On the afternoon of January 28, 2025, which was Chinese New Year's Eve, Gao Nuo and Wang Qing were decorating the living room.
A mature and elegant female voice came, "Qing Qing, we're out of vinegar at home. Did you finish the aged vinegar I brought you last time?"
Hearing the question, Wang Qing replied as she walked towards the kitchen, "Auntie, it's long gone. You don't know, Gao Nuo loves vinegar."
Xu Meiling walked to the kitchen doorway, looked at Gao Nuo's flushed cheeks, and laughed, "You two kids, so mischievous."
Wang Qing took the grapes Xu Meiling had washed. "Auntie, Gao Nuo eats nutritious meals every day and doesn't use many seasonings, so we don't have much stored at home."
Xu Meiling glanced at the clock on the wall. "There's still time. Let's go, Qing Qing, come with me to buy some seasonings. It's New Year's today, let Xiao Nuo indulge himself for once."
The two went out chatting and laughing. Gao Yuan happened to be returning from the yard and sat on the sofa with his son, chatting.
"Dad, have some grapes. Mom just washed them."
"Mm, you eat too. You played well this year. Have you been injured recently?"
"No, you always ask every time you call. I've always reported promptly. At most, they're minor bruises that don't even require rest."
"That's good. I'm just afraid you'll only report good news. Your friends should be arriving soon, right? I'll help you set up."
"Ding-dong--" Before they could get up, the doorbell rang. Gao Nuo opened the door to greet Li Qiang and Wen Na, who stood at the entrance with two bottles of red wine.
"Happy New Year, Gao Nuo!"
"Happy New Year, sister-in-law. You didn't have to bring gifts, you're too kind."
"Not at all, it's only right."
Li Qiang just grinned foolishly. It seemed his progress with Wen Na was going very smoothly. Upon entering and seeing Gao Yuan, Li Qiang quickly walked over to shake his hand.
"Happy New Year, Uncle. This is my girlfriend, Wen Na. We're troubling you today."
Wen Na held up the red wine in her hand. "Hello, Uncle. It's our first meeting, I brought you a small gift."
Gao Yuan shook hands with both of them. "Good, good, good. Wen Na, right? Xiao Nuo often talks about you. Thank you and Qiangzi for taking care of Xiao Nuo."
Li Qiang waved his hands repeatedly. "No, no, if it weren't for Xiao Nuo, how would I have had the chance to come abroad? I should be thanking him."
Gao Nuo looked helplessly at the three exchanging pleasantries. "Uh, you guys help me set up the living room first, otherwise, I'll be done for when my mom gets back."
"Haha, you direct us. We'll do it together."
Li Qiang and Wen Na were both familiar with the place. They took off their coats and got busy.
With many hands making light work, the living room and dining room were quickly filled with a New Year's atmosphere.
Wang Xiaochuan met Wang Qing and the other person on the way and became their bag carrier, returning to Gao Nuo's home together.
Gao Yuan and Xu Meiling greeted the young people, then went into the kitchen to start preparing the New Year's Eve dinner. Wang Qing and Wen Na dutifully followed to help, leaving just the three brothers in the living room.
Li Qiang spoke first, "Xiao Chuan, you're playing pretty well at Stockport."
At the mention of this, Wang Xiaochuan couldn't suppress the smile on his face. "Yes, I've been promoted to the main team recently. The team's momentum is good, and we have a chance to be promoted to League One next season."
Gao Nuo had been playing a lot of matches recently and hadn't done extra training with Wang Xiaochuan for half a month. "That's great, Captain, you didn't tell me sooner."
Wang Xiaochuan handed Gao Nuo an orange. "It's not a big deal. You've been focused on matches recently, no need to worry about me."
Li Qiang interjected, "Xiao Chuan, you've gotten a lot stronger. Have you done a physical test recently?"
Wang Xiaochuan scratched his head. "No, but I also feel much stronger. Thanks to Wang Qing's nutritious meals, though they're unfortunately too hard to eat."
Gao Nuo nervously looked back at the kitchen, saw no one, and whispered, "Chuan Ge, keep your voice down. One time I said it wasn't good, and guess what?"
At this point, Gao Nuo cautiously looked back again before continuing, "Qing Qing directly brought me two raw beef steaks, two raw eggs, and a cup of bitter melon juice the next day. I almost threw up eating it."
"Hahaha--"
The New Year's Eve dinner was ready. Gao Nuo and Wang Xiaochuan temporarily set aside their identities as professional players, eating fragrant pork and three-delicacy dumplings, and each drank a glass of red wine. At the dinner table, everyone chatted and laughed.
Gao Yuan and Xu Meiling, as elders, gave everyone a big red envelope, fully immersing them in the New Year's spirit and making the few people in a foreign land feel very warm.
The relaxed and joyful atmosphere continued until the New Year's Eve dinner ended. According to Chinese custom, after the New Year, Gao Nuo would be another year older, and the company of family and friends injected new vitality into him.
With increased squad depth, Manchester United, fighting on four fronts, maintained good rotation. The injury situation this season remained pleasing, until early February 2025.
Neymar suffered a hamstring tear on the training ground and would be out for two months.
Varane sustained an ankle sprain in a team practice match, requiring about three weeks of rest.
Even without two experienced veterans, Manchester United's performance in February remained excellent.
February 1, 2025, Premier League, Manchester United 2:1 Chelsea.
February 4, 2025, Premier League, Manchester United 4:0 Wolves.
February 8, 2025, FA Cup Fourth Round, Manchester United 5:1 Watford.
February 15, 2025, Premier League, Manchester United 7:2 Nottingham Forest.
February 22, 2025, Premier League, Manchester United 2:1 Crystal Palace.
After entering 2025, with the easing of locker room issues, Manchester United once again displayed the brilliant attacking play of last season. With eight consecutive League wins, they returned to the top four in the standings, still retaining their qualification to compete for the championship.
In the FA Cup Fifth Round, Manchester United played away against Brentford.
Gao Nuo continued to rotate. Although the competition with Abraham made his statistics less impressive, the benefits were obvious: under the congested schedule, his physical condition remained very good, and being free from injury is the happiest thing for a professional athlete.
Abraham found his rhythm in the Premier League, and his bet with Gao Nuo gave him great motivation. His own strength was not weak, and after putting aside his own agenda, he gained Erik ten Hag's trust.
The Bees had consistently stayed in the mid-table of the Premier League. Facing a Manchester United team back on track, the match result was not in doubt.
Abraham scored a hat-trick, and Manchester United won 5:1 against Brentford.
In a post-match interview, Abraham spoke about his competition with Gao Nuo: "Gao is a good young player, he's ignited my competitive spirit, but I think he needs to gain more experience through more matches."
As for the starting position, in my opinion, there's no suspense. As I adapt to the Premier League, I will prove my worth with my performances."
