Chapter 709 Liu Ping'an 15
When He Yuzhu heard this, he threw the big spoon into the pot with a "clang", splashing a cloud of oil. He pretended to be angry, widened his eyes, puffed out his cheeks, like an irritated puffer fish, and shouted: "Hey, kid, how dare you look down on your master! Back then, I could run faster than a rabbit in the alley, and high jump and long jump were no problem at all. On the day of the sports meet, I will show you what it means to be as light as a swallow and as fast as flying. I guarantee you will be shocked!" As he said that, he deliberately twisted his thick waist and struck a running posture that he thought was very cool, which caused the kitchen helpers around him to laugh.
In the next few days, the steel mill was like a lake with a stone thrown into it. On the surface, it was still calm, but secretly there was a different atmosphere, as if a war without gunpowder was about to begin.
Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong, two guys who usually like to play tricks and sneak around, have been anxious since they learned that all employees must participate in the sports meeting. They were frowning all day long, their brows were so wrinkled that they could kill a fly, and they kept muttering: "What should we do? There is no way we, old bones, can participate in this sports meeting."
So, they began to ask around about the director's schedule, like two sneaky detectives. Every day during break time, they would sneak around the director's office, staring at the door of the office, and whenever they saw someone going in or out, they would rush over to ask.
Once, they saw a secretary-like person coming out of the office, and immediately pounced on him like two hungry wolves, with flattering smiles on their faces. Yi Zhonghai nodded and asked, "Comrade, comrade, I want to ask you something. When is the factory director free today? We have something important to report to the factory director." The secretary was startled by their sudden action, took a step back, looked at them warily, and said impatiently, "The factory director is very busy today and has no time to see you. Let's talk about it later."
After saying that, he left in a hurry. Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong looked at the secretary's back as he left, sighed helplessly, and thought about who to ask next time.
As for Xu Damao, although he also went to the playground to exercise every day, he looked like a lazy man who worked hard for three days and rested for two days. On the first day, he came to the playground in his brand new sportswear, and ran a few laps in a pretentious manner. He stopped from time to time, put his hands on his hips, and posed like a professional athlete, which attracted the attention of several workers around him. But not long after running, he felt a tightness in his chest, his legs felt heavy as if they were filled with lead, and his steps became slower and slower. Finally, he simply sat down on a bench beside the playground, muttering: "Warm up today, and practice hard tomorrow."
The next day, he had planned to go to the playground early, but when he thought about running in the hot sun, he backed off. He lingered in the dormitory for a long time, tidying up his clothes, looking at himself in the mirror, and muttering, "The sun is so strong, don't let me get tanned, wait until it's cooler in the afternoon before going out." As a result, he was invited by some of his friends to play cards in the afternoon, and they played for the whole afternoon, completely forgetting about exercising.
On the third day, he reluctantly came to the playground, but after running a few steps, he started to find excuses to be lazy. He saw a vendor selling popsicles by the playground, his eyes lit up, and he immediately ran over, bought a popsicle, sat there and ate it slowly, and comforted himself: "Replenish energy first, and then run later." But after eating the popsicle, he felt a little uncomfortable in his stomach, so he simply went back to the dormitory, saying "I feel unwell and need to rest."
He Yuzhu, on the other hand, was in stark contrast to them. He was like a tireless soldier, using every minute and every second after work to practice running, long jump and other events in the factory's open space. After get off work every day, when others dragged their tired bodies back to the dormitory to rest, he changed into a light sportswear and came to the open space in high spirits.
He started to practice running, with his feet slightly apart, knees slightly bent, body leaning forward, fists clenched on his waist, eyes firmly staring forward, like a cheetah about to attack. With a low shout, he rushed out like an arrow from a bow, his steps brisk and rhythmic, each step solid and powerful.
His breathing was even and deep, as if he had merged with the surrounding air. After running a few laps, he did not stop to rest, but started practicing long jump again. He stood in front of the take-off line, took a deep breath, and then rushed forward. At the moment of take-off, he pushed his legs hard, jumped high, drew a beautiful arc in the air, and finally landed steadily in the sand pit. He looked so serious that beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, soaking his clothes, but he was unaware of it and was still concentrating on training.
