68 Jianghuai Chinese Games
◎The most powerful opponent is not in front of you, but beside you.◎
"What?! Han Taiyang is discharged?" Maomao was surprised. "So soon? Isn't he supposed to serve for two years? He should be discharged by the end of this year, right?"
As soon as the women's team arrived in Beijing, they heard the second-team players who stayed with the national team and did not go to Minsk talking about this matter.
As a player who once "studied abroad" in the Chinese team, Han Taiyang is quite famous in the national team.
Many young fans are also quite gossipy. They have heard about the feud between Han Taiyang and the national team, and also heard about some conflicts between Zhu Qi and Han Taiyang.
As the main competitor of the national team, the South Korean team does not have a very good image in their eyes.
Zhu Qi guessed: "It's probably the Army. South Korean Army soldiers have a short service period and can be released in less than two years."
Not only did Han Taiyang retire early from the military, he also became the new coach of the South Korean women's team.
Zhu Qi was happy.
very good.
I thought I would never have any intersection with Han Taiyang in this life, but I didn’t expect Asia is still small...
Oh no, it's Korea. There are only a few people who can play table tennis, so we have to make use of them.
"Will he eventually become Jin Lili's supervisor and coach? And then teach Jin Lili how to beat Bao Bao?" Ah Shui felt that this matter was a bit serious and should be told to Chairman Ren immediately!
Zhu Qi didn't think it was a big deal: "Even Han Taiyang couldn't beat me back then, let alone the people he taught."
"But, but..." Ah Shui followed Zhu Qi, gesticulating and waving his hands, trying to describe the incident as horrific.
Zhu Qi was calm and didn't care. He carried his luggage and walked forward.
Maomao followed at the end, making sure everyone had arrived safely at the management center before packing up her belongings and leaving. She sighed as she watched Zhu Qi and Ah Shui walk ahead.
Now there are always various problems with outsourcing.
The game is getting harder and harder.
/
Korea Sports Agency.
In the training ground, players wearing Korean team uniforms shuttled back and forth beside the table, waving their rackets and practicing the most basic ball-pulling warm-up.
Jin Lili had just changed her clothes and came out. Seeing that there was no table in the training ground, she sat down and waited.
The Taegeukgi on my chest looked strange and cold. Even though it was right on my chest, I still felt like I couldn't keep it warm.
Maybe this is what a foreign country is like.
Anyway, no matter what, she does not regret her original choice.
At least in Korea, I have a chance to play.
Suddenly, the light bulb above my head was covered by a figure.
When Jin Lili looked up, she saw Han Taiyang facing her, handing her a bottle of water and a towel, with no expression on his face.
She was stunned for a moment, reached out to take it and said "thank you" in Korean.
"It must feel bad to lose to Zhu Qi, right?" Han Taiyang sat down next to her, his tone without any extra warmth.
Jin Lili didn't say anything. She reached out to unscrew the bottle cap and took two gulps.
"I heard that you've basically never beaten Zhu Qi in either the internal competitions or the external competitions there."
Han Taiyang's words were not a question, but a statement, which openly listed Jin Lili's most embarrassing things.
Jin Lili lowered her head and snorted.
In this mixed team table tennis competition, although Jin Lili did not meet Zhu Qi in the singles event, it was already well known that she and An Zhihui were crushed by Zhu Qi and her team in doubles.
Haven't seen you for nearly two years.
Zhu Qi's progress is terrifying.
It is even far better than Maomao and Chang Hongxia back then.
The most important thing is.
Zhu Qi is not yet 20 years old, and has not yet reached his true golden age in terms of competition experience.
Everyone knows.
The golden period for table tennis players is generally between 22 and 26 years old.
Because whether it is technology or competition experience, it is the best time when there are no obvious injuries.
Jin Lili's time in South Korea was not smooth.
The head coaches in South Korea did not take this "friend" who came from afar seriously, and always felt that he was not of the same kind.
The fact that she was able to become the absolute main force of the South Korean team was entirely due to her own efforts.
It is because of this...
