Stringy Wind in the Ear - Chap 28
When most people hear this and see the other person’s affectionate and passionate eyes, they will have some associations, but Li Xun is very different.
Through Song Yang’s implicit description, an image of a violent girl with a pure appearance but fierce personality emerged in his mind. He exclaimed, “Wow,” and said, “Your taste is so special.”
His expression and response were so natural that Song Yang knew he was thinking about something else again. He added helplessly, “That’s right. My taste has been different from others since I was a child. What I like is also hard for others to imagine. Sometimes even I find it incredible.”
“Ah.” Li Xun looked as if he had suddenly realized something, and asked, “So do you really like to eat really smelly things?”
“…” Song Yang let out a long sigh. What on earth did he like?
This train of thought.
Absolutely.
Li Xun went downstairs and bought two bags of lunch, one for Song Yang’s white porridge and one for himself.
Song Yang’s nose was almost touching his bowl.
“Your braised pork smells so good…”
“Don’t you have a poor appetite?” Li Xun picked up a piece of pork belly with even fat and lean meat, paused for a second in front of Song Yang’s nose, turned it the moment he opened his mouth, and pushed it into his own mouth.
Song Yang took a sip of the bland porridge and glared at him with resentment on his face.
Li Xun took out a few stalks of coriander from the incense pot and put them into Song Yang’s bowl: “This taste is unique, isn’t it? Here’s a reward for you.”
Song Yang protected his small bowl: “I don’t like this.”
“Tsk, why are you still picky about food? Do you think the coriander is not smelly enough?”
Song Yang bared his teeth, imitating the angry look of someone peeing, which made Li Xun laugh.
Before finishing the meal, Li Xun received a call from the director and had to go back to school. Before leaving, he replaced the water in Song Yang’s cup with hot water, and under the expectant eyes of the children, he took away all the remaining food, leaving no shredded meat.
“Call me when you’re almost well.” Li Xun said over and over again like an old father, “Don’t keep your head down playing with your phone. Sleep a little longer, you hear me?”
Song Yang nodded obediently, lowered the back of his chair, and put on a posture that would reassure him: “Go and get busy.”
In fact, the effect of the medicine had been taking effect for some time. Because Li Xun was always by his side, he forced himself not to yawn. After watching Li Xun leave, he covered his forehead with his coat. The noisy conversation gradually turned into hypnotic white noise.
Song Yang slept very deeply and even had several dreams. When he woke up, his stomach didn’t hurt anymore and his limbs had regained some strength.
He looked up and found that the original bag of potion had been replaced.
The person next to him suddenly said, “You’re awake.”
It’s Wu Jianian.
Song Yang was stunned for two seconds: “Why are you here?” Although he often attended Li Xun’s classes in the archery team, he was not familiar with them enough to come to the hospital to visit them.
Wu Jianian didn’t pretend, he shrugged and said in a helpless tone: “It’s the coach’s order. I’m the only one on the team with a driver’s license, so he asked me to come pick you up.”
“He’s not coming?” In order not to show his disappointment too obviously, Song Yang added, “How was your competition? Did you win the championship?”
Wu Jianian nodded: “It was just a narrow victory. This year there is a very good freshman. His total score in the finals was only one point lower than mine. I think he will be recruited into the school team together with you.”
Song Yang knew who he was talking about and hung his head: “I haven’t finished the competition yet, so I definitely can’t make the school team.”
Wu Jianian nudged his arm and revealed it with a sly smile: “Don’t you know the coach?”
Song Yang understood the meaning behind his words and half corrected and half asked: “What’s wrong with knowing the coach? Doesn’t the school team’s recruitment only count after the team leader confirms it?”
“Well, didn’t the coach plead for you? It’s just a matter of one word whether you can come in or not.”
Song Yang pointed at his nose in disbelief: “You mean, the coach spoke well of me in front of the team leader?”
His expression didn’t seem like he was joking. Wu Jianian stretched his neck, covered his mouth, and said hesitantly, “You really don’t know?”
