198 Extras (14)
◎Chinese table tennis continues to thrive◎
I wandered outside for nearly twenty days.
I originally thought I would be able to go back in two weeks, but I ended up going around in circles due to climate issues in Yokohama, the flight was diverted, and I had to be quarantined for three days after returning home.
It was not until the 27th that Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou returned to Tiantan East Road.
Before the two got out of the car, they saw a group of children crowded at the gate to greet them.
Everyone was holding a bouquet of flowers and waving at the bus carrying Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou from a distance.
Zhu Qi felt that these kids were a bit too exaggerated.
Isn't it just playing two games?
Now that the world rankings have been refreshed, Zhu Qi continues to sit firmly in first place, so a simple verbal celebration will be enough.
Why such a big fuss?
Qin Xiaoba was even more exaggerated, holding a banner that read "Welcome Home" in the back, and jumping up and down, shouting, "Welcome, welcome! A warm welcome!"
As soon as Zhu Qi got out of the car, A Shui and Maomao rushed over first.
"Wow, I missed you so much—" Ah Shui clung to Zhu Qi, rocking back and forth. "Didn't you say you were only going to be gone for two weeks? It's already been over half a month."
"Plans cannot keep up with changes." Zhu Qi patted A Shui's little head.
"I heard that you guys had a fever again. Isn't it under control in Japan?" Maomao also asked.
When talking about fever, Song Linzhou reached out and touched his face, his fingertips brushing against the blushing area: "It's nothing, just a case of not adapting to the climate..."
"It's good that you're back." Others nearby said.
The players of the men's and women's teams also held a small welcoming ceremony for Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou in the training hall. They customized a cake and placed it in the middle with the words "Celebrating our return to the world's number one ranking" written on it.
Zhu Qi knew that it must have been Ah Shui and Qin Xiaoba's idea. The two of them jumped up and down as if they were extremely excited as soon as they entered the room.
"Are you all right?" Zhu Qi was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
"Oh, go blow out the candles!" Qin Xiaoba pushed Zhu Qi towards the cake.
Zhu Qi was even more confused. This was so weird. Why did he have to blow out the candles when it wasn't his birthday?
Seeing Zhu Qi's puzzled expression, Qin Xiaoba quickly said, "You've been away for so long, and this is the first time the team is leaderless. We definitely need to celebrate now."
"Captain! Make a wish!"
The other children were also making a lot of noise along the way, surrounding Zhu Qi and pushing her in front of the cake.
"Make a wish! Make a wish! Make a wish!"
Zhu Qi had no choice but to put his hands together and close his eyes.
Everyone fell silent, watching Zhu Qi's profile reflected in the firelight, the candlelight swaying slightly.
"I hope everyone can finish the race successfully and continue to contribute to China's gold medal campaign."
Then applause came from all around.
When Zhu Qi slowly opened her eyes, she saw Xu Dong standing opposite the cake in his coaching uniform, also looking at her and applauding with a smile on his face.
"Coach Xu—" Zhu Qi exclaimed. "Aren't you..." coming back next year?
"Coach Xu was worried about you, so he ended his vacation early and returned," Maomao said to Zhu Qi with a smile. "This cake is for you and Da Ling, and also to celebrate Coach Xu's return to the national team. We'll all be preparing for the Los Angeles match together!"
Xu Dong walked towards Zhu Qi with a smile on her face. After the mother and daughter hugged each other, Xu Dong felt that Zhu Qi seemed to have lost weight during this period.
When Xu Dong was around, he would keep an eye on Zhu Qi's various diets and urge Zhu Qi to build some muscles.
It was probably because Xu Dong was on vacation during this period, so Zhu Qi just ate something casually, just to avoid starving to death.
So much time has passed, but when Xu Dong hugged Zhu Qi, the feeling was still familiar.
It seemed like it was still the time when Zhu Qi had just joined the national team and was following Xu Dong around Tiantan East Road.
