***
Goodbye, and take care on your journey.
"See you tomorrow."
"Look how tired my daughter is, her face has gotten thinner. Oh dear, why is she dressed so lightly? Quick, quick, tie her scarf on."
...
Jian Changnian stood at the door of the training room saying goodbye to her roommates. Watching them walk into their parents' arms one by one, she lowered her eyes slightly, feeling a mix of envy and disappointment.
The sound of shoes scraping against the floor came from the training room again.
Are there still people who haven't left?
She turned around and looked.
Sunlight streamed down from the transparent glass roof of the stadium, illuminating the scattered badminton shuttlecocks and meeting the eyes of the people present.
It is Xie Shi'an.
"Aren't you going home?" she asked softly.
Like a lost little animal finding its own kind, Jian Changnian laughed too: "You didn't reply either, did you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Xinyuan poked his head out from outside the training room.
"Oh, you haven't left yet? Perfect timing! I bought some groceries, come to my place for hot pot this afternoon."
Chapter 29 Hot Pot
Jian Changnian went back to her dormitory to take a shower and change her clothes. After coming out, she went straight to the public phone booth at the end of the corridor to make a call.
Firstly, with the national competition about to begin, she wanted to focus all her energy on winning a starting position, since she lived far from home and the commute would interfere with tomorrow morning's training.
Secondly, she had only been in the team for a short time and had only received half a month's salary and allowance, which she had already sent all of it home. Every little bit saved was precious.
Even though she couldn't go home, she still wanted to hear her grandmother's voice. Jian Changnian pressed the dial button and called the village committee first.
After hanging up the phone, about half an hour later, the phone rang again. Jian Changnian answered it and heard her grandmother's voice.
"Grandma!" she exclaimed, beaming. "How have you been lately? Are your legs feeling better? Can you walk again? Did the knee braces I asked Zhou Mu to bring back for you fit? And did you receive the money I sent?"
Grandma beamed with joy as she listened to the barrage of concern.
"I received it, I received it. Grandma has recently raised a few more ducks. They're all plump and white. I'll stew them for you when you come home for the New Year. Silly child, keep the money for yourself. Grandma is doing well."
“That won’t do. I’m earning money to give to my grandma. The doctor also said that you have high blood pressure and need to take medication long-term.”
"Take good care of yourself, and Grandma will be happy. Winter is coming, is it cold in Jiangcheng? Do you have any warm clothes? I made you two more pairs of cotton pants, I'll go to the post office and mail them to you another day."
It was hard on her, at her advanced age, to do farm work and also do needlework for her. Jian Changnian's eyes welled up with tears, but she was afraid that if she really sent it to the school, she wouldn't receive it herself, so she quickly refused.
"No need, no need, Grandma. You can give it to Zhou Mu when she comes home. I'll tell her. Going to the post office will cost money."
"That won't do, we're always troubling people."
Jian Changnian covered the receiver, her face full of smiles.
"Why not? She's eaten plenty of your cooking."
The two chatted for a while about everyday matters.
The old woman was still a little worried: "Xiao Nian, are you really not coming back for the holiday? Even just for an afternoon would be nice, Grandma... wants to see you."
Jian Changnian felt a lump in her throat and almost burst into tears.
She sniffed, trying her best not to let her grandmother notice anything amiss.
"Grandma, I'm really busy at the factory and can't leave. I'll definitely be able to go back before the New Year. I'll earn some money then and buy you new clothes, and we'll celebrate the New Year together in a lively way."
Hearing her say that, Grandma also sighed.
"Alright then, take good care of yourself. It's getting cold, so wear something warm. Your internship is important, but you can't catch a cold."
"Okay, Grandma~" Jian Changnian replied sweetly.
"Okay, I'll hang up now."
Grandma packed her things when she got home. She thought Jian Changnian would come home for the holiday this week, as she still had meat stewing in the pot.
Grandma checked the heat, added more firewood, and finally reduced the sauce over high heat. The braised pork was done.
She limped into the bedroom again, leaning on her cane. She took out the cotton trousers she had made for Jian Changnian from the wardrobe, as well as the knee pads she had asked Zhou Mu to bring back. The old woman touched the thick woolen fabric, somewhat reluctant to wear them, and put them away again.
After packing up the cotton-padded trousers and a few other sweaters, the meat in the pot was ready to stew.
Grandma, carrying her bundle, limped to the kitchen, shoveled the braised pork into a metal lunchbox, closed the lid, put it in a plastic bag, then put a sturdy cloth bag over the plastic bag to keep it warm. Finally, with the bundle on her back and the cloth bag in her arms, she shakily locked the courtyard gate and headed towards the only bus station in the countryside.
***
Xie Shi'an had just come downstairs when she bumped into Cheng Zhen, who was running over from next door to play with her.
"Shi'an, Shi'an, let's go out and play." Cheng Zhen saw her from afar and waved to her.
Xie Shi'an turned a corner and headed towards the teachers' dormitory building.
