Chapter 7 1. Enlisted in the army at the age of 12, by mistake

In 1995, I won the men's singles championship in the National Children's Competition for the first time, and I was very happy at that time.Although it is only an amateur competition, it is nationwide at any rate.I thought I would definitely be able to enter the Fujian team, but it turned out that the coach of the Bayi team came to see me.Therefore, my joining the army was a coincidence. At that time, I didn't know the Bayi Badminton Team at all. I didn't know what achievements the Bayi Team had and what outstanding players it produced, and my mind was blank.Unlike that era, when it comes to the Fujian team, everyone knows that they are the men's team of the National Badminton Championships for seven consecutive championships.Initially, even the base of the national team was located in Fuzhou.It can be seen how important Fujian's badminton is in the country.

I was definitely disappointed in not being able to enter the Fujian team, but there was a question that kept haunting me at the time: Why didn’t the Fujian team want me? That year, the Fujian team selected Qiu Bohui, who was my roommate in the sports school; the Fujian team also selected Xie Xin.I originally thought that a few of us could enter the Fujian team together, but most of them were picked up by the Fujian team, and I was the only one who went to the Bayi team.The loss and sadness are indescribable. But at the time I didn't know why the Fujian team didn't want me.Before I figured it out, I wouldn't understand it, so I went to the Bayi team to report.

The first military uniform I received was already the smallest size, but it was still as big as a sack.At that time, I was less than 1.5 meters tall, and I hadn't developed yet, but I only had an adult's military uniform for me to wear.I remember that my mother helped me pull up my trouser legs a lot, so that I could barely walk without stumbling. After joining the Bayi team, the half-day class and half-day training in the sports school turned into full-day training. There is very little time for reading, and the training is more professional than the sports school.In the first two years of the Bayi team, I lived in my own world all day long.Many people praised me and thought the kid was good.I practiced very hard and made rapid progress. I was left-handed again, so I felt very good about myself.

But the reality is not at all what I thought.My competitors are not only the players born in 1983, but also those born in 1982 and 1981.Only then did I realize, wow, the outside world is still very big. In the National Youth Championships in 1996 and 1997, I basically hovered between 6th and 8th. I didn't win the championship right after my debut, not at all, and sometimes I didn't even qualify for the group stage. At this time, I realized that the year before, I still felt how great I was, but all of a sudden, I felt that I was getting farther and farther away from the gate of the national team.

The Bayi team is just a small hill, and I found out after going to the National Championships: Wow, there are so many people who are good at badminton!And many people are not the so-called world champions, but people I don't know and can't name. I think they are very good. Just when I walked to the crossroads, the first military training in my life also came to me.It was 1997, and the location was Nanri Island in Fujian. Before the departure, the coach and the leader said that no food is allowed, no snacks and fruits are allowed, and they will be confiscated if they are checked.In my understanding, going to the island for military training is a beautiful job.Island, I still fantasize very beautifully, thinking about what to do.So that's it, everyone packed a quilt, some military uniforms and shoes, and went happily.As a result, when we got to the island, we found that there was nothing there.

When I got there, I asked the squad leader: "Squad leader, I know that the conditions here must be very poor, and it is definitely impossible to have hot water 24 hours a day. Then tell me, when will there be hot water?" The squad leader answered mercilessly. Like a pot of cold water being poured down, he said: "No, we soldiers take cold showers, and we take cold water all year round." That's winter!When I heard it, I got goosebumps.So after 20 days of military training, I only took three baths in total, once a week.Basically, I took a washbasin to catch water, poured it on my head, and then wiped it with a bath towel, and my whole body was shivering with cold.

Before I went, I was looking forward to it, but after I went, it was very bitter. I wanted to leave, but it was impossible to leave.Apart from us recruits on Nanri Island, there are fishermen and coastal defense forces.Squad leaders and platoon leaders don't think there is anything special about being an athlete.As long as you come, you are just like a soldier.At that time, two of my teammates and I were assigned to the fourth company, some went to the second company, and the girl went to the special agent company, and everyone dispersed. The food of the troops stationed on the island was very poor, and the living conditions were very simple.When I was talking about this episode with my friends, someone asked, "Is there an air conditioner?" It was a dream.At that time, there were no mobile phones, and I had almost no way to communicate with the outside world on the island. I had to go to the commune to make calls, let alone the air conditioner.The conditions are really too difficult, too difficult.

I remember that there was no meat in the three meals, and the vegetables were grown by myself.The meal is full, but there are really few dishes that can be eaten.At that time, the squad leader told me: "You must watch the food and eat. If today's food is not very good, you should eat more food." I didn't understand it at that time.Once, the cooking class finally stewed some small salted fish, but there were not many, so I picked up one and ate it by myself.The squad leader said, "It's just a little fish, if you take one by yourself, what will others eat?" I was ashamed on the spot.During the training camp before, I already felt that the food of the Bayi team was really bad. I didn't expect that when it came to the company, their conditions were even worse.

Here I have to talk about an important course in military training - standing guard.Think about how old I was at that time, just 14 years old.It was dark at night, and when the island got cold and windy at night, I would be afraid.If there is no squad leader to accompany, I will definitely not dare to go out to stand guard.As for the squad leader, he always likes to tell me the evil things they have encountered, and what kind of ghosts they use to scare me, so I am even more afraid.And often at this time, the wind on the island will blow very strongly, making a very strange sound, which makes people creepy.

The squad leader and the others were very young and in their prime at that time, although the life in the army was so hard that you can hardly imagine.At that time, officers and soldiers had to take landing craft to leave the island, but landing craft were not available every day.These ordinary people stayed on the island in obscurity for 10 years.Maybe they didn't do anything spectacular, but it is also a great thing to repeat the seemingly ordinary things like standing guard and practicing every day, day after day, year after year.It's amazing how unconditionally they give. The arrival of our team members brought a hustle and bustle to Nanri Island.I spent three weeks with the squad leader like this, and they taught me a lot.Three weeks later, the island was calm again, except for the sound of waves crashing on the shore and the howling wind.In the last few days before leaving the island, I suddenly realized that everyone already had feelings for each other, and I was reluctant to part with it.