Literary Master 1983

Chapter 157 Gold Medal Club (Long Chapter)

The small lawn outside the Yanda International Student Dormitory fell into a brief silence as the men's shooting competition resumed. Yanda was the school with the largest number of students admitted each year in China at that time, with more than 4,000 undergraduates admitted each year. The total number of students in the school was more than 20,000, plus the families of various faculty and staff, totaling more than 30,000.

Now, most of them were following this game through different channels. A small piece of lawn was crowded with thousands of people, and the rest were watching the game in dormitories, teaching buildings, libraries, and at home.

With such a grand gathering of the world’s people ahead, how can one read a book?

All I heard was the announcer or commentator saying:

"Dear viewers, you are now watching the men's shooting finals. Since the US time is about 13 hours behind China time, when it is late at night here, it is just afternoon in the US, when the weather is clear and visibility is excellent."

"Los Angeles has a Mediterranean climate, with little precipitation and more sunny days in July and August every year, which is conducive to the normal holding of the event. We saw that Chinese male shooter Xu Haifeng has completed the first two groups. He played more relaxed and achieved good results... ranking first among all the players! Male athlete Wang Yifu ranked the last, and he is also a newcomer to the national team this time."

What? First place?

Wang Qiang was excited when he heard this: "I have never heard of this person, but it seems that he is going to win a gold medal - Yu Qie's readers are really not ordinary people. By the way, where is Yu Qie?"

"He went to bed!" Yu Minhong said, "I heard that Yu Qie has been sleeping in school these days."

"If Xu Haifeng wins the gold medal, we will wake Yu Qie up to celebrate. If he doesn't win the gold medal, let Yu Qie sleep and continue watching the game!"

Wang Qiang said: "You still don't understand Yu Qie. As long as Yu Qie is in the game, he won't lose even if others lose, and he will definitely win if others win."

"Hurry up and call Yu Qie, let's watch the game together!"

Yu Minhong had become a senior in the fifth year and had gained some prestige. He found a freshman who stayed in school and went to the dormitory building to shout Yu Qie.

The live broadcast on TV continues.

The announcer's voice trembled, unable to hide his excitement: "Maybe many people don't know the athlete Xu Haifeng. In April, at the shooting world competition also held in the United States, Xu Haifeng won the first place with an absolute advantage. He is actually not an unknown athlete. He just achieved results so quickly that many viewers didn't have time to know him."

"But I think a lot of people will know him after today. Is it possible for me to think this way? At this moment I hope so. I do."

"Xu Haifeng has every chance of winning the championship, but we shouldn't put too much pressure on him...Xu Haifeng raised his gun, this is the third shooting group. We saw that all the athletes were wearing earmuffs and goggles, because when shooting with an air gun, there is a certain amount of noise and fireworks, which can easily affect the athletes' condition."

The entire Yanda University was silent at this moment, as if their shouting could affect Xu Haifeng on the other side of the world. Everyone felt their hearts pounding and forgot to breathe.

The third round of results came out, and there was a seven-ring. This seven-ring was almost the same as a ten-ring on a coin-sized target paper. However, as soon as the results came out, the five-star flag and Xu Haifeng's pinyin name fell from first place to third place.

The first place went to the famous Swiss athlete Scannaker, the second place was a local American player, and Wang Yifu went against the trend and ranked fourth.

Why seven rings? How can it be seven rings?

Finished!

"Ugh!"

All the Chinese people in the audience sighed in unison, cursing "What a disappointment" and "Why did they suddenly become so lame?"

Then a handful of American students jumped up and cheered:

Because seven rings is a very serious mistake, and there are not many students in China who have the conditions to play shooting, it is still difficult to know how a seven ring will affect the competitive state of athletes.

This means that the only way to catch up is to get a higher score than before. However, in most cases, athletes tend to get worse scores because they are on the verge of mental collapse and constantly regret their previous mistakes.

The Americans, represented by Lucy, felt that the outcome had been decided. Chinese player Xu Haifeng was sure that he could not bear the pressure, so they opened the champagne in advance: several American students left their seats, ran around their own student apartments, and waved the American flag.

