107 Millionaire
◎Seeing her is like seeing my past self.◎
The national table tennis team performed very well this time.
At the Moscow World Games, the Chinese team won a total of 46 gold medals, of which the Chinese table tennis team won 6.
Before I even returned to China, the General Administration of Sports called me.
From the closing ceremony of the World Games to boarding the plane to return home, the entire national table tennis team was shrouded in an extremely excited atmosphere.
Even Ren Xinhua, who rarely shows his emotions, is cheerful from morning to night.
Normally, many young players were a little afraid of Ren Xinhua, but now seeing how happy everyone was, the young players bravely started joking with Ren Xinhua, asking him what the leaders of the General Administration of Sports had said and whether they were going to give everyone a raise.
Ren Xinhua laughed and scolded: "Go away, what salary increase? If you want a salary increase, just play well in the game."
He Qianlu gave his large suitcase to Zhu Qi. Zhu Qi used the suitcase as a wheelchair and sat on it to be pushed. The team doctor was also there to discuss Zhu Qi's ligament strain with Ren Xinhua.
The scar on Zhu Qi's eye has scabbed over. Although the wound is a bit deep, it is not big.
It should have healed a long time ago, but when playing in a mixed group, Zhu Qi wiped his sweat too hard and rubbed off the scab, causing the wound to open again.
At that time, she and A Shui were playing women's doubles in the second game. When Zhu Qi wiped the sweat off her face, she found blood on the towel. A Shui held her face and said that the wound had split again.
Zhu Qi himself didn't think anything of it, but instead scared the two girls from Kazakhstan. They looked at Zhu Qi and A Shui tremblingly and didn't dare to say a word. Even the coach from the other team quickly ran over to ask if a medical timeout was needed.
The Korean gel is really useful. It healed overnight, and after it matured and fell off, only a very small, shallow scar was left.
The players struggled for a month, and the coaches also struggled for a month.
All the coaches almost didn’t sleep well every day. They stayed up until the early morning to analyze the opponents and help the players develop battle plans the next day.
Especially Xu Dong, he looked exhausted.
After the game, he went to the hospital with Zhu Qi because of stomach problems.
Stomach problems are a common disease for almost every coach. Ren Xinhua previously left the team and underwent surgery for a year due to stomach problems. Xu Dong has suffered from acute gastroenteritis almost twice a year since returning to the national team. It has become a habitual disease now.
This trip to Moscow.
Zhu Qi spent two rackets and more than twenty pieces of rubber on the game.
Zhu Qi basically changes a rubber every day to ensure the best elasticity of the rubber.
But the wood of both bats was loosened by excessive force, and by the last game the sound of the ball being caught was not right.
Not only does it take time to break in a new racket, it's also very expensive.
What a pity.
Every time Zhu Qi changes his bat, it’s like a young couple breaking up, and he has a very difficult adaptation process.
The second is the ligament problem of the foot injury.
Because of the blocking injection, Zhu Qi could not feel the pain so she used her right foot frequently, which aggravated the injury. Originally it was just a slight strain but after playing in the women's singles and mixed team matches, now there is a crack. After taking an X-ray, the team doctor said that half of the tendon was still connected.
The team doctor's advice was, "A minor surgery to repair the ligament is in order. Zhu Qi happens to be from Jianghuai, and there's a hospital in Jianghuai that specializes in ligament suturing. My junior is the attending physician there and he's very experienced. If you're interested in having the procedure, I'll contact them for you. With this type of surgery, you can be discharged from the hospital in a week, and if the recovery goes smoothly, you can return to training in a month. Otherwise, it's like a ticking time bomb. You'll probably feel pain during training, and then the increased activity could cause it to rupture, requiring surgery and delaying your time even further."
It's the same as getting a tooth filled.
It may be just a small black hole at the beginning, but eventually the black hole will become bigger and bigger, to the point where you have to extract the tooth and replace it with a new one.
Zhu Qi thought about it and calculated the time in his mind...
