27 Table Tennis League ⑦
◎【Two-in-one】China is so vast, and the journey is so slow.◎
Zhu Qi had just come down from the women's singles podium. She had gone through a series of award ceremonies, photo sessions, and photos with the provincial team coaches... It took a long time for her to recover from the series of processes.
The entire game exhausted most of Zhu Qi's efforts and energy, and he was even dazed when he was interviewed after the game.
How do you feel about winning the women's singles championship in your first Ping Tiao League appearance?
Zhu Qi snapped back to reality after noticing the camera trained on him. After a moment's reflection, he said, "I think my victory was largely due to luck. Later in the match, neither of us was defensive, so a lot of the shots were just based on feel. It just so happened to be a best-of-five match, and I was on match point, so I won. But if it were a best-of-seven international tournament, it's hard to say who would win in the end."
He Qianlu listened beside him and smiled without saying a word.
This was the nicest thing Zhu Qi said during the interview.
The last time she defeated Li Keshan, she didn't have this attitude. She stood in front of the international media with all her arrogance and said, "Oh, that's just how it is."
After everything was done, Zhu Qi sat down to rest at the door to the locker room. He Qianlu handed her a freshly picked banana to help her regain her strength. "Here, have a banana. Are you exhausted? Fighting Old Chang was really exhausting. It was incredibly difficult."
While eating the "high potassium, low sodium" supplement, Zhu Qi looked up at the podium for the men's table tennis final next to him.
They finished the game, and the champion was still Big Bear.
It seems that Daxiong's position as the absolute main force is secure.
"Oh, right, your last shot..." He Qianlu sat beside him, his face beaming. "Why is it so weird? Why is it spinning like that? When did you practice that? Who taught you?"
He knew it definitely wasn't Xu Dong.
He knows Xu Dong's ball very well.
Based on He Qianlu's observation of other national team members over the past two days, no one can play this kind of ball.
At this moment, Ren Xinhua also walked over, stopped in front of Zhu Qi, and said with a smile, "How are you? You must be exhausted. There are women's doubles and mixed doubles tomorrow. Can you hold on?"
Zhu Qi swallowed the banana, threw the peel into He Qianlu's hand, and shook his head: "It's okay, just let it rest for one night."
Ren Xinhua patted Zhu Qi's head and smiled, "You're still good to be young. Your body recovers quickly. By the way, your topspin is different from ordinary topspin. I haven't seen you use it before. Do you know the Japanese loop shot?"
Zhu Qi started to play dumb: "What loop ball?"
It’s not that she is unwilling to admit it, but she is not very proficient in this technology yet.
If you can pull out three or four out of ten balls, it means you have performed well.
Just like when playing a team battle in a MOBA game, you cannot guarantee that every one of your ultimate skills can accurately hit all five opponents.
Table tennis is also a sport that can produce qualitative changes through quantitative changes, and it requires a lot of practice.
Moreover, Zhu Qi felt that his loop ball was somewhat different from the authentic loop ball, that is, the ball did not feel heavy enough when hit. Moreover, this technique is relatively advanced at present, and the coaching staff may not have had in-depth contact with it. Even at this point in time, there may not be many people in the Japanese team who can really do it.
If she said she knew about looping balls, that would be the end of it.
The coaches must have surrounded her, asking one after another, "Hey, how did you learn to loop the ball?" "How did you know about this thing?" "Who taught you?" "Have you ever seen a loop ball?"
Lie after lie, and she was really not good at lying.
Just play dumb.
Ren Xinhua thought about it and realized it was true. The Hungarian coaches had told her that the looping technique was a "secret weapon" developed by the Japanese team, one that very few people had seen. She pestered the Hungarian coaching staff for a long time before finally getting a short videotape of the match, but the quality was blurry. A quick glance revealed a similar effect to Zhu Qi's final shot.
Maybe... it was just a coincidence.
How could Zhu Qi know a technique that even the coaching staff didn't know?
That's just talent.
Thinking of this, Ren Xinhua looked at Zhu Qi with even more loving eyes, as if he had finally found a treasure after searching for a long time.
Zhu Qi thought to himself, oh yes, yes, that's how you think of me. I'm gifted, I'm a genius, I came out of nowhere, I'm unparalleled...
/
Although the women's doubles match on the second day was not as intense as the women's singles, it also lasted five games.
