The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 425 - 43 Intentions

Concerning Gan Guoyang’s marriage proposal, different versions existed many years later.

In the autobiography co-authored by Gan Guoyang and Wu Zhixiong, this was described as the top romantic event of 1987 and a turning point in Gan Guoyang’s personal life.

Gan Guoyang said he had come back from Dallas, and after getting off the plane, had Quentin drive to a jewelry store at Lake Oswego to buy a huge sea blue sapphire. Then, he booked a high-end restaurant at Washington Center, and in the evening, took Wang Fuxi to dinner.

Wang Fuxi was puzzled as to why they were eating out; Gan Guoyang rarely dined outside, preferring to prepare food at home.

Gan Guoyang said it was to celebrate the new year, so Wang Fuxi dressed up and the two went to Washington Center together.

Normally, the upscale restaurant would have been fully booked, but when they heard Gan Guoyang wanted to dine, they added a table especially for him.

Then, at the end of the meal, the waiter presented a beautifully made dessert—a double-layered white cream cake.

At the very top of the cake was the sea blue sapphire ring box, opened to reveal the sapphire, which glowed brilliantly under the light.

Gan Guoyang proposed to Wang Fuxi, who, amidst great surprise and excitement, shed tears and extended her hand for Gan Guoyang to place the ring on her finger.

Afterward, they embraced and thus became the closest of companions, embarking on married life.

Everything seems quite wonderful, with their union flowing naturally and their new life starting within perfect romance.

But according to Wang Fuxi’s memories, the events were not quite like that.

Firstly, Gan Guoyang didn’t buy a sea blue sapphire ring. That day, he and Quentin Stephenson—both standing at 6-foot-10—probably had no idea where to buy a sea blue sapphire.

On the day of the proposal, Gan Guoyang did indeed produce a ring. It was a simple platinum ring with a sizable diamond, which, judging by the receipt, was purchased at a duty-free shop at Dallas Airport.

Later, Gan Guoyang bought a beautifully designed sea blue sapphire that Wang Fuxi really liked, which they picked out together at the jewelry store by Lake Oswego.

They did eat out at Washington Center that night, but not at an upscale Western restaurant—Gan Guoyang preferred not dining at Western restaurants, so he chose a Chinese restaurant instead.

Midway through the meal, Gan Guoyang complained about the ordinary taste of the dishes and called the owner and chef over, declaring he would cook himself.

The restaurant owner, being a die-hard fan of Gan Guoyang, readily agreed to his idol cooking, and so Gan Guoyang went into the kitchen and prepared a traditional dish: pagoda meat.

This was a dish that required skillful knife work, and Gan Guoyang executed it perfectly. However, it took so long that Wang Fuxi grew somewhat impatient—going out to eat should not involve cooking yourself, should it?

If you have a craving for cooking, can’t you just do it at home?

Just when Wang Fuxi’s patience was about to run out, Gan Guoyang returned to the dining table with the pagoda meat.

Then Wang Fuxi saw that on the top of the pagoda meat was a diamond ring...

Wang Fuxi felt a mix of annoyance, amusement, surprise, emotion, and even a bit of squeamishness...

Why on earth would you place a ring on top of the pagoda meat?

At that moment, she believed firmly that a person truly remains constant.

Ah Gan had channeled his talent into basketball; he was a king on the court but a rookie in love.

On the basketball court, not only could he win, but he also won in style and with flair. He reserved all the romance in his life for basketball, leaving only pagoda meat for himself.

Nevertheless, Wang Fuxi thought it was enough. She accepted Gan Guoyang’s proposal and then wiped the ring clean before wearing it on her finger.

About the pagoda meat version, Gan Guoyang firmly denied it years later, claiming it wasn’t something he could have done.

"Who the hell thinks of putting a ring on top of pagoda meat? That’s as absurd as taking 50 shots in a game. Is that still basketball? No, that’s playing billiards."

Regardless of whether Gan Guoyang admitted it or not, he ultimately took that step on January 1st, and the following day, he and Wang Fuxi registered their marriage in Portland.

As the season was still in progress and the proposal was quite rushed, the couple didn’t hold any ceremony, planning to celebrate with a wedding during the offseason and invite family and friends.

After registering the marriage, Gan Guoyang immediately informed his father, Gan Youwei, who was overjoyed. He chose an auspicious day and ran to Portland. At Chinatown, he purchased half a pig, half a sheep, ten pounds of beef, two hens, one big rooster, two ducks, one goose, twenty pounds of fish, twenty pounds of crabs and lobsters, three pounds of sea cucumber, along with a large quantity of fruits, vegetables, and various pastries. With the help of Quentin Stephenson and Gan Bingguang, all were delivered to Gan Guoyang’s villa at Oswego Lake Park, where they started preparing the feast.

