harleyscars Chapter 150
Chapter 150
"He's up again," Lin Feng said.
Cheng Yuxin didn't turn around. "This is the last time. You might not be able to get any more later if you want to."
She paused for a moment after saying that.
Lin Feng didn't respond.
She poured the milk and handed it to him. Lin Feng took it and took a sip. It was the same temperature and tasted the same as usual.
"Sister Yuxin."
"Um?"
"Wait for me to come back, I'll heat it up for you to drink."
Cheng Yuxin paused for a moment, then smiled.
"Can you heat milk?"
"Just boil it, no need to stir-fry it."
Cheng Yuxin laughed out loud, not loudly, but in the quiet kitchen at dawn, it was like a pebble thrown into a calm pond, creating ripples.
Lin Feng finished his milk and handed the cup to her.
"I'm gone."
"Um."
He took the ball and went outside.
The stairwell was dark, and the motion-activated lights were broken. He held onto the wall, slowly making his way down the stairs. His footsteps echoed in the stairwell, each one like a heartbeat.
Stepping out of the building, a blast of cold air hit me. In Beichuan in July, the early morning wasn't hot; it was even a bit chilly. A few stars still hung in the sky above the eastern horizon, not very bright, but clearly visible.
He carried the ball and walked towards the field.
The streets were deserted, the streetlights were still on, their orange glow illuminating the empty lanes. The breakfast stalls hadn't opened yet; their roller shutters were closed, and the stools outside were stacked together, locked with an iron chain. The air smelled of damp dew, mingled with the distant stench of diesel from a garbage truck.
When we arrived at the stadium, it was still dark.
The two people are already there.
Sun Jianguo and Zhou Jianguo stood on the sidelines, one wearing a gray tank top and the other a black tracksuit. Both held balls and were talking quietly. Seeing Lin Feng arrive, they both stopped and turned to look at him.
Lin Feng walked over and stood in front of them.
None of the three people spoke.
After a few seconds of silence, Sun Jianguo spoke first.
"Kid, I heard you're going to the provincial capital?"
Lin Feng nodded.
Sun Jianguo reached out and patted him on the shoulder. The slap was neither too light nor too heavy, just like the one he gave him when they first met three months ago—back then, that slap almost knocked him over, but now his shoulder was as steady as a rock.
"Go there and train hard. Don't embarrass me."
Lin Feng laughed. "Uncle Sun, you meddle even more than my dad."
Sun Jianguo glared at him. "Stop talking nonsense. Come on, cast a few."
Three people walked onto the field.
The sky began to lighten, and the clouds in the east were tinged with a pale pink, layer upon layer, like the blush on a young girl's cheeks. The stadium lights were still on, but they seemed superfluous in the dawn light.
Sun Jianguo stood at the free-throw line and raised the ball. He shot—swish.
Zhou Jianguo stood beyond the three-point line, raised the ball. Shot—swish.
Lin Feng stood outside the three-point line and raised the ball. He shot—swish.
Three people threw ten shots in a row, and they all went in.
Sun Jianguo turned and glanced at Zhou Jianguo.
"This kid is improving really fast."
Zhou Jianguo didn't say anything, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly.
The three of them shot for another half hour. No one spoke; the only sounds were the basketballs hitting the ground and going into the hoop.
Thump, thump, thump—swish.
Thump, thump, thump—swish.
Thump, thump, thump—swish.
Three rhythms, three pitches, three arcs, but in the morning air, they blend together like an unwritten melody.
At six o'clock, it was dawn.
Sun Jianguo stopped, tucked the ball under his arm, and walked to the sidelines.