Chapter 712 Liu Ping'an 18
Xu Damao folded his hands in front of his chest, his body slightly hunched, like a defeated but unwilling rooster, standing alone at the edge of the crowd. His eyes were like two dark pools of jealous flames, intertwined with intense jealousy and uncontrollable unwillingness. His eyes were fixed on the brilliant He Yuzhu on the podium, as if he wanted to eat He Yuzhu alive.
His lips were tightly pursed into a thin line, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned down, forming an arc full of resentment. Suddenly, he snorted very lightly from his throat, and the sound seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, with endless sourness: "Humph, it's just good luck that I met a few weak opponents. If I take it seriously, I may not be worse than him." The tone was full of disdain and arrogance, as if as long as he wanted, he could easily pull He Yuzhu down from the podium and replace him.
But as soon as these words came out, it was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up ripples. A worker nearby who usually disliked Xu Damao was watching with great interest, but when he heard these words, his eyes suddenly widened, as if he had discovered a huge joke. He suddenly took a step forward, put his hands on his hips, and shouted at the top of his voice: "Hey, Xu Damao, you are so embarrassed to say this when you fell on your back during the tug-of-war, aren't you afraid that the wind will blow your tongue away!"
The sound was as loud as thunder, exploding in the crowd. The crowd, who had been quietly watching the podium, suddenly burst into laughter like a flaming gunpowder barrel. Some people laughed so hard that they fell backwards, slapped their thighs with their hands, and almost cried with laughter; some people laughed so hard that they couldn't straighten their backs and could only hold on to the shoulders of the people next to them, gasping for breath; and some people laughed so hard that they held their stomachs, their faces full of uncontrollable joy.
Xu Damao felt a surge of hot blood rushing to his head, and his face instantly turned the color of liver, just like a well-cooked liver, red and purple. The veins on his forehead bulged, like little snakes, wriggling restlessly under his skin. He clenched his hands into fists, his knuckles turned white from excessive force, and his nails almost dug into his flesh.
He glared at the worker fiercely, his eyes seemed to be able to spit fire. If eyes could kill, the worker would have been cut into pieces by him long ago. However, amid the laughter of the crowd, he knew in his heart that if he continued to show off his strength at this moment, he would only become a bigger laughing stock. So, he could only suppress his anger, grit his teeth, and hide behind the crowd like a driven mouse. While hiding, he kept looking back, his eyes full of resentment, and muttered softly: "Wait and see, you will get what you want."
At this time, He Yuzhu stood upright on the podium, like a pine tree standing proudly in the wind. His face was filled with a brilliant smile, which was as bright and warm as a flower blooming in spring. His eyes were bright and firm, flashing with confidence and pride. He raised his head slightly, enjoying the passionate and respectful gazes of the crowd, and heard waves of praises in his ears. Those praises were like pleasant notes, playing a hymn of victory in his heart.
He Yuzhu's heart was filled with emotion, and his thoughts drifted back to the efforts he had made for the sports meeting during this period. Every morning, when the whole city was still asleep and the first ray of dawn had not yet broken through the dark sky, he had already quietly gotten up. He put on his clothes lightly, fearing that he would wake up his family who were still asleep. Then, he gently opened the door, facing the slightly cool morning breeze, and strode towards the playground.
The playground was empty and so quiet that only the sound of his own footsteps and heartbeat could be heard. He started running first, his agile figure galloping on the track, each step full of power. His legs alternated rhythmically, as if he was a tireless machine. Sweat continued to pour out from his forehead, cheeks, and back, soaking his clothes, but he didn't care at all, just focusing on the track under his feet, constantly challenging his own limits.
After running, he came to the long jump area. He ran up and took off again and again, drawing beautiful arcs in the air. Every time he landed, he would carefully feel the feedback from the ground and analyze where his movements were not perfect enough. Sometimes, he would fall to the ground because of unstable landing, and his knees and palms were scratched and blood oozed out, but he simply patted the dust off his body, gritted his teeth, and continued to devote himself to training.
When throwing the shot put, he was even more focused. He held the shot put tightly, feeling its heavy weight. Then, he took a deep breath, pushed his feet hard against the ground, twisted his waist violently, swung his arms hard, and threw the shot put out with all his strength. The shot put whizzed through the air and hit the ground heavily, raising a cloud of dust. He looked at the place where the shot put landed, silently calculating the distance in his mind, and constantly adjusting his posture and strength.