[Zhu Qi/Fang Miao 2:3 Chang Hongxia/Zu Tianjiao]
Zhu Qi and A Shui were the runners-up in women's doubles.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" As soon as Ah Shui finished, he held his face and banged his head on the bench next to him. "That ball in the last game shouldn't have been played like that! It's all my fault! Damn it!"
In the first few games, A Shui's long rubber worked effectively.
He frequently used long rubber to create various counter-spins, catching Maomao and Chang Hongxia off guard.
But later on, Maomao and Chang Hongxia adapted to the reverse rotation of the long rubber and began to focus on hitting A Shui's position.
Chang Hongxia and Maomao won the women's doubles championship at the National Games earlier this year. Although both right-handed, they worked well together, with Chang Hongxia guarding the near table while Maomao used power and spin to counter the opponent from mid-range and far-range, scoring frequently.
In fact, A Shui worked very hard in the fifth game, and made several wonderful flying saves. He was beginning to show the potential of a doubles seeded player.
But the old man is still experienced. Chang Hongxia deliberately played close balls when the two of them were in sync, which resulted in Zhu Qi and A Shui colliding with each other and making mistakes several times.
Zhu Qi looked at Ah Shui holding his head and blaming himself, and was just about to step forward to comfort him.
Ah Shui suddenly raised his head from his arms, his eyes determined: "I must take back what I lost!"
“…” Zhu Qi.
Just, suddenly it caught fire.
Ah Shui held Zhu Qi's hand and said, "You can't abandon me just because you lost this time! No! Absolutely not!"
"No." Zhu Qi said with a smile. "Let's win the championship together next time."
He Qianlu and Ren Xinhua stood not far away and talked about the past.
"Back when you were still on the national team, I thought you were quite suitable to be a coach. Now it seems that my gaze was still quite sharp." Ren Xinhua said with a smile. "By the way, how is the matter I proposed to you last time?"
"No consideration, no preparation, I refuse." He Qianlu said three times in a row, leaving no room for consideration.
"You should think about it. The men's team has a retiring coach, so there's a vacancy. If you come, I'll leave Daxiong in your care," Ren Xinhua said soothingly, patting He Qianlu's shoulder. "The General Administration of Sport has already announced they're lobbying both sides regarding the incident from five years ago. A peaceful resolution would be best. You're not still worried about that, are you?"
The national table tennis team lacks a coach.
Ren Xinhua has long suffered from the lack of a good coach.
Although the national table tennis team coaches earn 200 yuan more than the provincial team coaches, they worry about it for 20,000 yuan more.
Not only do they work almost year-round like the players, but the pressure is also immense. If a player makes a mistake, the coach will also be punished.
Staying up late and working overtime are common.
There is only one female coach in the team, Xu Dong, who came to be the coach to avoid her family.
He Qianlu glanced at her and pursed his lips slightly. "Of course not. The provincial team coach doesn't have the pressure of the three major competitions, and he doesn't need to worry about the players' affairs 24 hours a day. Look at that old Jiang Guangming, he's bald. I'm still in the prime of my youth and don't want to age so quickly. Besides, I finally escaped the center of the storm and don't want to disrupt my comfortable quality of life. I can drink if I want, stay out all night if I want, and curse if I want... It's so cool."
"If you want to fall in love, then fall in love?" Ren Xinhua joked.
He Qianlu snorted: "I'm no longer in the age of romantic love."
"I can see you skipped marriage and went straight to the 'old father' stage. Sometimes when I look at Baobao, I think she's just like you. Looking at her always makes me feel like I've gone back to the days when you and Xiaofeng were both on the national team. But she's much more obedient than you. At least she hasn't broken all the thirteen iron rules at the national team's gate."
"Don't be fooled by this illusion. I know this girl. When everything goes according to her plan, she'll cooperate with you in everything. But if you try to disrupt her self-imposed plans, you'll see how this will shake up the national team. If that ever comes to that, I have only one piece of advice: don't confront her head-on. Play the 'emotional card' with her; she'll be soft-hearted."
While the two adults were still discussing how to deal with the child, the child had already packed up his racket and prepared for the next game.
Two games a day.
Every game is a final.
Zhu Qi felt that all her energy had been exhausted in the women's singles final, and her hands felt much less tense when she played the women's doubles match.
But fortunately, the two opponents in the mixed doubles final were of average level.
After all, in competitive games, drawing lots is also a part of determining the outcome.
Jin Lili and Daxiong, who had the highest level in the entire mixed doubles, were defeated by them in the semi-finals. The rest can also be crushed by their personal level.
