He was kicked out before he could say more than a few words.
Seeing that it was getting late and it was almost time for evening self-study, Jian Changnian plopped down on the steps at the entrance of the shop to rest.
The city's neon lights lit up one after another, vehicles flowed in and out, and hurried pedestrians walked past her.
As she searched her eyes for any shops she hadn't yet inquired about, Zhou Mu's words suddenly popped into her mind.
"Don't you still have a pendant? You can sell it and get some money."
Her gaze fell on a jewelry store across the street. The sign at the entrance read: Gold and silver jewelry, jade appraisal, buying and selling.
The shop owner was watching TV with his legs up, singing along with the characters in the show, when he heard a noise at the shop entrance and turned around.
What would you like to buy?
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw that it was a child and waved again.
"Go away, you're just a little kid, you can't afford it, let your parents do it."
Jian Changnian swallowed hard and carefully placed the pendant on the counter.
"I...I don't want to buy anything, but I'd like you to help me estimate how much this item is worth?"
The boss was initially uninterested and somewhat impatient, but after just one glance, he abandoned his TV watch, immediately sat up straight, picked up the jade pendant, and examined it closely under the light.
Where did it come from?
Jian Changnian wasn't sure how much it was worth, and couldn't say for sure, so she stammered.
People in this line of work are all shrewd; the boss glanced at her and understood immediately.
"You found it, right? Well, the jade is of decent quality but has some impurities. I'll give you a thousand yuan, that's the most I can give you."
"Only...only a thousand?" Although Jian Changnian didn't know the market price, he had worn this jade for seven or eight years and had some attachment to it.
"You're short of money, aren't you? If it weren't for the fact that you're still a child, I wouldn't even give you five hundred. It'll be a thousand, take it or leave it."
Although the shop owner said he didn't care whether he sold it or not, his eyes were glued to the jade, and he couldn't bear to put it down.
Seeing that she was still hesitant and unable to make a decision.
The shop owner, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, opened his wallet, took out money, and placed it on the counter.
"Here, 1200 is the most I can offer. That's the going rate. It'll be the same no matter how many stores you go to."
Jian Changnian slowly reached out and touched the counter.
The boss was overjoyed, watching her actions and secretly thinking: Damn it, I'm going to make a fortune today.
The next moment, she opened her hands and said decisively, "Give me the jade, I'm not selling it."
"Pah! What is that?!"
Even after Jian Changnian had left the store, she could still feel the spittle flying from behind her.
She shook her head, somewhat helplessly, and then hung the jade pendant around her neck and tucked it into her collar.
She didn't know anything about the market, but she could see the greed on the shopkeeper's face. Although she had never met the owner of the jade, he had been kind to her. Even if she couldn't find the owner, the jade shouldn't be treated so lightly.
Unable to find a part-time job, Jian Changnian returned empty-handed, and spent the entire week in worry, unable to eat.
Thursday afternoon arrived quickly, and the date agreed upon with Yan Xinyuan was tomorrow. Regardless of whether he would attend the training camp or not, he should give him an answer.
Jian Changnian stood in front of the phone booth, took a deep breath, and then raised her hand to press the button.
The call was answered quickly.
There was a cough on the other end: "Hello, who is this?"
"Hello Coach Yan, this is Jian Changnian."
Upon hearing that it was her, Yan Xinyuan's voice held a hint of amusement.
"So, have you made up your mind?"
“I…” Jian Changnian stammered.
"Don't be afraid. As long as you train hard, based on my experience, there's a very good chance you'll stay..."
Yan Xinyuan thought she was still worried about the elimination rate.
Jian Changnian clenched her fists at her sides, almost using all her strength to make this difficult decision.
"I...I'm not going."
Yan Xinyuan, who was still talking non-stop, paused for a moment, and his voice became somewhat urgent.
"Why aren't you going? This is such a rare opportunity, and you have such talent..."
“Coach Yan…” Jian Changnian called out softly, as if telling him to stop talking.
Is there some difficulty?
"No."
Was it a decision made after careful consideration?
Jian Changnian was silent for a moment, then said, "Yes."