Maomao has been his head coach for a year and a half, and he and Zhu Qi have been teammates for many years. In fact, when he was coaching Zhu Qi, he still subconsciously treated her as a peer, and the two of them were the type who could discuss things with each other.
After all, Xu Dong has watched Zhu Qi grow up since childhood, and she is more like a mother and sister.
Zhu Qi also has a bit of dependence on Xu Dong like an elder.
Xu Dong's return also means that the national table tennis team has officially entered the preparation stage for the Los Angeles World Games.
Ren Xinhua really doesn't have the energy to care about the little thoughts of many players on the team, and she also feels that many of her own ideas are not in line with the trends of today's young people and are not suitable for her to care about.
She has already prepared a report that she will retire after the Los Angeles World Games. After taking these children on a journey, she can enjoy her retirement in peace.
The next step is to hand over this iron-blooded team to the successor.
/
Since the founding of New China, we have participated in the World Games for the first time until now.
China and the United States have been competing openly and secretly, competing in the number of gold medals.
There is an old saying in China.
To catch a thief, you must first catch the leader.
Countries like Japan and South Korea have long been relegated to the second tier and are no longer taken seriously by the Chinese team.
At the Moscow World Games, the Chinese team took first place in the number of gold medals, just two behind. The US remained quiet for four years, not mentioning the incident again.
During the Riyadh World Games, China and the United States were tied in the number of gold medals, but the American team was proud for a long time because they had three more gold, silver and bronze medals than the Chinese team.
This World Games will be held in Los Angeles again.
As the Chinese table tennis team that has won six gold medals for two consecutive times, it is naturally the golden signboard, the king's team, and the iron-blooded generals that everyone is paying attention to.
This time the task is also arduous.
Normally, tensions would start building in the year of the World Games, but everyone was on emergency alert a year in advance.
The direct-to-qualifying tournament will also start two months earlier than usual, after the Mid-Autumn Festival.
After hearing the news, Sen Qiaobei also came over alone to observe the national table tennis team's training and chatted with Maomao for a few words.
The two chatted for an hour or two, and Zhu Qi was still wondering: "Why do they talk for so long?"
Ah Shui pulled Zhu Qi aside and said, "Oh, you don't know. During the half month that you and Da Ling went to play in the game, Sen reporter came almost every day and kept running up to Maomao to chat about this and that."
When Maomao was still a player, Sen Qiaobei also liked to go to the national table tennis team, but at that time he basically communicated with Ren Xinhua.
Occasionally, Zhu Qi also saw Sen Qiaobei interviewing Maomao.
When the two were chatting, Sen Qiaobei's state was different from that of other players in the interview, and he smiled particularly brightly.
Now Maomao is a coach.
Naturally, there are more things for the two of them to talk about.
During the more than half month that Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou were away playing competitions, Zuo Zuo and You You practiced women's doubles with Maomao and achieved quite good results.
In the team training match, Maomao and A Shui faced off against Zuo Zuo and You You, and these two kids were not at a disadvantage.
Zozo has been holding his breath because he failed to compete in the Riyadh World Games.
She is also determined to win the World Games in Los Angeles.
Zuo Zuo and You You have been training with Maomao for a long time, and they are not used to returning to Xu Dong's group.
Xu Dong had given A Shui to Chang Hongxia before, and this time he reluctantly gave him up and transferred Zuo Zuo and You You to Maomao. Now he only took care of Zhu Qi and Xiao Lingdang.
However, at this time, Zhu Qi had developed very well in all aspects and did not need Xu Dong to worry about him much.
Therefore, Xu Dong will transfer most of his time to Xiao Lingdang, allowing Xiao Lingdang to successfully find her own development path from the role of "Little Zhu Qi".
In fact, before Xu Dong went on vacation, he had been paying close attention to Xiao Lingdang.
This little girl, who comes from Jianghuai Province like Zhu Qi, also has Zhu Qi's stubbornness and drive.