Song Linzhou kept feeding the ball to Zhu Qi, who drove, chopped, smashed, twisted and pulled...
She tried all kinds of methods, but she couldn't kill the ball with one shot. Song Linzhou followed up with a straight shot and swept it across - scoring.
The whole game went smoothly.
Even the commentators were praising their double attack style, which was a pleasure to watch.
In less than half an hour, the two of them won the final with a big score of [3:1].
Song Linzhou was very happy. He won a bronze medal in men's singles and a gold medal in mixed doubles, which was considered a gain.
/
The Ping Tiao League is over.
Zhu Qi returned to the national team with her two gold medals and one silver medal.
There are two golden medals in his hands, with the silver one in the middle. The gold color sets off the silver medal and gives it a unique luster, which looks very beautiful.
Zhu Qi suddenly remembered that she was unhappy when she won a silver medal when she was a child. She didn't even want to take a photo after getting off the podium. She rushed out the door with her bag. He Qianlu followed her while calling her.
But now, looking at this silver medal, I don’t feel unhappy about it anymore.
How strange.
Is it because of the doubles?
"I've won so many gold medals that I find it rare to see a silver medal occasionally." Zhu Qi smiled.
Ah Shui looked at the silver medals in her hand and pouted, feeling a bit overwhelmed. "Really? Our Shanghai women's team was defeated by the Chongqing women's team and only won silver medals. Am I destined to be a silver medalist for the rest of my life?"
"No, practice with me and I guarantee you'll be able to do a Grand Slam too."
"That's settled then. If I don't win the Grand Slam in the future, I'll depend on you." Ah Shui hung on Zhu Qi and swayed back and forth.
Maomao had similar equipment to Zhu Qi. She scored three points for Chongqing Province in the women's team and won the gold medal, the bronze medal in women's singles and the gold medal in women's doubles.
Everyone returned home with a full load, but before joining the national team, Ah Shui took Zhu Qi's hand and said, "The coach gave us half a day off. I took a lot of photos. Let's go to the photo processing shop to develop the film together."
After hearing this, Maomao turned around and said, "Are you guys going out? The rubbers issued by the national team are just used up, and I'm planning to buy some spares. Let's go together."
Zhu Qi thought it was okay.
It's nice to get some fresh air.
The three girls left their suitcases at the gate of the national team and asked the security guard to help store them. They took some cash with them when they left.
This is the first time Zhu Qi has gone out since joining the national team.
Nowadays, people’s main means of transportation are bicycles and buses. Some people who can afford it and are in a hurry will take a taxi.
Bus stops are not everywhere, and you have to transfer buses to get to many places. The country's Beidou satellite has not been launched into space yet, so there is no navigation anywhere.
Zhu Qi sat on the bus, holding his chin, and began to miss the high-speed rail twenty years later.
A Shui enthusiastically showed off his photography results.
"This is film." Maomao looked at the small card carefully. When it was placed under the sun, only the rough outline of the person and the contrasting colors could be seen.
Ah Shui nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, I pestered my dad for a long time before he agreed to buy me this camera. Film is also very expensive, with better color rendering costing 10 yuan a roll! You need to go to a special photo processing shop to develop it into photos. I took a lot of photos, including you, Baobao, and Sister Xia..."
She put it in a small envelope, and when she opened it, there were about twenty or thirty pages inside.
I don't know when she took the photo.
Now is the time when the country is beginning its economic development, and many new things are continuously being imported from abroad.
This has led to many things being ridiculously expensive.
The little rich woman said that this is just small money!
Youth is priceless!
The three people got off the bus and walked slowly along the way.
I ate a string of candied haws, chewed a pineapple that was about to be soaked in salt water, and bought a roujiamo.
I found a photo processing shop with a burp, drank some soda to calm my stomach while waiting for the film to be developed.
It doesn’t take too long, about half an hour to make a photo.
Zhu Qi looked up and saw a small park opposite the photo processing shop.
There were several ping-pong tables in the park, and there were more than a dozen grandparents playing ping-pong there. She stood over and watched for a while out of curiosity.
In her previous life, she loved watching people play basketball everywhere, and she has kept this habit until now. When she goes out to play basketball, she is happy to see various playing styles.
This also gave her a particularly sharp eye when watching people play basketball.
Able to read a player's strengths and weaknesses at the first time.
The older generation had many strange playing styles. In the 1960s and 1970s, rubber was not as uniformly red and black as it is now. There were many other colors such as yellow, green, and blue.
