The year is only half over, and the Shizhong basketball school training team has started classes early, calling a group of boys who will be taking physical examinations in May back to the basketball hall to start high-intensity training day after day.
Before the school started, Xing Cheng and other promising students worked hard every day in the off-campus training hall. They tried all kinds of physical training and did not dare to be lazy or move too much. Tragedies such as breaking bones and tearing ligaments before exams were not uncommon.
The training ground was full of boys, all of them tall and strong. They wore team uniforms that left some of their arms exposed. In the middle of winter, they were dressed like they were in the hottest days of summer. From a distance, the only difference between them was probably the number on their backs and the shoes on their feet.
But even though they were so far away, Ning Xi took a bottle of water and sat in the audience, and he saw Xing Cheng shooting at a glance.
The number behind Xingcheng is a "1", which is quite eye-catching from a distance.
Ning Xi once asked Xing Cheng why he chose "1". Xing Cheng pinched the back of his neck and said, "Who told you to always get the first place in the exam?"
For no reason, Ning Xi recalled the time when he and Xing Cheng were still at odds with each other. Xing Cheng was very angry, but so was Ning Xi.
Xing Cheng ran back and forth on the court, playing as a small forward and grabbing the ball on the springboard. He stole the limelight for a while. The younger students on the school team's bench next to Ning Xi waved their towels at the top of their lungs and roared heartbreakingly, almost blowing the roof of the training hall off!
"Xingcheng! Don't be distracted!" The coach blew the whistle and went to direct the positioning under the basket with a stick in his hand.
As a result, Xing Cheng turned around and made a hook layup, scored a two-plus-one, turned his head, made a gun gesture in the direction of his brother, and shot him.
His fingertips seemed to be on fire, and with a sudden tap, the shooting was completed.
Ning Xi was stunned for a moment, then he came to his senses and cursed through gritted teeth: "Can't I play basketball properly?"
The boys on the bench had no idea what was going on, and didn't think too much about it. They just yelled, "Brother Cheng, MVP!"
"Quiet!"
The coach was almost overwhelmed by Xingcheng's ability to stir up the atmosphere. He blew the whistle and scolded: "Xingcheng, you are so capable! Go to the draft and play in the CBA! Why take the physical examination? You can just arrange a cheerleading team!"
Xing Cheng ran while dodging being chased by the coach with a stick, and said loudly: "No need, coach, I have a cheerleading team!"
After saying this, Xing Cheng glanced at his brother. Ning Xi was speechless. He put the clean towel on his face and said, "I won't give it to him later. What a cocky guy."
They made an appointment with Ying Yuchen and others to have dinner together later. Ning Xi had just returned from the hospital after staying up all night in the morning and was still feeling sleepy.
A whistle blew, and the second half of the training ended. The coach led a group of players to clean up the basketballs and sweat towels that were rolling all over the sidelines. Ning Xi also stood up and went to pick up the mineral water bottles scattered on the ground. Xing Cheng had just finished playing, still chewing gum in his mouth, and shouted in a hoarse voice: "Sit down!"
While Ning Xi was stunned, several younger students on the bench next to him immediately stood up and began to pick up the mineral water bottles on the ground very neatly, serving him well.
Finally, two or three people took advantage of Xing Cheng's inattention and asked for Ning Xi's number, saying that they wanted to ask for advice on their studies in the future.
Really... cute.
Ning Xi suddenly seemed to have returned to the time when he was the vice-captain of the school team. Every day he would take Xing Cheng and other junior high school students to clean up the court, go out to play, practice hard behind closed doors, and pick up the broken basketballs. The junior students were full of passion and never complained of being tired.
Perhaps if you immerse yourself in your hobbies and passion, all difficulties can become smooth sailing.
It was lunch time and all the venues were closed. Xing Cheng packed up slowly, carrying his combat boots and walking slowly, the laces swinging from side to side, with a wicked smile on his face. Sweat dripped down the sides of his crew cut, shining faintly in the dark.
Ning Xi pulled off the towel on his shoulders, aimed at the target and threw it over: "Hurry up, don't dawdle."
Xing Cheng stretched out his arm and caught it, rubbing it in his hand, wiping the sweat from his forehead and neck, grinning: "Why are you panicking? Didn't Ying Yuchen say he was stuck in traffic?"
"Why was he stuck in traffic? He just went out late," Ning Xi put on his coat and stood up, "He was clearly still at home, and he said he was on the way..."