Seeing that she didn't agree or refuse, Xu Dong could guess what Zhu Qi was thinking and comforted her, "I know you still want to play in the World Championship Cup in October, but Chairman Ren and I have already agreed. You've won the Golden Throne so many times anyway, so this competition isn't that important to you. With Maomao and A Shui here, you'll definitely be able to handle it. You'll have two months of championship leave after you go back, which is just right for you to rest. If you recover well from the surgery, you can still catch up with the National Table Tennis Championships in November."
Do the repair now while you still have time, otherwise the damage will only get worse later.
Seeing Xu Dong's pale complexion due to stomach problems.
Zhu Qi was still a little hesitant.
Maomao could understand this thought, but as long as he wasn't completely unable to move, he felt he could hold on and didn't want to waste a single minute of training. He was afraid that if he left for a month, the kids on the team would show up and beat him down.
Qin Xiaoba ran over and asked, "Sister, you're not afraid of surgery, are you? Afraid of the pain? I remember when we were in the provincial team, you didn't want to stay in the ward. You wanted to leave as soon as you entered."
"?" Zhu Qi. "Are you kidding?"
"Well, I'm afraid, it's nothing to be ashamed of. You're a human being after all, with emotions and desires... I understand."
"Come here." Zhu Qi waved at him.
"I won't go over there. If I go, you can beat me up." Qin Xiaoba ran away.
But he didn't run away completely. Zhu Qi grabbed the slippers on his feet and threw them over, hitting Qin Xiaoba's back of the head steadily.
Qin Xiaoba cried out "Ouch!", covered his head and fell to the ground, shouting: "Grand Slam is bullying the young players——"
"Shut up! If you keep talking nonsense, I'll beat you up!"
Oh.
So what if he won the world championship in men’s doubles mixed team?
He is still the stinky little brother who gets beaten by his sister.
Qin Xiaoba thought aggrievedly.
A few children were making a lot of noise in the back, and the adults were walking in front with smiles on their faces.
After four years of hard training, tears and sweat, we can only take a short break at this moment.
Although the World Games are over, this year is the year of the "three major competitions" after all, with the World Championship Cup and the National Table Tennis Championships waiting.
As soon as he arrived at the airport in Beijing, Zhu Qi saw airport staff waiting at the boarding gate. There were several yellow barriers outside. When he saw the people from the national table tennis team, he ran over and said a few words to Ren Xinhua.
"What's going on?" A Shui poked his head in to check.
Maomao didn't know either, so she guessed, "I just heard on the news that our competition in Moscow surpassed the ratings of the last Tokyo World Games by 12%, almost on par with this year's Spring Festival Gala."
"Really? So many people are watching." Zhu Qi had never expected that he would experience the preferential treatment of an absolute main force. Fortunately, there were enough logistics personnel following him this time. Several children took turns to help Zhu Qi carry his luggage, and even several children from the second team of the men's team came to share the work.
Seeing how diligent these children were, Zhu Qi felt a little embarrassed at first, as she didn't have the habit of asking others to help with work.
As a result, after the children were assigned the task of carrying bags, they did not give Zhu Qi a chance to do it.
I feel very happy to be able to help the team members do something.
A few outgoing children followed Zhu Qi on both sides, chatting with her like protectors, calling her "Sister Baobao" sweetly and affectionately.
This reminded Zhu Qi of when he was a club coach in his previous life. Although he served a group of young masters and young ladies, there were still some young players who were relatively obedient and willing to learn. On the contrary, the younger the players, the more unpolished drive they had.
Because at this age, everyone is full of imagination about the future.
Even the usually serious Buddha looked at Zhu Qi with a smile like a Maitreya Buddha, and praised him in a rare way: "You are a great contributor to our national table tennis team this time."
Zhu Qi sat on the suitcase without his feet touching the ground the entire time.
Looking down at her bandaged right foot, she began to think that it was fortunate that she had good self-control, otherwise she would have been overpraised sooner or later with such preferential treatment.
Because of the law of the jungle, the hierarchy in the sports world is very obvious.
