Chapter 5 4. The long way home

According to my dad, I was the smallest and shortest everywhere I was since I was a child.When I was in the Fujian Provincial Sports School, I was the shortest of the 8 people in a dormitory.As a result, I rushed out and played to the top of the list.I was the shortest among the six roommates in the Bayi team, and now I am the shortest in the national team.I sometimes joked to others: "In the national team, I am like a grass, which one is not stronger than me?" According to my parents, when I was young, I was not only short, but also very late to speak, and I couldn't speak even after I went to nursery school.Other people's children can call father and mother, but I still don't understand it.But my parents were not too worried, because I was able to walk on the wall by myself when I was 9 months old.After going to school, I was even more out of control. In the school sports meeting of the second grade of elementary school, I broke the 100-meter sprint record of the fourth grade.However, my schooling career in Shanghang only lasted to the summer vacation of the third grade of elementary school.

Little by little, the boss left home, and now he is back to Shanghang. Those childhood playmates, games and memories are fading little by little.But what makes me happy is that when the real life makes childhood friends slowly separated, there are still friends who have known each other for more than 20 years by my side.Up to now, some of them still have contact with me, and Xie Xin is one of them. We went from Shanghang to Fujian Provincial Sports School, then he went to the Fujian Provincial Team, I joined the Bayi Team, and then both of us entered the national team—during these long years, Xie Xin was the only one I kept in touch with regularly. , My childhood friend who I still play with every day sometimes.

Many of my fans know Xie Xin, who I have known for almost 25 years.He was still my "nemesis" when I was young, and I often lost to him in games.In fact, he also has a nickname "Little Fatty". Many people asked how he got it, and I said: "It's because he was fat when he was young. Who knows that he is so thin now, and he is still handsome!" Xiaopang's wrist is very strong, I always lose to Xiaopang, my mother is also anxious.At that time, the pharmacy where my mother worked sold Chinese medicine on one side and western medicine on the other, and there was an open space between the counters on both sides.After school, my mother will help me practice rubbing the ball.Sometimes when the business is busy, I practice skipping rope by myself.When I am hungry, my mother will reward me with a piece of bread.Later, I heard from my mother that when I was young, I was very good at being good. I would tell her: "Mom, I won't drink Coke today. When I run on Saturday, you can buy it for me."

Training is always hard, but being able to see the results gives people motivation.One day, my mother took the notice and said: "You have been admitted to the sports school." At that time, I had been in the amateur sports school for four or four years. At that time, the coaches in the province will come down to select.In a small county like Shanghang, very few people are attracted by the coaches of the sports school.I also knew when the coach came, but I don't know who was selected. After getting the admission notice, my mother asked me if I wanted to go, and I said of course I would.I remember it was summer. At that time, there was only one place in the whole county, so I was very happy.

The first time I went to Fuzhou, I was very excited. I only carried a small bag and a few changes of clothes, and set off like that.My mother took me, first from my hometown to Longyan by car, and then from Longyan to Fuzhou by train.It was really a "travel through mountains and rivers" after taking the train for one night. When you arrive at the sports school, try out first.At that time, my mother accompanied me throughout the trial training.Because grandma and uncle are all in Fuzhou, and being able to be with new partners (both children who are older than me), I think it is quite interesting.The trial training lasted about 10 days, and after I officially joined the team, I realized that it was not the case.

Ten days later, my mother just left me and went back to Shanghang.I immediately felt that it was not what I thought at all, and I became very helpless all of a sudden, and I was not used to it.Most realistically, no one does your laundry anymore, and no one really cares about you anymore. I looked around and saw that everyone was a child and couldn't take care of themselves, and the young coaches in the sports school were stricter.The most important thing is that this is the first time I have left home, so I am not used to it.At that time, a 9-year-old child realized that life was not going well, and thought of giving up.

What I looked forward to most at that time was to go back to my grandmother's house on Sunday.The bus ticket is 2 cents a piece, and my mother took me once before.But when I was sitting alone, I was very nervous when I thought about how many stops I would get off after getting on the bus at this station. Because he was still very young, after getting into the car, his sight was completely blocked by adults.There was no voice announcement at that time, so I kept paying attention to the car door opening a few times. "This is the first stop... the second stop... the third stop...the fourth stop must go down." Every time the third stop is finished and the door is closed, I will squeeze to the side of the car door , as soon as I arrive at the station and the door opens, I will get off immediately.I was particularly afraid that I would get off at the wrong place and miss the stop.

Later, when I talked about this with Ah Fang (Xie Xingfang), she said that the bus ticket in Guangzhou was 10 cents. In the past, there were conductors selling tickets on the bus, and there was no coin box, so the bus was very crowded. It is not uncommon for people to ignore it when they see it as a child.Ah Fang asked me if I had escaped the ticket, and I said I really hadn't.Because it's only 20 cents, and I only go back once a week.At that time, my mother put all the pocket money with my grandma. It seemed that 5 yuan a week was not bad. After a year of peace, something happened. It was the second Spring Festival after I arrived in Fuzhou.After a year of winter and summer, my parents also came to Fuzhou to pick me up twice.However, from Shanghang to Fuzhou, it takes 4.5 four-and-a-half-hour bus rides and another 12-hour train ride. Such a trip is also very hard for parents.It happened that during the Spring Festival of 1994, I went home with another sister from the sports school and a little boy to celebrate the New Year.But on the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, my dad did not wait for the three of us at Longyan Railway Station.He said that the people waiting for the whole train had left the station, but they couldn't find us, so he panicked all of a sudden.At that time, there were very few telephones, and there were no mobile phones, so my dad rushed to the Longyan District Committee (now called the Municipal Committee) and borrowed the office phone to call my grandpa's house in Fuzhou.Grandpa's house doesn't have a phone, but there is one across the street, just call someone from downstairs.Grandpa went to the sports school to ask again, and the coach of the sports school replied that the three children had already gone out.

Years later, I can no longer remember whether our train tickets were stolen or lost.Anyway, the tickets for the three of them were all on the older sister's body, but they couldn't be found when they got on the bus.We went to Grandpa's house in Fuzhou for one night.The next day, my grandfather took us to the train station police station and pleaded with the director, saying that the three children were all students of the sports school, and they were supposed to go home yesterday, but the train tickets were stolen.It's New Year's Eve, and my parents are waiting anxiously at home.When the director heard this, he led us onto the train without saying a word.

After sitting on the hard seat for 12 hours and returning to Longyan, the three children were tired and stupid, but they finally got together on the eve of the New Year's Eve.At that time, I felt that the way home was very difficult and long, but I didn’t know that many years later, it would only take 4 hours to go from Shanghang to Fuzhou by expressway, but my chances of going home were less and less.