Stringy Wind in the Ear - Chap 73
Xining Station is more than 100 kilometers away from the base, so the team leader contacted the local bus driver in advance to pick people up.
Along the way, everyone listened to the driver talking to Wang Nanfeng in a not-so-standard accent about local food, drinks and attractions.
Song Yang listened for a while and fell asleep on Li Xun’s shoulder.
The bus’s heating function was not very good, and there was almost no wind at the back. Li Xun took out a blanket from his bag and gently covered him with it.
At around ten o’clock in the evening, the shaky bus finally arrived at the training ground. The assistant coach got up first and woke up the sleeping athletes one by one.
The first thing that catches your eye is the brightly colored prayer flags, which flutter in the wind like small flags. Most of the buildings on this side of the base are single-story buildings that are closely connected. They are built against the mountain, and some are even halfway up the mountain, giving a visual sense of uneven heights.
The buildings in the distance were glowing faintly, like fireflies hidden in the mountains, shining brightly against the stars in the sky.
Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the surroundings are strangely quiet, and even the air has the smell of vegetation. Take a deep breath, it goes straight to your lungs, and all your sleepiness disappears.
Song Yang turned on the camera, adjusted the focus, first took a picture of the night sky, and then turned to aim at Li Xun.
After sleeping for so long, everyone was a little lazy, but Li Xun was the only one who walked as usual, with his head slightly raised and standing tall like a pine tree.
For the first time, Song Yang was surprised to find that his facial features and skin color did not look out of place among the Tibetans.
“Hey, handsome guy.” Song Yang shouted to him, and as a result, dozens of men in the team, including Wang Nanfeng, turned around in unison without any self-awareness.
Song Yang took a group photo like this.
Zooming in and taking a closer look, it turns out that he is still the tallest, wildest and most photogenic man.
He stared at Li Xun’s Adam’s apple for a while, and wanted to hug, kiss and make love again.
The coach gathered the team at the entrance of the base dormitory and explained several points that should be paid attention to during the training.
As Li Xun listened, he moved closer to Song Yang and secretly hooked his little finger.
Song Yang smiled and held it, squeezing it a few times in response.
“Considering that some team members have just arrived and are not feeling well, they will have a day off tomorrow. Everyone can move freely, but they cannot go too far and must keep in touch with the team at all times. The most important thing is, listen to me. To avoid altitude sickness, do not do strenuous exercise in the first three days. I suggest that you do not take a bath or shower, just wipe your body and that’s it.”
Everyone nodded in response, except for the two people holding hands in the corner who looked at each other with a knowing smile on their faces.
Finally, accommodation was allocated, double room.
When Song Yang heard this, both of them’s eyes lit up, and they looked at each other tacitly.
Unfortunately, Wang Nanfeng said, “Yu Shenwei and Li Xun live in room 012, Song Yang, you and Zhang Qiao live in room 013.”
“Okay.” Song Yang took a key with a gloomy face.
It wasn’t his turn to be in the same group with Li Xun at the last stop. Looking back, they haven’t had any affectionate time for more than a month.
The worst thing is that ever since Li Xun used all kinds of methods to torment me, I no longer feel anything when I do it myself.
Wang Nanfeng looked at him: “Why are you so sullen? Are you dissatisfied with my arrangement?”
“No, it’s fine.” Song Yangyan shook his head insincerely.
The furnishings in the room were simple, with a small bedside table between two wooden beds. There was no TV and no WIFI.
Song Yang was surprised: “How do people here entertain themselves?”
Zhang Qiao shrugged: “I don’t know, maybe just let the sheep go.”
Opposite is a long wall-mounted desk, and on the north side is a sliding floor-to-ceiling window.
The altitude here is more than 2,000 meters, very close to the sky, the stars are bright and dense, and the continuous mountains are vaguely visible.
Song Yang suddenly recalled the summer of his senior year in high school when he and Li Xun leaned on the slide in the community garden to watch the night view.
At that time, he felt that there were so many stars in the sky that he could never count them all.
Li Xun said, I have seen more than this.
Now he finally saw the sky that Li Xun had seen, and touched the dream that seemed out of reach at the beginning.
Zhang Qiao packed his luggage, lay down on the bed, and sighed: “I am so tired. I am not as good as practicing archery for a day as sitting in the car for a day. My waist and back are sore.”
Song Yang’s bed was very close to the floor-to-ceiling window. He did not close the curtains completely, but left a gap half a person’s width, waiting for the morning sun.
He leaned over and asked, “Have you been here before?”
“I’ve been here before. I’ve been here seven or eight times.” Zhang Qiao raised his arms and put them behind his head. “This is the only place for selection and training.”
