Chapter 136 Epilogue: The Road of Youth (Part 1)

[CK, Backstab: What's up, Master, did you break your hand again? Is Changbai Mountain not compatible with you? Are you going to carry a suckling pig up the mountain to worship on the 15th of the next two days?]

Among Shan Chong's disciples, there are always one or two who are well-informed.

And one stone can cause a thousand waves.

[The Horizon of Marrakech: Chong Ge returned to Changbai Mountain? Will he not stay at Songhua Lake? ]

[CK, Backstab: Songhua Lake has a lot of people, why not change to another place?]

[The horizon of Marrakech: Isn’t it said that Changbai Mountain is a professional team training base and is not allowed to enter? ]

[CK, Backstab: Normally they are not allowed in, but if Shan Chong said he wanted to go, who would stop him? Even though he is a technical instructor, I can’t think of any ski resort in China that would not let him in.]

【Marrakech's Horizon: Oh, that makes sense.】

Wei Zhi sat beside the bed, looked up at the man receiving an anti-inflammatory drip, then lowered his head to look at his phone.

【Lao Yan: @CK, backstab again? What again?】

Backstab reacts quickly.

【CK, Backstab: Well, didn’t you just take off your bandages and plaster? It’s “again”, don’t hesitate, I’m talking to you!】

Weizhi watched the content of their conversation. Not only were they joking around, but their words even seemed to be not ashamed but proud of it?

This may be the difference between girls and boys——

She had just sat in the car, and when she touched his hand, she was almost burned to death by his wrist that was red, swollen, and radiating heat... At this moment, these people seemed to be fine and were in a mood to laugh and joke.

It's like going to the hospital and reporting on orthopedics is a common occurrence for them.

【Girl: Can you guys correct your attitude? 】

[Girl Ji: Lao Yan and Shan Chong both fell, why shouldn't they be more vigilant? What are they laughing about? ]

[Girl Ji: Be careful, don’t act like a child and make your family worry if you fall! ]

【Lao Yan: ……】

【Girl: What are you clicking on? @老煙】

【Lao Yan: ……】

【Sakura Banquet: Laughing to death! 】

【Yan Yan: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! 】

[Sskurayan: I tell these people to put on protective gear everyday, but no one pays attention to me! Finally there are normal people watching over you! ]

【CK, Backstab: @Girl Ji, it’s okay. He should be shocked. This is the closest you’ve ever been to a “Master’s Wife” since we met you.】

[CK, Backstab: Exactly the same thing my mom said at the dinner table on New Year's Eve.]

【CK, Backstab: Sure, including Chong's father, everyone in the group now has both a father and a mother. 】

【Girl:……】

While Wei Zhi was almost suffocated by the jokes of the senior brother, the atmosphere in the group finally returned to normal. Everyone was placing orders for protective gear in groups and wishing the master a speedy recovery.

Backstab chatted privately with Wei Zhi and asked her about the specific situation. As someone who knew Shan Chong's current condition, he was also worried that Shan Chong would not be able to catch up with the various competitions scheduled for next month due to his fall.

Wei Zhi raised her eyes to look at the man who was leaning against the bed, one hand on an IV drip, absentmindedly swiping his phone to check the chat history in the group chat——

The fluorescent screen of the mobile phone illuminates his slightly cold and majestic features when you are silent, and the bottomless depths in your dark pupils...

I have no idea what he is thinking.

All you can see is that he's distracted.

Wei Zhi reached out and patted him, then played the question in a hoarse voice to him. "Will he still compete next month?" Shan Chong took the phone from her hand, put it to his lips and replied, "Competition, skiing, no need to slide."

After saying that, he sent the voice message and put the phone back into Weizhi's hand.

The latter just sat there beside the bed, holding the phone with an expressionless face, staring at him motionlessly.

Shan Chong was stared at by her stern eyes. Thinking about how she had just scolded a hundred people in the group and how they couldn't even raise their heads because of the scolding by those rough old men, he curled the corners of his lips.

"You're still laughing!"

The little girl raised her hand, wanting to hit him, but when her hand reached in front of him, she couldn't bring herself to hit him on his blue and white striped hospital gown. She hesitated for a long time before retracting her hand...

But the punch that she was reluctant to throw seemed to hit her own face, and her eyes turned red first.

On the hospital bed, the man saw that she was fine a second ago, but now she seemed to want to cry after a disagreement. He was used to it, but he still couldn't help but sigh: "You want to cry again? Am I fine?"

Wei Zhi lowered his head and rubbed his eyes: "Are you still impatient with me?"

"Don't be unreasonable," Shan Chong said, "I am the one lying on the hospital bed, right?"

Wei Zhi glanced at him, bit her lip, and asked softly, "...Then we can switch."

Hearing this, the man's helpless and conciliatory smile disappeared. This sentence sounded so familiar. He had heard it a few years ago when he accidentally eavesdropped through the wall...

After hearing this, he took the initiative to sign the retirement documents.

Two years later, in a different context and with a different person——

He found that he still didn't want to listen.

Not even a word.