Ying Yuchen stood at the door with a small gap in his eyes, staring at the two people in the audience. His head was dazed. When he heard his own name for the first time, he felt a little shy. He closed his eyes and dared not say a word.
He was afraid that a basketball would hit him and he would die.
Ning Xi saw a crack in the doorway, letting in light, and subconsciously hugged Xing Cheng's head to hide. Xing Cheng stopped, used his back to block Ning Xi's entire view, and laughed, "You came here without saying hello?"
"Ying Yuchen, what are you little brothers doing with the lights off?"
Suddenly, a strange male voice came from behind Ying Yuchen, and then a man who looked to be only about 21 or 22 years old crouched by the door, pressed Ying Yuchen's head, and pulled his ears: "Don't block me!"
When Xing Cheng heard the voice, he felt something was wrong. It was not someone he knew, so he turned around to look.
Looks familiar, I feel like I've seen it somewhere...
Ning Xi subconsciously wanted to kick Xing Cheng, but he held himself back and looked over there as well. He felt like he had seen that face somewhere before.
The two people looked at each other.
Ying Yuchen stood at the door in a daze, watching the two brothers in the audience pack up. He Qing was also standing beside them, looking like he was just looking for fun. He choked up and said, "These are my classmates, Ning Xi and Xing Cheng."
It was a hugely embarrassing scene.
He Qing was very straightforward, and smiled with narrowed eyes: "I know."
The children had never seen such a situation before. Almost all three of them were silent at the same time: "Uh..."
Ying Yuchen was the first to break the silence. He stood up straight in front of Xing Cheng and Ning Xi, with his palm facing up, and gestured to He Qing: "Brother, this is He Qing."
Don't ask why He Qing followed him. He came back from Beijing and thought he hadn't seen them for a long time, so he woke up and dressed neatly before going out. He Qing probably suspected that he was in love, so she followed him all the way in her car. Unexpectedly, they followed him to the outside of the basketball training hall, where they stopped the car and looked at each other.
He Qing was nervous at first: "Waiter, if the person you like is a boy, it's not a big problem. Don't hide it, because I will definitely tell your brother..."
Ying Yuchen was overwhelmed: "I came to find my buddies, two of them, playing basketball in the training hall."
Then, a suspicious person, who never walks at night and is not afraid of ghosts knocking on the door, pushed open the door of the training ground, and unexpectedly saw such a scene.
Ying Yuchen suddenly felt fortunate that He Qing came along, otherwise, he would have probably wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground alone.
Coming out of the training ground, Xing Cheng saw at a glance the car that He Qing was driving. It was the Mercedes-Benz G-Class that he had seen on the streetball court. His mind recalled the scene of the first time he met Ying Yuchen, his brother.
He has never forgotten the idea that popped into his mind at that time, and he will definitely realize it.
It was not easy to meet Ying Yuchen's classmates, so of course He Qing couldn't help but gossip about them.
When He Qing learned that many girls liked Ying Yuchen, but Ying Yuchen thought they were all pretty good, he couldn't help but sigh. Who did this fickle-minded girl take after?
He Qing only wore a sweater in winter, with a tangled scarf around his neck and his nose red from the cold: "Ying Yuchen, look, Xing Cheng is younger than you and much taller than you. You're from the north, aren't you ashamed?"
Ying Yuchen was criticized all the way out of the training hall. He covered his face and shouted, "All the height I should have grown has gone to my brother!"
He Qing glared and slapped him on the back of the head: "Don't let your brother take the blame!"
"Forget it, you guys go eat first." He Qing ignored Ying Yuchen who was holding his head with a wronged look on his face, and fumbled for the car keys in his pocket, "I haven't told your brother that I'm going out yet."
He Qing searched for the key for a long time but couldn't find it, so he reached out to search Ying Yuchen's pocket, which made Ying Yuchen shudder: "Just call my brother and tell him to eat lunch by himself, and you can go play with us..."
He Qing smiled happily: "I have to go back."
He Qing's eyes swept towards Ning Xi and Xing Cheng who were standing aside. Seeing the two kids leaning against each other for warmth, the taller one put his hand into the collar of the shorter one and almost got slapped in the face. He couldn't help but sigh, "It's good to be young."
Although He Qing didn't consider at all at this moment that he was only ten days older than Ning Xi.
He Qing took out the key and opened the car door. Xing Cheng and Ning Xi just stood on the side of the road and watched Ying Yuchen open and close the car door for He Qing. He looked very well behaved, and it didn't seem like they had any conflicts in the past.
He Qing stepped on the brakes and the accelerator, and rolled down the window: "Ying Yuchen, which three places are you not allowed to go alone?"