When the factory workers saw how serious He Yuzhu was, they couldn't help but look at him with new eyes. Some workers who had a good relationship with him even came over to cheer him up: "Shazhu, you're great! With your seriousness, you might really win a championship at the sports meet!" He smiled, showing his white teeth, and said: "Of course, you'll win! Just wait and see!"
Time flies, and the undercurrent of the sports meeting in the steel mill finally arrived, amidst the anticipation or anxiety of everyone. On this day, the sun lazily sprinkled on the slightly old office building of the steel mill, casting mottled shadows of trees on the ground, like a natural ink painting. However, for the employees in the factory, this seemingly ordinary day became no longer peaceful because of the registration.
Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong, two old-timers who usually like to play tricks and slack off at work, came to the door of the factory director's office tremblingly like two frightened birds early in the morning. They looked at each other, their eyes full of anxiety and uneasiness, like two prisoners about to be tried. Yi Zhonghai's forehead was already covered with fine beads of sweat. He wiped it with his sleeve, took a deep breath, and mustered up the courage to knock on the door of the factory director's office.
"Come in." The factory director's steady and majestic voice came from the room. The two looked at each other, carefully pushed open the door, and walked in lightly like two frightened little mice. The factory director was sitting at his desk, looking down at the documents. Hearing the noise, he looked up and saw that it was them. He smiled and said, "It's Lao Yi and Lao Liu. You came to see me so early. What's the matter?"
Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong hurriedly put on a flattering smile, which was like two withered chrysanthemums blooming in the cold winter, with a bit of flattery and helplessness. Yi Zhonghai spoke first, his voice trembling, as if a gust of wind could blow him down: "Director, you see, the registration for the sports meet... We are really troubled. You know, I am old and worked day and night in the workshop when I was young, and I have a lot of diseases. Take my waist for example, it hurts so much when it is cloudy or rainy, and it is difficult to turn over in bed at night. On weekdays, if I stand in the workshop for a little longer, I feel like my waist is going to break. If I go to the sports meet, running and jumping, how can my old waist bear it? If something happens, it will be a big trouble." As he said, he deliberately supported his waist with his hand, with a painful expression on his face, as if he would collapse to the ground in the next second.
Liu Haizhong also hurriedly agreed. He nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice and kept saying, "Yes, yes, Director, I have difficulties too. My leg was accidentally hit by a fallen part when I was working in the workshop a few years ago. Although it was cured at that time, it left me with sequelae. Now my leg hurts a lot when I walk for a long time, as if it is being pricked by countless needles. Tell me, with my leg like this, how can I participate in the sports meet? Director, please be kind and make some concessions for us." As he spoke, he deliberately pretended to limp and walked two steps in the office. He looked as funny as he could be.
After listening to their words, the factory director still had that gentle smile on his face, like a bottomless lake, making it hard to figure out what he was thinking. He stood up, walked to them, patted Yi Zhonghai on the shoulder, and said earnestly: "Old Yi, Old Liu, this sports meeting is meant to enhance everyone's physical fitness and improve the relationship between colleagues, not to let you participate in any professional competitions. Think about it, on weekdays everyone is busy in the workshop, and rarely have the opportunity to get together to relax. This sports meeting is a good opportunity for everyone to take this opportunity to communicate and improve their relationship. You should just relax, participate, and set an example for everyone. Moreover, this is what you should do as old employees, and set a good example for young people."
Yi Zhonghai wanted to fight for it again. His brows were tightly knitted together like two twisted hemp ropes, and his eyes were full of pleading: "Director, please understand us. We really have our own difficulties. You have seen my physical condition. If something unexpected happens at the sports meeting, not only will I suffer, but it will also cause trouble to the factory. Please be kind and let the two of us not participate this time. Next time, next time we will definitely sign up actively."