In addition, they were all coached by He Qianlu, and they were able to do the jump step and serve beyond the baseline as soon as they joined the national team. Many media believed that Xiao Lingdang could serve as a "substitute" for Zhu Qi.
But no one wants to be someone else's shadow all the time.
At first, Xiao Lingdang didn’t think there was anything wrong with being Zhu Qi’s “substitute”, but Xu Dong and Xiao Lingdang had a long talk and talked about Jin Lili in South Korea.
Xiao Lingdang also knew this athlete: "I heard that she had good results in the national team before, and later she went to South Korea and became a starter."
"She imitated Baobao's fighting style for a while before, but other people's fighting style is always other people's. The achievements of the person you want to imitate are already there. Only by being yourself can you have more unlimited possibilities." Xu Dong patiently and gently persuaded Xiao Lingling, and her tone was very touching.
The wonderful thing about ball sports is that everyone's skills are unique.
The results of the direct-through tournament came out very quickly.
The two newcomers of the men's team, Jin Zi and Yin Zi, performed quite well, but the individual events must still be dominated by the veterans.
If the mixed doubles match goes as expected, we will choose one from the Qilin combination or the Fangqin combination.
But it's hard to say.
During lunch, Ah Shui even boldly speculated with a smile: "Who knows, maybe you two siblings will get in on it."
In fact, it should have been A Shui and Qin Xiaoba who competed in the mixed doubles at the last Riyadh World Games. However, Ren Xinhua observed them at the time and suspected that they were in a relationship, so he let Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou compete again.
This time, Song Linzhou followed Zhu Qi to play in the New Delhi Open and the Yokohama Peak Battle, which caused a lot of sensation.
I don’t know how these fans saw it, but they all started speculating about the reasons why the two of them went to the game.
In fact, after the peak battle in Yokohama, Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou also accepted an interview.
During the interview, some reporters asked why the two of them participated in such a small competition.
Although the peak battle is the highest-level competition in GTT, Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou have been competing in this competition for so many years and have won all the honors they deserve.
Zhu Qi has seven or eight peak competition championship trophies.
Zhu Qi said at the time: "Of course it's because I want to climb the points." Who asked the International Table Tennis Federation to change the points system?
Song Linzhou didn't say anything, but just smiled and lowered his head. However, when his eyes inadvertently passed over Zhu Qi, they were captured by the camera and later posted in the most conspicuous section of major newspapers.
A "love" story of "a fairy couple of national table tennis, childhood sweethearts, companions for many years, chosen by heaven in mixed doubles, giving each other their weakest backs, and the bond of fate" began to spread all over Japan.
A local survey was conducted in Japan before.
That is the arrangement of the most influential people of the year, one man and one woman, who just happen to be Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou.
Because of Hara Xiang, Zhu Qi has long been famous in Japan, and even many people who don’t know much about table tennis know Zhu Qi’s name.
For a period of time, many sports news reports in Japan would broadcast Zhu Qi's various competitions.
This feeling is like "I feel relieved when I see that others can't beat me, and I can't beat them either."
The dark cloud that Zhu Qi cast over the Japanese table tennis world during those years can be said to be very thick.
Every time Zhu Qi is mentioned, she is often accompanied by the phrase "Witch! Meet me!"
Song Linzhou's popularity stems purely from his looks. His hairstyle is a classic '90s cropped side-part, and when he dances, his hair looks smooth and soft. His neck is a pale white. His eyes are large, oval, and black, and his smile has a hint of a sacrum. If his jawline were a little sharper, he'd look more girlish. He speaks quietly, and always smiles before speaking to anyone.
He is a sports student with a reserved and gentle personality, and is the perfect match for Sakura girls in terms of aesthetics and appearance.
During the days when I was playing games in Japan.
Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou's training, dismissal, entry into the field, competition, and exit from the field... were filmed into a comic strip by fans and media.
Every frame and every picture is flying all over the sky.
Then I flew back to the country and arrived at Tiantan East Road.
Several children from the boys' and girls' teams gathered together during lunch break to read the newspapers, and they were still enjoying themselves.