He practiced every movement repeatedly. The countless repetitions made him feel that his legs were almost numb from exhaustion. Every time he lifted his feet, it felt like a heavy burden was pressing on him. His body was also exhausted to the extreme, as if he might fall down at any time. But he never thought of giving up. He had only one firm belief in his heart: he must achieve good results in the sports meeting, win glory for the hospital, and prove himself.
Now, all his efforts have paid off. He stood on the podium, holding the heavy trophy tightly in his hands. The trophy shone brightly under the sunlight. He looked at the enthusiastic smiling faces below the stage and listened to the sincere praises. His heart was filled with emotion and joy. This honor was earned with his sweat and hard work, which made him feel that it was all worth it. He secretly vowed that no matter what difficulties he encountered in the future, he would persevere and move forward courageously, just like he did in training for the sports meeting this time.
After the award ceremony, He Yuzhu was surrounded by a group of workers and walked towards the courtyard. The workers were like a group of chirping sparrows, praising him one by one, and the voices rose and fell like a lively symphony.
"Zhuzi, you are really great! Your performance in the sports meet was like a tiger descending from the mountain, and you outshined everyone else!" A burly, dark-skinned worker patted He Yuzhu's shoulders with both hands, and the sound made He Yuzhu's ears a little numb.
"That's right, Brother Zhuzi, when you were running, your speed was like a gust of wind. Before we could even see clearly, you had already reached the finish line. And when you long jumped, you jumped so far away in a flash, as if you had wings." A young worker, with admiration shining in his eyes, gestured with his hands and feet.
"That's right, Zhuzi deserves the trophy, and it brings honor to our factory and our courtyard. From now on, when we go out, we can hold our heads high and say that we have an athlete like He Yuzhu in our courtyard!" Another worker with a mustache said with pride, his hands folded over his chest.
He Yuzhu was a little embarrassed by the praise, and his face turned slightly red, like a ripe apple. He scratched his head, and his already messy hair became even messier. He smiled and said, "It is because of everyone's encouragement that I can achieve this result. I can hear your shouting in the audience, and it's like a shot of adrenaline. This trophy also belongs to you all. Without your support, I wouldn't be able to do so well."
After hearing this, the workers burst into laughter again, saying that He Yuzhu was too modest. Along the way, everyone returned to the courtyard in a lively manner.
As soon as He Yuzhu entered the house, he hurriedly placed the trophy and medal carefully on the table. He first gently blew away the dust on the trophy, and then carefully wiped the surface of the trophy with his sleeve, as if wiping a rare treasure. He also took the medal in his hand and looked at it over and over again, his eyes full of cherishment. He sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes never leaving the trophy and medal, the corners of his mouth unconsciously raised, and the smile on his face was like a blooming flower, which he couldn't stop. He thought to himself that his efforts during this period of time were finally not in vain, and he must keep these honors well in the future.
At this time, Chunyan came in with a bowl of steaming egg noodles. The noodles were neatly arranged in the bowl, with a golden poached egg on top and some green onions sprinkled beside. The aroma was so fragrant that it made people's appetite increase. Chunyan smiled, her eyes curved into crescents, and said, "Brother Zhuzi, you must be exhausted. Eat some noodles while they are hot to replenish your energy. I put more eggs in this noodle, it is very nutritious."
He Yuzhu stood up quickly and took the noodles with both hands. The temperature of the bowl was transmitted to his hands through the bowl, making his heart warm. He could not wait to sit down and eat with big mouthfuls. The noodles made a "whooshing" sound when he slurped them. He ate while mumbling: "Chunyan, you are so thoughtful. This noodles is so delicious. I feel full of energy again. You don't know that although I won a prize in the sports meeting, my stomach has been growling with hunger. Eating the noodles you made now is really more delicious than anything else."
Chunyan sat beside him, holding her chin with both hands, looking at him with sparkling eyes full of love. Her eyes were like a clear lake, gentle and affectionate. She smiled and said, "Brother Zhuzi, as long as you like to eat. When you are tired from training or competition in the future, I will make delicious food for you, so that you can eat well and have the strength to win more awards."
The two were chatting warmly when suddenly there was a rapid knock on the door, "dong dong dong", the sound was loud and urgent, as if it was going to break the door. Chunyan hurriedly got up to open the door, only to see Shazhu's sister Yushui standing at the door panting, her hair was a little messy, a few strands of hair stuck to her cheeks, her forehead was full of sweat, and her breathing was very rapid.