Ying Yuchen choked up and said honestly, "Bar, bath center, Jingang racetrack."
He Qing asked again: "Did you go?"
Ying Yuchen answered obediently: "I can't find a partner, the navigation system can't find the way, I fail every year, I get scolded every month, and I have a flat tire every day."
"appropriate!"
He Qing was satisfied. He put a cigarette in his mouth, raised his eyebrows and looked at Xing Cheng and Ning Xi. His eyes wandered for a while, and he passed a cigarette to Xing Cheng. Unexpectedly, Ying Yuchen interrupted and said something to spoil the mood: "Xing Cheng doesn't smoke, but Ning Xi does."
He Qing had heard a little about these two classmates, but he didn't expect that the top students would smoke, while the ones with poor academic performance didn't. Thinking back to when he was in school, he was a bit naughty, with poor grades and many bad habits, and he felt a little ashamed.
"If you have any problems in Beijing, just tell Ying Yuchen," He Qing went to fasten his seat belt, "I'll go back first, his brother is waiting for me at home."
"Okay, thank you."
Xing Cheng followed Ying Yuchen and shouted, "Thank you, brother."
Ning Xi also followed obediently. He Qing was very happy. He felt that Ning Xi was the most pleasing to the eye, much more pleasing than Ying Yuchen and Xing Cheng, the two naughty kids!
This was the first time He Qing met Xing Cheng, but he had heard Ying Yuchen talk about him many times and estimated that this kid's experience in disciplinary violations in high school could be comparable to that of himself back then.
The accelerator roared, Ying Yuchen watched the car drive away, he let out a breath, smoothed his chest: "I was scared to death, I said I would take you to the bath center to relax in the afternoon..."
"Come on, I have to train this afternoon."
Xing Cheng held Ning Xi's hand without hesitation and looked at Ying Yuchen: "Let's go, it will be too late later."
The three of them ran to a restaurant near the school gate and had a big meal. Ning Xi ate in silence and listened to the two of them talking in unison about some funny things that had happened around them since he had been away for more than half a year. He wanted to laugh and no longer held it back like before. He laughed with his eyes curved, which stunned Xing Cheng.
After saying goodbye, Xing Cheng returned to the team for training as usual in the afternoon. He glanced at the audience from time to time, but he didn't see the person he wanted to see.
Ning Xi had to go to the hospital whenever he had time, and he was busy until nine or ten in the evening. As soon as he got home, he lay by the window and wrote in notebooks. These were the notebooks he wrote in Beijing, which were all the key points of the college entrance examination for Xing Cheng.
In fact, if you flip through it, you'll see messages on every two pages, all words of encouragement.
When Xing Cheng got this book, he was extremely excited, but he still pretended to be cool and stuffed it back home. At night, after Ning Xi fell asleep, he went upstairs to study under the lamp, finishing the whole test paper in one breath. If there was anything he didn't understand, he would check it in the notebook.
Ning Xi wrote in small, neat handwriting, under a history analysis question: "Finish reading this page, turn to page 34."
Xing Cheng pinched the page and turned to page 34, and saw a small word at the footer: "Idiot."
This made Xingcheng feel like it was an adventure to do a homework or read a book. He became interested and wrote obediently until the early morning for the first time. He fell asleep on the table. It was not until his father got up in the middle of the night and saw that the light in Xingcheng's room was still on, so he came in to wake him up. After washing up, he went to bed.
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month came quickly. There is a custom of visiting temple fairs here, and a grand festival park is also set up in the city center. The Xingcheng school team had a half-day off that day, and after the training at noon, they were allowed to go home to celebrate the festival.
Xing Cheng has been training very hard recently and is feeling weak and afraid of the cold. He put on a thick cotton coat as soon as he left the training ground. He ran while talking on the phone and still didn't understand what his family's plans were for tonight.
A phone call came in, and Ning Xi said on the other end: "I'm with your parents."
It is said that Xingcheng's parents bought some supplies and fruits and went to the hospital with Ning Xi. They are still there and are about to come back.
At this moment, Ning Xi stood in the ward, his hands hidden under his coat, pinching his palms until they were red. He felt so uncomfortable.
Ning Xi was very clear about his mother's neighborhood relationships. Now Xingcheng's mother let bygones be bygones and placed a pile of things that had been sent to her by the bed. The aunt opened them happily. The mother on the bed half-opened her eyes and raised her arm to hold Ning Xi's hand.
He took a deep breath, walked over slowly, squatted beside the bed, and shook hands with her.