His eyes darkened slightly, and he spoke to the little girl in a tone that seemed a little cold, as never before, and said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"No nonsense, let's switch positions and you'll know what I'm thinking now."

Her voice was nasal and she stared at him without any killing power. It felt like something was blocking her chest and making her feel uncomfortable. She didn't say it clearly, but it all came out in her voice.

She was not stupid at all. She knew how to negotiate with a man. If she told him to do this and that from a superior position, he might rebel and quarrel with her...

But she didn't.

She didn't even complain about him. Just one sentence successfully relaxed Shan Chong's originally stiff jawline... He looked at her, and his hand, which was still able to move and still had an IV drip, reached out and gently rubbed her seriously furrowed brows.

His hands are very rough.

She felt a little itchy and wanted to turn her head away, but she was afraid of touching his infusion set and puncturing a blood vessel or something, so she stared at him with her neck stiff.

Shan Chong lowered his hands and looked back at her, his dark pupils flashing with an unknown light: "Can you come over and let me hug you?"

She pursed her lips and leaned over.

Falling into the man's arms, she muttered, "You still have the nerve to act like a spoiled brat after doing something wrong."

He lowered his head and kissed the corner of her lips: "I know I was wrong. I will be more careful in the future... Check the helmet fastener before setting off, wear protective gear if you don't mind the trouble, and wear protective gear when using air cushions in summer. If you can't do the movements, forget it. At most, you can practice a few more times and don't force yourself to do it. Try not to fall anywhere-"

"You should rest when I tell you to," she buried her face in the crook of his neck and added, "You're talking about driving while you're tired. Wang Xin has been leading the national team for so many years, he's a professional, why don't you listen to him?"

"Got it," he said. "Listen to me from now on."

As soon as she finished speaking, she climbed out of his arms, holding his shoulders with both hands, a little bit unbelieving him——

Shan Chong's speech is not the kind of style that loves to paint cakes.

But the rest is fine...

When it comes to skiing, cycling and exercise, he is so stubborn and unyielding that it's hard to avoid thinking his promises are just bullshit.

"If you fall again," she lowered her eyes and muttered, "I won't want you anymore."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Threatening me?"

The tone is very light.

The person who was originally sitting on his lap moved her butt when she heard what he said. Before she could move away, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. He uttered a "hmm" sound through his nose to express his doubt.

He was just questioning her.

I know she's just talking.

She had no choice but to raise her head and kiss his slightly pursed lips, bit his lower lip, and touched the corner of his lips that were pressed into a straight line with the tip of her tongue...

Unlike him.

She knew she had said the wrong thing, and she admitted it very quickly.

"Is everything you said true?" she asked softly, "Are you not lying to me?"

His eyes gradually darkened, and now he really felt the benefits of having inconvenient hands...

He could only reluctantly pinch her chin with the hand on which the IV drip was hung, to bring the person who had just moved away from him back to his side, and to resume the interrupted kiss.

"I was too hasty in thinking that I had to stay in shape when I returned to the team," he deepened the kiss, "I know I was wrong, and I apologize to you. I'm sorry."

His warm breath fanned over her nose.

"Stop crying, okay?"

The voice is low and slow.

"I won't lie to you. No matter who I try to lie to, I will never lie to you in this life."

Three years ago, Shan Chong probably never thought that one day he would make a promise to someone to cherish him from then on.

He was surprised when he said this.

Just a moment of trance -

It turns out that the world is not what he thought it was. People just expect him to get results, expect him to win forever, and hope that he can create history in the snowboard big jump event...

It turns out that there are many people who simply keep him in their hearts, care for him and cherish him like a treasure.

In their eyes, he is not Shan Chong——

He is just him, nothing more.

Two years ago, he didn't understand this.

Now he understands.

A man remains a boy until he dies.

Young people are always on the road of growth, and they have as many things to learn as to see.

…

Shan Chong had to stay in the hospital for two days to get a plaster cast, and he also had to prepare toiletries for his short stay. Fortunately, there was a place downstairs in the hospital that sold daily necessities such as plastic basins and towels.

After a series of examinations, it was already completely dark. The man probably felt tired at this point, so he talked to Weizhi for a few words and fell asleep.

Judging from the dark circles under his eyelids, he probably didn't get a good night's sleep these past few days. He returned to the team so suddenly and asked the team for a spot in the Winter Olympics. Although he didn't say it, everyone knew how much pressure he was under.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have practiced so hard, getting in and out of the top gate repeatedly. Dai Duo even asked him if he was crazy.

After he fell asleep, Wei Zhi and Wang Xin went to buy daily necessities.

"Did he tell you that he would not be reckless in the future?"

"Um."

"Do you believe it?"

"What can I do if I don't believe it?"

Wei Zhi was carrying a plastic basin and talking as she walked towards the ward area. In the basin were toothpaste, toothbrushes, towels and other miscellaneous items, as well as a bowl of freshly made white porridge.

"The most fundamental difference between humans and animals is that humans cannot or should not fall into the same pit twice... and now he is probably feeling uneasy. I wonder what my aunt will say when she comes."

Wang Xin was originally walking back with his hands behind his back, but when he heard the word "Auntie", he felt terrible. He didn't know what Shan Chong was thinking, but he felt a little uncomfortable.

