Stringy Wind in the Ear - Chap 1

Chapter 1 I was hugged by my husband when I was a child

There was a group photo on Song Yang’s bedside table. He was picked up with one hand by a boy who looked very tall and was held in his arms.

The boy was wearing a casual sportswear, had neat short hair, deep and bright eyes, and had the vigor and vitality of a young athlete.

At that time, Song Yang was only seven years old, with chubby cheeks. Her thin body was leaning against the boy’s waist, her little head tilted to the side, and she was shyly hooking her arm around the boy’s neck.

From childhood to adulthood, whenever a classmate came to visit Song Yang’s bedroom, they would curiously ask, “Is this man your brother?” Song Yang would be very proud and talk endlessly about the background of this person.

When Song Yang was in the first grade, Nancheng held a six-day National Outdoor Archery Championship. Thousands of athletes from all over the country participated, and it was a grand event.

The day of the men’s individual final happened to be a weekend, and Song Yang’s parents brought him to watch the game.

The outdoor competition was held on a golf course with a very wide view, but the viewing conditions were extremely simple. The spectator seats were all temporarily built, using outdoor advertising sheds for shade, and the people sitting on them were all disposable plastic stools.

Song Yang was deeply impressed by the temperature that day. In one word, it was hot. It was so hot that it almost melted people.

There was an old man pushing a cart selling popsicles. He asked my dad for money and ran over.

There were so many kinds of popsicles in the foam box that he was overwhelmed.

“How about it, kid, have you made your choice? If you keep choosing like this, my whole box of popsicles will melt.” said the old man.

Song Yang finally chose a chocolate-flavored ice cream cone, but just as he opened the lid and before he could take the first lick, someone bumped into him from behind and the cone fell and hit the dirty lawn.

He pursed his lips, turned around, and saw a tall boy who blocked out a large area of ​​sunlight and shrouded him in shadow. The boy had long arms with obvious muscle lines, and he had a bag of arrows on his back.

Song Yang was a little timid, but that didn’t stop him from bursting into tears.

Li Xun was startled at first, but soon understood what was going on and squatted down to wipe his tears: “I’m sorry, I didn’t see it.”

Song Yang was still crying.

The eyes of the surrounding audience were all focused on him.

Li Xun scratched the back of his head helplessly: “How about I buy you another one?”

Song Yang blinked his wet eyes, hiccuped, and reluctantly compromised.

Li Xun smiled and took him aside: “You choose it yourself.”

But unfortunately, the chocolate-flavored ice cream was sold out.

Song Yang looked at the box, then at the ice cream on the ground, and sobbed softly.

Li Xun asked about a few more options, but Song Yang still shook his head: “I just want to eat that one.”

There was no way to coax this child, and the competition was about to begin. Li Xun picked him up and looked for his family in the audience.

“Whose little girl is this?”

Song Yang stared at him in horror and almost doubted his own gender.

Before he could explain clearly, his father, who had been laughing for a long time, took him back to the audience.

Because of this little episode, Song Yang’s attention was all focused on this man. It’s a bit inaccurate to say “man”, he was just a boy, but he was the tallest of all the athletes that day, almost 1.9 meters tall, with the logo of the provincial delegation printed on his chest.

After the referee blew the whistle, Song Yang saw him coming on the court carrying a black and gold recurve bow. The white bow limbs looked like a pair of light wings, but in fact it was not as light as it looked.

With a range of 70 meters, this bow needs to withstand a pulling force of nearly 40 pounds, which is more than 30 kilograms. Its own weight is not too light. Li Xun has strong and agile muscles that are not consistent with his age.

In fact, every athlete on the field had muscles, but Song Yang only remembered that his arm lines were smooth and beautiful, especially during the few seconds when he was aiming the bow, his skin seemed to be glowing under the sun.

It was one o’clock in the afternoon, when the sun was at its hottest. Li Xun wore sunglasses, and he never smiled no matter how good or bad his grades were. He was as cold as a robot. His jawline was tense when he pulled the bow, and his expression was serious but a little contemptuous, giving him an aura that said, “There’s no way I can shoot wrong.”

His results were indeed amazing. The arrows that shot out of his hand basically never left the yellow inner circle. They were either ten rings or nine rings.

There were a total of eight players in the finals, in a one-on-one PK. After Li Xun defeated two people in a row, he advanced to the championship and runner-up competition.

The rules for the championship match are that the two players take turns shooting arrows for a total of four rounds, with each person shooting three arrows in each round.

At the end of a round, the number of rings on the three arrows is added up, the winner gets two points, the loser gets no points, and a tie gets one point each.

Whoever reaches five points first wins.

The contestant competing against Li Xun was from another province. He had a muscular build, tattoos on his arms, and especially muscles on his chest, which made his short-sleeved shirt look three-dimensional. What was even more terrifying was that he had a thick beard.

Song Yang pointed at him with his little hand and said, “Dad, look, a gorilla.”

My dad immediately covered my mouth and said, “Don’t be so rude.”

The next second, his father turned around and smiled at the audience next to him: “But they do look alike.”

In the first round of the finals, Li Xun was the first to be drawn. He was standing very close to the audience seats on the right. When he looked up and scanned the audience seats, he saw the child whose ice cream he had knocked off was lying on the fence.

