C3 Xia Zhi

Spring in the River Huai Plain burst forth along with the sea of golden coriander.

On the small path between the oil and vegetable flowers, an old-fashioned 28 "bicycle swiftly drove past, causing the dense forest of oil and vegetable flowers to be like waves that were blown by the wind, causing ripples to arise.

Grandpa Zhang was sitting in the field resting, and his little dog was also lying beside his feet, basking in the warm sunlight. However, as the bicycle sped past, the little dog could not help but stand up and bark in the direction of the bicycle.

Grandpa Zhang looked at the back of the bicycle in the distance and laughed. He patted Little Dog on the head and said, "Alright, alright! Stop barking. You don't know her anymore? She's Xia Zhi! So Xia Zhi came home! Ah. . . "

Xia Zhi could not care less about the dog barking behind him, much less hear it. What Grandpa Zhang and Little Dog said, at this moment, she was so excited that she only wanted to go to the county and share this good news with Teacher Zhu at the county sports school as soon as possible.

She used her long legs to step on the bicycle pedals vigorously and happily during the summer break, and was still immersed in complete joy.

. . .

The morning of the day before yesterday, Xia Zhi was still training at the Banyan City Female Racing Club which was more than 1,000 kilometers away. After the afternoon training, Xia Zhi, who was about to go to the canteen for lunch, was called to the side by the team leader.

Seeing Xia Zhi's surprised expression, the leader handed Xia Zhi a copy of a document printed with the "China volleyball Association" and a train ticket from Banyan City to her hometown.

It was a notice issued by the China volleyball Association. On it was written that in order to prepare for the first International volleyball League Championship for young female players under the age of 23, the China volleyball Association had set up the China female volleyball second team, which would start training in a week's time.

Xia Zhi found his name on the list of athletes.

"Keep the notice and the ticket well. Xia Zhi, you don't have to train in the afternoon. Pack up your luggage and go back home to rest. Look at your parents. In two days, the China Ordering Association will help you book a ticket to Huan City. In a week's time, you will officially gather in the city. " The leader said, "When you arrive at the national team. . . Oh. China's female platoon, Team Two, perform well. Fight for the main force!"

Xia Zhi nodded his head like a chick pecking at rice. He looked at the notice again and again carefully.

. . .

Thinking, riding. . . The road became wider and there were more cars. The summer break had passed through the village and into the county town. After a few turns, the familiar entrance of the county sports school was just a few inches away.

Although Xia Zhi was not a student of a few sports schools, how could the old man in the security room of the county sports school not know this girl with an outstanding height? He did not stop her and let Xia Zhi ride his bicycle all the way to the outside of the volleyball club.

Xia Zhi locked the bicycle and ran into the stadium in two steps. From afar, he saw Zhu Heng - her first coach for volleyball - standing in the stadium, carefully checking if there were any damaged areas on the tennis net that had not been repaired.

When Zhu Heng saw Xia Zhi's figure, he was a little surprised. He frowned and deliberately asked in a half-joking voice, "Xia Zhi. Why are you back? You didn't practice well on the first-line team, so you asked the coach to rush back to the junior sports school? "

Xia Zhi ran to Zhu Heng and took out a copy of the notice from his pocket with a smile. He handed it to Zhu Heng respectfully with both hands.

Zhu Heng took the paper and did not open it. Instead, he sized up Xia Zhi in front of him.

All these years, Xia Zhi's size had jumped a few times. It looked to be over 1. 90 meters. However, Xia Zhi's face still retained a bit of childishness. His long hair was casually tied into a thick ponytail behind his head. However, his originally long and round face was quite well-proportioned. Under Xia Zhi's thin eyebrows, his long eyelashes contrasted with his pair of phoenix eyes that flashed with excitement.

Zhu Heng immediately knew. Needless to say, the piece of paper that Xia Zhi handed to him must have written "Good news!"

Even though he thought this way, Zhu Heng still deliberately and expressionlessly handed the piece of paper back to Xia Zhi.

"It's a bit dark in the room, my eyes are blurry, I can't see clearly. " Zhu Heng said, "Read it to me. "

"Okay!" Xia Zhi happily received the paper and opened it up. He read the notice word by word from beginning to end.

As Zhu Heng listened, a smile appeared on his wrinkled face.

"Teacher Zhu, I really entered the national team!" Xia Zhi said loudly, almost jumping on the spot.

"It's the second team, the second team of the China female platoon. " Zhu Heng corrected her.

After saying that, Zhu Heng walked to a corner of the field, found a piece of cloth, and pushed a basket of volleyballs over.

This basket of volleyball was obviously used for a very long time and had a very high usage rate. Many balls, originally blue and yellow, were repeatedly held in the hands of small athletes. It collided with the floor, and even collided with the surrounding walls and rubbed against each other. It had lost color and turned white. But no matter how old it was, every volleyball looked clean. It was also enough to show the user's love for them.

"The children still need an hour to come and train. Do you still have time? As usual, wipe the ball for me, right? " Zhu Heng looked at Xia Zhi.