“I really do not know!”
After all, someone said something like “It’s better to go running than to be a substitute in the team” before leaving. Song Yang’s appetite was completely whetted. “What did the coach say about me?”
Wu Jianian turned around and continued playing with his phone: “Nothing, forget it if you don’t know.”
“Hey, you…” Song Yang tried to persuade her in every possible way, even using a week’s worth of dinner as bait, before he was able to barely get some “secrets” out of Wu Jianian.
At that time, Wu Jianian went to the director’s office, intending to ask about the Provincial Games, and happened to run into Li Xun and team leader Wu who were chatting inside.
He didn’t feel comfortable interrupting the leaders’ conversation, so he stood in the corridor for a while and heard Li Xun say, “His greatest advantage is not his physical condition, but his intelligence, steadfastness, and perseverance. He has only been practicing archery for a little over a year, and his training hours are far less than those of the other members of the team, but his results are not much different. He performed poorly at the sports meet because of a high fever of over 38 degrees. I taught him the basic movements, and he used only one month to reach a level that others might not be able to achieve in three months or even half a year. This is already very rare.”
“And no one can predict how much potential a person has. Just like Holm, before 2004, who would have dared to believe that an athlete who was only 1.81 meters tall could win the Olympic gold medal in men’s high jump?”
The director interrupted and reminded him: “I admit that what you said makes sense, but not everyone in this world can be Holm. The general direction of selection cannot be changed. Those who can really make it to the end are definitely those who have absolute advantages.”
The team leader also said: “Look at the archers in the national team. Who has a face as small as Song Yang’s? Their arms are not very fleshy. How many times can they pull a 40-pound bow? If everyone is as picky as you are, then what’s the point of decades of research data from predecessors? Can’t you just pick the one who suits your taste?”
Li Xunyun took a breath, “I couldn’t pull a bow with such a high poundage when I practiced for more than a year. I was also eliminated by many coaches after just one look. But someone told me at that time that persistence is the key to this line of work. Only by persevering until the end can you find a way out. Later, that person became my coach and sent me to the provincial team, and then to the national team. But if he had told me at the beginning that ‘your body shape is not suitable for archery’, I would have given up. A coach’s words are authoritative in the eyes of athletes and may affect their lives, so I dare not draw conclusions easily. In my opinion, appearance is not an absolute advantage, but a strong heart is.”
The director held the teacup and looked at the team leader.
Li Xun continued, “If we want this sport to be better passed on, we should dig out those who truly love it from the corners and work hard to cultivate them, instead of rushing to deny their abilities. We should at least dig it out and take a look at whether it is gold or not, right?”
Wu Jianian was unable to memorize these words verbatim and only gave a general idea of them, but it was enough to make Song Yang grateful to tears.
On this road, it is enough for one person to believe in him and support him.
It felt as if someone had injected a stimulant into his body, making him feel full of energy. He could no longer sit still and sped up the drip.
For the next hour, Wu Jianian was forced to listen to him telling a story about chasing stars that even wild cats would not want to hear. The plot was old-fashioned, had no highlights, and was very sleep-inducing.
When Song Yang asked for the third time, “Do you think the coach smells good?”, he couldn’t stand it anymore and stood up and shouted, “Nurse, we’re almost done here, come over and remove the needle!”
Song Yang looked up and said, “Why are you in such a hurry? There is still a little left. What a waste! The coach said we can leave only after we finish dripping.”
“Shut up!” Wu Jianian pointed his finger at his nose like a gun and tapped it twice. “I don’t want to hear those two words again!”
“Coach?”
“Ah——” Wu Jianian grabbed his head and howled in despair.
On the way back to the dormitory, Song Yang’s WeChat rang. It was a voice message from Li Xun.
He didn’t translate it into text, but listened to it close to his ear.
Li Xun’s voice on the phone was even lower than in reality. He said slowly, “I have sent the application form to your email. Please fill it out as soon as possible and send it to me. Starting next week, train well with your seniors. Also, don’t forget what you said in the hospital today.”