The American people are an extroverted people. The international students ran and shouted:
UNITED STATES!
USA!!!
Yanda allows international students to hang their own national flags, but there are restrictions on the location and venue, and it can only be done within the living area of ​​the international students.

Is the public lawn spreading out from the international student apartments considered as the “living area for international students”?
This is a bit beyond the syllabus. Domestic students feel so depressed that they are about to vomit blood: Just ask them to take down the flags, it makes it seem like we can't afford to play.

You let them wave the American flag, and it makes me feel uncomfortable watching it.

In the end, Xu Haifeng, ah Xu Haifeng, you have to make your buddy proud! I put the red flag into the international students' dormitory and made the Americans kneel down and apologize.

Just at this moment, Yu Qie came with a group of people. After observing the situation for a while, he made a red belt on the spot and tied it around his arm, with "Disciplinary Committee" embroidered on it.

As soon as Yu Qie arrived, he detained several students waving the American flag: "You are violating discipline! I want to take the flag away."

The international student was running happily, feeling quite aggrieved: "I have never heard of this 'Disciplinary Committee'. Where did you come from? Who is your leader?"

Yu Qie made up a story: "We are a temporary organization specializing in managing TV watching, and our leader is Fujiwara Chika."

The international student was confused: "Aren't you Yu Qie? Yu, I know you."

Aren’t foreigners face-blind to Asians?

How come you recognize me?

American James said: "Yu Qie, you look like a taller and stronger John Lone. In the eyes of us Americans, you completely meet our aesthetic standards for Oriental people."

But Yu Qie got angry and said, "You're still looking for trouble when you know me? Put down the flag quickly and just watch TV. If you keep looking for trouble, I'll cut off your power supply and you can't watch TV. We Chinese can go home and watch TV. Why don't you go back to Los Angeles?"

The American students had no choice but to put down the flag.

The Chinese students laughed, and Wang Qiang got carried away and shouted "Lucy, Lucy...", showing off his biceps to her. This made the American white girl who came to study abroad angry. She gave him the middle finger and cursed him "fuxx off!".

"Yu Qie, this is so fucking exciting! I've never watched a game like this!" Yu Minhong felt that his conservative little heart was shattered.

Yu Qie said: "You haven't watched a football game. If the fans had guns in their hands, it would turn into a world war."

Just one year later, Yanjing made the Chinese people realize for the first time the destructive power of football fans. The fans in the capital were angry that the second-ranked men's football team in Asia had tied with a weaker team and shamefully lost the qualification to enter the 86 World Cup. They took to the streets to express their dissatisfaction. In the following years, Chinese men's football seemed to have encountered a curse. Every time at the critical moment of entering the World Cup, someone would make an extremely outrageous mistake and become a Class A war criminal.

Wang Qiang said sincerely: "Yu Qie, you are more American than Americans! No wonder American women like you too."

"What did Lucy say to you again?" Yu Qi asked.

"Lucy said that she could take me to America, but she would stay in China for you. Not only that, you could be on top and she could be on the bottom." Wang Qiang was extremely envious and jealous.

"How can a man be depressed and inferior to others for a long time? Wang Qiang, I am very disappointed in you."

The announcer was also disappointed with Xu Haifeng's performance and the quality of the Americans:
"Okay, Xu Haifeng has finished the third set. We are waiting for the results to come out... Well, it doesn't matter. There was a seven-ring in this round, but his score is still among the top players. He still has a chance. At the Los Angeles Olympics, there are more and more spectators behind Xu Haifeng. Ah! However, they are cheering for the American players. The huge cheers affected Xu Haifeng's state. Friends, this is of course, because this is the home court of the Americans. We can't blame the Americans for their patriotism!"

"But!" the announcer said angrily, "They are too noisy. This will delay the progress of the game and interfere with athletes from other countries. Noise-isolating earmuffs are used to block out the sound of gunfire... Xu Haifeng left the shooting position. Did he complain to the referee?" Just as the announcer said, on the lawn of Yanda, or in the dormitory, or in the alleys and shops that Yu Qie passed by in the past two days, on the long street outside the Summer Palace and even in the Jade Radio Station far away in Guangzhou, the patriotic Chinese in Hong Kong were as quiet as they were at the scene, but a kind of anger erupted from the chests of the audience, and they either remained silent again or vented it out completely.

