As soon as the head teacher left the classroom in the evening, Tao You took the schoolbag that had been packed long ago and limped out of the classroom holding hands with Hong Xiqi as fast as he could.
As soon as he entered the dormitory, Tao You threw his schoolbag aside, opened the drawer, took out his mobile phone and turned it on, replaying the words he would tell Tao's mother later in his mind.
The phone rang several times, and just when Tao You was about to hang up, Tao's mother finally picked up.
"Hey, Mom, I'm out of school." Tao You's voice was trembling with nervousness. She tried hard to suppress the nervousness, strategically took the water glass on the table, took a sip of cold water, and then continued, "Well, I'm going to I'll go home later. I want to stay here at the school with Hong Xiqi. Song Yimian is also here. I'll have dinner at the school. You don't have to wait for me." Hong Xiqi's name has already been in Tao You's house. She is no longer a stranger. Every time she goes home, she will mention her in front of Father Tao and Mother Tao half the time.
"Today is your grandma's birthday. I originally wanted to pick you up after school." Tao's mother thought of this incident. "I was so busy that I forgot about it. Your grandma called me and told me yesterday."
Tao You didn't expect anything else to happen. He was slow to react for a few seconds. Eating and other things were too boring. His little grandma has always been a vegetarian. This birthday, if nothing else happens, will also be a vegetarian feast. She wants to eat meat, and she has been eating meat since she was a child. She has not seen her little grandma a few times, and there is no one she can talk to there. She still wants to go to the game, but she doesn't know how to say it: "Then, I..."
"It's okay if you don't go. Your dad and I will go there for dinner later. We may have to go back later in the evening. You go home early, don't be too late. Pay attention to safety on the road. Send us a message when you get home. At school Hurry up and do your homework, you have to go out on weekends." When Tao's mother heard that Song Yimian was there, she subconsciously thought that they were doing homework in the classroom, and eating out was not as important as studying. After decisively agreeing, she began to nag Tao again. quiet.
Tao You agreed perfunctorily, playing with the eraser on the table, hoping that Tao's mother would end it soon.
Hong Xiqi took the things and patted Tao You on the shoulder, silently signaling to her that the game was about to begin.
Tao You nodded and interrupted Tao's mother: "Yeah, I understand, Mom, I have to go to the cafeteria to eat now. If I'm late, there will be no food."
Seeing that it was almost time for dinner, Tao's mother was afraid that Tao You would not be able to eat later, so she quickly ended her words: "Then go quickly, eat well, don't be hungry, and send us a message as soon as you get home! "
Hong Xiqi carried Tao You's schoolbag in front and walked out of the dormitory first. Tao You followed behind. The injury on her leg greatly restricted her speed.
It's autumn, the sun has set early. It's not completely dark now, but the street lights have already been on. It's the evening rush hour. The streets in front of the school are busy with traffic, horns are honking one after another, and the cars may not move for half an hour. Tao You and Hong Xiqi bought some food at the school gate, gave up the idea of taking a taxi, and decided to walk to the nearby stadium.
"Xiao Youyou, why don't you take a rest." Halfway through, Hong Xiqi persuaded Tao You when she saw that the wound on Tao You's knee was cracked and bleeding.
Tao You held her arm and stood still, chewing the fried chicken nuggets he had just bought. He looked down at the injury on his leg, shook his head and said, "It's just a little blood. It will heal in two days. Let's go quickly. The competition is Aren't we about to start?" He said, forking out a chicken nugget and feeding it to Hong Xiqi.
Hong Xiqi took out her phone and scrolled through the messages, shook her head and said, "I don't know. I just asked in the group, but no one responded. I guess they were waiting in the waiting area and didn't check their phones." This group was newly formed by Hong Xiqi, and they were the only ones in this group. four people.
Tao You glanced at his watch, lifted his schoolbag onto his shoulder, bent down, casually wiped off the blood on the scab, and said, "Let's go, we'll be here soon anyway."
The game was held in a small open-air tennis court. The stands next to it could accommodate hundreds of people. The lights were bright and many players were doing warm-up activities on the sidelines. The referee was sitting on a high chair, holding a folder in his hand to record the game. It contained a whistle.
The game has started, and the first few rows of the stands are reserved for the two tennis teams competing today. The remaining good seats have long been taken away, and many people have just arrived, like Tao You and Hong Xiqi. Looking for a seat, they walked a few rows back. Someone happened to leave. Hong Xiqi and Tao You walked towards that seat. It happened that someone from the opposite side also took a fancy and walked over.
Several people looked at each other, and there was a tacit understanding of their steps. Hong Xiqi was the first to react and ran towards the seat, but because of the distance, the other party still beat him to it. She walked back angrily, frowned and was about to speak when her phone rang.
"Hey, are you here?" Hong Xiqi turned on the speakerphone, and Gu Yi's voice reached their ears.
"Here we are, looking for a seat. You said you arrived so early and you didn't know how to reserve seats for us?!" Hong Xiqi's eyes were still scanning the field, with some complaints in her tone.