Gan Guoyang was speechless. He had told his father that he would have a wedding in the future with many friends and relatives invited, so why did his father need to go through all the trouble of preparing a traditional Chinese banquet with flowing dishes in the upscale area of America?

Yet Gan Youwei said, "The wedding is your business, but as a father, I must fulfill my duty wholeheartedly on my son’s marriage day. You don’t need to worry about it!"

Gan Guoyang, although a basketball superstar in Portland, had no way of dealing with his stubborn father.

He found that after six years in America, Gan Youwei had not only resisted assimilation by American culture, but on the contrary, he had become even more resolute in preserving tradition, and had become more stubborn.

In this vast cultural melting pot of America, a portion of people must steadfastly preserve the traditions of their ethnic group to thrive.

Gan Guoyang had no choice but to respect his father’s wishes and let him prepare the food in the villa, filling the house with the aroma of home cooking.

Gan Guoyang had made a special effort to give the community and neighbors a heads-up, explaining that his dad would be cooking at home and there might be noises of chopping and frying, so he requested their understanding.

Wang Fuxi felt that her father-in-law was truly sincere. She invited her parents and friends from Los Angeles, and they truly enjoyed the traditional Chinese feast.

On January 8th, after two days of preparation, Gan Youwei, with the help of Gan Bingguang and Gan Youtang, hosted a grand banquet exclusively for his son, setting up eight tables. Gan Guoyang’s teammates, Wang Fuxi’s relatives, and the neighbors from Lake Oswego all came to enjoy a good meal.

Gan Youwei’s culinary skills were indisputable. Although he was exhausted, seeing everyone eating happily and satisfied made him feel the trip was worthwhile.

He knew his son was now a basketball superstar in America, a celebrity he had never dreamt his son would achieve such greatness in America.

As a father, there was not much he could offer his son. Hosting a wedding banquet to welcome guests from all directions was the best blessing he could give.

This traditional Chinese wedding banquet, it was said, many high-profile figures from Portland wanted to attend, but due to limited seating, Gan Guoyang did not extend an invitation.

Moreover, Gan Guoyang thought about having so many celebrities at a Chinese banquet, and he didn’t know how he would arrange the seating. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

So he decided not to invite them—just his teammates, family, and friends, and community neighbors. Everyone ate in a relaxed manner.

Gan Guoyang’s neighbors had always taken great care of him, with gifts never ceasing at his doorstep.

Naturally, inviting them for a meal was a very normal thing to do.

After a busy day, everything finally calmed down in the evening. The guests had been sent off, everything had been tidied up, and it was already late at night.

In those days, Gan Youwei’s face was always full of smiles, and the festive atmosphere became even more vibrant after his son’s wedding.

Sitting at the front door, Gan Youwei lit up a cigarette – the first one he had smoked that day, since he felt it was uncivilized to smoke in front of the guests.

"Son, did I embarrass you? A big American star, having a cascading feast for your wedding..."

"If I thought it was embarrassing, I wouldn’t have let you do it. I was afraid it would be too hard for you."

"My life has been about cooking. What’s there to stress about? I just hoped... I don’t have much else to hope for. You’re doing well, and you should keep it up."

"Don’t worry, I’m very clear about it. In basketball, I’m not afraid of anyone; they’re not my match."

"But when it comes to having kids, you’re not a match for those black guys..."

Gan Guoyang knew his father would eventually pivot the conversation to having children.

However, Gan Youwei immediately followed up with, "I won’t pressure you anymore. I know you have your own plans. The world you live in is very different from mine. I should understand you. You’re remarkable. Look at those black people, white people, they all sat at our big round table eating the food I made, and I feel proud. Remember, be kind to others, and try to fight less in the future. It’s kind of pitiful to see those black guys getting beaten by you, they have parents too."

"Dad, not everyone has a dad."

"Oh, by the way, Dad, Avia is preparing to shoot a commercial featuring our father-son relationship. You’ll come to the set when the time comes and be in a few shots."

Upon hearing this, Gan Youwei promptly waved his hands, saying, "No, no, I can’t do that. Me, acting in a movie? No way, no way."

Gan Guoyang persuaded him multiple times, telling him the director was Chinese and explaining the theme and content of the commercial to Gan Youwei. After some hesitation, Gan Youwei thought for his son’s sake, he might as well agree.

Latter it was said that during the shoot, Gan Youwei showcased his cooking skills, which were included in the commercial. This even inspired film director Ang Lee to come up with creative ideas for future culinary films.