200 Extras (16)

◎ He seemed to be conveying some of his inner thoughts to others through music.◎

Qin Xiaoba felt that his brother Daling was acting strangely the moment he returned to the dormitory.

She has been standing in the room picking out clothes.

When Qin Xiaoba went over to ask, Song Linzhou said it was nothing, he just wanted to take out the clothes to dry.

Song Linzhou's parents both live in Chaojing, so they can just come directly when the time comes, and there is no need for the national team to book tickets and hotels for them.

"Oh, it's good to have my parents in Chaojing." Qin Xiaoba sat on Song Linzhou's bed and lay back carelessly.

On the day of the Reunion Festival, the coaching staff insisted on organizing some kind of performance and asked the players to organize themselves to sing and dance.

What's the use of colorful clothes to entertain parents?

oops.

Training is so busy.

Where is the time to rehearse these things?

But Ren Xinhua said that it was not easy for him to see his family, and as a child who usually did not have time to accompany his parents, he had to show his support symbolically.

Qin Xiaoba signed up for singing, but A Shui didn't have any talent, so he could only perform crosstalk on stage with Zuo Zuo and You You.

Maomao escaped the disaster because he was a coach.

Zhu Qi refused to sign up no matter what, not wanting to leave behind a dark history for future fans to dig up.

Because she was the captain of the women's team, Zhu Qi used her official authority and privileges for the first time. No one dared to order her around, so she had to give up.

But Zhu Qi chose to pay, which means that the whole team could ask her for personal reimbursement if they bought various things needed for the performance.

Others can only make up the numbers, either dancing, singing, doing stand-up comedy, telling stories, or performing imitation shows...

"Brother Ling, what do you think is suitable for me to sing? Please choose a song for me." Qin Xiaoba took a piece of paper and handed it to Song Linzhou.

Song Linzhou glanced at the playlist.

"Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies", "Sunset Song", "A Laugh in the Ocean"...

"Why are they all Cantonese songs?" Song Linzhou asked.

"Sen Yunan taught me a few lines. No one could understand him when he rapped Cantonese songs, and no one knew if he was out of tune," said Qin Xiaoba.

Song Linzhou smiled and said, "That makes sense."

"What about you? What are you performing?"

Song Linzhou took out a mouth harp from the closet, wiped off the thin layer of dust on it with a towel, then put it to his lips and blew gently, which brought out a unique steel sound.

He took Russian as an elective course in college. He was able to communicate freely with Russians at the Moscow World Games because he had a Russian teacher in his college major who taught him to play the mouth harp for a semester.

He is an academic talent. Although he is a sports student, he has a smart mind for studying. He just obtained his doctoral degree last year and is also the person with the highest academic status in the national team.

After she finished playing a simple piece called "Lilac Flower," Qin Xiaoba was mesmerized in the room and applauded repeatedly: "I didn't expect you to be so good at it. Why haven't I seen you play it before?"

"I haven't played it for so long that I almost forgot to compose the music."

"Then you can play this later. My sister will definitely like it." Qin Xiaoba held his face and laughed.

"This tender and sad tune is not suitable for that day. I want to change it."

"What do you want to change it to?"

"You'll know when the time comes." Song Linzhou put the mouth harp back into the box.

/

After receiving Shi Ge's call, my uncle and his friends immediately agreed and packed up everything.

My uncle is a freelancer. He just quit his job and started packing up as soon as he parked the car.

My aunt and cousin did the same. They closed the table tennis racket shop and hung a sign saying it was closed for half a month.

My uncle asked the school for half a month's leave because he was going to Beijing to attend a banquet for the national team. The school had no objection, so they agreed.

While the two families were cleaning up together, the neighbors came to join in the fun.

Although my uncle and his family had been to Beijing before, they only transited through Beijing and then went to Russia, and they had never traveled in Beijing.

This time, the national team told them on the phone that they had booked a hotel for them for two weeks, so they could just check in when the time came.

