Chapter 4 (2)

  "Then come to the Sports Committee tomorrow, Zhao Zhi Liang's friend is my friend. You should be able to get through with 40,000 to 50,000."

  The next day, Lin Jia Zheng decided whether or not to go. Lin's father was afraid that if he went, the six eyes would meet, and there would be nothing to say, which would be more embarrassing than wearing pants and clothes inside out. Because wearing them inside out is a one-sided embarrassment, and the observer will still get pleasure from it; but if he goes and Jin Bo Huan thinks hard for half a day and can't remember, it's a two-sided embarrassment.

  Here is the translation:

  Thinking of this, Lin's mother wanted to make a phone call to Zhao Zhi-liang to confirm. But today was the day when the results were announced, and many people were looking for him, so Zhao Zhi-liang's mobile phone was not available. Helpless, they decided to go there in person. The Sports Committee was just next to the stadium, and Lin's father had been in contact with the person in charge of the stadium before. A year ago, this stadium had laid turf, which was reported in the county newspaper. Unexpectedly, when they arrived this time, the yellow earth was exposed to the sky, and the turf was nowhere to be seen, with strange rocks all over the field. Lin's father and mother walked along the way, twisting and turning. When they entered the office of the Sports Committee, Jin Bo-huan stood up to greet them, his face gaunt like a toothpick. There were few leaders in China as thin as him. Jin Bo-huan said with a hint of resentment, "Why did you come so late?"

  Lin's father and mother were shocked upon hearing this. Lin's mother looked embarrassed and said, "Look at us this time, we came empty-handed, not even prepared..."

  "Hey, don't say that, I'm not that kind of person. Friends should help each other out a bit, right? Zhao Zhi Liang said your son likes playing soccer, so his physical ability should be okay. Let's just set a record of 4 minutes and 41 seconds for the 1500-meter county sports meet, that way he can qualify as a third-level athlete. Generally, special recruitment should work out fine. Later, when Yu Xiang goes to participate in competitions, just try his best to run. If he can't keep up, just pretend to twist an ankle or something. No one will come to check anyway. Just make sure to keep up with his studies." Jin Bo Huan said as he wrote, then stamped the paper with a big seal and continued: "Zhao Zhi Liang is probably contacting some people in charge of admissions at Shi Nan San Zhong, so when the time comes, you should take action and make things happen. It should be almost guaranteed to succeed."

  Lin's mother was so moved by the help of so many kind-hearted people from all over the world that she almost knelt down.

  After returning home, Lin's mother thought that she should first invite Jin Boguang to dinner. Zhao Zhi Liang called and informed her that a principal at Shi Nan No. 3 Middle School had agreed. He would need to bring his athletic achievement certificate and difficult exam number over in the near future. Lin's mother couldn't help but feel joyful, telling Yu Xiang about letting him attend Shi Nan No. 3 Middle School. Upon hearing the name, Yu Xiang's hair stood on end. Susan's first choice was Shi Nan No. 3 Middle School; this time Heaven pitied her and fulfilled her wish. Yu Xiang excitedly ran out to congratulate himself.

  At night, Luo Tiancheng called again and said "Congratulations" as soon as the call connected. Yu Xiang suppressed his excitement and asked: "I did so badly in the exam, what's there to congratulate?"

  "You don't know? The news is too closed off, and that Susan of yours was three points away from being a key student in the city, but she actually got into the county's key school! You two are really something, the power of love can even make people stupid."

  Yu Xiang almost had his eyes popping out when he heard these few sentences. He also remembered that Luo Tiancheng had taken a liking to Susan, and perhaps it wasn't just in the past, but still ongoing, judging from his tone which didn't seem like it was filled with great enlightenment for all living things. So he said: "Who are you trying to cheat? If she can't get into the city's key high school, who can?"

  He hung up after saying "don't believe it then". This seemingly casual and giving-up phrase can actually shock the other person, making them think that they shouldn't not believe. Yuxiang called Shen Lang'er to ask her to make things clear, Shen Xi'er had been admitted to another municipal key school and was excited but had no one to share with, so she was happy to help Yuxiang. Yuxiang said he wanted to find out Susan's score, Shen Xi'er laughed and said "you don't even know this?", Yuxiang thought that he was the only person in the world who didn't know, and asked urgently, Shen Xi'er said "you're not concerned about her at all, I won't tell you!"

