Chapter 110 109: Warm Harbor
A sliver of the setting sun still lingered on the horizon, not yet fully faded. The indigo sky held a hint of translucence, and the curtain of night, hanging in the distant firmament, was slow to fall, as if waiting for a grand party to unfold.
He drove down the quiet, peaceful street. A single, cream-yellow light shone with serene tranquility, like a lighthouse on the vast sea, guiding lost and wandering ships toward home until they finally docked in a calm harbor, drifting to sleep on gentle, warm waves.
As he slowly pulled the car over to the side of the road, Logan's farewell call drifted from a distance. "Bambi, see you tomorrow." The voice reverberated through the air before fading away, and silence returned. Lu Ke let out a long breath, quickly grabbed his gear bag, and hurried down the path to his front door. The porch's motion-sensor light flicked on with a CLICK, and a lazy, warm glow spilled down, causing the surrounding gloom to recede like an ebbing tide.
'This is home.'
His heart surged with an uncontrollable emotion. Unable to contain his excitement, he pushed the front door straight open and looked around, but he didn't see anyone. The soaring spirits inside him fell just a little. "Mom? Mom!" Lu Ke called out as he closed the door behind him, searching for Jiang Youning. Then, a voice called back, "I'm in the kitchen."
Lu Ke strode into the kitchen and saw the busy figure of Jiang Youning preparing dinner. Although she had a full-time job, Jiang Youning would cook at home whenever she didn't have to work overtime—at first, it was to save money, but it gradually became a habit.
"Hurry and wash your hands. I just have to stir-fry one more vegetable, and then we can eat," Jiang Youning said, rambling on without turning around. "There's bone soup simmering in the pot, so go ahead and have a bowl first. After work today, I made a special trip to Chinatown to buy some Chinese herbs that are supposed to be good for your bones. Didn't you sprain your ankle a bit during training the other day? Hurry and drink some to help it heal."
Her nagging chatter left no room for Lu Ke to speak, but it made him chuckle in spite of himself. "Mom, I have something to tell you. Can you stop for a second? Where's Dad?"
"Whatever it is, you can tell us during dinner," Jiang Youning replied, completely ignoring him. "Isn't your dad in the study? Hurry up, call your dad out. It's time to eat. It's already eight o'clock. If we drag this out any longer, you'll go to bed late again, and you have to get up early for training tomorrow."
"Mom, Mom!" Helpless, Lu Ke finally grabbed his mother's shoulders, turned her around, and reached out to switch off the gas stove. "Mom, three minutes—no, one minute. Just one minute. Dinner isn't that urgent." Before Jiang Youning could object, Lu Ke was already steering his mother out of the kitchen and into the living room, shouting, "Dad, come out to the living room! Quick, I have something to tell you!"
A moment later, Lu Zhengze rushed out in a flurry. "Ke, tell me, why haven't the Indianapolis Colts held a tryout? It's confirmed that Peyton Manning is out for the season, and their two backup quarterbacks aren't very good..." Apparently, Lu Zhengze had been in his study researching the league's situation and player rosters, trying his best to find more opportunities for his son.
"Dad." After seating Jiang Youning, Lu Ke settled Lu Zhengze next to his mother. "Listen to me..."
"Didn't you say it was time to eat?" Lu Zhengze sat down and looked at his wife in confusion. Jiang Youning pointed at Lu Ke. "It was your son."
Lu Zhengze nodded. "Oh, oh. Ke, how about we send an email to the coach and ask about the Colts' situation? They're industry insiders, so they definitely know more than we do, but from what I saw on ESPN's analysis..."
"Dad, I'm not going to the Colts." The promised one minute was stretching toward two, so Lu Ke cut straight to the chase. He saw the bewildered look on Lu Zhengze's face and spoke again before his father could. "I'll be staying with the 49ers."
"..." Lu Zhengze froze. Jiang Youning froze too. For a moment, neither of them understood what he meant and had no reaction at all. This, in turn, caught Lu Ke off guard, and he had to repeat himself. "I said, I'll be staying with the 49ers. The tryout ended today, and I was the one who made it."
"Uh, you're saying... you're a member of the 49ers now?" Lu Zhengze finally came to his senses and asked again for confirmation. Seeing Lu Ke nod, Lu Zhengze blinked and froze once more. The joy had come so quickly that he was having trouble processing it.
Lu Ke quickly opened his gear bag, pulled out the contract inside, and placed it on the coffee table in the living room. "Look, this is the rookie contract the team offered me. It's a two-year deal for now. The lawyer looked it over and said everything is fine. I have my physical tomorrow, and if that goes well, I can sign it."
Lu Zhengze reached out, picked up the contract, and began to read through it seriously.