The hotel is near Tiantan East Road. It will take a long time to go there so I need to bring a lot of things.

Many neighbors thought that my uncle and his family were going to Beijing and would not come back. Although my aunt said that they would only stay there for two weeks, the neighbors knew the answer.

The Zhu couple has always had a good reputation in the village. They are kind to others and don't like to quarrel with others.

The neighbors all knew that they were a well-behaved couple. At the beginning, the couple took in the second sister's child to raise.

When the little girl first came, she was pale, thin and dirty.

Not long after, after being raised at my uncle and aunt's house for a while and having some flesh on its face, many neighbors thought that this little doll, carved out of jade and powder, looked like a porcelain doll.

Even when the village chief came to register the household registration, he said that Zhu Qi was born with the spirit of a general and was destined to be a soldier and fight in the future.

At that time, my uncle just thought the village chief was joking. How could a little girl go to the battlefield?

But now it seems that this is not another form of prophecy.

After the big yellow dog of the Zhu family died of old age two years ago, the adults of these two families are about to reach retirement age.

The children are developing so well in Chaojing, and their future will definitely follow them.

My aunt didn't deny this speculation, but sat on the sofa and chatted with the neighbors: "Actually, when you reach a certain age, you're not necessarily concerned about where you live. As long as I can see my children often, and that they're healthy and can share the joy of family in the future, that's enough."

"That's right, but it's time for your daughter to get married, right?" Several neighbors especially like to discuss this matter.

They think that a girl will get married no matter what in the future.

These achievements are just to add to the girl's beauty and help her find a better man in the future.

It’s like a woman has worked hard for the first half of her life.

The final victory settlement scene is to marry a better man.

My aunt smiled and said, "Kids these days tend to marry later in life, especially athletes. A lot of them get married in their thirties. Things are different from our time. We can't look down on these young people with old eyes. Anyway, we're not rushing them. Our children and grandchildren will have their own blessings."

Of course.

Saying there is no need to rush is just a saying.

After all, as people who have lived through that era, they will still subconsciously care about the problems of their children's other half.

At least the selection must be approved by the four adults in the family.

My aunt also often talks to Qin Xiaoba on the phone. After each call, she would casually ask about Zhu Qi's relationship status. Qin Xiaoba would always answer: "There is no such situation. My sister is training and competing every day."

After hearing this once or twice, my aunt believed it.

But it has been almost thirteen years since Qin Xiaoba joined the national team, and he still says this, which my aunt also thinks is a problem.

The eldest daughter of the Zhu family.

She is beautiful, in the prime of youth and a world champion.

How could no one like it?

During the most recent phone call, it was my uncle who started the conversation again: "I heard that the national team now allows players to date. We've found a boy who has good qualities in every way and would like to introduce him to your sister..."

Qin Xiaoba yelled on the phone: "Don't introduce me blindly."

My uncle deliberately asked, "Why is it a random introduction?"

"What era is it now? Still going on blind dates? How old-fashioned..." Qin Xiaoba muttered.

My aunt was listening nearby and started cursing as well: "How is blind dating so old-fashioned? Your dad and I met through a blind date. If we hadn't met, you wouldn't even be here!"

"Anyway, my sister has her own plans, so don't worry about it."

After Qin Xiaoba said this, the four adults understood what was going on.

There is a situation!

The four adults in the family carried six pieces of luggage and prepared to go to Beijing.

Not long after they set out, a family of three suddenly moved into a small mud house on the south corner of Xiaopeng Village.

The small mud house was previously occupied by a mentally ill homeless man in the village. No one knew where the homeless man had gone and he had not returned for seven or eight years. The village committee was then responsible for taking care of the small mud house and regularly hired people to clean it.

It was allocated by the government not long ago and sold to a low-income household at a very low price.

It's really sad to say.

The clothes on the family of three were tattered. It was said that the male owner had damaged his brain by drinking too much when he was young. He walked with a shaky hand and could not walk in a straight line.

