While taking a taxi home with Harden, Xu Yong was thinking about a question in his mind: Is death a type of injury?
When he finally came to the conclusion that it didn't count, he looked around him very warily.
Because this is the first time since his rebirth that he has a strong sense of crisis about death.
All because the streets around them looked so chaotic.
There were gangsters wandering around on the street from time to time. When driving through hidden alleys, he could see people trading "Qing Qing Pills" inside, and even at certain corners, he could see "walking zombies" wandering around. .
He had seen introductions to chaotic neighborhoods in the United States in media reports before, but those words were far from enough to describe the scenes he saw at this time.
He looked back at Harden, never expecting that Harden also grew up in this kind of environment.
"Relax, they know I play well and won't do anything to me." Harden reassured after seeing Xu Yong's reaction.
Xu Yong nodded. People in the neighborhood would subconsciously protect someone who might become famous and bring benefits to them.
And he seemed to understand something at this moment.
In those original news reports, we often saw that many NBA players would have many "hustlers" when they grew up. The most famous one was Allen Iverson, and then the "gun king" Morant.
But think about being born in these places, after becoming famous, they will inevitably encounter life safety problems, and even their family members will inevitably encounter them. Without the help of so-called friends and friends, whether they can survive to the moment of becoming famous is a question.
Soon they arrived at Harden's door.
Harden made a phone call before going home. At this moment, a man who looked somewhat similar to Harden but was older than Harden greeted them at the door.
"My sister, Anike Giles." Harden introduced.
"Welcome, Xu." Giles took the initiative to reach out and hug Xu Yong. Harden should have introduced him on the phone.
After entering the house, Xu Yong looked around and soon discovered that the conditions in Harden's home were very poor.
The only advantage of the simple furniture and crowded clutter is that it is tidy, indicating that the owner of the house is usually diligent.
After sitting down, a slightly obese black woman came out. She looked somewhat similar to Harden. This should be Harden's mother.
"Mom." Sure enough, when Harden saw the woman, he went up to her and hugged her.
The women's eyes were full of love when they hugged Harden.
After hugging Harden, the woman walked up to Xu Yong and introduced herself: "I am Monya Willis. Welcome, Xu. My little lucky guy hasn't brought friends to the house for a long time. Oh, by the way, I Bought a steak tonight.”
"Thank you." Xu Yong stood up and hugged Willis, then said thank you.
Willis quickly went back to preparing dinner, while Harden led Xu Yong into his room.
Although the house is small and crowded, Harden does have his own room.
Although there are some women's clothes on the bed in his room now.
"When I'm not here, Annick will sleep in my room." Harden said, covering up the clothes with a quilt.
Xu Yong nodded, and then his eyes were attracted to the poster above his head.
That's the commemorative poster of Kobe's 81-point night.jpg.
Pointing to the sky with one hand, he is so handsome.
He couldn't help but laugh.
Because there was also a huge poster of football stars above the head of the bed in his previous room.
Only it wasn't Kobe, it was Jordan, the "last.shot" scene.
Then, he was attracted by several group photos on the wall.
One of them should be a photo of the varsity team when he graduated from high school, then a photo with Scott Pera, and another one.
Hey, is that DeMar DeRozan?
When he saw DeRozan, he was stunned for a moment. He found that his understanding of Harden was really limited.
"That's DeMar. He's still at Compton High School, averaging 30 points per game. He's a natural basketball star." Harden said with a smile.
"He also lives in this neighborhood?" Xu Yong asked curiously.
"Yes, he lives in the past two blocks. We can go find him after dinner." Harden said with a smile.
Xu Yong nodded, but there was a strange feeling in his heart.
Harden and Westbrook have known each other since they were young, and DeRozan and DeRozan have known each other since they were young. This NBA circle is really very small.
Harden then sat down and chatted with Xu Yong about high school stories, which was also a very classic past.
As a native of Compton, his best option was to go to Compton High School with DeRozan, but they didn't take a fancy to him there.
Later, he could only go to Lakewood Adesia High School, a suburban school, where he met Scott Pera and staged "The Revenge of the Black Prince."
In his junior and senior years, he led the team to defeat Compton High School for two consecutive years and win the California High School League championship.
"Children, it's time to eat." While they were chatting, Willis came to the room with a smile.
Xu Yong and Harden got up and went to the living room together.
There were three large plates of pasta on the table, followed by cooked but unpeeled potatoes.
In the middle of the table is a steak that has been cut into many small pieces.
After Xu Yong sat down, he only ate some steak as a token of appreciation, and then concentrated on eating pasta and potatoes.
They are really filling.
After dinner, Harden took the initiative to clear away the dishes and then went to wash the dishes.
Children from poor families have become masters early. Harden must have been very sensible when he was a child.
Willis did not go to help, but said gratefully to Xu Yong: "Thank you, Xu."
Xu Yong was a little confused by the sudden gratitude. He quickly smiled and said: "Aunt Willis, I want to thank you for your hospitality."
Willis shook his head and continued: "Luckily, I have no other friends except that little guy Demar. You can be his friend and you must have helped him a lot in school."
Xu Yong was stunned when he heard this.
He realized that Willis knew Harden very well as a mother and that Harden's intelligence was inherited from her.
Xu Yong was a little embarrassed, so he simply changed the subject: "Aunt Willis, why did you call James 'Lucky'?"
"Because he is really a lucky child." Willis turned to look at Harden who was busy in the kitchen and said with emotion, "His father went to prison very early. I was pregnant and had to work while giving birth to him. The previous two children were miscarried..."
Xu Yong was stunned when he heard this, and looked at Harden. He suddenly felt that it was not easy for Harden to get to where he is today, and he understood why Harden had that kind of character.
"Aunt Willis, you are a great mother." Xu Yong praised after retracting his gaze.
According to Willis, Harden's father went to prison early, and they lived in such a chaotic neighborhood, but Harden was still able to pursue the path of basketball. As a mother, Willis is not only very visionary and intelligent. , and must have paid a lot.
Willis looked back at Xu Yong, his eye circles turning red uncontrollably.
Only she knows the sacrifices she has made along the way, but this is the first time she has heard someone call her "great", and she is still a child like Harden.
"I'm sorry." She realized her gaffe and turned her head.
At this time, Harden had finished washing the dishes and came out. After seeing Willis's expression, he asked with concern: "What happened, Mom?"
Willis shook his head and said with a smile: "I feel like my little lucky guy has grown up, and I'm very happy."
Harden grinned, then touched his chin and said with a smile: "Mom, I haven't cut my beard since I went to school. This makes me more mature."
When Xu Yong heard this, he unconsciously looked at Harden.
Just like two people who have been together for a long time can't feel that the other has gained weight, he realized that the "Jike Junyi" when they first met has now become a bearded man.