The factory director was unmoved. He put away the smile on his face and became serious. "Lao Yi, Lao Liu, you have been working in the factory for so many years and have been veteran employees. You should understand the factory's decision. This sports meeting is of great significance. The factory decided to hold it after careful consideration. Everyone should actively participate. Moreover, the factory will arrange for medical staff to be present throughout the event, so there won't be any problems. Don't refuse anymore. This is the time for you to contribute to the factory."
Seeing the factory director's resolute attitude, Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong, like two defeated roosters, hung their heads and reluctantly signed up. They walked out of the factory director's office dejectedly, muttering: "This is the end, how can we survive this sports meet?"
On the other side, Xu Damao was walking towards the registration office slowly and hesitantly. His steps were slow and heavy, and he seemed to have used up all his strength with every step, like a prisoner sentenced to death walking towards the execution ground. His eyes flickered, looking at the long queue at the registration office, and then at the people coming and going around. He felt like a little rabbit in his heart, with ups and downs.
Looking at the long registration line, Xu Damao began to back out again. His brows were tightly locked together, and his face was full of hesitation and entanglement, like a child standing at a crossroads who didn't know which way to go. He wandered around the registration office for a long time, sometimes taking a few steps forward, sometimes taking a few steps back, and kept muttering to himself: "Should I participate in this sports meeting? With my body, I have to gasp after running a few steps, and I might fall down after jumping. It would be embarrassing if I went."
Just when he was hesitating, he suddenly heard two people next to him discussing the sports event. One of them said, "I think the tug-of-war event is pretty good. Strength lies in numbers. As long as everyone works together, even if you don't work hard, you can still get a participation award." When Xu Damao heard this, his eyes lit up instantly, as if he saw a ray of light in the darkness. He secretly thought to himself, "Yes, tug-of-war has strength in numbers. Even if I don't work hard, I can still get a participation award. By then, I won't be too embarrassed in front of those people in the factory, and maybe Lou Xiao'e will look at me with new eyes."
Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth, as if he had made up his mind, and walked towards the registration team with firm steps. As he walked, he encouraged himself in his heart: "Xu Damao, Xu Damao, you can't back down this time. Just sign up for this tug-of-war event, maybe you can stand out in the sports meeting."
Finally, it was his turn to sign up. He stood in front of the registration counter, his hands unconsciously clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white from the force. He forced an awkward smile on his face and said to the staff in charge of registration: "I... I'm signing up for the tug-of-war event." The staff looked up, glanced at him, and asked: "Name?" "Xu Damao." He answered in a low voice, with a hint of nervousness and uneasiness in his voice. The staff wrote his name on the registration form and handed him a competition certificate. Xu Damao took the competition certificate, as if he had taken over a hot potato, and his hands trembled slightly. He carefully put the competition certificate in his pocket, then turned and left the registration office.
After walking out of the registration office, Xu Damao took a deep breath, as if to expel all the tension and anxiety in his heart. He looked up at the sky, and there were a few white clouds floating in the blue sky, just like his complicated mood at the moment, with expectations, worries, and a hint of excitement. He didn't know whether his decision was right or wrong, but he knew that he had taken this step, and he could only bite the bullet and go on.
He Yuzhu trotted all the way to the registration office. He signed up for running, long jump and shot put without hesitation, and confidently said to the staff: "Just wait and see, I will definitely win several championships." The staff was amused by his words and said with a smile: "Then I wish you good results."
The night before the sports meet, He Yuzhu was so excited that he couldn't sleep. He lay in bed, imagining the scene of the next day's competition over and over again in his mind. He seemed to see Chunyan sitting in the audience, holding a towel and water in her hands, looking at him with pride and admiration in her eyes. He secretly vowed to perform well in the competition and make Chunyan proud of him.
Meanwhile, Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong were tossing and turning in bed, worried. Yi Zhonghai was worried that his body couldn't handle it, while Liu Haizhong was worried that the exercise would affect his image. Xu Damao was lying on the bed, sighing at the ceiling, regretting that he had signed up on impulse.