"...That's why I chose to be your head coach." Han Taiyang, his back to the window light, gazed at Jin Lili. Circles of light spread across his face like hideous earthworms, tracing the corners of his eyes and eyebrows, suffusing his gloomy expression. "I don't care what your status was back then, or what you endured. You have to prove yourself, and I have to prove myself too. We both share the same goal: to win the gold medal!"
Jin Lili's emotions were aroused, and her heart suddenly skipped a beat. The desire for victory condensed into a fire, burning the cooled passion in her chest.
"I have a way that can help you defeat her. But you have to listen to me in everything. Can you do it?" he said.
The same goals.
Jin Lili nodded firmly without giving it much thought. Then...
Make a contract with the devil.
/
After the mixed team competition in May.
The team has no time to rest at all, because October will usher in another most valuable competition for table tennis players!
That's once every four years!
Every Chinese citizen is a "soldier", and a "military parade" competition is held within the national team!
National Games of the People's Republic of China, referred to as the China Games!
The predecessor of the Ping Tiao League!
Only athletes with Chinese nationality and currently active players are allowed to participate! It is divided into qualifying rounds, promotion rounds and final rounds.
Provincial team players have to start from the qualifying round, the top four will advance to the promotion round, and then go to the second round of elimination, and the top eight will enter the final round.
Members of the national team, whether they are the absolute main players, the main players or the sparring partners, can skip the qualifying and promotion rounds and directly enter the final round to compete for the national championship, runner-up and third place.
The Chinese Games includes not only table tennis, but also almost all the events in the World Games. It is also known as the national version of the World Games.
Xu Dong told Zhu Qi that there has always been an unwritten rule within the coaching staff.
Before the "Strongest Twelve of the Century" direct competition.
The coaching staff selects players based on their results in the Chinese Games, using them as direct qualifying spots to determine the World Games competition roster.
Although there was later a direct-entry competition for the "Strongest Twelve of the Century", the coaching staff still referred to the players' performance in the Chinese Games.
As we all know, from the 1960s to the 1990s, excluding the eight years in between when the team did not participate due to the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese team's dominance in the table tennis world has always been terrifying.
There was even a World Games where three five-star red flags were raised at the same time, sweeping the gold, silver and bronze medals, forcing the International Table Tennis Federation to change the number of participants from three to two.
In the Chinese table tennis world, there is also a slogan that everyone knows.
The most powerful opponent is not in front of you, but beside you.
Becoming a world champion is nothing, becoming a national champion is the symbol of strength.
The women's singles champion of the last China Games was Chang Hongxia.
So in the direct competition, faced with the situation of choosing one among Zhu Qi, Maomao, and Chang Hongxia, Ren Xinhua first decided on Maomao, and finally chose Chang Hongxia among the other two, which was also due to this reason.
It just so happened that the last Chinese Games was held when Zhu Qi joined the national team at the age of 15.
Although Zhu Qi didn't make it, he will naturally not miss this Chinese Games.
The venue is also very suitable, in Jinling, Jianghuai.
"Yeah! I can finally go home!" Qin Xiaoba was very happy and raised his arms to cheer!
The year before last was a World Games year, so there was no Spring Festival holiday.
Last year, Qin Xiaoba didn't go back because his elder sister was going to receive an award from the General Administration of Sports and couldn't go back either.
This year, I was a member of the national table tennis mixed team competition and did not go home because I had to attend emergency training.
After careful calculation, Qin Xiaoba hasn't been home for three years.
This year has been very busy for the national team.
The two main players of the team, Qin Xiaoba and A Shui, will return to their respective provinces to take the college entrance examination in June, and rush to Jianghuai Province to participate in the Chinese Games in October.
This means that Qin Xiaoba returned to Jianghuai Province one month earlier than Zhu Qi.
The Chinese Games will also be participated in at the provincial level, and the participation format is similar to that of the Table Tennis League.
Zhu Qi, Daxiong and Qin Xiaoba will participate in the competition under the name of the Bayi Team.
