Chapter 43: The Second Olympic

These days, the only way to send letters and items is through the post office. Due to inconvenient transportation, the speed is very slow. The longer the distance, the slower the mailing. It can take two or three months to send from the northernmost to the southernmost part of Ye Country, and even nearly half a year if it is slower.

Fortunately, Wangjiagou is very close to Yanjing City, and Yanjing is the capital of Ye State. It only took more than ten days for Ye Yu and Han Jing's letters to be sent back home, which is considered fast.

Because the roads in the city are flatter than in the mountains, letters will not be kept in the post office for too long. Every day, there are special postmen wearing blue uniforms, five-pointed star hats, carrying five-pointed star crossbody bags, riding 28-inch bicycles, and delivering letters or items to every household.

"Ye Hongjun, Wang Laidi, Ye Hongjun and Wang Laidi at No. 33 Maoer Hutong, there is a letter for you."

If no one is at home, the postman will confirm the address and name, and then leave the letter with the eldest grandpa or eldest mother, who will then pass it on.

This does make it possible to lose trust, but to become the leader of a hutong compound, one's basic character must have been tested and observed. If such behavior is discovered, it is considered a very serious problem of deception and will be severely punished, so the possibility of losing trust is not high.

Today is the weekend, so there is no need to trouble the grandfather and the mother. Ye Baoguo and Ye Weiguo did not go to school.

When Ye Weiguo heard someone calling his parents' names, he ran out of the yard and shouted, "Here I am, here I am, I am Ye Hongjun and Wang Laidi's son."

The postman saw that he was half his age, so he didn't dare to give the letter directly to him. After all, in this era, it was possible to send wages or large amounts of cash by mail.

Only after Ye Baoguo came out and the eldest uncle and the eldest aunt pointed out in person did Ye Weiguo finally get a letter and half a fertilizer bag.

"Sender: Ye Yu, is this letter sent back by my third sister?" Ye Weiguo asked in surprise.

When Ye Yu was at home, Ye Weiguo always argued with her, but when Ye Yu left, he cared about her the most and asked her the same question eight hundred times every day.

Even Ye Hongjun and Wang Laidie were a little curious about how the relationship between the two siblings was so good. After Ye Xing and Ye Lan got married, they didn't treat Ye Weiguo like this.

"Um."

Ye Baoguo responded.

"Your third sister is living well in the countryside. It hasn't been long since she came here, but she's already sending large and small packages home. She's quite capable." A senior man next to her couldn't stop praising her.

This year, batches of educated youth went to the countryside. I only heard about families with children sending things to the countryside, or rural children sending telegrams or letters to their families to complain about wanting to return to the city. The Educated Youth Office received requests and complaints from the parents of these educated youth every day. Later, they had to ask people from the G Committee to go there before they could get some peace.

This is the first time I've sent something back. It's really rare.

Ye Baoguo is an introvert and not very good at speaking, so he didn't know what to say when he heard this.

Ye Weiguo didn't understand the ways of the world. He was only curious about what was in the fertilizer bag. He picked it up with both hands and weighed it. It was quite heavy.

"I'll take it back first." He ran in with the fertilizer bag in his hand.

"Be careful, don't fall." Before Ye Baoguo finished speaking, Ye Weiguo had already disappeared. He smiled at the eldest master and others and chased after them, "Wait a minute."

"Haha, Weiguo's feet are very powerful." The eldest master said happily again.

The eldest mother nodded and also praised: "No wonder he is so young, but the coaches from the Sports Bureau see him as a promising athlete and invite him to participate in international competitions to win glory for the country!"

This is what it’s like to live in the same alley. If something new happens in the morning, the whole machinery factory will know about it in the afternoon, and it may even spread to the factory.

The latest news in the Ye family is related to Ye Weiguo.

It’s a long story.

First of all, perhaps because the Ye family has good genes, Ye Yu himself has a high level of understanding of martial arts, and he gave Ye Weiguo some pointers on the correct and scientific training. The most important thing is that this young man is not only talented, but also has great self-control in order to achieve his goals and ideals. He is diligent in training without the need for supervision.

Besides, this year the Winter Olympics are being held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, but no one from Yeguo is participating, or rather, is not allowed to participate for the time being.

The Olympic Games, abbreviated as "Olympics", is the world's largest sporting event hosted by the International Olympic Committee, in which athletes represent their countries.

This is not just a sports event, but also a competition and display of national strength.

Yeguo's participation in the Olympics has been very bumpy. It had the opportunity to participate before the founding of the country and also participated once five or six years after the founding of the country, but is currently not eligible.

Don't you want to?

It's just that I have no right to speak.

There will be another Summer Olympics in 1968, but Yeguo is still in a difficult period. The possibility of being recognized by the Olympic Committee is still small, and the possibility of participating in the competition is still very low.

So far, the most famous international sports competition that Yeguo can participate in is only the Table Tennis World Championships.

Regardless of whether or not China could participate in the Olympics, the country began to pay more and more attention to the sports sector. The sports sector also ordered the recruitment and training of athletes from all over the country, especially table tennis players, in order to achieve good results in the world championships.