Cheng Zhen chased after them and stopped them.
"I'm calling you! What's wrong with you? You heard me but pretended not to hear me!"
"No, it's only half a day off, I'm too lazy to go." Xie Shi'an didn't even frown, not wanting to talk to him.
Just as Cheng Zhen was about to say something, the aroma of hot pot wafted through the air. His eyes lit up, and he took a deep sniff.
"Hot pot? Who's cooking hot pot? I can smell it, it smells so good!"
Xie Shi'an: "..."
And so, when Xie Shi'an arrived at Yan Xinyuan's dormitory, he had another tagalong following him around.
Jian Changnian was somewhat surprised to see him.
Why is he here?
Xie Shi'an saw that Cheng Zhen was very outgoing and didn't need any introductions; he was already getting along well with the other people in the room.
"They came by begging and pleading."
Jian Changnian nodded. Just based on their outgoing nature, Cheng Zhen and Zhou Mu were indeed the same kind of people.
The apartment allocated to the coach by the company wasn't very big; it had two bedrooms and a living room. There was a heated table in the living room with a fire burning, making it very warm.
The other team members who hadn't gone home all came. Yan Xinyuan, wearing an apron, brought out dishes from the kitchen.
"Oh, Shi'an's here! Please have a seat, this is..."
Although Cheng Zhen had never met Coach Yan, she knew from spending time with Qiao Yuchu and the others that he was the famous "Mediterranean" (male pattern baldness).
He flashed a bright white smile and, without thinking, greeted the person: "Ground..."
Alarm bells rang in Jian Changnian and Xie Shi'an's minds. At the same time, one of them stepped on his foot, and the other kicked him from behind.
Cheng Zhen stumbled and was almost kicked into the stove. Yan Xinyuan looked at their little actions with suspicion.
Cheng Zhen finally came to her senses, stood up straight, scratched her head and quickly corrected herself: "It's...it's so cold down there. Hello Coach Yan, I'm Shi An's friend, Cheng Zhen from the swimming team next door!"
"You didn't go home either? Come, come, sit down and warm yourself by the stove. I'll go get another set of bowls and chopsticks. The hot pot will be ready soon. There are sunflower seeds and peanuts on the table. You can eat first."
Yan Xinyuan greeted them warmly and then went into the kitchen.
Jian Changnian followed, saying, "Coach Yan, let me help you."
***
Although she didn't know where Jian Changnian was interning, Jian's grandmother still remembered where her school was. She had gone with her to register on the day of the registration, and when Jian Changnian came back, she wrote down the exact location and bus routes for her grandmother in a small notebook.
The old woman squinted at her handwriting. In the distance, a car horn sounded. The grandmother tiptoed and saw a bus heading into the city. She waved shakily, and the bus stopped in front of her.
The old man boarded the car, leaning on his cane.
The car slowly drove away.
***
"Come on, have a taste. This hot pot broth is all made by myself."
Yan Xinyuan brought the pot over and placed it on the stove. The red oil was boiling and steaming, making it look incredibly appetizing.
The team serves nutritious meals every day, they're practically turning everyone into monks! Cheng Zhen's mouth was watering: "Then I won't be polite."
They were a group of kids around ten years old, at the age when they were growing and had good appetites. They ate like hungry tigers pouncing on their prey, like they were fighting a battle. They would take turns eating the cooked food in the pot, and it would be completely devoured in no time.
Seeing how much they were enjoying their meal, Yan Xinyuan was pleased. He barely touched his chopsticks, instead focusing on preparing the dishes.
"Hey, wait a minute, the beef was just put in, it's not cooked yet."
Despite how terrified Zhao Qidong was of him during training, he was now eating with gusto, muttering to himself all the while.
"Coach Yan, there's food, but no drinks. If we had an iced Coke, it would be perfect."
Yan Xinyuan put on a stern face: "The competition is about to start, don't you know you can't drink carbonated beverages?"
Everyone in the room started howling in dissatisfaction.
"Alright, alright, I know you guys like this kind of thing. Coke is out of the question, but orange juice is okay, you can have a little bit."
When he pulled a bucket of orange juice out from under the table, everyone's eyes lit up when they looked at him.
Zhao Qidong even banged on his bowl exaggeratedly, shouting, "Long live Coach Yan!!!"
"Alright, alright, enough nonsense. Just don't embarrass me during the competition."
Cheng Zhen ate meat and drank beverages with gusto, almost shedding tears of happiness: "Waaah, your coach is so nice."
Jian Changnian whispered, "You didn't see how strict he was during training..."
Xie Shi'an picked up a piece of meat and nodded in deep agreement.
Someone made a suggestion.
"Since it's a holiday today, let's have a drink instead of alcohol and toast to Coach Yan. I wish him a happy holiday and good health."
Yan Xinyuan also picked up his glass: "This is good, this is good, but I have to add one more thing. I also wish you a satisfactory result in the national competition, all your wishes come true, and a bright future!"