Chapter 190 Cuju Competition
When the Cuju field of Qiushi Academy was first built, Gu Jiayue carefully planned every detail with the idea of a modern sports field in mind.
Today, this Cuju field has become a unique landscape of the school.
Around the Cuju field, the stands are arranged in an orderly manner, like loyal guards surrounding the stadium.
On one side, a special area was set aside, where a number of separate private rooms were built in an orderly manner.
These private rooms are exquisitely designed. Although each room is small and can accommodate up to five people, it is warm and comfortable.
The private rooms are staggered in height, ensuring that no matter where you are, you can have a panoramic view of the situation on the field without any obstruction of vision.
Such a thoughtful design is undoubtedly prepared for those who are well-off but prefer quietness and do not want to crowd in the stands with others.
At this moment, most of the people in Taohua Village gathered in the stands, adding a lot of fireworks to the upcoming event.
The women sat in one area, their needles and threads moving nimbly through the fabrics, their conversation hushed. The men gathered in another, turning bamboo strips in their rough hands. As they expertly crafted their bamboo products, they chatted and laughed heartily.
Everyone was working while eagerly waiting for the game to start.
An elderly woman with gray hair and a face marked by the passage of time nudged the woman next to her who was concentrating on mending clothes with her elbow and asked with a puzzled look on her face, "Hey, do you know what this is for?"
The woman in question stopped sewing, looked up, and said with a hint of pride, "My husband Rongsheng said he was going to hold a debate competition."
The old woman who asked the question curled her lips, rolled her eyes, and said with a hint of dissatisfaction: "I didn't even know it was a debate? I mean, what is a debate?"
She muttered to herself, "This Yu Da Niu, she's talking as if her child is the only one attending school. Isn't her own Pingzhi also in school? But when Pingzhi talked about the debate, she was confused. She didn't dare to ask more questions, fearing that it would affect her child's studies. So she thought of asking others."
After hearing this, Yu Danniu's face turned slightly red and a hint of embarrassment flashed in her eyes. In fact, she didn't remember how her son explained the debate in detail.
At this time, the woman sitting on the other side patted them and said mysteriously, "You guys, it doesn't matter what the debate is about. What matters is the person who will be on stage soon."
"Aren't they just students from the academy? What's so strange about that?" The two women responded nonchalantly. The children had already told everyone about this when they got home.
"You two fools, the ones who will go on stage are those guys from the city. I heard that some of them have already passed the imperial examinations. Don't you want to find a son-in-law for your daughter?" The woman's words were like throwing a stone into a calm lake, instantly stirring up ripples.
"Wang Xianhua, you're the only one who dares to think that! What kind of families are there in the city? Would they be interested in your daughter? Even if she were to marry him off as a concubine, there might not be anyone who would want her."
"That's right. Instead of thinking about this, you might as well think more about harvesting rice in a few days."
The woman called Wang Xianhua was bullied by the two men and her face turned pale and red, and she was very embarrassed.
Especially the people sitting in the back also heard their conversation and were secretly laughing at her with their hands covering their mouths.
Wang Xianhua quickly straightened her back and argued, "My Zhenyu is not bad looking, okay? Besides, the teacher praised her embroidery talent yesterday. She will be able to take orders soon."
Speaking of embroidery, everyone's topic was suddenly diverted.
Gu Jiayue outsourced all the embroidery work of Jixiang Embroidery Room to Jinxiulou. As long as Hua Chao approved of the craftsmanship, she could take the order from Jinxiulou and do the work at home. She could then sell the finished products to Jinxiulou in exchange for money.
This move provided an additional source of income for the women in the village and naturally attracted much attention.
"Oh, your Li Jiazhenyu is quite good, but my girl is not. She is clumsy and she even cried and made a fuss yesterday, saying she didn't want to learn anymore. Her hands hurt from being pricked by needles every day." A woman shook her head helplessly.
"Oh, kids nowadays are so spoiled. We didn't have such conditions when we were young."
"That's right. If I had such conditions, I would definitely learn better than them."
Everyone chatted one after another, and the topic gradually strayed away from the original students, and became immersed in discussions about their own children and trivial matters in life.
On the other side, Principal Min came over with many students from Wutong Academy.
Under Gu Jiayue's guidance, Dean Min entered an empty box, while the students went to the stands.
As soon as Dean Min entered the box, his eyes were attracted by the surrounding layout.
He nodded slightly, his eyes full of admiration.
Looking at the academy, which was completely different from the last time he came, Principal Min was filled with emotion.
I couldn't help but secretly admire in my heart: Women are as good as men.
"Director Min, please rest here first. We will go to the judges' seats after the competition starts." Gu Jiayue said softly.
Today's weather was exceptionally pleasant. The sun shone gently, not scorching, and there was no sign of rain. The sky was a brilliant blue, like a sapphire, and pristine white clouds floated in the air like cotton candy. A gentle breeze brought a touch of coolness, perfect for outdoor activities.
This was something Gu Jiayue had spent 50 education points to have the system help her observe and select.
"Okay, okay, Principal Gu, go ahead and do your work. Don't worry about me." Principal Min said with a smile.
Gu Jiayue did have many matters that needed her personal attention today, so she instructed, "I'll go over first. If Shanzhang Min needs anything, please tell the people outside."