My wife said she is only 46 years old, but with all the gray hair she looks like she is in her sixties. She can only do some simple cleaning work.

My son is only 24 years old this year. He is idle and has no job. He just lies at home and sleeps every day.

When someone asked them why they lived like this, the woman sat at the door of the mud house and burst into tears.

Others only know based on some fragments.

They were deceived into marriage, and the girl's family took away all their savings, including the money they had intended to use as a down payment for a new house after selling their old house.

Originally, the government took their family situation into consideration and planned to give them a slightly larger house with a shed. However, the couple heard that there was a mud house outside Xiaopeng Village and insisted on having this small mud house.

Originally, there were three people in this family, and the son was able to work.

The government has sent people here many times to arrange jobs, but none of them lasted more than three months.

The salary he earned was used by his son to play mahjong and he lost it all.

A greedy person will never think about keeping his feet on the ground.

Until now, the man and the woman still hold the idea of ​​"love at first sight" and want to live closer to the Zhu family.

The daughter of a world champion can't just watch her own father and brother live in a cave that could collapse at any time and eat wild vegetables, right?

But when they just moved in, the woman sneaked to the Zhu family's front door and found that there was no one in the house.

The neighbor next door thought the woman was looking around and looked like a thief, so he asked, "What do you do?"

"I, I sweep the streets." The woman shook the broom in her hand and smiled flatteringly: "I heard that the daughter of this family is a World Games champion, so I came to see..."

There have been so many curious people over the years that the neighbor didn’t think much of it and just wanted to go back to the house.

The woman chased after him and asked again, "Why is no one living here?"

"My family went on a trip to Beijing. The national team took care of it. They said it was a preferential policy for athletes' families, so I went there to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival."

The sour emotion quickly spread and then condensed in the chest, like a huge rock hitting the woman, making her dizzy and her eyes red.

From Jianghuai to the capital.

We ate, drank, had fun, traveled happily, and stayed in big hotels along the way - what a life it was!

What about her! What kind of life is she living now?!

/

Only the families of one team of players can attend the reunion dinner this time. Only one family member can come for the sparring partners and the main players, while two family members can come for the absolute main players.

If the quota is exceeded, the athlete’s family will have to pay for it themselves.

Even if it is a self-paid expense, it is very good to be able to get part of it reimbursed. So the original plan was to have more than 40 family members come, but in the end more than 60 people showed up.

Ren Xinhua arranged for the logistics staff to add tables and chairs.

The day the family members arrived happened to be the first day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the reunion night.

The staff first picked up the person at the train station, took him to the hotel and arranged a room for him, and then arranged a car to take him to the large playground on Tiantan East Road.

The playground was filled with folding stools arranged in order. There was a small table in the middle of each stool, on which were placed plates of fruits and snacks.

There was a large platform opposite the benches, with a banner hanging on it that read "Welcome the families of Chinese table tennis team players to the banquet and reunion."

Tiantan East Road serves as a table tennis and badminton training base.

For the first time, a large scene of family members entering appeared, and people speaking different local dialects entered one after another.

Many parents may not even understand each other’s dialect, but once they shake hands they automatically start chatting as if they are old friends who haven’t seen each other for years.

They are reunited here because their children are fighting for this country.

They are the strongest support behind the athletes and are also heroes behind the scenes in another form.

As soon as my uncle and aunt entered Tiantan East Road, they kept talking.

This is where the national table tennis team trains.

The building is so tall.

The ground is so flat.

The playground is so big.

The trees are also lush and green, and you can tell at a glance that the land is fertile.

The imperial city nourishes people.

"Oh, you must be Zhu Qi and Qin Shang's family!" A middle-aged woman in a small suit walked towards my uncle and the other four with a smile, speaking fluent Shanghainese. "I'm Fang Miao's mother."