"This Japanese guy is really good at filming it, making it look like it's real. If I didn't know our captain well, I would have believed it."
"Isn't Daling a good guy? He's fair-skinned and successful."
"I'm not saying anything bad about Big Ling. It's just that our captain is focused on his career and has no interest in love."
The cat happened to pass by and heard the kids talking. It shouted a few words, "Hurry up and train," and then put the newspaper away.
But when it was taken away, the cat itself was also feeling uneasy.
Who knows?
Even stone will eventually be worn away by water.
Besides, Zhu Qi is not really heartless, her heart is also sensitive.
People who truly have a tacit understanding don’t need to say much. Just by looking at the state of Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou when they return, Maomao can guess almost everything.
"Are you ready?" Maomao sat next to Zhu Qi and watched Zhu Qi start to change into training clothes.
There were only two of them in the locker room, but Maomao still kept her voice low, afraid that others would hear.
Zhu Qi immediately guessed what Maomao was talking about and nodded: "I guess so."
"How did you figure it out?" Maomao laughed.
"I've always understood it." Zhu Qi changed out of her sneakers and put on a pair of sneakers. These shoes were given to her by Song Linzhou, just like the one she wore to the Tokyo World Games. The first pair was worn out, and this one was new. "At first, I didn't think there would be anyone in this world who could be my soulmate, because I'm extremely demanding in my partner. If I told you that, it would probably scare everyone away. Now, I can only say... it just happened that someone who meets all my requirements appeared."
Zhu Qi said this with a hint of joking.
Maomao also knew that for Zhu Qi, playing basketball was the most important thing, and everything else had to take a back seat.
Especially after falling in love, it means the union of two families, and there are more things that need to be tolerated and adapted to. However, these things were not originally in Zhu Qi's plan.
As a friend who has known Zhu Qi for so many years, Maomao actually wants to ask her what she likes about her.
If Maomao asked, Zhu Qi would definitely answer with the same words that Ah Shui had said before.
That is, I can’t put it into words, but I feel that the other person is good in every way.
/
After Daxiong semi-retired, he no longer participated in the World Games in Los Angeles, but he was responsible for serving as a voluntary sparring partner and sharing techniques with the players participating in the competition.
This is also the first time that Maomao has participated in the World Games as a head coach.
For the national team, it is a time of replacement of the old with the new.
The departure of the two veteran players will mean the emergence of new faces.
Under normal circumstances, the competition list will not be released until two months before the World Games.
But this time, after the direct-qualifying tournament, it was arranged directly on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the preparation stage began a year in advance.
Women's singles: Zhu Qi, A Shui
Men's singles: Song Linzhou, Qin Xiaoba
Women's doubles: Sasa, Youyou
Men's doubles: Song Linzhou, Yin Zi
Mixed doubles: A Shui, Qin Xiaoba
Mixed Team: (Female Team) Zhu Qi, Ah Shui, Xiao Lingdang. (Male Team) Song Linzhou, Qin Xiaoba, Jin Zi. P-cards: Zuo Zuo, Yin Zi.
With veteran players supporting individual events, the coaches are relatively relieved.
However, there are newcomers in both women’s and men’s doubles, which is the top priority for the coaches.
The mixed team also used a small bell that had never participated in the World Games.
Although Zhu Qi is only competing in two events this time, she still has to watch the women's doubles and Xiao Lingdang's training on a regular basis, so the task is very heavy.
Song Linzhou got into the game quickly. In addition to competing, he also had to train new players.
This list can only be considered a preliminary list and may be adjusted before the World Games, but from the time the list is finalized until the start of next year's World Games, special training will be conducted around this lineup.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Ah Shui got dozens of Kongming lanterns from somewhere, and Qin Xiaoba went to Chairman Ren's office to bring back a brush and inkstone.
Open flames are not banned in the capital city now, so the custom of Kongming lanterns has basically disappeared after many years, and this tradition is only retained in some certain provinces.
