Chapter 131 Table Tennis
In the blink of an eye, it was the end of December and He Shu completed the midterm test.
The school will have a four-day holiday during the New Year's Day. He Shu asked Xia Miao, and Xia Miao said she would not go back to Danhe and would return during the winter vacation.
On New Year's Day, He Shu was going back to his grandfather's house, so he made an appointment with Xia Miao to go to Dadu together on the 2nd, and spend the remaining three days of vacation together.
On New Year's Day, his uncle came to take him home.
My aunt is making dumplings at home, with three kinds of fillings.
Lamb with green onions, leeks, eggs and shrimps, as well as cabbage and pork.
He Shu helped make dumplings, while his uncle peeled garlic nearby. The family was having a great time.
There was a performance at the cultural center in the compound today. After eating dumplings, He Shu went to watch the show with his grandfather and aunt.
Most of the performances were singing and dancing, as well as opera. Actors from several city art troupes also performed two sketches, making the whole thing like a small Spring Festival Gala.
He Shu was watching with great interest. His aunt and an unfamiliar aunt next to them were chatting in low voices while eating melon seeds.
I don’t know where my uncle ran off to, and there were some little grandchildren around who I don’t know whose family they were from, running and playing all over the place.
No one scolded them for not being quiet. Instead, whoever they ran to would pick them up and tease them for a while.
The atmosphere here is very lively. Some grandfathers don’t like watching the performances. They just listen to the singing and dancing on the stage. They put a chessboard in the corner and start a battle between the two armies.
The performance didn't end until around four o'clock in the afternoon, and my grandfather and Grandpa Dong left.
He Shu went home with his aunt and did not look for his "missing" uncle.
When we got home, my aunt took out a piece of paper and said, "The last time your godfather came here, he talked about your godbrother. I asked someone to help me find out."
He Shu took the paper, which had two addresses written on it.
One is a shelter, and the other is next to Dadu, in Bac Ha Province.
"The one in the shelter is for homeless people in Dadu. They can't tell where their home is. Your uncle has sent someone to check it out, but he hasn't replied yet. I think the one in Beihe Province looks similar. They're similar in age and appearance."
"Aunt, how did you find out this information?"
My aunt smiled and said, "It's a bit troublesome for people far away, but we can still talk a few words if we are close. I'll ask them to find people who want to register for the census, and then screen out those who are of the right age."
"But we have checked several times. Your brother was too young when he was lost. Maybe he has already been registered. There is no need to rush. We can find him if we continue to select him."
For Zhu Yu, as long as the child is still alive, she has the patience to screen them even if it means digging three feet underground.
What people fear most is that they have lost hope. Otherwise, what difficulties can they not face?
"Aunt, thank you for your trouble."
"What are you thanking me for? He's your godfather. We're all family. If your family is in trouble, why can't you help? I also hope that he can find the child soon."
He Shu was deeply touched by his aunt's kindness: "Aunt, let me go take a look first. If it's really okay, then ask my godfather to come."
He Shu knew that being disappointed again and again was too painful for his godfather. Anyway, he already knew a lot of information about Zhao Yan's childhood, so he could ask him about it first.
"You've never been to Beihe Province. Ask your uncle if he has time and ask him to accompany you."
The two exchanged a few words, and then the uncle came back with a pair of table tennis rackets in his hand: "He Shu, do you want to learn how to play table tennis?"
"Playing Ping-Pong?"
"Well, if you want to learn, follow me. Today I have found someone from the national team to teach you. This is a rare opportunity."
As my uncle was talking, he handed the racket to my aunt: "Keep it. There's a signature on it. Don't erase it."
"Whose is it? So rare?" My aunt took it and took a look at it with a smile. The name on it was written in a flamboyant style, but it was still barely recognizable.
"Liu Liangji?"
My uncle nodded and said, "You don't like watching sports channels, so you don't know him. He is now the head coach of the national men's table tennis team."
After saying that, the uncle urged He Shu: "Let's go, I'll take you to see it."
When He Shu heard that he was the head coach of a national team, he was a little scared: "Uncle, I have never touched a table tennis ball."
"So I'm going to take you to broaden your horizons. Come on, come on. I'm waiting."
Without saying anything, the uncle pulled He Shu out of the door and took him directly to the activity center for senior cadres in the compound.
This is where the old cadres usually play ball and chess, and there are several billiard tables inside.
Next to one of the cases, a middle-aged man in a black jacket was talking to a few old men.
"Xiao Liu, come here, I brought my nephew here, you teach him how to play basketball."
He Shu was pushed forward. The grandfathers saw that a young man had come and didn't want to take up any space. They laughed and let him go forward.
He Shu called out stiffly, "Hello, coach."
Liu Liangji said with a smile: "Don't call me coach. I just came here to join in the fun, but I was caught by your uncle."
He said this, but handed He Shu a racket: "Have you played it before?"
He Shu shook his head: "Never."
"Haha, actually, table tennis is the most suitable sport for all people, especially in our country, where there are many talented people."
"Come on, young man, don't be afraid. You're not going to compete, just learning it can be a fitness and entertainment activity in the future."
Liu Liangji was very friendly. He first taught He Shu the correct way to hold the racket. Then, instead of letting him go up to the table, he looked at He Shu's feel for the ball and asked him to try juggling the ball first.
After he had bounced around for a while, he was asked to play ball against the wall. Although it was a bit boring, it was still interesting for someone like He Shu who had no entertainment activities.
In the words of Coach Liu, playing table tennis also requires the use of the brain, and it is not just about having great strength.
Although the head coach of a national team gave face to my uncle and taught him, a pure rookie, to play basketball, he was not perfunctory at all.
He Shu was very serious about teaching him how to find the feeling and several routes of the ball...
He Shu practiced at the Senior Cadres Activity Center until the evening and finally found some feeling. Even this made Coach Liu praise him for his talent.
I don’t know if it was just a courtesy or the truth, but He Shu was quite happy and thought table tennis was indeed interesting.
"When you have nothing to do in the future, come here and practice . The old men in your courtyard are all very powerful."
A grandfather nearby laughed loudly and said, "I like what you said, Xiao Liu. If I were not old and your team did not want me, I would go to the court with you to play tricks."
"Yes, we are no longer needed on the battlefield. We can fight in other places. The kid from the old Qi family, come to me in the future and I will teach you how to practice."
"Eh? Lao Zhu, forget about your two moves. With that look in your eyes, you couldn't even see the ball fly out of the country."
A group of old men who are grandfathers or even great-grandfathers, some of them have lost all their teeth, but they are all very energetic.
Coach Liu Liangji didn't dare to say that they were not good enough. He said bluntly that it was good enough and praised the group of old men a lot.