There are also a wide variety of rubber types. A Shui's long rubber is considered to be quite common in casual games.
They still used the old yellow ball, which was different from the big white ball used exclusively for the competition.
Ah Shui was waiting for his photos at the photo processing shop. When Maomao came out, he saw Zhu Qi standing outside the park. He followed and looked at her for a while, then sighed, "This little ball feels like it was a lifetime ago."
"Yeah..." Zhu Qi had memories of his past life, so he used a big ball when he started practicing.
If I were to play small ball now, I might not be able to play well.
But Chang Hongxia, Maomao, A Shui... including Jin Lili, they are all people who have personally experienced the change from small ball to big ball and are in the historical trend.
Sometimes, Zhu Qi felt that his success gave him the advantage of living a longer life, mastering the advanced development of skills and tactics, and allowing him to take more precautions and make more plans for many new playing styles in the future.
Some newspapers called her "the chosen one."
Perhaps different from what many fans think of as the "chosen one", Zhu Qi believes that this so-called "chosen one" is shouldering the mission of reviving the national ball.
She should shoulder such a responsibility, which is also the reward given by fate for giving her the chance to be reborn, and also the opportunity for her to realize her self-worth.
Otherwise, why would she be qualified to live her life again?
The arrangement of fate has already secretly marked the price.
Maomao's gaze shifted from the pool table to Zhu Qi. Unsure why Zhu Qi looked so lost in memories, she smiled and said, "This park is quite close to the national team. It's only two stops away by bus, and maybe ten minutes by bike, right?"
They have to train six days a week and only have a short rest day on Sunday.
Even so, with the national team so in-competitive, 80 percent of the players will meet up with their close teammates on Sunday, the only day they can rest, to intensify their training in the gym. The only difference is that the coaches will go home on holiday and not accompany them.
In this way.
The tables that were originally evenly distributed will also become crowded.
Moreover, the coaches were not watching, saying that they were in contact with each other but in reality most of them were just playing in the training hall.
Once the atmosphere changed, the quality of training also declined.
"It would be nice if we could come out to this park for extra training on Sundays. I see that the facilities here are complete, and there are greenery on all sides. It's warm in winter and cool in summer, and it's quiet. When the coach is not around, I always feel like the national team can't concentrate on training..." Maomao said casually.
Zhu Qi was concerned: "Yes, why not?"
Maomao was startled: "I was just kidding... How can we get out? The national team is closed."
"Let Coach Xu write us a travel order." Zhu Qi disagreed.
Maomao stared in amazement. She knew that Coach Xu Dong was very good to Zhu Qi, but she didn't expect him to be so good.
The national team's player management is very strict, almost military-style, and leaving during non-competition periods is a serious matter. Coach Xu...does he have the final say?
"What? You're going out on Sunday?" Xu Dong, who had just returned from the national team, happened to run into three girls returning from developing photos. After hearing Zhu Qi's demands, Xu Dong was shocked. "That won't do. It's winter in Beijing, and the weather is so cold, it's not safe outside. What if you go out alone? What if something happens? How am I going to explain it to your family?"
“…” Zhu Qi.
"But there are not enough tables on Sundays, and the national badminton team next door will take up half of the space to practice badminton. The environment is too noisy and we can't practice." Zhu Qi said.
Xu Dong thought for a moment and said, "You just finished playing table tennis, so take a break first. If you can't play on Sunday, just lie down in the dormitory and rest. You can't overexert yourself, otherwise you'll get sick later. Isn't scientific training important these days? You should also combine work and rest."
"But……"
Seeing that Zhu Qi was a little unhappy, Xu Dong said, "Or, you can wait until I finish my chores at home. I won't rest on Sunday after New Year's Day and will stay in the national team to practice with you."
The cat was listening with envy.
This guidance is so good, I’m willing to work overtime!
But Zhu Qi was very disappointed because his goal was not achieved.
She mainly wanted to intensify her practice of looping balls, but she didn't dare to practice in front of so many people in the national team.
If she practices, it means she will definitely be noticed, and if she is noticed, it means she will definitely be studied, and if she is studied, it means that it may be difficult for her to compete in the direct competition.
I have to wait until the end of the direct-through tournament and make sure I can get a place in the direct-through tournament.
People.
There will always be some selfish motives.
/
After returning to the national team and putting away his things, A Shui divided the photos and only seven or eight ended up in Zhu Qi's hands.