Gu Jiayue put a lot of thought into today's event and even paid many villagers to come and help to ensure that everything goes smoothly.
"Okay, okay. Go ahead and get busy." Principal Min said impatiently.
Because just as they were talking, a group of children ran onto the Cuju field happily with Cuju balls in their arms, and it seemed that they were going to have a fierce Cuju game.
"Jiayue, isn't this going to be a debate competition?" Principal Min asked in confusion.
Gu Jiayue smiled. "Well, this is a pre-match warm-up."
She had originally wanted to prepare singing and dancing, but then she thought about the ancient times, where singing and dancing were considered low-class and not suitable for students in the academy to perform. So she decided to switch to Cuju.
They are all performances and can achieve the same effect.
"Oh? Then I'll have to take a closer look." Principal Min also laughed.
"Hey, isn't that my Pingzhi?" The woman who had just spoken turned around and was surprised to find her own child.
On the Cuju field, sixteen children were divided into two teams, with eight people in each team.
Their clothes are of different colors, but they have red and blue strips of cloth tied on their heads respectively, so that they can be clearly distinguished from each other.
Each team sent one person to stand guard beside a Fengliuyan, ready for battle.
Hu Zi stood between the two teams, holding the "Old Actor" gong in his hand, and shouted solemnly, "Ready!"
As Hu Zi's loud voice fell, the sixteen children instantly got into the state.
They have strong postures, legs slightly bent, like little beasts about to be released from a cage, their eyes are as sharp as torches, staring at each other, their eyes burning with a fiery desire for victory.
The captain of the Red Team was Sun Hai, who had been actively participating in morning exercises with the Tigers every day. During physical education class, Tiger also taught them some basic boxing and kicking techniques.
After this period of exercise, Sun Hai's body is much stronger than before, and he is more energetic.
"Start!" With the order, Sun Hai rushed out at an extremely fast speed like a little leopard that was ignited.
He dribbled the ball nimbly and easily passed two opponents.
As he ran, he loudly and methodically assigned his teammates' positions: "Qingshan, Baisong, the two of you go to the left to block Sun Pingzhi. Gu Yuxiang, you run forward and be ready to support me at any time."
Gu Yuxiang nodded vigorously, patting his chest loudly, and responded loudly: "Brother Xiaohai, don't worry! I will definitely kick the ball into their goal today!"
The captain of the other team was Gu Huangan. Seeing Sun Hai loudly arranging tactics without any hesitation, as if he didn't take them seriously at all, he immediately became angry and his face turned red, with a hint of annoyance flashing in his eyes.
However, he quickly calmed down, frowned while running, and seriously thought about his response strategy.
Sun Hai quickly approached the opponent's Fengliuyan with the ball.
At the critical moment, Gu Huangan seized the opportunity, rushed forward, stretched out his leg, and kicked the ball away accurately.
Sun Pingzhi, who had been waiting on the sidelines, received the ball steadily. He skillfully bounced it a few times with his feet, feeling the ball's elasticity. Then he rushed forward with the ball, cleverly avoiding three opposing players.
Then he kicked the ball towards the opponent's goal.
The ball drew a beautiful arc in the air.
Seeing this, Sun Hai immediately rushed out like an arrow.
His eyes were fixed on the ball in the air. Just when the ball was about to land, Sun Hai jumped high, his body drew a beautiful parabola in the air, and he cleverly headed the ball back with his head.
The movement was done in one go, smoothly and naturally, showing extraordinary skill and agility.
The people in the stands were deeply moved by this wonderful scene and burst into exclamations.
"Come on, Sun Hai!" Cheers rose one after another from the stands and echoed throughout the Cuju field.
The unyielding spirit in Gu Huangan's bones was instantly ignited, and he quickly regrouped.
He was agile and moved freely among the crowd like a nimble fish.
He cleverly avoided the opponent's heavy defense, quickly ran to the landing point of the ball, and lightly hooked the ball with his foot, then firmly controlled the ball under his feet.
He skillfully dribbled the ball with his feet while approaching the opponent's goal.
Seeing this, Sun Hai and his teammates immediately surrounded him and tried to stop Gu Huangan.
Gu Huangan was not at all flustered. His eyes were firm and he observed the situation around him calmly.
Suddenly, he kicked the ball hard over the head of a defender, then quickly accelerated, passed by the defender like a gust of wind, and caught the falling ball steadily.
This series of wonderful moves left everyone present stunned.
Even the aunts who usually love to get together and gossip, stopped their needlework and chatter at this moment, staring at the field without blinking, deeply attracted by the children's wonderful performance.
Gu Yuxin shouted anxiously from the side: "Uncle Huang An, pass the ball!"
Gu Huangan heard the shout and immediately passed the ball towards Gu Yuxin.
Gu Yuxin caught the ball steadily. He took a deep breath, gathered all his strength, and kicked the ball hard towards the opponent's goal.
The ball flew out like a cannonball and headed straight for the goal.
Everyone held their breath, concentrating on watching the ball trace a perfect arc in the air. "Goal!"
I don't know who shouted first, but then the whole audience erupted in deafening cheers.
Gu Huangan and his teammates jumped up excitedly.
Although Sun Hai and his teammates were feeling somewhat disappointed, their eyes still shone with determination. After all, the game wasn't over yet, and the final winner was still unknown.
They quickly adjusted their status and prepared to meet the next round of challenges.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