There are many athletes participating in the Chinese Games, and athletes from other events are also rushing to Jianghuai Province in groups. Fans who want to watch the games are also appearing in Jianghuai Province in an endless stream.
I guess the Jianghuai Culture and Tourism Bureau must be very happy.
Jianghuai Province rarely organizes such large-scale competitions.
In Zhu Qi's memory, it seemed to be just this one time.
When the train arrived, a large group of people were waiting at the train station exit to greet people.
As soon as Zhu Qi stepped out of the waiting area, he saw Qin Xiaoba, his uncle, aunt, auntie, and uncle-in-law holding a small flag and waving it back and forth.
"Is it out? Is it out?"
"Here they come, aren't they all athletes from the Chinese team?"
"The swimming team and the basketball team just left, but why is the table tennis team so... is this true?!"
"Sister——" Qin Xiaoba waved in the crowd.
The four adults jumped up and down on the spot, afraid that Zhu Qi couldn't see them.
Zhu Qi pushed through the crowd, stood inside the railing line with his suitcase, waved to his family, and waited for security check.
I haven't been home for another two years.
Seeing my family again, I feel a little nostalgic.
Except for Zhu Qi and Qin Xiaoba, there is no one from Jianghuai Province in the entire national table tennis team.
Ren Xinhua stood at the front of the team, looked at Zhu Qi and said with a smile: "This time we are on your home turf, please take good care of us."
Zhu Qi followed with a smile and said, "No problem, let's just win a championship first."
A head coach and a player were joking with each other, and as they walked forward, the parents waiting outside couldn't help themselves.
Just as Zhu Qi stepped out of the inspection gate, four adults rushed over, hugged Zhu Qi and shouted.
"Finally I'm back. How many days will you stay in Jianghuai this time?"
"Why don't you wear a hat? The sun is at its hottest right now."
"Come on, give it to me..."
"Have you had some water? Your lips are all chrysanthemum and red date tea."
"No, auntie." Zhu Qi handed the bag to her uncle and shook her head. "We've booked a hotel for the whole family and have roll call tonight. We can't run home."
"Huh?" My aunt pouted. "I'm already at home, and you won't let me go home? The national team is too strict. One or two hours won't make a difference..."
My aunt grabbed my aunt and winked: "Oh, you don't understand, the national team has discipline."
My uncle nodded and said, "It's good to be strict. The children are safe in the national team. Otherwise, they would run around everywhere every time they go out for a game. How unsafe it would be."
"That's right." Qin Xiaoba stretched, carrying his own ball bag and luggage. "Mom, stop pretending to know when you don't. Okay, I have to go back and meet up with the Bayi team. Bye."
"Little brat, practice well with your sister." The aunt walked over and zipped up Qin Xiaoba's jacket, her mother worried about her son even when he was thousands of miles away. "How many events are you participating in this time?"
"Men's singles, mixed doubles... and men's team."
"Where is your sister?" asked my aunt.
Zhu Qi said: "There are only two events, women's singles and mixed doubles."
The Chinese Games only have team and individual events as well as the newly added mixed doubles, but no men's doubles or women's doubles.
Since the group includes men's doubles and women's doubles, we will not single it out as a separate event.
She was the only girl in the Bayi table tennis team, so she couldn't play on the women's team.
He was in the mixed doubles group with Qin Xiaoba, because the old man felt that Qin Xiaoba needed Zhu Qi's guidance, after all, Zhu Qi had experience in mixed doubles.
The Chinese Games and the Table Tennis League are different.
The latter can play doubles across provinces, but the Chinese Games cannot.
Hearing that Zhu Qi would only compete in two events, the four adults were very pleased. His uncle said, "It's good to compete in two events. Competing too much is too tiring. It would be best if we could compete in singles. The other events can be used for practice. What's the saying... practice through competition!"
"My sister takes every competition seriously. If she wasn't the only female player on the Bayi team, she would have wanted to compete in three events." Qin Xiaoba clicked his tongue.
The rest of the players on the Bayi team are boys, and six boys are just enough to join the men's team.