“So many times…”
Song Yang’s sigh accidentally touched Zhang Qiao’s sore spot.
Zhang Qiao is the oldest member of the team and has rich experience in national competitions, but has never participated in an international competition. The coach described him as a student who usually has excellent grades but failed the college entrance examination and always fails at the critical moment.
Zhang Qiao first participated in the World Championships selection at the age of 25, the golden peak period of an athlete, but at that time he only finished fourth by one point and missed the World Championships.
After that, he suffered from jaundice and it took him a long time to adjust in his hometown before he mustered up the courage to return to the court.
However, during his second selection, a cyst appeared on his right shoulder, affecting his condition. He had to withdraw from the competition and go home for surgery and recuperation.
At the end of the third selection, he was defeated, and his girlfriend of five years ran away with someone else, saying that she saw no hope.
This year is his fourth and final time to participate in the World Championships trials. No matter what the result is, he will retire because his body can no longer take it and his family is hoping he can get married soon.
After listening to his experience, Song Yang opened his mouth slightly, with a lot of thoughts in his mind.
Although they were rivals on the field, he did not want to see the entire youth of the athlete in front of him being ruined and all his efforts going to waste.
He felt sad, but couldn’t find any words of comfort. He could only pray secretly that he would not face Zhang Qiao in the final.
He didn’t want to lose, nor did he want his hands to destroy Zhang Qiao’s last hope.
When he first arrived at the plateau, Song Yang was unable to adapt to the climate and environment here.
It was past one in the morning and Zhang Qiao was already asleep, but he was not sleepy yet. He was listening to an online class with one earphone plugged in when he suddenly heard a vomiting sound in the other ear.
The soundproofing of the rooms here is average, and you can hear the toilet flushing next door clearly.
The sound of vomiting seemed to come from the room on the left, followed by Li Xun’s voice.
“Take the medicine quickly and lie down to rest for a while.”
Song Yang guessed that Yu Shenwei might have altitude sickness and sent a message to Li Xun.
——Is Mr. Yu having a high fever?
It took more than ten minutes for the message to be replied.
—Um, did it wake you up?
——I wasn’t asleep either.
——Why don’t you rest yet?
——I can’t sleep, my mouth feels lonely and I always want to eat something.
These words were ambiguous and explicit. After reading them, Li Xun felt a numbness all over his body and a heat rushing up to his head. He wanted to pick Yu Shenwei up from the bed and throw him next door, but his adult rationality suppressed this impulse.
——Don’t worry, get up early tomorrow and I’ll take you to see the sunrise.
——Okay! Good night, baby!
Li Xun stared at this strange and awkward name for two seconds.
–so rude.
——You will still be my baby when you are a hundred years old.
Li Xun never thought that one day he would be defeated by the love words of a little kid. He turned over and fell asleep with a smile on his face.
He didn’t dream often, but tonight he not only dreamed, but he also dreamed of Song Yang, which was rare.
In the dream, the sky was clear and blue, with a few floating clouds above his head. He was participating in a tournament held in South City.
Song Yang was the audience member closest to him. He was holding an ice cream cone and eating it. He looked to be about seven or eight years old.
He walked off the stage, picked up Song Yang, held him in his arms, and took the initiative to put his cheek close to him, suggesting a kiss.
Song Yang’s little mouth, which had just licked the ice cream, was imprinted on his face. It was soft, slightly cool, and had a fragrant milky smell.
He was awakened by this beautiful dream. When he opened his eyes, he saw a magnified face of Yu Shenwei. He was so scared that he almost had a heart attack. He stretched his neck backwards and asked, “What are you doing?”
Yu Shenwei was holding a glass bottle of yogurt in his hand and had just drunk half of it.
Li Xun immediately understood why the coolness and milk smell in the dream were so real. He raised his hand and wiped his face: “You scared me.”
Yu Shenwei placed another bottle of yogurt on the bedside and smiled slyly: “Did you have that yellow dream? Why are you still laughing? You didn’t wake up even when I called you.”
Li Xun stood up and glanced at him sideways, “Are you not dizzy anymore?”
“I’m fine now. I just ate too much last night and felt uncomfortable.” Yu Shenwei squatted on the edge of his bed like a monkey, sucking yogurt. “You haven’t answered me yet. Did you dream about women?”
Li Xun ignored him and drew open the curtains. The sky was not yet fully bright, but the outline of the terrain was already very clear. The ice and snow on the mountain had not melted yet, like cream dotted on coffee.
After washing up, he went to knock on Song Yang’s door. As soon as he raised his finger, the door opened from the inside.