"——Xu Haifeng still hasn't come back. It turns out that he chose to rest and adjust. He repeatedly simulated with an empty gun on the shooting range alone. He didn't accept interviews and didn't speak. He looked at the cheering American shooting fans. We don't know what Xu Haifeng is thinking at this moment? I feel very ashamed because I can't go to the scene to support him as a Chinese. Xu Haifeng is very lonely. There are no red flags brought by the audience at the scene. We are not rich enough to bring red flags to every event. This requires a high economic cost."

"However, athletes need some support..." The announcer's voice was a little choked up, "Can he hear the calls from Chinese audiences all over the world? He can definitely hear it. Xu Haifeng is using this to adjust his mentality..."

The announcer was a little incoherent at the end of his speech, and repeatedly emphasized that there was no red flag at the scene. The only place where there might be a red flag was when Xu Haifeng won the gold medal and the red flag was raised in Los Angeles.

That was the only flag at the small venue called the Prado Shooting Range.

The tone was already raised, and the Chinese people who watched the live broadcast felt a common hatred for the enemy. Countless people gritted their teeth and silently prayed that other athletes would make the same mistakes as Xu Haifeng. In history, Xu Haifeng really stayed there for a full twenty minutes, meditating and practicing with an empty gun, and was reluctant to shoot. This led to him becoming the last player to finish the game. When he finished the game, there were dense crowds of American spectators and reporters behind him.

This is the top level of pretense, either you pretend to be good or you make a big one.

At that time, there were almost no domestic athletes with such a strong personality. Basically everyone thought that he had collapsed and was finished, and this incident could have turned into a catastrophic live broadcast accident.

During these long twenty minutes, CCTV didn't even dare to broadcast what Xu Haifeng was doing. It kept telling the audience that "the Chinese shooting team was already poor and weak. This is their first time participating in a competition, and participation is a victory" and so on... Because the cruelest thing is to give people hope and then take it away.

This is also true for the athletes themselves.

Are the Chinese going to miss out on the gold medal in shooting?
A dark cloud hangs over everyone's heart.

"Yu Qie? Why aren't you nervous at all?" Wang Qiang's heart almost jumped out of his chest.

"Xu Haifeng will definitely win. Do you want to eat melon seeds? I'll grab a handful for you."

"I won't eat it! Why did he win? Because he's your reader? Oh, I saw an interview with Xu Haifeng in the newspaper. He said he often reads your novels. He also writes diaries and poems... Could it be that he is both a literary youth and a shooting champion?"

Yu Qie said firmly: "Why can't he?"

"Then why can he do it?" Yu Minhong also asked.

Yu Qie said: "Xu Haifeng played well in the first two rounds, which shows that his hard power is the champion of the whole game. This is one win; Xu Haifeng won one, and the others won zero, which is two wins; Xu Haifeng won two, and the others won zero, which is three wins!"

"He also reads my novels, which is four wins."

Many Yan University students were amused by Yu Qie, which improved the originally disappointing atmosphere. Twenty minutes passed by in anxiety, and suddenly, the announcer said, "Xu Haifeng, put on your protective glasses and earmuffs again!"

This time, the voice changed from extreme disappointment to extreme shock: "He did not give up the game, but continued to play. Xu Haifeng likes to write a diary. He draws his daily tactics and his own results in a notebook. He also likes to read literary books. The writer Yu Qie is someone he admires very much."

"I can't help but think that Yu Qie once shot an amazing bullet that made him famous all over the world. Can Xu Haifeng do the same?"

There are six groups in the men's shooting competition. Xu Haifeng has completed the first three groups. He completed the last two groups in a very short time and returned to second place, just squeezing out the Americans.

The first place is a Swede, and the third place is the emerging young player Wang Yifu.

Entering the final round, "Snap!" "Snap!"...

There are only three bullets left.