Gu Yi stood up in front, looked back, and saw Tao You and Hong Xiqi not far away. He smiled and waved his arms and said, "I see you. I'm behind you and I've taken a seat for you. Come here quickly." !”
The two of them looked back after hearing the sound, and saw Gu Yi smiling stupidly and waving his hands. When they saw them looking over, they waved wider and even lifted their feet: "Have you seen me? ?" Many people looked at him as if they were laughing. Tao You and Hong Xiqi hid their faces and turned around in unison, not wanting to admit that they knew this silly guy. The person sitting behind Gu Yi was blocked from view by his movements. He endured it again and again, looking at him impatiently, and said something before Gu Yi finally stopped.
Tao You and Hong Xiqi bent over and walked past the stands, found where Gu Yi and the others were, greeted Coach Tan, and sat down in their seats.
"Coach Tan, Wang Ming just ate a piece of cake, and it turned out that there were peanuts in it. He was allergic. Our head teacher just sent him to the hospital." A team member wearing a team uniform hurried into the field.
Coach Tan stood up in a hurry and said angrily: "How many times have I told you not to eat before the game, but you don't listen! You are just causing trouble for me! You rest first and let me breathe." Hey! Which games will Wang Ming play this time? Which group is he in?" He really hates iron and steel. In the past few days, he reminds them every day not to eat randomly, especially those who are allergic to food. Eat three meals a day. Be lighter, be simpler, and eat as much as you want after the race. I was told repeatedly, but something happened.
"Group A, there will be one team match, three individual matches, and one doubles match." Coach Sun answered as he looked at the games.
The players in the stands were all quiet now, waiting for Coach Tan's decision. The venue was very lively, and the silence in their corner was particularly prominent. Many people craned their necks to look over, some were worried, some were confused, and some were mocking and enjoying the show.
The autumn league follows a round-robin system. According to the final total points ranking, there will be competitions between each school. This guy named Wang Ming should be a very important player for the team. If he cannot be replaced in these games, the opponent will win by default. It will undoubtedly be a huge loss for the team. Can they advance to the semi-finals? It will all be unknown. Tao You couldn't help but become worried.
Coach Tan raised his hat irritably, opened the folder with a sullen face, flipped through it for a few seconds, and said decisively to Song Yimian: "Get ready, we will play later."
Song Yimian nodded in agreement, took off his school uniform jacket, and prepared for the end. Coach Tan pressed his hand between his eyebrows, adjusted his mood, and walked towards the referee's bench. It was already halfway through the first game, and he hoped there could be another substitution.
Only then did Tao You realize that Song Yimian had already put on a team uniform with the name of No. 1 Middle School on it. He should be ready to play at any time. It was not surprising that among all the substitutes and even among the regular players, Song Yimian's His strength can be said to be among the best, and he has sufficient game experience. It is most suitable to play at this time.
I saw Coach Tan and the opposite coach arguing at the referee's bench for a long time, and then the coach nodded. Then, Coach Tan walked back with the opposite coach, smiling and saying something, and his face changed instantly after they separated in the stands. , took the changed list, and said seriously to Song Yimian: "It's changed. Song Yimian, listen, I got this list with great difficulty. You must give me a good fight today. Usually follow I'll hide those bad habits you've talked about countless times for me later. If you lose the race because of those bad habits of yours, you'll be fined twenty laps at a time!" He pointed at the schedule and said very seriously. serious.
Song Yimian was not afraid. He put on his wrist guards, raised his eyebrows with a smile, and said easily: "Don't worry, Lao Tan, I'll get you the first one."
"Why are you laughing! What's the point of being number one in the preliminaries! Don't underestimate the enemy!" Coach Tan's face softened slightly, he sat down and patted Song Yimian on the shoulder and said, "This is your first time participating in the autumn league. The coach opposite doesn't know your details. I don’t know your strengths and weaknesses, but don’t be too happy too early. There are many players who have competed with you before, and they know you more or less. Don’t expose your shortcomings too quickly later. The strength of their school is average. I don’t know if they can make it to the finals. They are just looking to bluff people. Just perform normally. Don’t use too much force. It doesn’t matter if you lose. Just think of it as gaining experience and continue next year. You still have a chance anyway. . I will tell you about the people who are competing with you later. Your times are third, fifth, sixth, ninth, and twelfth. There is still time, so move your body first to avoid getting hurt."
Song Yimian knew that Coach Tan was trying to comfort himself. It was not that he had not understood the strength of the opposing team. There was no one that could match him, but their strength was not as average as Coach Tan said. He could be considered a tough guy.
"The game has not started yet, how can we still make substitutions?" Hong Xiqi asked Gu Yi curiously.
Tao You also leaned over to listen.
"We are substitutes, and things happen for a reason. After the game starts, as long as the referee and the opponent's coach agree, we can make substitutions. However, the opponent's coach is a famous tough guy in the high school tennis team and will never agree to temporary substitutions. Yes, it seems that Lao Tan really worked hard this time." Gu Yi shook his head and sighed.