Song Yang grinned in surprise: “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Li Xun arranged today’s schedule before going to bed last night. “I’ll take you to the mountain to watch the sunrise first, and then we’ll go to the town for breakfast. I’ve eaten firecracker noodles there before, and it tasted pretty good. Do you want to try it?”
Song Yang’s eyes lit up: “Okay.” He took off the small casual shoulder bag on the hook, raised his hand to hang it around his neck, and patted it: “Do you want to put your phone in my bag?”
“Can it fit? It looks quite small.”
“Sure, I’ll just put the tissue in my pocket.”
The phone screens collided and lit up. Song Yang smiled and looked up: “They seem to be kissing.”
Li Xun urged, “Quickly zip them up, they’re going to sleep.”
Song Yang’s smile deepened.
As they walked and talked, a head popped out from the crack of the door: “Where are you going to play? Take me with you.”
Song Yang glanced at Yu Shenwei and showed reluctance: “Let’s go have breakfast.”
Yu Shenwei: “Then come together, I’ll treat you all to a meal!”
Song Yang: “No need, I have money.”
This is an obvious rejection, but in life, you will always encounter weird people with abnormal brain circuits.
Take Yu Shenwei for example.
He was totally unaware of the fact that he was a light bulb. He quickly changed into a pair of sneakers and followed him: “Have you heard of dog peeing? It is said to be a local specialty that you can’t get outside. I want to try it. You guys can accompany me.”
Song Yang quickened his pace: “I don’t want to eat that. The name sounds weird.”
Yu Shenwei also quickened his pace: “It’s okay, you can order something else and then watch me eat. The main reason is that I have a bad sense of direction and I’m afraid I’ll get lost.”
This person is like a mosquito in July, annoying to death, and can’t be driven away. With ten million reluctances, Song Yang and Li Xun accompanied him to eat dog urine.
Coincidentally, not long after, Zhang Qiao, Wang Nanfeng and two assistant coaches also arrived. They were there to buy breakfast for their teammates.
So the date turned into a regular morning meeting, talking about training plans and injuries.
Wang Nanfeng reminded Zhang Qiao with concern: “Relax a little these days and don’t be too nervous, otherwise your jaundice will relapse.”
Zhang Qiao nodded in response.
Yu Shenwei looked confused: “What is yellow heart disease?”
Song Yang explained using an entry from Baidu: “It’s visual fatigue. I can’t aim at the target.”
Wang Nanfeng picked up a bowl of noodles with chopsticks, and then thought of something. He turned to look at Li Xun and said, “And you too. As long as you can perform normally, there will be no problem.”
The word “also” made Song Yang alert.
After breakfast, as they were walking up the mountain, he asked Li Xun, “Master, have you ever suffered from jaundice?”
Li Xun was stunned: “Well, it happened a long time ago.”
Song Yang was stunned: “Why haven’t I ever heard you tell me that?”
Li Xun remained calm as always: “It’s not a big deal.”
Yellow heart disease is very common among archery athletes. As athletes aim at the yellow heart in the center of the target all year round, they experience visual fatigue and subconsciously resist it, resulting in deformed movements.
Although the word “disease” is used, the root cause is that the athletes have some psychological problems.
Zhang Juanjuan, one of my country’s most famous archery champions, also suffered from yellow heart disease. She rested for a long time and almost gave up halfway because when the disease occurs, the yellow heart in the athlete’s eyes may expand, move, or even become two yellow hearts.
“A slight mistake can lead to a huge error.” Most athletes suffering from this disease are forced to give up their sports careers.
Song Yang remembered Li Xun’s outrageous seven-ring arrow at the Asian Games, grabbed Li Xun’s wrist, and asked, “So you were diagnosed with the disease four years ago, right?”
“Um.”
The Asian Games final was the first time Li Xun had an attack, and to this day he can still clearly remember what he saw at that time.
The yellow circle on the opposite side first expanded, then slowly moved and became two.
He closed his eyes, and opened them again, but the situation did not improve at all. In that situation, his head was like a ringing bell, he was confused and forgot everything.
The coach behind him reminded him that there were eight seconds left on the countdown.
He was so anxious that he could only raise the bow, draw the string, and shoot towards the circle on the right based on the feel of his hand.
Song Yang knew very well that the more psychological the problem was, the more difficult it was to cure, because it was incurable and would always erupt when the mind was extremely tense and was completely out of control.
He asked worriedly, “Has this happened to you since then?”
“When I returned to China for training, I was still like that, so my performance plummeted. Plus, my dad and Hatsuzhi needed my care, so I simply retired.”