Xu Haifeng scored 537 points. To win the championship, he had to score all his remaining points within the tenth ring, which was almost impossible. The reporters excitedly rushed to the side of the Swede Scannaker. He heard the footsteps of the reporters walking on the ground and the "click" sound of the camera when taking pictures.

No one thought Xu Haifeng could win the championship, no one came to record his achievements, and even only one red flag was prepared, because no one believed that a Chinese could get two places in the medal table.

They had never even been exposed to the sport of shooting before, which was unnecessary over-preparation.

The lawn of Yanda University was very quiet. The two sides, which were on the verge of a fight, stopped arguing and the outcome was decided within three shots.

Xu Haifeng was still hanging around in the provincial team last year, but this year he won the world honor for the first time. Between his breaths, between the previous heartbeat and the next, Xu Haifeng's mind was exceptionally clear. He raised his gun, aimed, and shot, everything was normal. He pulled the trigger calmly, and only heard the sound of the bullet flying through the air. Time seemed to freeze, and he could really see the trajectory of the bullet.

Was it the same when Yu Qie fought the Vietnamese?
He could not see or hear anything, unless he got the result he wanted! The voices of the Swedes, the comforting voices of his teammates, the cheers of the Americans... none of them reached Xu Haifeng's ears until he heard the result of his own target.

广播里说“40号靶位最后三枪成绩为10环、10环、10环总分567环，获得第23届夏季奥运会男子自选手枪60发慢射冠军！”

After a brief moment of shock, the Americans at the shooting range gave Xu Haifeng thunderous applause.

It is not only a gold medal in shooting, but also represents that China has quickly won its first gold medal after joining the Olympic Games. All doubts and self-doubts have been shattered. Economic development level, competition experience, equipment... cannot be an excuse for not winning a gold medal. This gold medal is enough to eloquently prove that when New China first joined the Olympic family, it was one of the most powerful forces.

The announcer shouted excitedly: "The red flag is about to be raised on American soil. In 1932, Liu Changchun went to the Olympics alone, also in Los Angeles. The newspaper wrote, 'We Chinese athletes, this time we go alone to the meeting, thousands of miles away from the mountains and rivers. At this moment, the fate of the country is difficult. I hope you will bravely move forward, and I hope that the future generations like us will be free from such suffering!'"

"It is a ridiculous rumor, a ridiculous legend. Only when we break it and look back, it seems so insignificant. However, it once weighed deeply on the hearts of the Chinese people!"

"Can we win a championship? We don't need to wait for gymnastics or the women's volleyball team. China has many talented people who represent our generation."

"Dear audience friends, it was the afternoon of July 1984, 7 in Los Angeles, and it was already the early morning of the 29th in your place. At this moment, China has entered the gold medal club. Tomorrow, please stand up straight and go to your work and study!"

"Have a good sleep tonight."

But how can I still sleep?
Yanda University was in a state of great revelry at this moment. No one in the entire school was asleep, and everyone who could walk out walked out, beating gongs and drums, calling friends, waving red flags, and setting off firecrackers.

Yu Qie became the most popular student because Xu Haifeng personally admitted that he had read his novel.

"Our Yanda University is indeed stronger than Shuimu University. Are you dissatisfied? Find another Yuqie!"

The biology students who were preparing to join the National Day parade gathered around the cotangent, held it up, and circled the entire school. Everyone shouted the slogan "Come on, China!" and waved their arms in unison with the shouts. Many people had tears of joy in their eyes.

Wang Qiang rushed to Da Bainiu and said, "We won this time and you lost."

Lucy asked, "Are you Yu Qie? Are you Xu Haifeng? What's your relationship with him?"

"I will never be Yu Qie, but I know who Yu Qie is, and I just need to follow his example. One day, I will beat you. One day, we will beat you."

"Wang Qiang, don't even think about me taking you to America! You don't deserve to go to America!"

Wang Qiang stood up, a word that had been brewing in his throat for a long time, "I don't have to go to the United States!" He spoke slowly and late at first, but later he became firm, "If I go to the United States one day, I will be like Yu Qie and Xu Haifeng, I will come to defeat you."

"I don't need you anymore. What I do from now on depends entirely on my own ability! I still think your place is good, but I no longer envy it."

(End of this chapter)