Song Yang growled and slapped his thigh, which scared Wu Jianian so much that he shrugged his shoulders and almost drove into the bushes on the side of the road.
“Why are you so excited? Did the coach let you join the team for training?”
“Ah.” Song Yang nodded with a grin, like a large dog ready to catch food. “He told me to start training with you guys next week. You will be my legitimate senior brother in the future!”
Wu Jianian laughed: “See, I told you, the competition is just a formality, whether you make the team or not is up to the leader’s words.”
“Um.”
Song Yang was completely immersed in the joy of joining the team at that time, and took his words seriously, thinking that joining the team was just a matter of words. It was not until he joined the team that he realized that Wu Jianian’s words were not entirely correct. The athletes of the school team were all professional sports seedlings selected by the school from various competitions, and he was a special case.
For this competition, the archery team recruited a total of three new members.
One of them is called Ahong. He comes from the prairie. His grandparents have been proficient in riding and shooting. Later, he came to live in the south city with his parents. He is very tall and strong, weighing nearly 180 pounds.
On the day of reporting, Song Yang walked up the stairs side by side with him and felt the ground shaking faintly.
He possessed the characteristics of an excellent archer – strong arms, flat cheeks, long neck, sloping shoulders, and great strength.
Song Yang, who is 1.85 meters tall, looks like a petite bird even when sitting next to him.
The other is Yu Shenwei, the runner-up of the school sports meet. He was born into a sports family. His father was a fencing athlete and his mother was an archery athlete. Later, the two retired and went into business, making their careers flourish and investing in several clubs.
The family intended to train their child in the direction of sports. Yu Shenwei started practicing archery when he was in his early teens and has participated in many youth archery competitions.
The major Song Yang studied was also very different from everyone else’s.
“Economics and finance, it sounds very advanced.” Ah Hong asked, “So are you going to trade stocks or sell insurance in the future? Can I invest with you?”
Those sitting around were all sports students. Song Yang wanted to explain his major to them, but he found that everyone was laughing. There was also a subtle, mocking meaning in that laughter, as if they were laughing at his incompatibility with the insurance sales industry. He suddenly felt that there was no need to explain.
Everyone could see that he was a special case and felt disappointed.
It was at this moment that Song Yang realized that it was impossible for him to completely integrate into their world.
He didn’t want to lose to them, and he didn’t want to disappoint the person who spoke for him in the first place, so he stood up, patted his butt, put the laughter behind him, and continued practicing archery.
In order to balance his studies and training in the most efficient way, Song Yang took time out to study the class schedule with Li Xun and worked out a new schedule to ensure his weekly training tasks. This schedule almost squeezed out all of his extracurricular rest time.
I go out before dawn every day and return to the dormitory late at night.
Except for classes and a few minutes before lights out, his roommates hardly saw each other, and they couldn’t even get together for lunch to order takeout.
Song Yang also bought a second-hand bicycle, and rushed to the faculty cafeteria to meet Li Xun at lunchtime.
Although the school has a rule that students are not allowed to eat inside, family members of employees or students who really cannot buy food can still shamelessly go in.
When he went in for the first time, Song Yang was as shy as a girl getting into a bridal sedan. He hid behind Li Xun and peeked in. He didn’t dare to order more dishes. When he saw the familiar professor, he wanted to get into Li Xun’s pocket. His hands were shaking as he held the plate. But after a few times, his face became as thick as a city wall.
And relying on his good looks that can hook up with square dance aunties and coax underage girls, he successfully established good relationships with the aunties in the cafeteria and gained a lot of extra weight with every meal.
The weather was getting cooler, so Li Xun helped him find a spot where he could get some sun and wiped the table clean with a wet wipe.
“Master!” Song Yang walked over from the window with shining eyes, “We have steak today!”
“Take it easy, or the soup will spill all over you.” Li Xun stood up and took the plate.