Qin Xiaoba is involved in three events this time, and since he is in Jianghuai Province, his home turf, he is fully prepared for a big fight.
Prepare for roll call.
The four adults reluctantly watched the two children leave. The aunt held Zhu Qi's hand and said reluctantly, "You really aren't going home? Don't you have even ten minutes?"
"Oh my god! It only takes ten minutes to get home, but it takes an hour to get there. Who are you trying to tire out?" Qin Xiaoba pouted and started packing his things. "When my sister retires, she'll have plenty of time to stay home."
"You're the only one who talks too much." My uncle scolded me with a smile, then turned around and asked, "Where is your hotel? We'll go over and bring you something later."
Qin Xiaoba thought for a moment and said, "We are closed. You can't get in."
"I'll just drop off some soup and fruit at the door, call you and ask you to come out," my aunt muttered. "I finally made it back, but you can't go home. The hotel food might not be tasty, so you should at least have some home-cooked food to replenish your body."
"Okay then..." Qin Xiaoba found a piece of paper and wrote the hotel address on it.
Ren Xinhua saw that the two children hadn't come along, and thought they were homesick after seeing their families. He walked over with a smile and handed them four tickets. "These are the tickets for the games. They have the time and venue number for each game marked on them."
The four adults happily accepted it.
Ren Xinhua said: "Zhu Qi is currently a player that the national team is actively training. She rarely has time to go home. I think her family must miss her very much. She doesn't have much time to go back to Jianghuai Province. Having her family come to the stadium to watch the game and cheer on the players is also a kind of motivation for her."
"Yes, yes, thank you for your trouble." My uncle quickly took it and put the ticket in his pocket.
After a few pleasantries between the adults, the players gathered.
Everyone in the large group wore new team uniforms. The short-sleeved sportswear inside their jackets had their provincial teams and names distinguished on the back, but they all wore a national flag pattern on their chests.
It's terribly hot in Jianghuai Province in June.
Everyone held a small fan in their hands and fanned themselves while waiting to get on the bus to enjoy the breeze.
Air conditioning is not yet common in cars. Only when the car is started can wind blow into the car to cool it down.
The sunlight shone on these young and energetic faces, and the team leaders held up the projects they represented and walked towards the buses assigned to their homes.
The iconic red sportswear with orange patterns is extremely eye-catching no matter where you go.
This touch of red not only attracted the onlookers passing by outside the train station, but also attracted another family of three who saw the newspaper article that the [Chinese Games] would be held at the Jianghuai Jinling Aurora Gymnasium.
"Dad! Is that her?!"
"Yes! It's her!"
"It's her! It's that girl!"
/
This is Zhu Qi's first time playing an important game in Jianghuai Province.
It was also the first time that my family came to watch me play in person after I joined the national team.
Zhu Qi only participated in two events, women's singles and mixed doubles in the morning and afternoon respectively.
There are many players participating in the Chinese Games this time.
Most of them are players of the national team or players who are semi-retired and have just left the national team, but still represent the provincial team and only play national competitions.
For example, Ding Shushu...
Zhu Qi and Maomao were very happy when they saw Ding Shushu at the hotel.
It has been two years since Ding Shushu left the national team. She has not yet graduated from graduate school, so she has not completely retired. I didn't realize that I haven't seen her for so long.
As soon as Maomao came over, he hugged Ding Shushu and said happily, "Sister Shushu, I heard you got married last year! Why didn't you tell us? We haven't even given you the wedding gift money yet!"
"I wouldn't ask for money from the younger generation. Your blessings are enough. How are you doing? Have you made any progress in the national team in the past two years? I'll train you when we get back to the table."
Ding Shushu joked with Maomao for a while, then turned back to Zhu Qi and talked about Jin Lili.
"I heard she's doing quite well in the South Korean team. I watched your match in Minsk. You were quite impressive when you first joined the national team, and now you've even reached a new level. Lily... she wasn't as bad-tempered when she first joined. Maybe she's just too eager for success, and your presence is putting pressure on her. I understand that she thinks joining the South Korean team will give her a chance to play, but we were all once Chinese, and fair competition is best. But... I hope she can figure this out soon."