The woman was dressed elegantly. She looked to be in her thirties when she wasn't smiling. When she did, though, there were faint crow's feet around her eyes, yet she possessed a mature charm. She had permed, slightly curly hair, and walked towards me with a swift, graceful stride.

The aunt knew what was going on and quickly walked over to shake her hand, almost calling out "mother-in-law": "Hello, hello, I am Zhu Qi's aunt and Qin Shang's mother."

The two straightforward people hit it off right away after just a few words.

My aunt is a carefree person and says whatever she thinks.

Fang Miao's mother has been a businesswoman for many years, and she fights with a group of old foxes every day. She has seen many monsters and demons, and she feels very comfortable when meeting people with such personalities.

The two held hands and found a stool near the front to sit down. My uncle-in-law, who was watching, was so amused that he complained to my uncle: "When we came here, I said that as the boy's parent, we should take the initiative, but in the end, he came over to say hello first."

As the benches in the playground gradually filled up with people.

The athletes were still in the waiting room, in a building facing the playground.

Ah Shui was leaning over the window, looking out. Seeing her mother and Qin Xiaoba's mother chatting away, she stamped her feet anxiously: "Oh my God, could you please stop talking nonsense?"

Zhu Qi stood behind her and patted Ah Shui on the shoulder: "If you're curious, go over and listen to what they're talking about."

"I'm too embarrassed to go over there." Ah Shui held her face in her hands, feeling the heat on her cheeks. When she turned around, she saw Zhu Qi and was stunned. Then she gasped and exclaimed "Wow." "Oh my God, you're so beautiful!"

Then, Ah Shui circled around Zhu Qi, staring at her face carefully: "Are you wearing makeup?"

Zhu Qi nodded and reached out to tug at the red corset dress on her body. The neckline, shoulders and arms were made of tulle sleeves, which made her look particularly ladylike.

When reporter Sen heard the national table tennis team was holding a "parents' meeting," he arrived overnight with his camera crew, setting up cameras and placing flower baskets everywhere. Even the CCTV crew helped with most of the set design.

As the captain of the women's team, Zhu Qi will go on stage with Daxiong to give a speech.

So the program crew provided a set of clothes and helped with makeup.

Zhu Qi is wearing a French Chanel-style A-line skirt with a unique and trendy fake two-piece spinning neckline, which makes her look energetic and beautiful.

Like a small red cherry.

Daxiong was wearing a similar men's red suit and was memorizing the script with sweat on his forehead.

Zhu Qi never read from a script when he gave a speech, he always spoke impromptu, so Daxiong could only cooperate with him from the side.

All the parents were in place. After Shi Ge briefly adjusted the microphone, Ren Xinhua went on stage to give a speech.

"Thank you so much to all the parents for coming all the way to Chaoyang. As parents of athletes, you have provided talent for this country. Due to the nature of our work, the children haven't been able to spend much time at home with their families, so the athletes have been lacking family time. As the head coach of the national table tennis team, I should help the parents manage this team and send the children back to you in good health. This may be my last two years as head coach, so I hope to be able to spend some time with these children and their families who have grown up under my watch. If there are any shortcomings this time, I hope all parents will forgive me..."

Applause quickly broke out from the audience.

"...Next, please invite the captains of our men's and women's teams to come on stage and give their speeches."

After Ren Xinhua finished speaking, he walked off the stage from the left.

Zhu Qi and Daxiong came forward one after another.

Looking down at the audience, Zhu Qi saw his uncle and aunt sitting in the middle of the first row, his aunt and uncle sitting in the middle of the second row, and A Shui's mother next to his aunt.

There is also a couple on the far right side of the first row.

Zhu Qi was very familiar with the middle-aged man. It was from him that he bought his first house.

The woman next to her also looked very young. She was wearing a very beautiful low-saturation Chinese cheongsam with silver-like patterns. The cut was neat and decent, and she had a furry waistcoat draped over her shoulders, which made her skin look very white.

She has an outstanding temperament.