Jiang Youning looked from side to side, seeming a bit lost. Finally, she stood up and said in a fluster, "Oh my, this is great news." Her gaze kept darting around, unable to find a place to rest. "There should be a cake. Why didn't I prepare a cake? I didn't make anything special tonight, either. I completely forgot to go to the supermarket today. Something like this deserves a celebration. I'll go ask the neighbors if they have any good ingredients. We should make a big feast."
Jiang Youning stood there, flustered and muttering to herself. After finally making up her mind, she bypassed Lu Ke and started walking. But instead of heading for the front door, she walked toward the backyard, her sense of direction completely gone.
Lu Ke quickly grabbed his mother. "Mom, it's okay. Isn't dinner almost ready? No need to go to any more trouble. Besides, I have my physical tomorrow, so I can't eat just anything."
Jiang Youning looked at Lu Ke, dazed. All of a sudden, tears blurred her vision. "Well done. Well done. You finally did it." As she spoke, the tears began to fall, unstoppable. The words caught in her throat, and she just stood there, silently letting them stream down her face. "Ke, you did it."
Seeing his mother's tear-streaked face, Lu Ke felt his own nose tingle, but he still managed a smile and pulled her into a hug. "Yeah, I did it." That simple sentence made Jiang Youning begin to wail.
Thirteen years. A full thirteen years. The road had been too long and too hard, but now, a new page had finally been turned.
After letting all her emotions out, Jiang Youning calmed down a little. She looked up at Lu Ke, blinked, and then suddenly came to her senses. "Wait, that bone soup—you can't drink it. The Chinese herbs, they often don't pass drug tests. Look at my memory. We haven't checked them, and we don't have the team doctor's approval, so you can't just drink it. I'll make you a new bowl of lean meat soup, following your old coach's recipe. Don't worry, it'll be quick."
Rambling on, Jiang Youning's mood finally lifted. A smile touched the corners of her eyes and mouth, and her whole demeanor brightened as she walked toward the kitchen with a light spring in her step.
Watching his mother leave, Lu Ke couldn't help but chuckle. 'Just a moment ago she was talking about going next door for ingredients, and now she's completely forgotten.'
Pulling his gaze back, Lu Ke looked again at his father, who had remained silent all this time. He sat down on the sofa across from him. "Dad, what's wrong? Weren't you always hoping I'd be able to join the 49ers? Now that I finally have, why don't you look happy at all?"
Lu Zhengze put down the contract and looked up at Lu Ke.
As a fan, he was genuinely happy for Lu Ke. The long struggle and hard work had finally made his dream a reality. But as a father, the dream had just begun, and he was already starting to worry about the future.
"Ke, this journey has been incredibly difficult, but the real hardship is just beginning. The road ahead might be ten times, even a hundred times harder than before. Are you ready for that?" Lu Zhengze said in a heartfelt, serious tone.
Lu Ke didn't speak. He just met his father's gaze with a calm, brave expression. Words were pale and powerless at this moment. His actions, his discipline, his diligence, and his effort over the past years—that was the best proof of his character. Lu Ke would absolutely not give up easily, much less surrender. He was a warrior.
Lu Zhengze understood the look in his son's eyes. He broke into a wide smile and nodded emphatically. "You remember this: your mom and I, we will always be your biggest fans! Go give it your all! We're both looking forward to the day we can see you shine on the stage at Candlestick Park. When that time comes, we will definitely be there in person to cheer you on!"
After speaking, Lu Zhengze pumped his right fist. "Go, 49ers!" At that moment, the joy and happiness truly overflowed. He clapped Lu Ke hard on the shoulder. The countless, tangled words he wanted to say remained unspoken. He just let out a long breath and exclaimed, "We have a 49er in the family now!"
Lu Zhengze's gaze returned to the contract in his hands, and he began to read it again.
Lu Ke quietly watched his father. Amidst the graying hair at his temples, wrinkles had silently crept across his face. The figure of the father who once seemed so tall now appeared slightly stooped. The joyful depths of his eyes reflected the brilliant light, but he lowered his head, clumsily and awkwardly hiding his emotions.
These were his father and mother. This was his home. This was his warm harbor, his eternal support system, cheering him on along the path of his dream. From this day forward, he would gradually, slowly, take up this burden and support the weight of the entire family on his shoulders.
"Dad, I met with the union lawyer today. He made a lot of notes and said to pay attention to these parts. You can take a look..." Lu Ke sat down next to his father, and the two of them huddled together, beginning to study the contract.
Before long, Jiang Youning's nagging voice came again. "You two, hurry up and come eat. You can study that after dinner. There will be plenty of time later; no need to rush right now. Ke has to get up early for his physical tomorrow, doesn't he? Did the coach say anything to watch out for? Should I or your dad take the day off to go with you?"
"Ke drove to college in Los Angeles all by himself. What are you still worried about?" Lu Zhengze's steady voice replied.
Under the dim yellow light, the simple back-and-forth of family life exuded a blissful warmth.