“No, my hands are steady now.”
They arrived early today and the meal was very sumptuous, with not only meat but also dessert. The fruit on Song Yang’s plate was piled up like a small mountain.
Li Xun exclaimed: “You really treat the cafeteria as a buffet. Which auntie did you choose as your godmother today?”
Song Yang turned his head and gave the aunt at the window his signature Samoyed smile. Li Xun took away several pieces of melon from his plate in one breath and chewed them with a loud crunch.
The auntie working in the cafeteria has had her eyes on Song Yang for a long time. Her daughter is a senior this year and is also a student at T University. She came here to work just for her daughter.
In their hometown, girls in their twenties have to get married and have children. She was very anxious and originally wanted to find a teacher, but she accidentally found a nice little puppy.
After serving meals several times, she inquired about Song Yang’s family background indirectly. He was from a scholarly family, sunny, handsome, and smart. Most importantly, he had good physical fitness from practicing sports, so he was worth marrying.
Song Yang certainly didn’t know all this, so when the aunt came over and said, “A woman three years older than a man is a rich man. You’re just the right match for my daughter. Why don’t you add WeChat and chat?”, he almost choked on the noodles.
“I, I, I, I…”
Song Yang poked at the plate at a loss. Just when he was trying to find a reason to decline, the person opposite him said before him, “Auntie, he already has a girlfriend.”
“Really?” Auntie looked at Song Yang with a disappointed look on her face. “Oh, I really didn’t realize that… I haven’t even seen you eat with a girl.”
“Ah, my…” Song Yang really couldn’t lie. He racked his brains and said with a blushing face, “She and I are not in the same school.”
“Oh, I see.” The aunt stopped the loss in time, turned to look at Li Xun, and said enthusiastically, “Young man, I see that you don’t have a girlfriend, how many years younger than you can you accept? Auntie can introduce you to someone.”
Song Yang suddenly became nervous.
Li Xun said calmly and skillfully: “My child can already help with cooking.”
His heart, which had risen to his throat, finally settled back down.
After the aunt left, Song Yang gave Li Xun two thumbs up and said, “Master, you are really amazing. Next time, teach me how to lie without blushing.”
“……”How come this little guy always manages to make people feel uncomfortable when he praises them?
Li Xun continued to pass the steak, fish and shrimp on the plate to Song Yang: “If you want to gain muscle, you have to eat more things with high protein content.”
Song Yang felt that the food in his stomach was about to get stuck in his throat.
“But I’ve already eaten two pieces…”
“Then keep the noodles and eat the meat.” Li Xun took out a 750ml can of milk from the plastic bag and put it on the table. “And this, your task for today.”
When Song Yang saw the packaging, he burped loudly.
The two looked at each other and laughed at the same time.
Li Xun pushed his plate over and said, “Give me the noodles you can’t finish.”
Song Yang looked down at the plate. The sauce of the ketchup prawns was almost evenly coated on the noodles. It looked okay on him, but if he gave it to others… it would more or less destroy their appetite.
He said somewhat embarrassedly: “I have just scratched it, there may be my saliva…”
“It’s all right.”
Song Yang still felt a little embarrassed, and very reservedly peeled off the top layer, wanting to see if there was anything cleaner underneath. Then he heard Li Xun teasing him in a joking tone: “Besides, this is not the first time we have kissed indirectly, right? What’s the point of being so particular?”
Song Yang had two patches of highland red on her face, and like a newly married young wife, she obediently pushed the noodles over.
Li Xun ate two bites in silence. Song Yang leaned forward slightly and asked expectantly, “How does it taste?”
Li Xun said vaguely: “You’ve eaten it, haven’t you? You don’t know what it tastes like?”
“I want to hear your opinion.”
“You’re not a cook, why do you care?”
Song Yang rubbed his forehead and sighed.
Li Xun reluctantly commented: “It tastes good.”
Song Yang pursed his lips and propped up the corners of his eyes with his fingers to prevent himself from laughing out loud.