"Ning Xi was raised by Xing Cheng's mother and I. Our family will help take care of him in the future. Don't worry, just rest assured and recover from your illness."
The voice of Xingcheng's father was very light, yet very heavy, heavy enough to hit Ning Xi's eardrum, yet elusive, making him feel unbelievable.
Xing Cheng's mother didn't dress up that day. She put her coat on and put her hands on Ning Xi's shoulders. She smiled and said, "That's right. You should take good care of yourself. Good health is more important than anything else. Your son is so promising. You will enjoy happiness in the future."
The atmosphere in the ward was already depressing enough, and no amount of optimistic words seemed to have any effect.
Ning Xi was sandwiched in the middle, standing straight, with mixed feelings in his heart, and he was speechless for a while.
In fact, everyone present should know clearly what his mother's condition is. After taking care of her for so long, he still talks very little to her. It's not because of any grudge...
But it’s because they have never been involved in each other’s lives.
It seemed that Ning Xi had lived as a separate individual since he was in his teens. It was not until he walked side by side with Xing Cheng again that his cold heart warmed up again.
Xingcheng did not go to the hospital that day, but went home first. He cooked four bowls of glutinous rice balls as his parents instructed, and waited obediently for his parents to bring his brother home.
It was almost nine o'clock in the evening when his parents brought Ning Xi home.
Dad took off his coat and handed it to Mom. Ning Xi took the bag and handbag from Mom's hand and hung them on the hanger. He took off the scarf, and Mom took it and folded it for him and tied it to the handle of the closet door...
Xingcheng's home is decorated in Chinese style, with bright carved lamps. The TV is on and the Lantern Festival Gala is being broadcast. On the white jade table are four bowls of sesame-filled dumplings, which are soft, glutinous and sweet, with steam still coming out of the bowls.
The moment Xing Cheng saw his father, mother and Ning Xi enter the dining room together, he felt as if they were meant to be a family.
Xing Cheng's mother asked the two children to sit down, then put on an apron and went into the kitchen to cook a few dishes. Xing Cheng brought out some wine for his father and filled his glass. The three of them got together like a father and his two sons.
When the meal officially started, the dumplings were almost cold. Ning Xi picked them up and heated them up one by one, feeling a little nervous.
Xingcheng's parents didn't touch any of the two bowls of glutinous rice balls that Ning Xi had prepared. They were still intact in the bowls. Xingcheng noticed when he had eaten half of them and looked up at his parents.
Ning Xi was so observant that he had already noticed that when he opened his mouth, his throat seemed to be stuck. Xing Cheng gently squeezed his hand again.
So cool.
"Ning Xi."
Xingcheng's father suddenly spoke, breaking the suffocating silence at the dinner table.
He had already drunk a few cups of rice wine, and then he handed over the porcelain cup and poured another cup quickly.
He closed his eyes, tried hard to suppress a sigh in his throat, raised his head, and looked at Ning Xi who was sitting next to his son with a look that Ning Xi would not be able to describe clearly many years later.
"From now on, we are a family."
As soon as Xingcheng's father finished speaking, a tear fell into the soup bowl from Xingcheng's mother.
The water in the bowl was rippling, causing the headlights in the dining room to sway.
Xing Cheng quickly raised his hand, tore off the paper and handed it over, shouting in a hoarse voice: "Mom."
Ning Xi closed her eyes, not knowing where she got the courage from that night, and followed Xing Cheng, calling out "Mom" .
Ning Xi had no idea at the time that after he once again embarked on the journey back to Beijing to study, Xing Cheng's daily life became studying in the morning, training in the afternoon, going to the hospital in the evening, and staying up late to do homework at night.
It was not until the turn of spring and summer, one month before the college entrance examination, that Xingcheng carried his basketball bag on his back and some of the fruit in his hands rolled down to his feet. There was no aunt, no doctor, no one else in the ward, only Xingcheng and Ning Xi's mother.
Xing Cheng knelt in front of the hospital bed, just like he did on the eve of Ning Xi's departure for Beijing.
The sunset outside the window that evening was beautiful, red, orange, yellow and purple, crisscrossing like smoke, covering the night sky of the city and letting the afterglow of the setting sun light up the last ray of light.
A corner of the curtain in the ward was blown up, and neither of them said anything more.
The woman on the bed had disheveled hair and looked much better. Her breathing was still weak and shallow, and she looked at him steadily. Xing Cheng's childhood memories of this mother emerged countless times in his mind, fragmented and unbearable.