The Unevenness of Talent

Some people instinctively looked at Du An, their hearts uneasy as they guessed. Was he leaving Kirkby? Had another club poached him? Or had something happened? Only Connor pursed his lips, a vague suspicion forming in his mind. In just three months, Du An had gone from stumbling over even his first touch to becoming the core of the U16 midfield. At that pace, there could only be one answer. Sure enough, the next second Aslett smiled and said, 'The club has decided. After the New Year, Du An will be officially promoted to the U18 youth team. The rest of you should take note as well—train hard. Opportunities always go to those who are prepared.' Whoa! The room instantly erupted, gasps and shouts rising one after another. 'God! Du An! You're going to the U18?!' Lewis had the loudest voice, nearly leaping out of his chair. 'That's insane!' Ben first let out a loud laugh, then deliberately put on a miserable face. 'I'm done, done for. Who's going to pass me balls this comfortable after you leave? Won't my goal count be cut in half?' Connor, sitting beside Du An, opened his mouth, but for a long while no words came out. It wasn't that he hadn't guessed, but at the moment the announcement was actually made, he was still shaken. He remembered clearly how Du An had looked when he first joined the U16 in late September—even carrying the ball and changing direction had been clumsy. Heighway had even asked him to train with Du An as a practice partner and teach him a thing or two. Only three months. Connor was still grinding away in the U16, thinking that securing a starting place was already pretty good, yet Du An had rocketed straight up to the U18. He had always seen phrases like 'boy genius' and 'one in a hundred years' in newspapers and thought they were just fabricated hype. Only today did he realize that a genius was really right beside him—and shared his dormitory. Around them, teammates were still joking noisily. Someone patted Du An on the shoulder and called out, 'When you get to Anfield, don't forget us. Get us some inside tickets, all right?' Someone laughed. 'Don't go pretending you don't know your old teammates once you're in the U18.' The whole room was noisy and lively. Connor laughed along and called out, 'You really are something. Hiding your true skills.' It was a sincere congratulation, but only he knew there was an indescribable feeling in his heart. 'What are you all imagining?' Du An waved his hand with a smile. 'I'm just going to the U18 to train and play matches, not leaving Kirkby. The training base is this small; we'll run into each other all the time. We'll still eat and play together as usual. Besides, we're still at the same school. I'm not running away.' Aslett looked at the bunch of half-grown kids making a racket below. He shook his head with a smile and clapped his hands. 'All right, meeting dismissed. You lot go eat later. You can go home tonight or tomorrow. And Du An, stay behind for a moment.' The crowd shuffled out noisily. Du An walked up to Aslett. Aslett directly counted out six pounds from his wallet and held them out to Du An. 'Take it. My treat. An early birthday wish.' Aslett also patted Du An on the shoulder and said seriously, 'Play well in the U18. I'm waiting to see you shine.' Du An did not decline. He took the money and nodded solemnly. 'Thanks, boss.' A little after six in the evening, the sky over Liverpool had long since gone completely dark. It hadn't snowed this year, but the night wind carried a damp chill, cutting against the face like tiny knives, making one's face ache from the cold. It was still that same fish and chips shop. A layer of white fog covered the glass door. The moment the door was pushed open, a wave of hot air and the aroma of fried fish rushed out. A bunch of half-grown kids noisily crowded up to the counter to order, jostling one another, calling for extra tartar sauce and mushy peas. The owner laughed and called out, 'No rush, no rush. There's enough for everyone.' Shortly after they sat down, Connor began vividly recounting the time Du An had first arrived to those beside him. 'You didn't see it. When he first came to the U16 in September, he couldn't even carry the ball and change direction smoothly. Sometimes he'd trip himself up doing a step-over. I had to drag him into extra training and teach him how to cut the ball inside and change direction.' He spoke with great excitement, then sighed at the end. 'Just three months! I feel like I'm still stuck in the same place, yet Du An has gone straight to the U18. I used to read in the newspapers about boy geniuses, and I thought it was all talk. Now I know—the genius really was right under my nose.' Hahaha! Everyone at the table burst out laughing. Some nodded along. There was more than a little envy in their hearts, but even more admiration. Everyone had seen how Du An had trained over the past three months. He was the first to arrive and the last to leave every day. Extra training was never interrupted. His progress in matches was real and visible to all. 'Honestly, Du An,' Ben said after biting into a chip, speaking indistinctly, 'I really won't get used to it once you leave. Before, I didn't even have to look when making runs—the ball would be right at my feet.' 'What's this?' Connor teased him with a smile. 'After experiencing Du An's passing, you don't care for ours anymore, is that it?' The whole table roared with laughter. Du An laughed too. He raised his soda and clinked it against Ben's. 'Scoring goals is simple. Wait until you get to the U18 too—I'll feed you plenty. I'm just afraid you won't be able to run or finish.' 'Hey!' Ben slapped the table. 'You wait. Next year I'll definitely make it up there too!' Lewis joined in. 'Honestly, sometimes when you pass me the ball, I still feel a bit nervous. The main thing is you pass so accurately—if I can't control it and can't score, wouldn't that make me look completely useless?' Haha! That line sent the whole table into laughter again. As they chattered on, the conversation began to drift into everyday topics. Someone brought up the first team's Christmas fancy-dress party at the city centre square a week earlier. 'Haha, that fancy-dress party was so cool!' 'Kuyt went as Superman, Garcia was a vampire, Agger was Elvis, Bellamy did skeleton makeup, Zenden went as the American Superman, and Hyypiä had on a whole Zorro outfit. With the eye mask on, you couldn't recognize anyone.' 'Kewell wore that traditional Australian costume, all flashy and garish,' Lewis added. 'The funniest was Crouch. Over two meters tall in a parrot costume, strutting around the square, turning every head!' 'And Alonso!' Ben laughed so hard he slapped the table. 'Everyone else was in weird costumes, and he was the only one in casual clothes. It was like he'd wandered onto the wrong set, completely out of place.' 'Gerrard was in punk gear—studded leather jacket and that hairstyle. He looked incredible. Carragher went as Spider-Man and was the most popular with the kids. A bunch of little ones surrounded him wanting photos.' The group talked over one another. Some had attended; others had read the details in the newspapers. Du An listened quietly. He had heard about it at the time but hadn't gone in person. Now, listening to everyone describe it so animatedly, a smile touched the corners of his mouth. He actually liked this kind of atmosphere. Still, he couldn't help feeling a little wistful. The first time everyone had gathered for a meal was to celebrate his debut, and this time it was to celebrate him leaving the U16 and entering the U18. They ate until nearly eight before the noisy group settled the bill and went out. The cold wind rushed at them, and everyone pulled their necks in as they headed toward the dormitory. When they reached the bottom of the dormitory building, they said goodbye to Du An one by one, saying 'Happy birthday' and 'Good luck in the U18.' It took a good while before they each returned to their rooms. After washing up, Du An lay down in bed and soon fell fast asleep. The match had tired him out. But Connor lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep no matter what. Du An had only been in football for three months and was already going to the U18, while Connor was still struggling in the U16. He had always thought he was somewhat talented too, among the best in his age group, but compared with Du An, he finally understood what a real talent gap looked like. Outside the window, the wind howled. Connor stared at the dark ceiling and let out a soft sigh. For the first time, he felt so clearly the unevenness of talent between people.