He moved his lips and was about to say something.

At this moment, the little girl walking in front suddenly stopped, and he braked unsteadily and almost hit his back.

Wang Xin looked up and was about to ask what was wrong when she turned her head and said expressionlessly, "Let's go to the supermarket and see if there's anything we forgot to buy...let's buy some fruit?"

The middle-aged man was puzzled and moved his lips to say something. At this moment, over Wei Zhi's shoulder, he saw a woman sitting on a bench at the end of the corridor, at the door of the ward where Shan Chong was hospitalized.

She was carrying a simple canvas bag, sitting there alone, with her head down and her hands crossed and clenched into fists against her brows.

Opposite her was the ward door, but she did not rush to push it open to take a look. She just sat outside the ward, struggling silently and crying silently.

No crying.

There was no loud scolding either.

There was no angry demand to withdraw Shan Chong's comeback plan.

I don't blame anyone...

Maybe it was because he set out as soon as he received the call, spent several hours by car to Changbai Mountain, and was very taciturn along the way. Then, when he saw his son lying on the hospital bed through the ward window, he could no longer hide his emotions.

That's all.

Wei Zhi turned around neatly with the plastic basin in her arms, and Wang Xin followed behind her in confusion.

The corridor quickly returned to its original empty state, leaving a moment of peace for the woman on the bench.

…

Shan Chong woke up in the middle of the night.

When I woke up, there was only a dim light on in the ward.

Wei Zhi was lying on the side of his bed. She was a light sleeper to begin with. She opened her eyes almost as soon as he moved. She raised her head dazedly, with pressure marks on her face from sleeping. She asked, "What's wrong? Are you thirsty?"

As he spoke, he went to get some mineral water.

Shan Chong was a little thirsty, so he sat up with one hand propped up, watching the little girl struggling with the bottle cap slowly. He sneered, "Give it to me."

She yawned and passed the water to him. She watched the man stretch out his free hand to unscrew the bottle cap and then take it away from her. She muttered, "You see, I never try to be strong in things that I can't do."

Shan Chong drank some water, looked around, and was stunned when he saw an insulated lunch box at the bedside.

Weizhi followed his gaze and saw the insulated box. She exclaimed, "Ah!" "Auntie came over this afternoon. She was afraid that you would be hungry when you wake up at night, so she made some steamed dumplings for you. She said you could eat them when you get up hungry—"

She said this as she went to get it.

"She was here?"

"Yes, and then I only let one person stay with her at night. She must be tired after sitting in the car all day, so I asked her to go back to the hotel first..."

Weizhi opened the insulated box, sniffed the food inside, and touched around the box. It seemed to be still warm.

After completing a series of operations, she realized that the room seemed too quiet. She raised her head and looked at the man, who was looking at her silently.

She smiled at him.

Shan Chong felt like a death row inmate waiting for the verdict to be announced. His throat was rolling as he said, "You know what I want to ask."

Wei Zhi put down the food on his knees and placed it in front of Shan Chong. He stood up, turned around and took something out of his bag behind him. In the dark, he couldn't see clearly what it was.

All I heard was her saying, "Auntie asked me to pass this to you."

As she handed the object out, it gradually came into the dim light.

——It’s a pair of ski gloves.

The small gloves were obviously one size smaller, a children's size, and the style was particularly old-fashioned, unlike the flashy fluorescent colors of today. At first glance, they were a style from many, many years ago...

There were obvious signs of use on the gloves. The palm was worn out and had a hole.

What an ancient thing! It’s old enough to be in a museum.

But Shan Chong recognized it at the first moment——

It's his gloves.

He also told Weizhi this story. When he was eight or nine years old, he had just learned to carve and his gloves were broken, but his family refused to buy him new ones. One day, he passed by the ski equipment store at the ski resort and saw a small competition sponsored by the store.

Then came his first competition.

First time getting a rank.

The prize for passing the competition for the first time.

It has been almost twenty years. He has no idea where he put the gloves, or maybe he just thought they were lost...

But at this moment, it reappeared before him.

It turns out that it has always been there, and has been carefully collected as an inconspicuous thing?

Just like the memory of that day is carefully treasured -

Shan Chong still remembers that it was snowing outside that day.

At that time, he was only a little taller than the shoe cabinet at home. He rushed home excitedly, holding the skis in one hand and waving the ski gloves in the other, and showed off to his mother who was busy in the kitchen, shouting:

Look, Mom! The gloves I won in the competition!

Am I awesome!

Mom, I want to be a professional skateboarder in the future!

Occupation! Slip! Hands!

"Auntie told you not to forget that your first trophy was brought back standing up."

The girl placed the gloves next to the man's hands, patted them gently, and said with a smile, "So from now on, all medals and honors must be won by standing upright and getting them back."

There was silence in the ward for a moment.

In the half-hidden shadow, the man's thick eyelashes trembled and drooped.

His Adam's apple rolled, and the corners of his tightly pursed thin lips moved, and then slightly curled up.

"Um."

His voice was hoarse and he didn't know who he was talking to.

“I understand.”