  Yu Xiang didn't have the patience to entangle with this person who was in an exceptionally good mood. He asked several times, but to no avail. Yu Xiang was like a dog gnawing on a bone, if one place wouldn't work, he'd change locations and add more force: "You'd better say it, otherwise——" Each word Yu Xiang spoke was as hard as it could be, enough to withstand Tyson's punches, with the spirit of a warrior. The content after "otherwise" was the "attack the heart first" of the classic military strategy - intentionally not saying the result, letting the listener imagine what would happen if they didn't comply, such as being killed and burned to ashes, or being torn apart by five horses. This would break the opponent's psychological defense line, and they would inevitably surrender. But for someone who was extremely happy, even if their entire family were to suddenly die and leave them alone, it might not be enough to kill their excitement. Yu Xiang's intimidation was driven away by Shen Xi'er's laughter, disappearing into thin air.

  Yu Xiang, despite repeated efforts, was undefeated in battle. Logically speaking, the dog had gnawed through all the bones. After exhausting its strength, it still couldn't move, and would abandon them. But with utmost sincerity, even metal and stone can be opened, let alone bones.

  Yu Xiang changed his tone and said gloomily: "I've always wanted to know her results, but I've been waiting for her call. I didn't wait, I'm really anxious, please tell me."

  Shen Creek was deeply moved by Yu Xiang's sincerity and spoke the truth: "Susan, she was only three points away from being a key student, how could she end up like this? What a surprise! You comfort her, maybe you'll still be schoolmates."

  After learning the truth, Yu Xiang's face turned pale and he rushed into his parents' room, saying: "Dad, Mom, I'm going to the county key school."

  "Nonsense! The key point of education in our city is good, we've all made contact, aren't you happy? What's wrong this time? Feeling pressured, afraid of not being able to keep up?"

  "Uh-huh"

  "In short, once you enter Shenzhen No. 3 Middle School, it's equivalent to having one foot already in the university!"

  "Can"

  "Don't just say 'okay', we're busy for you, you should understand and appreciate it!"

  However

  "Don't be disobedient, you must respect your parents!"

  The result came quickly, and Yuxiang's resistance was as futile as an insect trying to stop a chariot. The saying goes "one's fate is in one's own hands". But his hand may not be following his will, heaven knows whose hand is holding the hand that holds his fate.

  Please eat, send gifts, and finally have a finale. Yuxiang, as a long-distance runner with special athletic recruitment status, paid 30,000 yuan and received the admission notice from Shiniuzhong Middle School. The admission notice was like an unmarried pregnant woman, forcing Yuxiang to surrender. Yuxiang didn't feel any excitement, but Lin's mother was afraid that no one would know, so she called everywhere to inform them. Then he received a training task and said he had to go for summer training in mid-August. Three-quarters of the summer vacation passed peacefully, without Susan's phone call, only sleeping, eating, sleeping, and hearing outsiders' praise.

  Forty-four days have passed in the blink of an eye. In these forty-four days, I tried my best not to think about those things that went wrong and were turned upside down.

  The day before the school training, the whole family was busy preparing for the departure. They had to tidy up and make a big show of sending off Raining (Rainbow) with a grand farewell dinner, inviting many people to join in. During the meal, Raining remembered what Shen Creek had said: "STL-san will definitely go take the exam and get into Tsinghua University." His passion was ignited once again, thinking that since a gentleman takes revenge, ten years is not too late, let alone three years. So he stood up to make a declaration: "I must get into..."

  Just as she was halfway through her sentence, Lin's mother, who had a slightly tipsy look in her eyes, interrupted her and said: "Don't talk nonsense about getting into some university now, just focus on studying well for the next three years of high school..."

  It's very frustrating when someone sings a discordant note, especially when you're cut off mid-sentence. It's like being beheaded like Guan Yu. Back then, Guan Yu was executed, his body in Dangyang and his head buried in Luoyang, his body and head separated, suffering extremely. Yuxiang's words were the same, not only were they cut off, but also stirred up and scattered, their lofty ambitions disappearing instantly.