Zhu Qi kept a photo of herself receiving the award for the women's singles champion, packed up the rest, and found the Jianghuai provincial team's bus before the provincial team coaches and players left.
They were about to return to the provincial team. In this era when a letter took half a month to arrive, they didn't know when they would meet again.
He Qianlu was deeply moved when he saw the photos: "Oh my god, this is incredible! You actually thought of printing a few for me. After joining the national team, you've become more humane. Let me see how the photos turned out..."
Zhu Qi pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him: "This one is for you. Please pass the others to my uncle and aunt."
"...Ignore me for what I said, you little heartless bastard."
You can curse as much as you want, but you still have to explain what you need to explain.
"It's almost the end of the year, and I doubt you'll be given a Spring Festival holiday in your first year with the national team. It's okay if you don't go home, but you need to prepare well for the direct tournament next June. Watching you play in the Table Tennis League this time, it seems like your mobility has improved a lot, but your stamina and endurance are still issues. You still need to keep running the 10,000 meters. Your performance in the direct tournament will determine whether you can appear in the Tokyo World Games!"
After becoming the head coach of the provincial team, He Qianlu was no longer as scruffy and unkempt as before. His hair was cut neater and his beard shaved. He wore a black wing-collared shirt over a black sweatshirt with the words "Jianghuai Provincial Team Coach" written on the chest. The slim black outfit made him look more capable and upright.
On weekdays he always liked to be lazy, find a place to lean and start smoking. Now that he has something serious to do, he seems to have regained some of the handsomeness of his youth.
Zhu Qi nodded.
He Qianlu continued, "Also, if Jiang Guangming ever picks on you again, go and complain to Chairman Ren. I can't guarantee anything from others, but Chairman Ren will definitely handle it impartially. You can be picky about what others say, but you still have to respect and listen to Chairman Ren... Well, there's also your head coach. She has a good temper and rarely gets angry with the players, but you can't be too willful and do everything according to your own ideas. After all, she's a senior and has more game experience than you. Just listen to what she says. What player hasn't been scolded by the coach? Who is like me..."
Zhu Qi nodded again: "I understand."
After a pause, she remembered Ah Shui's question and became curious. Although she knew it was a bit inappropriate to ask now, but Sister Xu Dong had taken good care of her in the past month, she also wanted to know if there was any reason behind it.
"Brother Lu, why don't you say hello to Coach Xu?"
Since he came to Chaojing, he is about to leave.
Sister Xu Dong came to watch the game, but the two of them didn't even say a word to each other.
No words.
It means that you haven't let go yet.
Although Zhu Qi has never been in love, many of the players he coached in his previous life have had this experience, and as an observer, he can see it very clearly.
He Qianlu patted her head and pursed his lips. Then he turned and looked at the gray-brown building, the place where he had once shed the sweat and sacrificed his youth. His eyes fell on the huge banner hanging at the door.
——[Table Tennis and Badminton Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China]
The once handsome and free-spirited boy has been tempered by the years and turned into a soft man.
He said: "We are no longer from the same world."
Zhu Qi turned away and said, "Just tell me you're terrified? That's really unmanly of you. Don't kick me. Corporal punishment of minors is against the law."
He Qianlu cursed: "After sending you to the national team, you have become more and more irritable and disrespectful."
"That can't be helped. My current head coach never acts like an elder, unlike you who always acts like an elder and bullies others with your age."
"Okay, okay, I was outdone."
"Not really."
"You are such a heartless person." He Qianlu poked Zhu Qi's head.
The two of them were talking and walking towards the roadside.
Just like every day in the Jianghuai Provincial Team.
But people who are not in the same world seem to be unable to return to the past.
They live in the same country, but one is in the north and the other in the south.
While white frost flowers were floating outside her window and blooming at the feet of her cotton shoes, he was wearing a thin shirt and sitting in a food stall, drinking and playing drinking games with others.
While she listened to the national anthem and stepped onto the world's sports fields to compete, he lay in bed, listening to the radio telling about his various crimes and letting himself fall into depravity.
She watched young faces bloom in the sunshine and be honored as "Coach Xu" at a time when he was being criticized by thousands of people and no parents were willing to let their children train with him.
He Qianlu zipped up his leather jacket and patted Zhu Qi on the head: "Brother is leaving."
Zhu Qi nodded and stood beside the bus watching the door close.
China's territory is so vast, and the transportation is so slow.
It’s really difficult to go back.
【Author’s words】
This chapter has 7,000 words, and there are no more at 6 p.m.~
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