Although Ren Xinhua now advocates that veterans should guide new players, many young players who have just joined the team still can't help but admire the senior players when they see their seniors who are full of honors.
Zhu Qi made his global appearance this time not only because he won the championship, but most importantly because he defeated Jamie.
After the mixed team competition, the head of the planning department of the Olympic Committee came over and asked for the rubber she had used in the competition. He also asked Zhu Qi to sign on it. It was said that he took it back to his office and framed it.
Xiao Lingdang always followed Zhu Qi, helping him carry his suitcases and golf bags. Although she was young, she was very meticulous. When carrying the golf bags, she would place them in front of her body to prevent any bumps while walking.
It could also be that Xiao Lingdang has lived with her grandparents since she was little, and without the care of her parents, she is very independent. Unlike Qin Xiaoba, who always shouts about his achievements for the whole world to know, Xiao Lingdang never seeks credit and is so quiet that people often forget she exists.
This kind of personality easily reminded Zhu Qi of himself working in the club in his previous life, and he began to feel pity for her for no reason.
I chatted with Xiao Lingdang a few more times along the way, mostly asking her if she had any thoughts while watching the game, and then answering them myself.
Zhu Qi walked ahead, carrying a suitcase. Xiao Lingdang asked from behind, "Sister Baobao, Coach He said that when you were on the provincial team, you watched at least three hours of video every day, and then you would think about it yourself. Whose videos did you watch?"
Zhu Qi thought for a moment and said, "A lot. I've watched almost all the surviving videos, and I watch my own game videos too. But I wouldn't copy their techniques. Technology is constantly evolving. Using the techniques and tactics of our predecessors to play today's games will only keep you stuck in the same mold and prevent you from making any further progress."
Little Bell seemed to understand what he heard, but not quite, and began to figure it out on her own.
Although Zhu Qi first came to everyone's attention because her playing style resembled He Qianlu's, she never felt she had to be every bit He Qianlu. She constantly studied her skills during matches, drawing on every opponent she faced to innovate her techniques. Only someone like Jin Lili, who was obsessed with nitpicking, would do that.
Just walked out of the airport.
The Chinese table tennis team was suddenly stunned by the huge crowd outside the glass.
There were countless people, each holding a small red flag in their hands. After seeing a group of athletes in red jerseys coming out of the ticket gate, they began to wave the red flags in their hands desperately.
There are a lot of people.
Everyone stood behind the isolation tape, stretched their hands forward, and waved the red flags and bouquets in their hands to attract the attention of the athletes.
They looked to be of different ages, but most of them were adults. Their clothes were different, but the expressions on their faces were very consistent, they were all shouting with extreme excitement.
The air was filled with the fragrance of bouquets of flowers and the special smell of some people moving around.
"A great victory!" The crowd shouted this sentence in unison.
Qin Xiaoba and A Shui had never seen such a scene before. They felt a little shy because of the warm welcome from all sides. They wanted to reach out and say hello to the onlookers but felt a little embarrassed.
"These people are here for you." Maomao said to Zhu Qi with a smile.
Later, Zhu Qi realized that what they shouted was "Qi" which means victory.
People these days are very simple. They came to express their recognition and love for Zhu Qi because she won the women's singles gold medal and was a new Grand Slam winner. There is no such thing as a "stalker fan".
The airport pick-up was just a simple pick-up. They gave Zhu Qi flowers and shouted words, then the athletes got on the bus and left, and the crowd dispersed spontaneously.
Zhu Qi was holding a bunch of flowers in her arms. After getting on the car, the three rows of seats at the back could not be moved open, so she finally moved several rows of seats onto the back seats of several coaches' private cars.
At most, a few people came with their children and asked for an autograph, so Zhu Qi signed one for them through the window while sitting in the bus.
Qin Xiaoba sat nearby, looking at the dozens of people following outside the car, and said enviously, "My grandma, there are so many people! There are more people than in the audience seats at the World Games. Are they all here to see you? Sister, you are now completely famous."
The World Games champion’s ranking is indeed higher than other champions, but it also exceeded Zhu Qi’s expectations.
