12. Meet the Rising Stars

◎【修】Don’t worry about the journey of a thousand miles, the wind will come naturally.◎

Go to Beijing.

Table Tennis and Badminton Management Center, No. 33 Tiantan East Road.

In the office of the head coach of the table tennis department.

Ren Xinhua spread out the newspaper of the day in front of the coaches and said.

"Come on, take a look! The kid hasn't even returned to the capital yet, but the newspapers are already all over the place."

Asian Sports Daily, European Sports Daily, International News, People's Daily, Sports Times...

The front-page headlines of more than a dozen different types of newspapers were all about one person - Zhu Qi.

If this happened now, it would become an international trending topic.

——[15-year-old "Dengji Cup" girl, the biggest dark horse of this century! ]

——[How many Chinese people can play table tennis? 】

——[How to curb China's dominance in table tennis?]

——【Who can overthrow the Great Red Wall? 】

The coaches who had strongly opposed Zhu Qi joining the national team last time were all silent this time.

What can I say?

He won the singles championship in three major tournaments.

No matter how many coaches you have coached until retirement, you may not be able to bring out a world champion...

Leaders from the General Administration of Sport even called to ask why this young woman had participated in a world-class competition as an individual and why she hadn't made the national team.

The call happened to be answered by Jiang Guangming.

Jiang Guangming, sweating profusely, was questioned by the general leader. He could only say that the coach of the girl's provincial team was He Qianlu. After a moment's silence, the leader said, "He Qianlu is He Qianlu, and Zhu Qi is Zhu Qi. Little Jiang, you should raise your awareness. You shouldn't push such an outstanding girl out. If she goes abroad, wouldn't that be a loss for the national team?"

Sports competition.

Results mean the right to speak.

Players from the provincial team won singles championships in three major tournaments.

The gold content is too scary.

Can tolerate all her problems.

This sentence is also very clear.

Zhu Qi can join the national team.

After winning the World Cup, Zhu Qi praised his master highly in a global sports interview.

First, the case you're describing happened before I met Coach He. I wasn't involved and don't know the true circumstances. I can only say that during my five years with the provincial team, Coach He was the most dedicated and responsible coach. I trust only my own feelings. He was the person who treated me best, aside from my family, when I was nothing. He was also my motto: "A journey of a thousand miles will bring you success."

She vouches for He Qianlu's character and represents He Qianlu's personality.

Tell everyone directly.

I'm just tied to him, so what?

Although the whole world believes that Chinese table tennis is still developing, only insiders know that there is a lack of young players in the team.

The head coach crossed her arms and said coldly, "Who still has something to say now? Don't think that Daxiong won the men's singles championship. Anyone with eyes can see that it was Han Taiyang who made a lot of mistakes. It's not an exaggeration to say that Daxiong picked up this championship for free. The women's table tennis team is even more amazing. I don't know what you do every day? You didn't even make it to the semifinals! Every time you compete, you have all kinds of problems. You didn't get enough rest, the weather affected you, and old injuries recurred! Why so many excuses?! Now Chang Hongxia is preparing to retire, Mao Mao's shoulder injury keeps recurring, and Ding Shushu and Jin Lili can't carry the team. Let me ask you, who are you going to let compete in Tokyo in two years?!"

This passage is very powerful.

Everyone could only remain silent.

Ren Xinhua tilted her head back slightly. "I've been frank. I was the one who gave the recommendation letter to the Table Tennis Federation. Honestly, I didn't think this kid could win the championship. I thought reaching the quarterfinals would be great. I could also help her talk to the leaders of the General Administration and ask for an exception to include her in the first team. Now that she's won the championship, do you think this is a show to the foreign associations? No! This is a slap in the face to every coach on our national team!"

Silence.

At the same time, Ren Xinhua took out a Japanese magazine and threw it in front of everyone.

"Also, this is from last week's Japanese Sports Weekly. The Japanese table tennis team claims to have developed a 'secret weapon' against the Chinese team. I first heard the Hungarian team mention it. The Japanese have given this 'secret weapon' a name: looping topspin."

The coaches suddenly became alert: "What is a looping topspin ball?"