As soon as Yu Shui entered the door, she shouted loudly: "Brother, brother! Go and take a look, something big has happened in the yard!" Her voice was high and sharp, with a hint of panic and anxiety, as if the sky was about to fall.
He Yuzhu put down the bowl in his hand, and the half-remaining noodles were casually placed on the table, with some soup splashing out. He frowned, his eyes full of worry, and asked: "What happened? Take your time, don't be anxious, drink some water and take a breath." As he said that, he picked up a glass of water on the table and handed it to Yushui.
Yu Shui took a breath and said, "Liu Haizhong and Yi Zhonghai had a quarrel with Xu Damao in the yard. It was a fierce quarrel and they almost came to blows. The first and second uncles are usually very face-conscious people, but today they are so angry that many neighbors are watching."
When He Yuzhu heard this, he quickly stood up and said to Chunyan, "Chunyan, you take a rest first. I'll go see what's going on." After that, he hurriedly followed the rain to the yard.
When they got to the yard, they saw a large circle of people gathered in the middle, with noises and calls for peacemakers coming one after another. He Yuzhu squeezed into the crowd and saw Liu Haizhong with a red face, pointing his finger at Xu Damao's nose, spitting and cursing: "Xu Damao, you troublemaker, you are the only one who is acting weird in the factory today, and now you are fanning the flames here, what are you thinking!"
Yi Zhonghai was also shaking with anger, pointing at Xu Damao and saying, "We are both old, and we participated in the sports meet for the honor of the hospital. Although we didn't get a good ranking, we did our best. And you are so good, talking about us behind our backs. Are you still a human being?"
Xu Damao, however, showed no sign of weakness. He stiffened his neck and shouted, "What did I say? Wasn't what I said the truth? The performance of the two of you on the field was really shameful! If you have the ability, you can also bring back an award like He Yuzhu did!"
As soon as these words came out, Liu Haizhong and Yi Zhonghai were furious. Liu Haizhong picked up a broom next to him and was about to hit Xu Damao. Seeing this, Xu Damao quickly stepped back, still shouting: "What, you want to fight because you can't win the argument? Go ahead and hit me if you can!"
Seeing this, He Yuzhu stepped forward and grabbed the broom in Liu Haizhong's hand, saying, "Second uncle, calm down. There's no need to get violent with this kind of person." Then he turned to Xu Damao and said seriously, "Xu Damao, you should also say less. Second uncle and first uncle have also paid a lot for the sports meeting. You can't be so disrespectful to them."
Xu Damao snorted and turned his head away, but his voice still came out: "How am I disrespectful? I am just telling the truth."
At this time, the third uncle Yan Bugui squeezed out of the crowd, adjusted his glasses, and said, "Stop arguing. We are all neighbors in the same courtyard. We see each other every day. It's inappropriate to quarrel like this over such a small matter. Xu Damao, you like to pick a fight usually. You were wrong today. Hurry up and apologize to the second and first uncles."
Xu Damao wanted to argue a little more, but seeing the dissatisfied looks from the neighbors around him, he could only mutter reluctantly: "I'm sorry, that's enough."
Liu Haizhong and Yi Zhonghai calmed down a little. Liu Haizhong threw the broom on the ground and said, "For the sake of Zhuzi and the third uncle, let's let this matter go. If I hear you gossiping behind my back again, I won't forgive you!"
The storm was finally calmed down temporarily. He Yuzhu looked at everyone and said, "We are all from the same courtyard. Let's be friendly from now on. If there is anything, talk it out and don't quarrel or fight at every turn."
Everyone nodded, and the crowd gradually dispersed. When He Yuzhu returned home, Chunyan came up to him and asked with concern: "What's going on? Is the problem solved?"
He Yuzhu nodded and said, "It's solved. It was just that Xu Damao was a bit rude and made the second and first uncles unhappy. Fortunately, nothing serious happened."
Chunyan sighed and said, "Xu Damao just loves to stir up trouble. I don't know when he can change this habit."
He Yuzhu smiled and said, "Who cares? As long as we live our own lives well, that's enough." After that, he took Chunyan's hand, and the two sat at the table again, continuing to talk about the topic they had not finished just now. The warm atmosphere filled the whole room again.
However, what they didn't know was that after Xu Damao returned to his room, he became more and more angry. He slammed the table hard and said with gritted teeth: "He Yuzhu, Liu Haizhong, Yi Zhonghai, you wait for me. I will remember this grudge today, and I will make you pay sooner or later!" A new storm seemed to be brewing quietly.