When the cat won the title last time, only the mayor and government officials organized some people to set up a red carpet and wreaths to express their warm welcome to the "heroes".
Zhu Qi didn't expect that so many people would come to pick her up at the airport. She had met some fans before, but most of them were people in the sports circle.
But this time it is different. This time it is an action organized spontaneously by many people from all over the country.
Maomao speculated, "While you were playing mixed doubles with Da Ling, I spoke with the coaches of our Chongqing-Yuanzhou provincial team on several phone calls. They told me that a lot of news back home was reporting on Jamie's story. Everyone thought the women's singles title was 99% likely to go to Jamie. Plus, I... didn't make it to the semifinals, so many people thought the women's singles title was hopeless. During that time, Jamie's popularity was almost higher than any other World Games championship. Many newspapers gave it extensive coverage, from the news broadcasts to the sports channels. Everyone with a discerning eye felt it was an unfair match, but no one expected you to win..."
After Maomao finished speaking, Zhu Qi probably understood.
People's disgust towards Jamie reached its peak, which led to an instant surge in my popularity after I defeated Jamie.
As much as everyone hated Jamie, they now love Zhu Qi.
This means that I also benefited from Jamie's help.
As soon as they returned to Tiantan East Road, they saw that the entrance of the management center, which usually had no visitors, was crowded with young people holding flowers.
There are several universities on this street, and this group of young people are probably college students who came here on bicycles.
Seeing a car coming, the crowd automatically made way for it and stood on both sides, staring intently at the car door opening.
One person came down.
They shouted loudly, and the crowd didn't burst into screams and cheers until Zhu Qi was helped down by Xu Dong.
"Baobao! Baobao! Baobao! Look here!" The young college students shouted Zhu Qi's name, and one after another stuffed the bouquets in their hands into Zhu Qi's hands.
One, two, three... These days there is no paper to wrap flowers, and a bouquet is considered a bouquet of flowers tied to the branches with a red rope.
Even so, Zhu Qi couldn't hold the seventh one anymore as he couldn't hold it with both hands.
"Take good care of your injury. I hope you can recover soon and return to the court." A little girl handed flowers to Zhu Qi and also gave him a greeting card.
Zhu Qi politely responded: "Thank you."...
Not only that, the management center was also filled with flower baskets sent from all over the country, all the way from the table tennis training hall to the auxiliary hall. Not to mention the various letters of commendation sent to the General Administration of Sports.
A few people playing badminton nearby came over and exclaimed, "This is too much... Your table tennis team has switched to selling flower baskets?"
The children were discussing this matter, and the coaches were also surprised by Zhu Qi's sudden popularity.
Ren Xinhua called Xu Dong and Chang Hongxia over. The former said, "Zhu Qi's influence from winning the championship might not be as great as Jamie's."
Xu Dong also found the fans incredibly enthusiastic. He couldn't understand why, having produced so many successful players before, the last time Maomao won, there wasn't such a thing. The same thing happened with Daxiong. He didn't see any Daxiong fans camping out the front door of the management center. Why was Zhu Qi so popular? Was it because she was so pretty?
Ren Xinhua, after all, is well-informed and understands the source of the public's enthusiasm: "Although Zhu Qi has been on the national team for six years, he is only a minor celebrity within the table tennis community. Only those in the community know about Zhu Qi's achievements, but outside the community, perhaps no one would know him."
Chang Hongxia felt that what Ren Xinhua said made a lot of sense.
In fact, before this trip to Moscow, it was the cat that was more well-known among the people.
Firstly, Maomao is the women's singles champion of the Tokyo World Games, and secondly, she is the captain of the women's team. Maomao is asked to go to any CCTV interviews of the team, so Maomao is more familiar to the outside world.
"We're all playing in Moscow and don't know the situation back home. Just now, on the way here, I realized the attention to this World Games is far greater than any of our previous matches. I bought a bunch of newspapers on the way here, and almost everything from page one to the back was devoted to Bao Bao," Ren Xinhua said, sitting at her desk. "I know Bao Bao isn't the impulsive type. Seeing how calm she was in the face of the fans' enthusiasm, she seemed quite relaxed. That's great. Even though she's won a Grand Slam, she's only 21, still very young. She still has hope of winning two Grand Slams in the future, so she shouldn't get carried away right now."