  Mrs. Lin had been a butcher for a while, and under the influence of alcohol, she revealed some inside information, causing everyone to whisper to each other. After the banquet was over, Mrs. Lin was exhausted and fell asleep immediately. Yu Xiang stood on the balcony looking at the stars, thinking that tomorrow he would have to go to Municipal Third Middle School, and couldn't calm down for a long time.

  The next day, the whole family got up early. The school required them to arrive before 8:00 am for registration, so Lin's father was busy arranging for a car, while Lin's mother was reviewing what they still needed. There were large and small bags all over the bed, and Lin's mother was meticulous, fearing that something might be missing, so she had a backup of everything, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, towels, and more. They all came in pairs, like officials at an entertainment venue. She counted them once, then again, until she was sure that these few large bags could guarantee Rain's basic daily needs.

  The long journey of high school is about to begin from here.

  Things were slowly being moved into the car. The sky began to drizzle with fine rain, but unexpectedly, this fine rain had a very small range and couldn't even cross districts or counties. When we arrived at Sanzhong Middle School in the south of the city, the sun was still shining brightly. The school gate of Sanzhong Middle School was majestic and powerful, with a classical style that seemed to have been transported from the Taj Mahal, minus its dome. However, the remote-controlled gate at the entrance ruined the classic beauty, making it feel like an ancient person wearing a pager on their waist.

  As soon as we entered the gate, there was a wide road with dense trees on both sides. After a turn, we arrived at the Hu Shi Building. All the buildings in Sanzhong Middle School were named after famous writers from different dynasties. The Hu Shi Building was the administrative building, with five floors, mostly meeting rooms, followed by teachers' offices and toilets.

  After reporting for duty, we were informed that we would first receive our belongings to arrange our dormitories, then attend a meeting at 3 pm, and have training at 5 pm. Lin Mu had brought all the necessary items in the car, but unexpectedly, Sanzhong Middle School did not allow personal items, and everything had to be picked up from the Zhong Shu Building.

  The Zhong Shu Building was the library, which according to the school's introduction, had a collection of over 100,000 books. However, it seemed that building a large building just for these 100,000 books was a bit excessive and showed off the school's spirit in a way that was not quite right.

  The Zhong Shu Building also had a classical style, but it was enormous, with the 100,000 books scattered across many rooms. Often, one book would have its upper volume in the second reading room, while the lower volume would be in the ninth reading room, and they couldn't be reunited. The Zhong Shu Building was newly built, so many books were placed on the corridors without a home to return to, like soldiers trapped in Dunkirk during World War II, who couldn't wait to retreat.

  The temporary collection point for daily necessities is located in the reading room on the fourth floor of Zhongshu Building. The highest floor of Zhongshu Building is only four floors, and what puzzles Yu Xiang most is why the school would let people move things up to the fourth floor just to move them down again after two days. An old lady is guarding these things, also complaining that the person in charge of the school is stupid for putting things on the fourth floor. Yu Xiang thinks this might be because smart people are too smart and become foolish as a result.

  The old lady finished her shopping and was busy complaining about the next thing. This kind of complaint that puts oneself in others' shoes caused dissatisfaction among others.

  Everyone is strange in this school. The athletic students have been arriving one after another, and it seems that there are many people who have come to watch the tryouts. A thin and weak boy wearing shorts claims to be a shot put specialist, but Rain thinks that even if he throws the shot put as far as possible, it won't exceed his own height, and the guilt in his heart grows smaller and smaller.

  The campus of Shi Nan No. 3 Middle School is the largest among suburban high schools. After leaving Zhongshu Building, you have to walk a long way with bedding and blankets in your arms to get to the dormitory. At first, Lin's parents followed the crowd, but after walking for half a day, they found that the sports students' parents who were leading the way were not heading towards the dormitory, but instead went to an "Audi" car, loaded their stuff and drove directly to the dormitory. Everyone else was left behind, cursing as they ran after the car. The dormitory is located in a corner of the campus, built three years ago, so it's still about 80% new. The boys' and girls' dormitories are separated by an iron gate, to show that boys and girls are different.

  Yu Xiang was temporarily assigned to the third floor of Building 2. Each floor had four rooms, and each large room was divided into two small ones. There were four toilets in total, and Yu Xiang shared a room with the high jump team members, who all had slender hands and feet like mosquitoes, busy tidying up their beds. The parents were busy until the end, only to find that there were no power outlets in the dormitory, rendering the electric fan useless, and they couldn't help but complain on behalf of their children. Yu Xiang lived on the upper bunk, and when he climbed up to get used to it, he felt that the view was broad, with a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains, but turning over was inconvenient, and every movement above made the lower bunk shake, making him feel like a dead person when he really slept.