"Alright then, since you don't have this idea, I can't force you."
You could tell he was very disappointed in himself.
Not many people have had expectations for her since she was a child, but Yan Xinyuan is one of them. If possible, she doesn't want to disappoint Coach Yan.
"I'm sorry, Coach Yan."
Jian Changnian thought she had concealed it well, but her trembling voice had already betrayed her.
Yan Xinyuan sighed: "I can see that you really love badminton. I heard you say in the hallway that day in the gymnasium, you said that if you don't want to win, what's the point?"
"Perseverance is one of the most precious qualities of an athlete, and it is also true for a person. Whether you continue playing badminton or not, I hope you can find your own value in life."
Jian Changnian grew up in an environment where almost no one had ever told her these things. Yan Xinyuan's gentle and kind attitude was like that of an elder, and when he was patiently guiding her, he was like a teacher.
She sniffed and said, "Thank you, Coach Yan."
Do you remember my phone number?
Jian Changnian nodded: "I remember."
"You can play ball with me in your free time, I'm free anyway."
Jian Changnian's eyes lit up, and she smiled through her tears.
"Really? Can I really play ball with you?"
"Of course, your school doesn't have a school team, right? You can't become a professional athlete, but it's good to cultivate a hobby."
If he were in front of her right now, Jian Changnian really wanted to bow deeply to him.
"Thank you, thank you so much."
At the end of the phone call, Yan Xinyuan still felt a little regretful.
"Of course, I still hope you can come to the training camp. Besides playing with me, if you have any other difficulties that I can help with, please let me know."
Jian Changnian held the receiver, feeling both touched and puzzled.
"You said that athletes should be trained from a young age. I don't think I have any extraordinary talent, so why..."
Yan Xinyuan is so good to her.
Yan Xinyuan smiled and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.
"Not giving up on any promising talent is one of the excellent qualities of a coach."
Beside him lay a stack of documents, the cover of which read "List of Members of the Binhai Provincial Badminton Team".
The wind rushed in through the open window, flipping through the pages and revealing youthful faces in the upper right corner.
Who knows if these teenagers will become world champions someday?
The phone call ended, the wind stopped, and the list remained frozen on the last page of the A4 paper.
The girl in the photo in the upper right corner has a beautiful face, a cool temperament, and a sharp, unyielding spirit in her eyes.
The name field reads three characters: Xie Shi'an.
***
"Achoo—" Xie Shi'an sneezed loudly, and a tissue was handed to him.
"What's wrong? Have you caught a cold?" Faced with his friend's concern, Xie Shi'an took a tissue and rubbed his nose.
"No, my nose suddenly feels a little itchy."
Qiao Yuchu sat down opposite her, carrying her tray.
"That's good. Training camp starts next Monday, so you can't get sick at this crucial time."
Xie Shi'an smiled and picked through the food in the bowl with his chopsticks, but didn't touch it much.
"I know, I'm keeping an eye on it."
"Hey, hey, Xie Shi'an, are you even listening to me?!"
The phone on the table emitted a sound of someone getting angry.
I was so busy talking to Qiao Yuchu that I forgot about this.
Xie Shi'an pressed the speakerphone button, said "I'm busy," and prepared to hang up.
As if Cheng Zhen knew what she was going to do, her voice rose eight octaves.
"Don't hang up! I'm just thinking that we'll be starting training camp next week, and it won't be easy to go out and have fun again. It just so happens that it's my birthday on Friday, so let's all get together and have a meal. If you don't want to go, that's fine, anyway, Sister Yu Chu has already agreed to it."
He sounded a little smug at the end.
This guy clearly knows that if Qiao Yuchu goes, she will definitely go too.
Xie Shi'an frowned: "You—"
Cheng Zhen didn't give her a chance to get angry; she hung up the phone faster than anyone else.
Qiao Yuchu shrugged: "I didn't want to go either, but some people kept pestering me, and I've been a bit tired from training lately and wanted to relax..."
Xie Shi'an shook his head helplessly, mentally drawing countless little figures on Cheng Zhen's face.