Ren Xinhua shook his head. "A few months ago, Hungary played Japan, and they were completely defeated by this looping ball. As for what a looping topspin ball looks like, they didn't reveal any further details to me. But I treated their head coach to a meal, and we watched the World Cup final together. Guess what he told me?"

The coaches looked at each other and no one responded.

Ren Xinhua leaned back slightly and said, "He said, 'This Chinese girl's topspin is very similar to the Japanese team's loop, but the arc isn't as round, and the spin isn't as strong.' So, before I saw the Japanese loop, I temporarily understood their loop as an 'enhanced topspin'."

The coaches were stunned.

They had also watched Zhu Qi play in the World Championship and had a very good impression of her. They also felt that Zhu Qi's topspin seemed a little different from ordinary topspin, but they thought it was probably a technical improvement taught to her by He Qianlu and didn't take it seriously.

That's the case.

It seems that this girl must join the national team.

You can't just push away a ready-made talent, right?

Jiang Guangming also said: "Now that the leaders of the General Administration have spoken, no one will complain about having too many good seedlings."

Zhu Qi's matter was finalized.

Ren Xinhua was very satisfied, but he still had to give these coaches some criticism.

"I know that in the two years since I left the national team due to illness, some coaches have started to form their own 'factions'. But what I want to say is that if the Chinese team fails to win the gold medal, all the coaches from me to the second team will be fired. Those 'factions' you have formed will be useless! The vicious competition within the team has seriously affected the entire team. If I find out about any 'gambling', senior players bullying junior players, or refusal to help with training, everyone from players to coaches will be punished!" Ren Xinhua looked at all the coaches present with disdain, and finally his eyes fell on Jiang Guangming.

Everyone knew it tacitly.

Mr. Ren is going to carry out drastic reforms.

The coaches of the women's team began to have their own little ideas.

"Old Ren, I think this kid is amazing. Leave her with me. I promise to take good care of her. For two years! I can get her a P-card for the Tokyo World Games!"

"Hey, hey, hey, Da Mi, you can't be like this! Last time, you were the first one to oppose her joining the team."

"That's right, now there's someone who can win gold, and you're the first one to ask for it. I think this kid is perfect for me to take care of. He's wild and has personality! I like him!"

"Lao Cun, don't you already have Zu Tianjiao? Why do you want all the good seedlings? You are too greedy!"

The coaches of the men's team on the right looked at the coaches of the women's team on the opposite side with envy. When would their men's team have another "Martial Star" falling from the sky?

Ren Xinhua smiled and said, "Why? Now you all know this is a treasure? Otherwise, you wouldn't let him come, and your coach would start a fight over him? You just said no to vicious competition, and you forgot so quickly? Even if you want him, he might not agree."

"What?!" Jiang Guangming sat up straight again. "Is she still trying to show off?!"

Ren Xinhua handed him a train ticket that he had bought in advance: "Pack up and go with me to Jianghuai Province tomorrow morning."

This is a notification, not a discussion.

“…” Jiang Guangming.

/

After getting off the plane, I stood at the airport gate in Jianghuai Province.

The outside was crowded with reporters from various news departments.

There are so many people.

It was packed.

Before going to Aogong, she was just an ordinary player in the provincial team.

After going to the Macau Palace, she was the youngest "new king" and the winner of the Coronation Cup.

The pride of Jianghuai Province.

This identity suddenly became different.

Overnight, everyone in the world knew you.

The entire provincial team gymnasium was covered with Zhu Qi's promotional posters and candid shots of the Aogong competition.

There were red carpets, flower baskets and applause along the way.

The provincial team's head coach didn't even dare to appear in front of her.

But it's okay this way.

This way, when we meet, she won’t make some sarcastic remarks, which would reduce my merit.

After packing up his things, Zhu Qi took out an empty bottle of expansion oil from his golf bag and threw it into the trash can with some regret.

The oil that the guy I met on the plane gave me is really effective.

It’s a pity...it’s only available in the national team and cannot be bought outside.

He Qianlu said in front of CCTV6 reporters: "She is a golden phoenix. Sooner or later she will soar into the sky. This land cannot hold her back."

The Lion King and his little golden phoenix parted ways at the entrance of the city station.

Zhu Qi hasn't been home for almost half a year, and every time he can only communicate with his uncle and aunt on the phone.