I have to say that this little guy is very attractive, with fair skin and big, round eyes, which makes people want to protect him.

The little kid’s eyes were a little dull, but he could feel that the other person was looking at him, so he waved happily.

Song Yang was stunned at first, a little bit in disbelief. Then a trace of indescribable joy climbed up his nerves to his brain, and he raised his little paws and waved.

With clear blue sky above their heads and lush greenery beneath their feet, they crossed the torrent of time and smiled in tacit understanding, like an artistic touch captured by the photographer’s lens.

In the first round, Li Xun scored two points with a score of 29 rings, but the “gorilla” was not a pushover either. In the second round, he shot three consecutive ten-rings to tie the score.

The audience suddenly became agitated and even started to place bets passionately. Most of them guessed that “Orangutan” would win because some said he was the champion of the previous national competition.

Song Jingshan also joined their camp and bet five pieces, then lowered his head and asked Song Yang: “Who do you think will win?”

Song Yang didn’t understand the rules nor their past, he just pointed to Li Xun based on his good impression.

Perhaps the contestants heard the conversation, Li Xun turned around and glanced at the audience.

At the end of the third round, the score was tied and both players got one point each, which meant that with only one round left, either the game would end in a tie and go into an extra round, or the winner would be decided.

The last three arrows.

The referee blew the whistle and the whole audience fell silent, waiting for the players to take their positions.

In this round, the “gorilla” shot first, and the first two shots were both ten rings, and the audience was boiling.

Experienced viewers know that with only one arrow left, unless the player performs poorly, it will be difficult for the opponent to overtake him.

The total score of “Orangutan”‘s last three arrows was twenty-nine rings. When he put away the bow, he showed a smile of determination.

Because archery requires a lot of concentration, in many cases, victory is not necessarily based on skills, but on mental state. When you know your opponent’s results, and they are difficult to surpass, it is difficult to really calm down.

He felt that Li Xun’s expression was a little different.

The countdown began. Li Xun moved his neck, slightly spread his legs, stood on both sides of the firing line, held the bow with his arms forward, and his hands, elbows, and shoulders formed a straight line. The muscles exposed to the sun bulged slightly.

Song Yang was close enough to see his slightly furrowed brows.

The bowstring was stretched to the jawline, leaving a shallow mark on the skin.

“Swoosh—”

Everyone in the audience followed the arrow and went out together –

A precise ten rings.

“Beautiful!” Li Xun’s head coach clenched his fists behind his back, “Come on! Hold on!”

The competition reached the most critical stage, and even the commentator became excited: “Li Xun still has two arrows. If he can get another ten rings, the competition is likely to enter the extra round.”

He quickly pulled the bow, aimed, and released the arrow. The arrow hit the black line of the ten rings, and the referee had to use a magnifying glass to confirm the number of rings.

The scoreboard lit up, and the commentator announced tremblingly: “10 rings! 10 rings! Li Xun scored another 10 rings! There is a chance to overtake!——”

It was as if someone had popped a balloon; the atmosphere in the venue exploded instantly, and many audience members stood up excitedly to cheer him on.

All it takes is a 9th ring to tie the score.

The “gorilla’s” expression was in stark contrast to what it was half a minute ago, and he clenched the mineral water bottle in his hand.

Song Yang heard Li Xun’s head coach comforting him: “Keep calm, stay calm, don’t put too much pressure on yourself, it’s okay to fight again if the game is a draw.”

Li Xun’s expression was as cold as ever, and there was even a hint of impatience between his brows, as if he was saying, “It’s too hot, I don’t want to play extra games.”

The noisy chirping of cicadas came from afar. Song Yang’s shoulders were clenched by his father’s hands, and the heat and tension were transmitted through his skin.

The last arrow.

The whole audience held their breath, their eyes focused on the same place; even the old man selling popsicles stood there motionless.

The range is 70 meters, and the yellow inner circle shrinks to a small dot the size of a sesame seed.

The sunlight was so dazzling that Song Yang couldn’t see the center of the bull’s eye at all. He raised his hands to cover his head and looked at the harrow on the big screen.

The two arrows stuck in it have not been removed yet.

With a “bang” sound, the third arrow was thrown out, cutting through the hot and humid air and hitting the center of the circle accurately, colliding with the first arrow.

The audience exploded like firecrackers whose fuse had burned out.

“10 rings! 10 rings! Li Xun shot 10 rings! –” The commentator stood up from his chair and shouted excitedly, just like the audience, regardless of his image, “Li Xun won! He is the champion of this tournament!”

The referee announced the score, and Song Yang finally saw Li Xun take off his sunglasses amid cheers, revealing a pair of curved eyebrows. After being praised by his coach and teammates, he smiled while adjusting his bow and arrow.

When he smiled, he had the youthfulness unique to teenagers, his eyes sparkled in the sun, and he seemed like a different person from the one on the court.

When passing by the audience on the way off the stage, Li Xun tilted his head and happened to meet Song Yang’s admiring gaze. He paused, took off the leather finger guards on his hands, and rubbed Song Yang’s short hair affectionately like rubbing a small animal, and finally poked his soft cheek lightly with his fingertips.

“Do you still want ice cream? I can take you out to buy some now.”