"Come on, everyone, write your wishes on it, and then wait for the candle to burn and the lamp to inflate, then you can release it!" Ah Shui shouted from the side, teaching everyone how to use it.
Qin Xiaoba swung his brush, looking like he was going to show off his calligraphy, and said, "Look at my calligraphy. I've been practicing for a long time. Come on, tell me what you want to write, and I'll help you."
"Come on, don't take this opportunity to peek at my 'wish'. It won't work if you tell it out loud." Ah Shui yelled.
"I have a bad memory. I forget what I read. Let me take a look—"
“Get out, get out, get out!”
The two of them were laughing and joking for a long time, and their older brother and sister seemed much quieter beside them.
Maomao wrote very directly, and his mentality was more inclined towards the coach, with only two words: "win the championship".
The wax block burned with a red flame, and the hot air released made the entire interior bulge. Zhu Qi wrote five words on it stroke by stroke.
——【China's Table Tennis Continues to Win】
Song Linzhou didn't see what Zhu Qi wrote either.
But what he wrote was related to Zhu Qi.
——【She got what she wanted】
Qin Xiaoba had actually seen it a long time ago. He had asked Song Linzhou before: "What do you like about my sister?"
In fact, when asking this question, the younger brother felt a little proud.
Of course he knew that his sister was good in everything: beautiful, good at studies, and capable.
But I still want to hear people praise me.
Song Linzhou has been in the national team for so many years, but has basically had no interaction with the women's team. Before Zhu Qi came, he was actually arranged to play a few mixed doubles matches, but he didn't achieve any results.
To be precise, tacit understanding seems to be very clever and only useful to certain people.
After Zhu Qi came, Song Linzhou mainly accompanied her in training, or when the women's team was short of a left-handed player, they would call Song Linzhou over to help.
Song Linzhou always responded to Zhu Qi's requests.
When Song Linzhou first met Zhu Qichu on the plane, he just thought she was a very talented little sister.
As an athlete's yearning for talented players, Song Linzhou envied Zhu Qi's talent and strength. Later, he was fortunate to be able to form a mixed doubles team with Zhu Qi. He also knew that they might not be able to play together for long, but he cherished every time of cooperation.
The first mixed doubles match, the second mixed doubles match... After each match, Song Linzhou got to know Zhu Qi better.
He often saw Zhu Qi sitting alone on the court, thinking about his own things.
Sometimes Song Linzhou would be lost in thought while watching.
What is she thinking?
Why does she look a little sad?
The little person seems to have a lot on his mind.
Over time, Song Linzhou seemed to be able to understand any emotional changes of Zhu Qi, which allowed him to cooperate better with Zhu Qi during the game.
Like now.
Zhu Qi's eyebrows were lit by the candlelight, and the corners of her eyes were slightly curved. She looked much happier since returning to the national team.
She was born to stay in this field.
The two Kongming lanterns slowly rose up, snuggled together, and flew slowly and steadily into the sky.
The other people's Kongming lanterns also rose up soon after, even the two of A Shui and Qin Xiaoba had cute simple drawings on them.
Ah Shui asked, "What's that? A candied haws?"
Qin Xiaoba said: "Those are ping-pong balls and gold medals! All you know is eating."
Ah Shui asked, "Then how come they are next to each other? And they are strung together with a rope?"
Qin Xiaoba said, "If I don't get close to him, what if God doesn't know I play table tennis?"
“…”A Shui.
More than a dozen Kongming lanterns with burning red candles slowly rose into the sky.
Like floating in the middle of the night.
Carrying the wishes and blessings of a group of people.
Pray to God.
They are daughters of the family, as well as warriors, and are also working hard to "expand the territory."
The arena is the result of repeated races, and it is also the proof that this group of people will remain in history.
Even if they retire from the field, their future will focus on their families.
But please don't forget that there is a group of people.
He once sacrificed his life for the honor of this country.
The feeling of fighting for the country is real, the passion to win the gold medal is real, and the effort and time invested are real.
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