My Family's Secret Website

"The Old Dragon"... that’s what they’ve been calling him these past few years. A fitting name for him. )

- (Shen Mao). "Damn it! I’m no old man, for fuck’s sake! Call me... father-in-law."

- (Me). "No."

- (Shen Mao). "..."

A brief silence hung between them.

(~sound of a cricket)

- (Shen Mao). "Why?!"

- (Me). "I’m not interested in that sort of thing."

- (Shen Mao). "Are you sure? For me, the word ’no’ doesn’t exist..."

- (Me). "Yes, I’m sure."

- (Shen Mao). "Really? Aren’t you afraid I’ll get angry? You know very well who I am and what power I wield. What will you do... if this old man forces you to marry his daughter?"

- (Me). "You can try, but... I can’t guarantee that your people will be in one piece after we meet."

- (Shen Mao). "Oh, really?"

- (Me). "Yes."

- (Shen Mao). "..."

- (Me). "..."

For a moment, a rather tense atmosphere hung between them, growing more oppressive with every passing second, but soon...

- (Shen Mao). "Ha-ha-ha... You young bastard! You haven’t changed a bit, which makes me very happy. Brave and ruthless, just like when I first met you about eight years ago. ’Red Yasu’ is the only fighter I can recall who recognized no authority and respected only those who were truly worthy of his own code... How are you, my friend? This old man has been missing his old friend."

- (Me). "Ha-ha... You haven’t changed either, Mr. Mao."

(Mr. Mao has... a rather peculiar sense of humor. Every year, he calls me out of the blue and asks me to become his son-in-law. I still don’t know why he does this. It all started the day I met him and his beloved daughter... Miss Minkun. His daughter is unmarried and seems to have never been officially married. From that day on, for some reason, Mr. Mao began quite openly suggesting that Miss Minkun and I become a couple, which made our subsequent meetings... awkward for both me and this grown woman. Miss Minkun was constantly outraged whenever she heard such words from her father and acted accordingly, which amused Mr. Mao for some inexplicable reason... What a strange man.)

There’s a lot to say about Shen Mao, but it would take far too long.

He’s a living legend with a deeply inspiring story that serves as an example to follow... but only in part, since some pages of his biography are shrouded in dark secrets.

Mr. Mao... is no ordinary man.

The old man can be a good friend if he sees in you the qualities he himself possesses, but if Mr. Mao becomes your enemy... you’ll at the very least be crying because you crossed his path at the wrong time.

Also, one of the key aspects of his life story is, of course, his family and... his approximately fourteen children.

Shen Mao is a devoted family man who loves all his children, but he has always shown a special fondness for Miss Minkun, constantly saying that she is his true ideal and placing her first among all his children.

(I don’t know if there were conflicts within the family in the past over something like this, but now it seems that everything is fine, and even Miss Mingkun’s other relatives don’t show any open hostility toward her which surely should be there, but fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be the case.)

Also, regarding the clarification of Mr. Mao’s fidelity to his wife... it’s phrased incorrectly... his wives.

Shen Mao’s fourteen children were fathered by eight different women, who are... his official wives.

(Mr. Mao is the only man on our continent who has been allowed to marry more than one woman... I don’t know how he got around the law, though I seem to guess that his influence came into play here, but yes... he has eight official wives!)

Sohen doesn’t know the full story, but according to Mr. Shen himself, he was very happy to have met all those women in his life and has no regrets that his life turned out this way.

(By the way, Miss Mingkun is his youngest daughter and, apparently, the thirteenth child in the family.)

Shen Mao has led and continues to lead — a truly fairy-tale life.

The family patriarch has already become a grandfather and great-grandfather to the children of his oldest children, but in recent years, a certain sadness can be sensed in his words when he reminisces specifically about his wives.

The thing is, time flies by incredibly fast, and he’s already over eighty.

According to statistics, he’s older than the average person in our country, which is really great, but seven of his eight wives won’t live to see this, since they’ve... passed away.

From illness to natural aging — these are the very reasons he became a widower.

(It’s all very sad, and I really feel for him, but that’s life, and no one is immune to something like this...)