"Un!" Xia Zhi agreed neatly. He folded the notice in his hand carefully again and put it in his pocket. Then, he took the cloth from Zhu Heng's hand. Then, Xia Zhi took the volleyball out of the basket one by one and placed it on the floor. He began to wipe them one by one. After wiping one, he put the other one into the basket.

In fact, ever since Xia Zhi left the county sports school and joined a professional team, he would do this every time he came back to visit Zhu Heng. He would help Zhu Heng wipe the volleyball in the training center.

Seeing Xia Zhi earnestly wipe the ball, Zhu Heng suddenly opened his mouth and asked, "This training is quite long, right?"

Xia Zhi nodded his head and casually replied, "The notice says that the team this time is to prepare for the female rehearsal championship under the age of 23 in October. If that's the case, it will take about half a year for the training to start. "

"Oh. . . " Zhu Heng asked again, "Who's the head coach?"

"I read the notice for you just now. " Xia Zhi smiled. However, he still said patiently, "Our head coach is Coach Wei. His name is Wei Xin. . . Teacher Zhu, there is a straw head on it. Di Ren Jie's name is Di Ren Jie, right? The name is so weird. He didn't know which team's coach he was on. I don't think I've ever heard of this name among the male coaches of the domestic first-string professional teams. "

Zhu Heng laughed and asked, "How do you know that Wei Xindi is a male coach?"

Xia Zhi was stunned for a moment. He laughed and asked Zhu Heng," Teacher Zhu, if you can lead the head coach of a national team, can you also be a female? "

Zhu Heng nodded and said, "Let me tell you, your head coach is really a girl who is only 13 or 14 years older than you!"

"Ah?" Xia Zhi was so surprised that he almost couldn't close his mouth.

"Let me tell you, about seven or eight years ago. I guess you didn't even know what volleyball looked like at that time. There was once when I participated in the coaching exchange between the coaches of the China volleyball Association. It just so happened that we were watching a local invitation for the four country female volleyball competition held by China's female volleyball competition. At that time, the second-in-command of China's female volleyball competition was Wei Xindi. If I remember correctly, That year, China's female rehearsals participated in the Women's Row World Cup and finally got the runner-up. However, Wei Xindi was still evaluated as the best second place in that year's competition by the International Row Alliance. At least, it could be said that during her time as an athlete, she. . . She was an outstanding second place athlete. "

"Coach Wei. . . She's such a powerful person, "Xia Zhi stammered. " But why have I. . . Never heard a professional team coach mention her? "

" Later on, some news reports said that she left the national team five years ago and went to study abroad in the United States not long after. She even seemed to have become the head coach of a local university female volleyball. I think that this time, the China Ordering Association specifically invited her back to coach this China female volleyball Team Two. " Zhu Heng slowly said.

"So that's how it is. . . " Xia Zhi suddenly realized and said. His hand that was wiping the ball couldn't help but become more powerful, and his eyes also burst out with anticipation. For a moment, she wished that she could immediately fly to Huan City and meet her new coach. She wanted to see what Coach Wei, who was very capable, would teach her.

Seeing that Xia Zhi was eager to give it a try, Zhu Heng seriously reminded her, "Xia Zhi, ah! Although Coach Wei is young, he will definitely have a better international vision than us village teachers. You must trust the coach. I think. . . If you have the chance to attend the training for China's female platoon No. 2, you will definitely be able to learn a lot of things that you have not learned before. However, As the saying goes, 'Master leads the way and cultivates on his own'. On normal days, you still have to work harder and harder. Fight for it! In China, the second female platoon will be the main force. There will be a chance in the future. . . One more team. . . "

" Yes, don't worry. Teacher Zhu, I will definitely work very hard!" Xia Zhi firmly said, as he carefully placed the last volleyball in his hand into the basket.

Zhu Heng was also very happy when he saw Xia Zhi meticulously wipe the entire basket of balls. He said, "If you don't have anything else to do today, you can stay for a while. After the children have finished their training, you can come home with me. Your masteress will be wrapped in big dumplings tonight. . . "

Upon hearing that there were big dumplings to eat, Xia Zhi's eyes lit up again. He hurriedly asked, "What kind of stuffing is Mistress wrapped in today?"

However, before Zhu Heng could say anything, Xia Zhi suddenly remembered the instructions his mother had for him to go home for dinner before he went out. She revealed a troubled expression and said, "But. . . My mother asked me to go home for dinner. . . "

"I'm in charge of this! Don't go anywhere tonight, just go to my house! I've already sent a text message to your mistress, asking her to wrap your favorite stuffed dumplings! "

The master and disciple chatted for a while. The female platoon members of the county sports school who participated in the afternoon training came to the training center in twos and threes.

Some of the children were younger than Xia by five years, while others were younger than her by six years. Some of them knew Xia Zhi, or they had heard of him before, so they surrounded him and called him "older sister" and "older sister in a friendly manner. " Some of them did not know Xia Zhi, so they timidly hid by the side and looked at this big and tall Big Sister with curious eyes.