  The school rules that parents leave the campus before 3 o'clock. As the deadline approaches, Lin's father gives Yu Xiang 300 yuan as living expenses for 15 days. After the parents are gone, a sports student in the dormitory suddenly has nothing to say and everyone is doing their own thing.

  Yu Xiang walked out of the dormitory building, to get familiar with the campus. Inside the school there was a large road that spanned east and west, also lined with green trees. The nearest to the dormitory was the Experimental Building, hidden in a patch of greenery. Next to the Experimental Building was a small pond and a large garden. The scenery was no different from other gardens, but it seemed extremely unusual because it was located within a high school campus. This garden occupied a lot of space, as if providing an activity venue for early lovers. According to the introduction, this garden would also expand outward, which could be seen as evidence of the many early loves. "People can't live on love alone." That's right, love is an abstract thing, and to survive one must eat. With both food and love, life will be wonderful. Next to the garden was a cafeteria, with three large characters that were barely legible - "Yu Guo Tang". The three characters below should have been the signature of this calligrapher, but unfortunately these three characters were intertwined like worms in a knot, and Yu Xiang really couldn't recognize them. Yu Xiang thought this name was well chosen, using Victor Hugo to refer to a type of food, very creative. Following this line of thinking, at Yu Guo Tang he would buy Bakin Kasimi, ask for a serving of Stir-Fried Fielding and Austin, add a White Cut Romsky and a Roasted Gorky, right, also roast a Suku Aosan, a Nueman, already very rich, indigestible, eat a few grains of Pengtobidan. Thinking about it, he amused himself, laughing heartily at the Yu Guo Tang in the shape of an armory.

  Suddenly, there were footsteps behind Yu Xiang. He quickly stopped smiling. A hand landed on his shoulder, and when he turned to look at it, he saw that the veins on the back of the hand were bulging and could be counted. He guessed it was his roommate's hand and turned around to shake it off, saying: "Where are you guys going?"

  "The meeting is open."

  Yu Xiang Meng suddenly remembered that there was a meeting at three o'clock and thanked the three people for reminding him. "What are your names?" he asked.

  "Hu Jun."

  "Song Shi Ping."

  Yu Xiong

  Yu Xiang was so intimidated by the three masculine names that he didn't dare to report his own name. The conference room entrance was already packed with athletic students, and roughly counting, there were at least forty of them. Yu Xiang sighed, thinking that Nan San Middle School really had a wide range of talents. Half of these athletes were fake - those as thin as lead wires were shot putters, those as short as stools were high jumpers, and those as fat as pumpkins were long-distance runners; there were also those with faces whiter than tofu who claimed to have practiced outdoor sports for three years, those as small as a grain of medicine who claimed to be the center of the basketball team, and those with glasses as thick as the Antarctic ice sheet who claimed to be long jumpers - they were afraid that even if he arrived on time, he wouldn't be able to find his way out of the sand pit. Yu Xiang, squeezed in among them, actually looked more like an athlete.

  At this time, a man rushed into the conference room. He was about to speak but hesitated and thought it wasn't suitable for him to introduce himself: "I am your vice principal." So he had to go drag a teacher on duty to clarify his identity.

  This man is the vice principal and head of the political education department. He had instructed earlier that the sports mobilization meeting would be held in the first conference room, but when he arrived, he forgot which conference room it was. He didn't dare ask anyone, so he ran around all the conference rooms in the Hu Shi building, using a reverse order, and by the time he found it, he was drenched in sweat, with beads of perspiration rolling down his forehead.

  In the nearly 40-degree weather, he wore a long-sleeved shirt and tie. After this ordeal, his clothes were soaked and stuck to his body like a second skin. He kept tugging at his clothes, trying to cool down. The first conference room had two cabinet-style air conditioners, but the cold air they emitted was no match for the hot air emanating from the bodies of the 40 or 50 people present.

  Cold air is heavier than hot air, so it was impossible for the vice principal to feel cool from head to toe; he could only feel cool from his feet up.