The Sports Commission is located in Yanjing City. Their first target was of course the local primary and secondary schools in the city. Ye Weiguo, who had a strong physique, caught the coach's eye.

Of course, he's not the only one.

Moreover, they cannot join the team for training right away. They still need to go through multiple assessments before the final list can be decided.

But according to the machinery factory's affiliated institute, Ye Weiguo has already joined.

It's really promising!

I heard that students who are able to receive training at the Sports Bureau will receive a salary, which is almost the same as that of skilled workers. Moreover, I heard that not only are food and accommodation provided, but they will also receive training uniforms, shoes, rackets, etc. every month, and they may even win glory for the country in the future.

These days, every household in the alley is urging their children to exercise like Ye Weiguo in the morning and evening. Isn't it just running? They don't believe that their children can't do it.

This is really a great thing.

Ye Baoguo was also envious, he was there when Ye Yu was teaching Ye Weiguo, and now he also got up to train with Ye Weiguo. To be honest, his physical strength has indeed improved, but whether it is running or stretching and frog jumps, he lacks that rush.

Ye Weiguo could not see the envy of others. Although he was small, he had a big heart. He was struggling between whether to be a soldier or to participate in competitions to win glory for the country.

Ye Hongjun and Wang Laidie were afraid that he would miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so they coaxed him by saying that he could also join the army if he joined the sports team, and that sports students had a greater chance of being selected when they signed up to join the army. Moreover, this would bring glory to the country, and if he could get first place, it would definitely enhance the prestige of our country!

Ye Weiguo has not been actually elected yet, but he is already fantasizing about winning the first place and bringing national prestige.

Agree to register for the exam.

When Ye Hongjun and Wang Lai Di returned home, the first thing they asked was whether Ye Weiguo had been lazy and whether Ye Zhongguo had made any progress.

"Of course I won't be lazy!" Ye Weiguo answered loudly, "I'm much better than my brother."

He stabbed his brother again.

Depressed Ye Zhongguo: "..." He said in a muffled voice, "My third sister sent something back."

"Sanya?"

Wang Lai Di was both surprised and delighted. She and Ye Hongjun first read Ye Yu's letter over and over again. The content was really very simple. It started with a salutation, greetings, everything was fine, the gifts, instructions to remember to bring some for Ye Xing but not for her two children, and the signature.

The word count is around 100.

"It's not an express mail. You can get extra money for writing a few more words, right? She's so lazy!" Wang Lai Di was both relieved and worried that Ye Yu could send them so many things from the countryside. She was relieved that she was as good as she said, but she was worried about where all these good things came from. "That girl won't come down the mountain, right?"

Ye Hongjun:

"Don't worry, San Ya knows her limits."

"What a bullshit about propriety. That girl has never known propriety since she was little. When she was little, she punched Big Niu's nose until it bled. Old lady Niu has been looking at me with squinted eyes all these years. She was about to become sensible enough in high school, but after she couldn't go to school, her temper changed again. She became an even bigger foodie than before. You didn't see the way she looked at the braised pork. She was like a wolf cub." Wang Lai Di was rummaging through the past.

The more I read, the more worried I became: "'There are bamboo forests on the west mountain, mushrooms on the east mountain, and wild boars on the south mountain'. This is our Wangjiagou motto. There are wild boars on the south mountain. Not only wild boars, but also wolves, tigers, bears and blind men have appeared. Could this guy have run away to the deep mountains and forests? No, I have to send the letter back to her tomorrow, and also send it to her grandmother to ask..."

Ye Hongjun couldn't help but worry. He had never seen Ye Yu staring at the braised pork, but the three girls looked at all food with different eyes, and it was possible that they were fearless.

"Wild boars? Tigers! Wolves? Blind bears?" Ye Weiguo always listened to one thing and said, "Mom, I also want to go to the countryside to catch wild boars, kill tigers and chop up blind bears!"

At this time, Wang Lai Di, whose attention was attracted by Ye Yu's family letter, also smelled the meat in Ye Weiguo and the others' mouths. Meat was really too scarce in that era, and no matter how much she brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth, it couldn't be completely covered up.

"Okay, you two are still stealing meat!"

After a while, the heart-wrenching cries of the brothers Ye Baoguo and Ye Weiguo were heard from the courtyard.

The neighbors, who had been smelling the aroma of meat for quite some time, could no longer resist and smiled with satisfaction.

Tsk tsk tsk, the Ye family hasn't beaten their children in how many years. Ye Baoguo is already a teenager and is almost the wife's son, but he is playing around with children. So what if Ye Weiguo is good at sports? If he doesn't listen, he will be a reckless man in the future.

Ye Yu had indeed chosen a good place to go to the countryside. I remember it was Wang Lai Di's parents' home, right? There are so many good things in the countryside. This daughter was not raised in vain. She knew to miss her parents' home. But whoever married a woman like this would be in trouble.

"Mom, I want to eat meat too."

"What are you eating? You're not as good as them. You can't even run so badly!"

There is a good allegorical saying: "Beating children on a rainy day is a good way to spend your free time."

No, it wasn't raining, it was snowing. The first snow of the year in Beijing came silently. The snow got heavier and heavier, from light snowflakes to heavy snow. In less than an hour, the sky and the earth were covered in silver.