Xu Dong nodded: "I will remind her too."
And then.
Ren Xinhua was about to start contacting the doctor to perform the surgery for Zhu Qi, but before the surgery, she decided to book a hotel to hold a celebratory party for these children.
Six golds!
This is the most gold medals the national table tennis team has ever won since its formation!
Although the General Administration of Sport requires the national table tennis team to win all six gold medals, everyone knows that this goal is difficult. Sometimes losing one or two gold medals will not be a big deal. At most, the leaders will just give them a few remarks.
But this time the target was truly achieved!
When Ren Xinhua thought about this, he became so excited that his palms trembled slightly.
"Book a big hotel for the kids, the best!"
/
The celebratory wine was served in the most expensive and high-end hotel in Chaojing.
Zhu Qi has been craving the sliced duck from this restaurant for a long time, but he has never been able to afford to order it because the dish is too expensive.
We booked three tables in total.
The players participating in the competition sat at one table, the coaches sat at another table, and the logistics staff and team doctors sat at another table.
Each table was filled with a dazzling array of dishes, especially a three-tiered white porcelain plate in the center. Each tier held slices of juicy roast duck, the skin and meat separated and succulent, even shaped like roses and peonies.
The top plate was piled with duck meat to form a small hill. Chefs these days don't have much savvy. The duck meat was actually meat in the hill, not ice or a bulging porcelain plate.
Ah Shui took a sip of the duck soup brought by the waiter and exclaimed, "Wow, it smells so good!"
Ren Xinhua, the head coach, said briefly, "It was truly remarkable that our players swept the gold medals in Moscow this time. It's the reward for the hard work and dedication of the past four years. The coaching staff also worked incredibly hard, accompanying the players on numerous tours and giving their all. And to our sparring partners, our heroes behind the scenes, who have tirelessly been training with the players day and night. This toast to everyone here, I wish the national table tennis team continued gold medal success and continued victory!"
Zhu Qi was injured and couldn't drink, so there was a glass of orange juice in front of him.
As they clinked their glasses, everyone shouted in unison: "May China's table tennis team continue to win gold medals! May the game always be victorious!"
After finishing his drink, Qin Xiaoba covered his mouth and grinned at Song Linzhou beside him: "I think our chairman is already drunk before she even drinks. I've never seen her so happy. I wonder if they can give us a raise in our year-end bonus..."
It is naturally impossible to increase the salary.
But this time, in addition to the gold medal, I also got bonuses.
Zhu Qi did some calculations and found that she had won the mixed doubles, women's singles and mixed team championships. After adding up all the prize money, deducting personal income tax, the share given to the national team and the Bayi team, and the party dues after joining the party...she estimated that she would only have about 450,000 yuan left.
In addition to the individual awards from Chaoyang Sports University, Jianghuai Province, and the Bayi Team...
Oh shit!
She actually got a bonus of over 700,000 yuan?!
Thinking of this, Zhu Qi suddenly became a little restless.
I really want to fly to the bank to check my passbook.
I have played so many games over the years, plus the annual salary paid by the national team, the last time I checked, it was already over 400,000.
I bought four houses from Song Linzhou’s father before, sold one and bought two in Jianghuai.
The three houses Chaojing owns have now increased in value fivefold. Last time, Maomao said that someone was willing to pay 400,000 yuan to buy her house. Zhu Qi's suggestion was not to sell it and wait for demolition.
By this calculation, Zhu Qi’s real estate alone is worth almost two million.
Looking at it this way, I actually became a millionaire in 1998.
Ah Shui raised his glass and said loudly: "I wish us all a bright and glorious future!"
All the players at the table stood up and echoed.
Very good. When Zhu Qi thought about having money, he suddenly felt that his right foot didn’t hurt anymore and he could still play in the World Cup in October!
