area51novel Chapter 141
Chapter 141
"Don't end up like me, regretting it only when I'm in my thirties."
Lin Feng watched him finish throwing the last set.
The morning mist had dissipated, and the sun was fully up, shining brightly on the basketball court. In the distance, a few sparrows landed on the basketball hoop, chirping and hopping around before fluttering away.
"Uncle Zhou," Lin Feng stood up, "thank you."
Zhou Jianguo didn't turn around, waved his hand, and strode away.
Lin Feng shot for another half hour until it was broad daylight. Then he carried the ball home.
Cheng Yuxin didn't go to school today. She finished her thesis, printed it out, and bound it into a book. The title on the light blue hardcover was "On the Cultivation of Non-Intellectual Factors in Literacy Teaching." A thick stack sat on the coffee table, the black edges neatly stapled, like a thin book. The words on the cover were handwritten by Cheng Yuxin herself, each stroke carefully written.
She was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, her hair tied in a ponytail, sitting on the sofa eating an apple. She took a bite of the apple; pale yellow juice seeped from the cut surface, slowly oxidizing in the air and darkening in color.
"You're back?" She took a bite of an apple, making a crisp crunch. "Coach Li from the provincial youth team called to urge you to call him back no matter what."
Lin Feng changed his shoes, walked to the phone, and looked into the receiver.
The telephone was shaped like a carrying pole, and its white plastic casing had turned slightly yellow. The numbers on the buttons were worn down and barely legible. Over time, most of the ink on the numbers had worn away, but Cheng Yuxin had applied number stickers. Each button had a small handwritten number, held in place with transparent tape, the edges of which were already curling up.
He picked up the phone and dialed the number on the business card.
The phone rang three times, then it connected.
"Coach Li, this is Lin Feng."
"Lin Feng," the voice on the other end sounded surprised, pausing before continuing, "I've finally got your call. Your sports school matter can't be delayed any longer. The provincial youth team selection is next month; this is your last chance this year."
Lin Feng remained silent for a few seconds. Someone rode a bicycle past the window, the jingling of the bicycle bell drifting in, faintly audible through the phone call.
"Coach Li, I'll go."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Feng stood there, looking out the window. Cheng Yuxin sat on the sofa, holding a half-eaten apple, tilting her head to look at him.
"Have you decided?"
Lin Feng nodded.
Cheng Yuxin smiled.
She lowered her head and took a bite of the apple. A crunching sound came from behind him.
Her expression and voice were perfectly normal. But he noticed that she wasn't looking him in the eye anymore. She stared at the apple for several seconds before taking a bite, a bit harder than usual, and juice dripped from the corner of her mouth, which she gently wiped away with the back of her finger.
Lin Feng didn't know if this decision was right or wrong.
But some paths, you'll keep thinking about them until you walk them once. Even if you've made mistakes, you'll feel at peace once you've walked them. It's like him standing on the court shooting; you only know if the ball will go in the end the moment it leaves his hand.
He made another call, this time to the fat man.
"Fatty, prepare another fifty CodeLight units," he said into the microphone. "I might not have that much time to go to the stores later."
"Where are you going?" The fat man's voice came from the other end of the phone, tinged with surprise.
"Sports school. Training."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then the fat man yelled, "Holy crap! You've finally figured it out!"