork belly, and then picked out a few chicken legs of uniform size from the frozen section.

Gnabry, watching from the side, clicked his tongue in amazement: "Captain, I never knew you were so organized even in the kitchen!"

Leaving the Asian supermarket, laden with seasonings and meats carefully selected by Vogt, the group drove to a large, comprehensive fresh food market.

The colors and vibrancy here are more suited to the performance of the other teammates, or rather, to "cause trouble".

"Yan! Eggplant! Eggplant!" Ute exclaimed, pointing to a pile of long, dark purple eggplants and another type of round, purple eggplant. "Which do you want? Long or round?"

Yan Yuan walked over, carefully touched them, picked up two long eggplants and looked at the stems: "I want a little of both. The long eggplants are better for making dishes like 'Three Treasures of the Earth' and braised eggplant, as they are more tender."

Round eggplants have more flesh and are delicious braised in oil or stewed in soy sauce. Hmm... I'll grab a few more long eggplants; we need a lot of them for the "Three Treasures of the Earth" (a Sichuan dish).

Ute immediately transformed into a porter, shoving things into the car.

Amiri, standing in front of the pile of potatoes, was perplexed: "Yan, these potatoes all look pretty much the same!"

"I want one with a higher starch content, so it won't fall apart easily when cooked." Yan Yuan took one, weighed it in his hand, and then looked at the skin.

"These yellow-skinned ones are quite good, with smooth surfaces without pits and shallow buds." He demonstrated by picking out a few and putting them in the shopping cart, and Amiri followed suit.

"Choose green peppers that are bright green, thick-skinned, and glossy. These will have a milder spiciness but a crisp texture," Yan Yuan instructed in front of a pile of peppers.

Gnabry immediately picked up a few green bell peppers: "These, right? They look really sturdy!"

Vogt shook his head: "Serge, you're holding a bell pepper; the green pepper is this one."

He picked up a slightly smaller, more upright green pepper from the side.

"Choose ripe tomatoes, but not mushy ones. The skin should be shiny and undamaged, and the stem should still be fresh and green. They taste best when scrambled with eggs and the tomatoes are sandy." Yan Yuan said as he carefully selected tomatoes at the tomato stand.

Amiri followed behind, imitating him by touching and pinching, as seriously as if she were doing scientific research.

Cucumbers were the subject of debate between Ute and Gnabry.

"Of course, we should choose the straight one!"

"No, a slight curve looks fresher and more natural, doesn't it?"

It wasn't until the team leader personally stepped forward, picking up a cucumber with a dark green skin, prickly edges, and a firm, resilient texture when pinched, that he said: "When buying cucumbers, choose these kinds—fresh, crisp, and tender."

"Where's the carrot? What dish are you going to make with it?" Vogt asked, holding up a carrot.

"This is a side dish for sweet and sour pork, you'll see when the time comes," Yan Yuan added after thinking for a moment. "Oh, and we need to add some ginger and garlic as well."

Vogt readily agreed and also bought some scallions and garlic on the way.

Before I knew it, my shopping cart was overflowing: heavy potatoes, plump green and red peppers, glistening purple eggplants, fresh meat and poultry, various seasonings, and unexpected radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and all sorts of side dishes.

The fresh vegetables, mixed with the scents of earth and sunshine, are quite different from the spice smells in the Asian supermarkets I've been to before, but they are just as full of the comforting feeling of life.

As Yan Yuan looked at these familiar ingredients, the image of the stove fire seemed to appear in his mind.

The image of my mother busily working in the kitchen of the Birmingham restaurant became clearer: the clanging of the wok, the sizzling of the hot oil frying food, the aroma of vegetables rising the moment they hit the pan...

Those memories and skills that had long been ingrained in his bones became a little bit of "home" flavor that he could share with these foreign brothers who fought side by side—a flavor from Chinese family culture.

The groceries filled the trunk and the empty space in the back seat. On the way back, the car was even more lively.

On the way back, everyone talked about why Yan Yuan could cook. Yan Yuan said that his family owned a small restaurant.

"Wow, Yan, you own a restaurant? That's so cool!" Ute was very interested in the topic.

"Yeah, my mom runs a small restaurant in Birmingham. When I was little, I spent most of my time there after school," Yan Yuan explained simply, looking out at the familiar streets. "I helped wash vegetables and serve dishes. I watched my mom and the chefs work, and I learned a little bit on my own."

"I dare say your cooking is absolutely delicious," Amiri said, her voice filled with excitement and trust.

"The pressure is immense," Yan Yuan rubbed his nose, a hint of shyness in his smile. "I have to try my best not to burn the pot through."

Vogt drove steadily, glancing in the rearview mirror at the guys in the back seat who were excitedly discussing who would smash cucumbers and who would peel potatoes, and also saw Yan Yuan in the passenger seat looking on expectantly, a relaxed smile rarely seen on the field.

The post-match atmosphere was definitely more enjoyable for everyone.

The car drove into the players' apartment area next to the training base and stopped in front of the building where Yan Yuan lived.

The trunk door opened, and a rich aroma of fruits and vegetables wafted out. The group of people laughed and joked as they unloaded all the bags.

"Come on, guys," Yan Yuan opened the apartment door, stepping aside to let his teammates, who were carrying large bags and small packages, in. A faint, familiar scent of their new home could already be smelled inside.

"The kitchen is here. Welcome to Yan's Restaurant in Huocun today." The small apartment was instantly filled with the aroma of ingredients and the laughter of young people.

The real challenge is just beginning, but looking at the expectant faces before him, Yan Yuan knew he had to make sure this meal turned out well.