Then Ren Xinhua came over and said to her, "I've contacted the doctor for you, and a ward will be available next week."
"So fast?" Zhu Qi was stunned.
"Finish it sooner, and recover sooner. If you still want to compete in the National Table Tennis Championships in November..." Ren Xinhua patted Zhu Qi's head with a loving look. "The surgery will be at Jianghuai Hospital, so it will be more convenient for your family to take care of you. I'll grant you two months of leave so you can recover and come back."
Only the singles champion has a two-month vacation, so only Zhu Qi and Daxiong can take a break.
But Big Bear will not take a vacation either. Everyone will continue to train and prepare for the upcoming World Cup.
Zhu Qi nodded.
My uncle's family also came to Chaojing on the way. Knowing that Zhu Qi was going back to Jianghuai for surgery, they found a hotel here and stayed for a few days, waiting to go back with Zhu Qi.
After eating and drinking, the group returned to the national team with bulging stomachs.
Zhu Qi has regarded the national team as his second home over the years. After finally returning from the game, he had to pack up and leave again.
Because of his leg injury and difficulty in moving, Maomao and A Shui helped to clean up for a while.
Ah Shui said, "Although it's a minor surgery, any surgery carries risks. Is that doctor reliable? Is he up to the task?"
"I heard that he is a junior of our team doctor and an expert in this field, so there should be no problem," said Zhu Qi.
After packing up, Zhu Qi didn't ask Maomao and Ah Shui to see her off. She was only going to be gone for two months, not half a year like Maomao had been gone last time, so she felt it would be too polite to ask Maomao to see her off.
After several people separated in the dormitory, Zhu Qi asked Qin Xiaoba to push his luggage and take him to the gate.
As soon as she came out of the women's dormitory, Song Linzhou was waiting for her downstairs.
"Huh? Are you here to see my sister off?" Qin Xiaoba smiled.
Song Linzhou extended his hand towards Zhu Qi and said, "Give me your two rackets. My provincial team coach owns a racket-making factory with machines that can help you repair them."
"Really?" Zhu Qi took the golf bag and took out the racket from it doubtfully.
Qin Xiaoba asked curiously, "Can a loosened tennis racket be repaired?"
"Sure," Song Linzhou nodded. He knew Zhu Qi's two rackets were practically unusable, and he also knew Zhu Qi went through a painful adjustment process every time he changed rackets. "There's a special machine that can compact the loosened wood. Since you're having surgery soon, you definitely won't be able to play. These two rackets will be usable again when you come back."
Zhu Qi was very happy and said to him, "Thank you very much."
Her bats have always been of a special quality, and He Qianlu always has to have them made for her, which is not only very expensive but also very troublesome. He Qianlu has to start by looking at the wood and then find someone to make it piece by piece. In those days, there was no express delivery, so the bats had to be delivered by hand, which was also very time-consuming and labor-intensive.
It’s not that Zhu Qi is afraid of spending money, but the time cost is too high.
If it can be repaired and continued to be used, that would be the best.
Anyway, she still has a spare board in her hand, so she can go back and play with it.
Song Linzhou lowered his eyes slightly. Qin Xiaoba very tactfully pushed Zhu Qi's luggage away and said, "I'll take it to the gate first."
Then, only Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou were left standing downstairs.
Song Linzhou just smiled, his pupils curved, and said very sincerely: "I wish your operation a success."
"Thank you, and I wish you good results in the World Cup." Zhu Qi responded indifferently.
Although Zhu Qi's right foot was still a little sore, it was not to the point where she could not walk at all. Seeing her uncle and others arrive at the gate, she strode towards her family.
In addition to having surgery, she also planned to clean up her two houses in Jianghuai and see if they could be rented out. She would then give the rent to her uncle and aunt, so that her uncle wouldn't have to continue driving a taxi.
But Zhu Qi really didn't expect that when he returned to his hometown after two years, he would face a very "interesting" family recognition drama.
【Author’s words】
The gold medal prize at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics was approximately 200,000 RMB (approximately US$24,000).
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