It’s hard to know what’s in the old man’s heart right now, but he’s holding on, finding the strength to carry on, and living first and foremost for those who are close to him.

(I learned all this after we first talked in a more open atmosphere and knew each other well enough to share something like this. He also knows what I went through back then, and it’s probably our deep mutual understanding that led us to become friends so quickly.)

...

Fifteen minutes passed.

(Well then... Mr. Mao, on behalf of his daughter, is inviting me to her 30th birthday party.)

- (Shen Mao). "My sweet Minkun really wants to see you, so please come and make this day even more special for her."

- (Me). "I... Phew... Okay. I promise I’ll be there on time for her birthday."

- (Shen Mao). "Great! I knew you wouldn’t say no, my future son-in-law, ha-ha. We’ll be waiting for you in a week, and see you soon."

- (Me). "See you soon, Mr. Shen."

And that was the end of their conversation.

(Miss Minkun will turn thirty in a week... Time flies so quickly. It seems like just yesterday she was an insecure young lady, and today she’s already an authoritative and stern woman who doesn’t tolerate mistakes...)

The conversation, like the halftime break, ended quickly, and the second half of the match between Pakistan and Cameroon began.

From the very first minutes, the game became much more physical.

Pakistan, spurred on by the home crowd, which roared incessantly, pressed forward in force.

Bihari Da Alzaga, quick as lightning, once again began to torment the right flank of Cameroon’s defense.

In the 52nd minute, he made a powerful run, beat two defenders, and delivered a precise pass into the penalty area.

Pakistan’s striker took a shot on the volley — the ball flew over the crossbar.

Sohen sat on the edge of the couch, completely absorbed in the game.

(Damn, even though it’s not my national football team playing, it’s still really exciting. This is the real magic of the World Cup...)

Sohen sat on the edge of the couch, completely absorbed in the game.

Cameroon had no intention of giving up points easily.

In the 58th minute, they launched a brilliant counterattack.

Muteba Hogenba, despite his age, remained the team’s leader.

He laid the ball off to his teammate, who fired a powerful shot into the bottom corner.

Pakistan’s goalkeeper made a spectacular save, tipping the ball away for a corner.

The stadium fell silent for a moment, then erupted in applause.

The game was a back-and-forth affair.

Pakistan pressed with speed and the support of the stands, while Cameroon responded with experience and defensive discipline.

In the 64th minute, a pivotal moment occurred: following a corner kick, one of the Pakistani defenders handled the ball in the penalty area.

The referee pointed to the spot without hesitation.

Penalty!

Muteba Hogenba confidently stepped up to take the kick.

He struck the ball and it found the back of the net.

2–1 in favor of Cameroon. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The People’s Football Stadium groaned.

(Oh, Pakistan’s in trouble... Over the last six tournaments, I don’t think there’s ever been a time when the host lost the opening match. Surely it won’t all end here?)

Pakistan, however, rushed to get back into the game. The coach made two substitutions at once, sending fresh wingers into the fray.

The game became even more open.

Bihari Da Alzaga became the hero once again in the 71st minute: after a solo run, he delivered an assist, and Pakistan equalized the score — 2–2.

The final minutes of the match were a real roller coaster of nerves.

Cameroon could have snatched the win in the 83rd minute, but Hogenba missed an open net from close range.

(He never changes, that Hogenba. He’s a true master at missing in moments like these. I remember when he played for FC Turin this kind of thing happened almost every third game there. A great player, but... not very accurate.)

Pakistan responded with a dangerous shot that hit the post in the 88th minute.

(These guys also decided to miss from just a few meters away!!...)

In stoppage time, both teams were more focused on not conceding a goal than on winning.

The final whistle.

2–2.

Sohen slumped back against the sofa, breathing heavily.

The match turned out to be intense, emotional, and completely unpredictable — exactly what football at the World Cup should be.

He reached for a cold cola, still replaying the final moments of the game in his head.

Sohen felt a little lighter inside.

Football, as always, helped him forget at least for a while all the turmoil and chaos of the adventures that seem to go on forever.