  "Hello, classmates! You've all worked hard! My surname is Qian. As you all know, our school, Nanshan No. 3 Middle School in Shanghai, is a renowned old school. In recent years, to promote the development of sports in Shanghai and provide reserve forces for Shanghai's sports industry, we urgently need a batch of athletes with cultural knowledge and quality. Of course, not everyone present may be an athlete with a level, but we can train, we can work hard, and through arduous practice, achieve results. Moreover, the physical education teachers at Nanshan No. 3 Middle School have rich training experience and can help classmates improve. Classmates are also very hardworking, in order to improve their sports performance, they all voluntarily gave up their summer vacation rest time..."

  Principal Qian paused for a moment, due to the heat and speaking too quickly, the next sentence didn't come out in time. This pause caused everyone below the stage to whisper and discuss among themselves. Hu Jun sat beside Yu Xiang, covering his mouth with his hand, and cursed Principal Qian in a voice that was barely audible: "Bullshit, what proactive abandonment, it's clearly passive abandonment!" Yu Xiang only saw him move his lips without hearing any sound, he wanted to ask but seeing Hu Jun's fierce expression, the words got stuck in his throat.

  Principal Qian loosened his tie and continued, "The students gave up their rest time, I represent the school to thank everyone! But classmates, our main task in entering City South Three is still learning. The students here are all selected from a large number of students, with both good physical education grades and academic grades that are not bad either. This way, we can balance study and sports, laying a solid foundation for taking the good universities exams in the future."

  However, many of you athletes often relax and think that getting into Municipal Third Middle School means getting into university. Municipal Third Middle School has only created opportunities for you, but the true success or failure is entirely in your own hands. We have already disciplined many athletes, classmates, be self-respecting! Don't let one mistake lead to eternal regret, cherish this hard-won opportunity to study with the best students from all over the city!

  The following was a moment of silence, not because everyone was listening carefully, but because all the souls had escaped and were wandering in the wilderness, until the first soul to return led the applause, shocking everyone back to reality, and only then did they symbolically applaud to give Principal Qian an excuse to step down.

  The second speaker was Liu Zhi-zhang, the head of the sports group's teaching and research section. He wasn't good at talking, so after he went on stage, he just stood there blankly and said: "I'll say some practical things. Results depend on training, we have training at 5 o'clock later, every morning at 6 o'clock we also need to train, one session in the morning and one in the evening, other times are for you to arrange yourself, you must return to your dorm before 9 o'clock tonight, there will be roll call when you return to your dorm, go to bed early, don't make noise, take care of your body, don't run around randomly. That's all I have to say, gather at 5 o'clock."

  Everyone listened carefully to these words, and if they missed a sentence, the context would not be connected. Principal Qian stood aside with a slight displeasure in his heart, standing slightly still, with all ten fingers inserted together and hanging down below his abdomen. The displeasure came from Liu Zhi Zhang's opening remarks, according to his reasoning, weren't his own words impractical? Principal Qian firmly believed that his words were practical, just a bit lengthy. It was as if the Basque people on both sides of the Pyrenees Mountains didn't like to tell lies but liked to talk nonsense, and nonsense wasn't impractical. Principal Qian reasoned for half a day, and with great difficulty, he found a foreign nation's theory that justified his own words, and he was convinced by his own extensive knowledge and memory. He thought the students couldn't think so deeply, and his facial expression was difficult to manage for a moment, unsure whether to smile or not, and if things went wrong, the students might think there were internal conflicts in the school, so he took big strides towards Liu Zhi Zhang and chatted with him, using physical movements to simplify his expression.

  After the meeting, Yuxiang followed Hu Jun and others back to the dormitory to change clothes for training. Thinking of training, Yuxiang couldn't help but worry about his own future, comforting himself: "Yuxiang, don't be afraid, five out of ten are fake, you can definitely outrun them!" This self-suggestion had a great effect, and Yuxiang suddenly felt invincible.

  Hu Jun is a long jumper, and he took the first step. Yu Xiong and Song Shi Ping walked together with Yu Xiang, who asked if they were really from the long jump team. Yu Xiong burst out laughing, patted Yu Xiang's shoulder, making him flinch, while Song Shi Ping saw Yu Xiong laughing and didn't have time to speak, so he spoke for Yu Xiong: "The two of us are from the long distance running team."