Zhu Qi nodded slightly and smiled, "If she wants to fight me fairly, I will naturally look up to her."
Ding Shushu nodded and touched the heads of her two sisters.
Chang Hongxia, who was at the back of the team, heard the voice and came over happily to reminisce with her former roommate.
"Yeah, Lao Chang, you can do it now... Oh no, I should call you Coach Chang now."
"Hey, come on. You said you've been away from the team for so long, and you didn't even come back to visit..."
"Hey, isn't the Big Three tournament coming up soon? I'm worried you'll be busy, so I'd rather not cause you any trouble..."
The two sisters led the way, heading towards the table tennis floor.
The two younger sisters followed behind, looking around to check out the accommodation.
I have lived outside for so long that I am more familiar with hotels.
The year after next was 1998.
The Moscow World Games in August, the World Championships in October, and the new round of singles table tennis events in November.
All three competitions are complete.
And they are all concentrated in the second half of the year.
It is not certain that there will be a year of the "three major competitions" every thirty years or so.
Therefore, 1998 is a very important year for the Chinese team! Very important!
The two younger sisters followed behind and listened. Maomao whispered, "I was wondering, Coach Xu and Coach Chang have been talking about some tournament arrangements lately. Turns out they're worried about the 'three major tournaments' this year."
"Although there are still two years left, and we will have the direct-qualifying tournament next year, two years have passed quickly. We still don't know what to say about that guy in Europe, so it's normal for the coaches to worry." Zhu Qi said as he walked up the stairs to the hotel.
"I used to think the players were under a lot of pressure, but after becoming captain, I realized the coaches were also under a lot of pressure. We just have to play well, and they have to help take care of food, clothing, housing and transportation for all the games of the players under their charge."
"yes……"
Because the Chinese Games were being held, the entire hotel was filled with athletes from the national team.
Looking around, all you see are players wearing red sportswear, like a group of people burning with flames, entering from the door to the hall and to the stairwell in an endless stream.
Zhu Qi turned around and asked, "Where's Ah Shui? He should have gone to Jianghuai after the college entrance examination, right?"
"I just called her. She said she got off the train an hour ago. If she missed the bus, she should be here by now." Maomao glanced at her watch and said, "You find a room first, I'll pick her up."
"good……"
Zhu Qi took the luggage bag from Maomao's hand and helped her carry it.
/
After most of the group checked into the hotel, a small yellow car finally arrived.
"Thank you, master. You don't need to change the remaining three cents." Ah Shui gave a 20-yuan bill, and then with the driver's help, he took his luggage bag out of the trunk.
Ah! It’s so hot!
Ah Shui was sweating all over from sitting in the car before he even reached his destination.
My clothes were all wet, and I really wanted to go to the hotel and take a shower first.
Because all the hotels near the stadium were booked by the General Administration of Sport for the athletes to stay in, there were banners and barriers in the passages everywhere, and there were special guards prohibiting entry.
The taxi couldn't get in either and had to park in the outer circle, so A Shui had to carry the car in himself and run in.
She could only run towards the exit panting, carrying her bag.
"Please show your athlete's certificate." The security guard sat at a table, holding the roll call list in his hand, ready to check the number on the athlete's certificate.
Ah Shui put down his backpack and rummaged through it...
As soon as he took out his athlete's certificate and looked up, Ah Shui found that there were three more people behind him.
A man, a woman, and a little boy of about fifteen or sixteen stood nearby and said to Ah Shui, "Classmate, are you a table tennis player?"
The three men were dressed in gray and spoke with a strong accent. If Ah Shui had not known Zhu Qi and Qin Xiaoba for a long time, no one would have understood the Jinling dialect they were speaking.
Ah Shui was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, you are..."
Could it be her fans?
How come you don’t even know her name?
The man was very happy and bent down to ask, "So, do you know Zhu Qi?"
【Author’s words】
Chinese Games = National Games
It is recognized as the most prestigious table tennis event.
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