In this era when there were no LCD mobile phones, families with better financial conditions could only use PHS or BB machines.

It could only make calls or send text messages, and text messages were very expensive, and there was no mobile payment like there would be twenty years later, so people rarely carried it with them.

Zhu Qi did not tell her family in advance when she returned home, thinking it would be too troublesome to find a newsstand to make a phone call. It was only a twenty-minute drive, so she took a taxi to the village entrance.

There was a lingering smell of sulfur in the air. Walking from the village gate to the second alley, the ground was covered with firecracker paper.

Who is getting married?

No, that's not right. There's no balloon arch for the bride?

It wasn't until I saw a mountain of firecrackers and paper scattered in front of my house that I realized what was going on.

Oh, this is a shot for her.

That’s right.

According to the custom in Peng Village, firecrackers are set off when a couple gets married, a child is admitted to university, or when there is a 90-year-old birthday or funeral.

As a sports student, she won a world championship. If she lived in ancient times, this would be considered a small success.

A large red paper was posted on the big blackboard in the center of the village, with the words written on it in beautiful calligraphy: [Congratulations to Zhu Qi, the resident of No. 288 Peng Village, for winning the women's singles championship of the World Championship Cup].

My uncle still lives in a brick house built in the 1960s, which was left by Zhu Qi’s grandmother.

Over the years, Zhu Qi's uncle and aunt have been reluctant to spend the prize money he won from competitions. Zhu Qi thought it would be a good idea to save it and buy a house before inflation occurs.

But the quality of life must not be too low.

The house is fully equipped with everything you need: a TV, air conditioning, a gasoline-powered motorcycle, a landline phone, etc. In the summer, neighbors come to the house just to use the air conditioning.

Zhu Qi thought it was great.

I was boarding in the provincial team and had to travel around to play in competitions, so I had no time to spend with my uncle and aunt.

Neighbors can often visit and talk to my uncle and aunt, and they can also take care of each other when something happens.

A Buick Shanghai was parked at the gate of the Zhu family's yard. Its shiny black body attracted the attention of nearby neighbors.

In small towns and cities, there are no cars, and it is considered a big deal if a family has a bicycle.

Although my uncle has one, it is a taxi he shares with others and is not as beautiful as this one.

It looks high-end and domineering at first glance, and it is a foreign product.

When the children saw Zhu Qi, they all greeted her: "Sister Qi, I heard that your family has a leader. Are you going to the capital? Are you never going to come back?"

"Stop talking nonsense and have some candy." Zhu Qi took out a handful of corn candy he had bought on the road from his pocket and stuffed it into their hands.

The children took the candy and dispersed.

When she pushed open the red iron gate and pulled her luggage in, she was greeted by the family's little dog, Dahuang.

Zhu Qi touched the dog's head. His aunt peeked out of the window and said in surprise, "Qiqi is back. Why didn't you call? We'll pick you up!"

"We can just take a taxi and come back. We won't bother you making another trip." Zhu Qi put the luggage under the eaves, opened the screen door of the inner room, and saw a man and a woman sitting on the sofa facing the door.

Both of them were around fifty years old. The woman had a neatly shaved short hair with graying temples. She was wearing a neat and capable men's silhouette suit and was drinking water from an enamel cup with a smile on her face.

The man had a round face and a round belly. He sat there like a Buddha statue, never smiling.

Zhu Qi pretended not to know him and sat down on the sofa in the living room: "Oh, do you have guests at home?"

【Author’s words】

[Pink Heart]①About loop balls[Pink Heart]

In the real world, looping was invented in Japan in the 1960s and 1970s. But during Chinese New Year, I heard some stories from the elders at home. While looping is common in table tennis these days, the Chinese national team put a lot of effort into mastering looping in the 1960s and 1970s. Some rising players even volunteered to serve as sparring partners for victory. These unsung heroes were truly remarkable, and I felt this story was truly worth writing about. Therefore, I've simplified the timeline a bit in this universe to serve the plot, replacing it with looping from the 1990s to add a bit of difficulty to the Chinese national team [laugh.jpg].

Then this article is not nonfiction, and JJ does not allow this kind of competitive subject to be too closely linked to reality, for fear that it will be fabricated and maliciously distorted by JB, so in order to avoid being copied three times, a lot of settings have been made up~