“So this is ah……”
They walked at the end of the team. Song Yang put his hand under Li Xun’s clothes and hugged Li Xun’s waist from one side. As they walked, he said, “It has not been easy for you to come this far.”
Li Xun smiled calmly: “Since I met you, everything has been moving in a good direction.”
“Hehe…” Song Yang grabbed his waist and said, “Then why did you think of making a comeback at that time? Are you well?”
“Don’t you always regret not being able to watch my game?” Li Xun rubbed the back of his head, and when no one was paying attention, he kissed him on the forehead, “I don’t want to be that regret in your heart.”
It was just a simple sentence, with Li Xun’s usual solemnity. It wasn’t sweet talk, but it made people linger on it. Song Yang’s heart melted into a ball of cotton and rubbed hard against his neck: “What should I do? I really want to kiss you.”
Li Xun leaned against Song Yang’s earlobe and lowered his voice: “Me too… There won’t be many people on the mountain soon. As long as the light bulb doesn’t follow us, it will be fine.”
“Then let’s walk slowly so he won’t find us.” Song Yang suppressed a smirk and pinched his waist hard: “Why aren’t you ticklish?”
Li Xun’s voice was still gentle: “If you lick it, I will feel itchy.”
The hot air rushed into Song Yang’s ears, and his mind was full of images, and his face turned red.
Just then, Yu Shenwei discovered that they had fallen behind and called out, “Hey, didn’t you guys just say you were going to climb the mountain?”
Song Yang: “…”
Murphy’s Law is so accurate!
Yu Shenwei was a strange man. He not only acted as a light bulb himself, but also dragged the whole team to act as a light bulb. Of course, Yu Shenwei had his own reasons: “This mountain road is so difficult to walk on, and there is no signal. What if we encounter danger? Of course, the more people, the better!”
So this imagined romantic date turned into a group mountain climbing activity.
Song Yang’s eyes were blazing with anger, and he even wanted to kill Yu Shenwei.
The team set out at seven in the morning and didn’t return until the sun was about to set. There was no chance to be alone at all. We were exhausted, let alone kissing.
The only thing to be thankful for that day was that the mountain road was rugged and steep, but Song Yang and Li Xun walked hand in hand openly.
On the way back to the base, the sky gradually darkened and the stars appeared.
Song Yang had finished drinking the water he bought on the mountain and was very thirsty. He saw a small shop on the street and asked everyone if they wanted some water.
Wang Nanfeng asked everyone and said, “Just buy your own. They don’t drink it.”
The store has a small frontage, with a wooden door against the wall and two layers of shelves inside, filled with oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and daily necessities.
The boss was a middle-aged man, leaning behind the counter smoking. He seemed to trust him very much, not even looking at him, just buried his head in playing with his mobile phone.
Song Yang took a bottle of mineral water and went to pay the bill. His eyes passed through the swirling smoke and he accidentally caught a glimpse of the condoms on the cash register.
Li Xun’s teasing words to him early in the morning were still fresh in his mind. He tensed up and glanced outside the house. He saw a group of men watching a flock of sheep passing by.
Song Yang pointed at the condom and asked, “How much is this?”
The boss quoted a price, and Song Yang once again tilted his head toward the outside like a thief, quickly grabbed a box with one hand, and then asked in the tone of a drug dealer, “Do you have any lubricant?”
The boss didn’t understand: “What liquid?”
Facing the boss’s innocent eyes, Song Yang was really speechless. He sighed and said, “It’s nothing. Just take this.”
The things are bought, but how to ask for it is a problem.
It was the middle of the night, Song Yang was lying on the bed, with a lot of thoughts in his mind.
Could it be that he is asking, Master, do you want to be the one on top or the one on the bottom?
Well…it seems that it is not impossible.
He imagined the scene in his mind, but was still a little nervous, so he had to seek help from the only pure gay person around him.
Zhou Junlin sent a voice message with laughter: “You are awesome, it’s been two years and you still haven’t slept with her?”
Song Yang’s scalp tensed up.
——Stop talking nonsense! Just teach me how to ask!
A few minutes later, Li Xun’s cell phone rang.
He opened WeChat and saw a screenshot sent by Song Yang.
On it is a little sheep drawn with a memo, with a line of crooked small words on its head: I am a sheep and I need a lot of nutrients. Can you give them to me?
A bunch of grass is drawn between the characters “我” and “吗”.
It took Li Xun half a minute to understand what this line of words meant. Unable to suppress the upward curve of his lips, he tapped lightly on the screen with his fingertips.
Song Yang was lying in the dark bed, clicking on the message with great anticipation.
——There is no grass, only carrots.