Among the parents, there is a very unique and gentle atmosphere.

She held up the camera in her hand and took a few photos of Zhu Qi.

Then the smile widened.

Zhu Qi also feels a little familiar with this lady.

There were several domestic competitions, especially those against Beijing, when Zhu Qi would pass by the audience seats and sign autographs for the fans in the stands every time he left the field after the game.

This lady stood in the stands several times and asked Zhu Qi for an autograph.

Because she looks very much like Zhu Qi's mother's age, but speaks softly. Once, she shook hands with Zhu Qi, smiled at him very gently and happily, and praised Zhu Qi, "You are great."

Zhu Qi's fans are generally people in this field who have practiced some sports.

Because this lady always sits quietly in the crowd when watching a game, and the faint fine lines at the corners of her eyes cannot hide the intelligence, elegance and gentle temperament in her eyes.

She doesn't look like a sports person, but rather has the temperament of a young lady born in a scholarly family, yet she is gentle, calm and steady, with a scholarly air.

So Zhu Qi was quite impressed.

Could it be... that she is Song Linzhou's mother?

My uncle and aunt also brought cameras and took a lot of photos of Zhu Qi from the audience.

When Zhu Qi saw them, he nodded slightly, indicating that he was about to begin.

Daxiong opened the conversation with some pleasantries, welcoming the parents. Then Zhu Qi took over the conversation, saying, "...As the captain of the women's national table tennis team, I've been primarily responsible for the players' training over the years. Leaving home prematurely means for them to leave their homes and enter society and live in a larger community. These children are daughters and sons at home, but on the court, they become warriors fighting for their country..."

My aunt, sitting in the second row, was beaming as she whispered to my aunt, "Wow, Qiqi looks so impressive. It's incredible! No wonder the old village chief said she could become an official in the future. It must be the capital's culture that really nurtures people."

Zhu Qi's speech was quite powerful, and he also made some arrangements for what parents of athletes should do.

"...The podium is only so big, and that doesn't mean only the athlete standing on it is the greatest. Many players are willing to become behind-the-scenes heroes and serve as sparring partners for other athletes in order to keep the championship in China. Of course, I also know that many parents are concerned about the emotional well-being of their athletes, and the national table tennis team has implemented some reforms in this regard over the years. But I hope that parents will also understand that athletes need to be fully focused on training, and I also hope that parents will give their children a little more trust. I believe that many parents, far away from home, are worried about their athletes' lives abroad and want to do more for their children, but they don't know how to do it. But please believe that as adults, each of us knows what we should do at our age, and sometimes not pushing them is a form of support."

Zhu Qi has been the captain for a long time, and his whole temperament has been improved. The group of parents in the audience could only nod along.

"Oh my, this little girl is so imposing."

"It's a double Grand Slam. It's amazing to get one Grand Slam. He has two."

"He's a captain in the Bayi Squadron, a military rank."

"No wonder, she feels like a coach..."

"Who are her parents..."

Feeling the envious gazes from all directions, my uncle and aunt sat up straight and gave Zhu Qi the warmest applause after he left the stage.

In fact, for parents, no matter how many honors their children have won, they are still the ones who need care at home.

This was the first time that the four adults saw Zhu Qi as the captain, and they truly felt the emotion of their child finally growing up.

My aunt talked for a long time in the second row, but my uncle and aunt didn't respond. My aunt leaned forward and found that my uncle and aunt had red eyes.

Their daughter.

It’s so impressive now.

Then came the players’ various talent shows.

Qin Xiaoba, who originally planned to sing a Cantonese song, found it too difficult. Although no one could understand it, he couldn't sing it well either. In the end, he chose "Loyalty to the Country", a song that became popular in 1999.

"... As the horses' hooves race south, the people gaze north. The grass is green and yellow, and the dust is flying. I wish to defend my land and expand the frontier..."

Qin Xiaoba was on the stage, holding the microphone and shouting at the top of his lungs.