The children's training began. Xia Zhi quietly sat on a bench at the side of the field and watched the children practice seriously in the slightly crude county sports school volleyball stadium. She looked and looked as if she had become the same as five or six years ago, when she was fifteen or sixteen years old.

At that time, she also went to school every day, carried her schoolbag, and ran to the training center. At that time, Zhu Heng only had a bit of white hair on his temples.

However, after only five or six years, Teacher Zhu's hair was all white, but he was still like five or six years ago, standing at the side of the training ground with a hale and hearty spirit. He taught the children every detail of every movement, and patiently corrected every mistake made by the children.

Xia Zhi suddenly understood that it was her and the children who 'stole' Teacher Zhu's black hair day after day, but 'returned' him with a head full of white hair.

. . .

At night, Zhu Heng's house was brightly lit.

He heard that Xia Zhi had returned. Mistress Zhu was also very happy. She carefully prepared the local specialties, the stuffed dumplings, and Xia Zhi ate a full bowl. Mistress Zhu insisted on giving her another bowl.

As she spoke, Master Zhu! Zhu Heng opened the door and saw Xia Zhi's father, Xia Botao, standing at the door with a large bag of fresh fruits and two bottles of wine.

Zhu Heng hurriedly let Xia Botao into the room. Xia Botao saw that Xia Zhi had already eaten. He said somewhat embarrassedly, "Xia Zhi's mother heard from her that Teacher Zhu insisted on letting her stay at home for dinner tonight. She told me to hurry over and take a look. I happened to have a meeting in the county to help the poor today, so I ran over as soon as it ended. Oh my! Teacher Zhu, Masteress Zhu, this little girl of our family has always been giving you trouble in the past. Now that she's grown up, come back for a while. She didn't say that she would treat you to a meal, but instead, she asked you two to cook for her. . . How can I accept that?! "

When Zhu Heng heard this, he snorted. Pretending to be unhappy, he loudly said, "Old Xia, I don't like hearing your words. When Xia Zhi was young, When I picked her from your village elementary school and asked her to come to the county sports school to practice volleyball, Didn't I tell you? Xia Zhi is like my own daughter. You can go and do your work in the village and the fields. Xia Zhi's training, learning, and even eating and drinking. Whatever I can manage, I will definitely manage it well! It has been so many years. Why are you being so polite to me now? Is it because you've become the village committee's director and have been promoted?"

Hearing Zhu Heng's kind joke, The honest and honest Xia Botao only repeatedly said, "No, no," but he still felt a little awkward.

"Pa!" Mistress Zhu slapped Zhu Heng's neck from behind. When Xia Zhi saw this, he covered his mouth and laughed.

"Old Xia, don't listen to his nonsense. He doesn't look serious. " Master Zhu said, "Listen to Big Sister. Don't worry about when, as long as Xia Zhi comes back. . . Come over, Master's wife will cook something delicious for you! Old Xia, if you come again, you really must not bring any more food! The workload is very heavy, and life is also very poor for the time being. Don't spend money on these places where there's no need to spend it. "

Xia Botao said, "Aiya, Masteress Zhu, how can this be called unnecessary spending? Teacher Zhu spent a lot of effort to train Xia Zhi from a village girl to a professional volleyball player. This time, he entered the second team of the China female volleyball team! Our family really doesn't know how to thank Teacher Zhu. . . "

Zhu Heng waved his hand and interrupted Xia Botao's words. However, he said, "This time, Xia Zhi will be selected to China's female platoon number two. It was because of the high level training of the Provincial Club's coaches, and it was also because of her own hard work. Today, she showed me the notice of the Ordering Association. It's the best gift for me! Next time, if you bring me another gift, bring me the notice of her being selected for the China women's first line team. In the future, bring me the World Championship gold medal! I don't like anything you bring. And I don't want it either!"

Zhu Heng's words were meant for Xia Botao to hear, but it was more like it was meant for Xia Zhi to hear it. Xia Zhi smiled, and just like a chicken pecking at rice, he fiercely nodded his head.

. . .

Standing on the balcony and watching Xia Zhi riding a bicycle and Xia Botao sitting in the backseat, the father and daughter duo disappeared into the dark night. Only then did Zhu Heng return to his room.

The old companion had already finished packing up the remaining food. Zhu Heng did not care about anything else. He opened the bottle of wine that Xia Botao had brought and gulped down a large mouthful of it.

When Mistress Zhu saw Zhu Heng like this, she was shocked. She hurriedly snatched the bottle from his hands and said, "What are you doing, old man? It's not like you don't eat. Just drink like this!"

When she raised her head, Mistress Zhu saw that Zhu Heng's eyes were actually filled with tears.

"I'm happy! Today, I'm really happy!" Zhu Heng muttered, "This child, Xia Zhi, is really capable! After so many years, I can be considered to have nurtured and provided useful talents to a national team! My old partner, I didn't make it in vain, I didn't make it in vain. . . "

Master Zhu's hand trembled and she no longer tried to snatch the bottle from Zhu Heng's hand.