Although not a single word is in tune, at least the roar expresses the momentum.

"...Great China wants to be congratulated by all sides—"

Qin Xiaoba sang with great passion, accompanied by various ambitious gestures, and at one point he treated the stage as his own concert.

The stage for e people.

Zhu Qi was watching from the backstage. The parents in the audience were laughing, especially the aunt, who was laughing so hard that tears came out.

That's good too.

Anyway, it's about entertaining your parents with colorful clothes.

Athletes are not professional arts soldiers, it’s enough if they can make their parents laugh.

This is when the benefits of having a second child in the family come into play.

Let the second child do the embarrassing things, and the eldest child is responsible for watching from the side.

Many years later, this video was widely circulated.

It once became a golden song of Chinese table tennis and the beginning of a ghost video.

Qin Xiaoba was also given the nickname "Little Yue Fei of National Table Tennis" by the post-00s generation.

After that, the three-person crosstalk by Ashui, Zuo Zuo and Youyou, although they told some awkward jokes, the subsequent imitation show was performed to the fullest.

It mainly teases the coaches and tells a few jokes about the coaches' daily training.

Then there are all kinds of strange performances by other players, mainly to create a sense of atmosphere.

It wasn't until Song Linzhou came on stage that all the parents' eyes lit up.

In fact, in the 1990s, many suit styles became looser due to people's carbohydrate intake, but after the millennium, the aesthetic suddenly returned to the slim fit and simple design of the 1980s.

This was also the first time that Song Linzhou wore a suit in the national team. It was a modern style, and it made him look tall, lean and handsome with his height of 1.85 meters. His shoulders were more proportional because of his full muscles.

When he stood on the stage, there was no lighting effect, but he became the center of attention.

Song Linzhou held the mouth harp, placed it to his lips and gently blew the iron sheet.

The clearest sound came from the steel.

After the first part ended, Zhu Qi knew what song it was.

The mouth harp combines joy and sadness, and the "hoarse feeling" created by the resonance of metal and breath is like the whispers between lovers.

The depth of the performer's breathing adjusts the main melody, making each note feel like dancing in the sunshine.

It was as if people had walked into a birch forest, watching dusk fall over the trenches.

"What song is this?" A Shui asked curiously.

"Russia's 'Katyusha,'" Zhu Qi said.

Katyusha was originally a girl's name, and later many Russians believed it meant beloved girl.

However, this song was born during World War II and is imbued with the special revolutionary color of that era.

In that war, almost all Soviet citizens were soldiers.

Young girls also became warriors, fighting in wars with sickles and hammers in hand.

The girl he liked didn't have to take care of a husband and children, or do the daily chores of rice and milk.

Instead, he appeared in one fiercely competitive arena after another, holding a table tennis racket.

Just like many children in other families, they will only go home when they have achieved complete victory.

There are also some highly educated parents among them who studied in the Soviet Union when they were young and have deep feelings for this song.

A dead Big Brother is the best Big Brother.

The rabbit family lay on the coffin lid of the bear, crying and missing him while pressing the coffin lid tightly and tightening a few more nails.

Perhaps only those who have experienced that era can understand this feeling.

Zhu Qi was also a little touched when he heard it.

In fact, Song Linzhou felt a little awkward when playing the mouth harp, probably because he hadn't played it for a long time, but the emotions the player gave when playing were very strong.

He seemed to be conveying some of his inner thoughts to the other person through music.

The song ends.

Zhu Qi was the first to applaud, and the parents' group followed with loud applause. It looked like his uncles and the others also looked quite appreciative.

"I didn't expect that." Ah Shui leaned over to the cat and whispered, "Brother Da Ling is quite talented."

The performance ended successfully and the next step was a group meal.

Because the number of parents coming this time is more than expected, so... the originally planned four tables have now been expanded to six tables, which may not be enough.

So this means.

The men's and women's teams may have to sit together.