That Nameless Summer Chapter 34

Prepare individually

The autumn wind carried a cool morning light and swept across the playground. Most of the heat of the first day had dissipated. As soon as the stands of each class were seated, the schedule broadcast on the radio came clearly. The core of today was the men’s 4×100m relay race, and the rest were scattered events. Everyone knew that this day was to build up strength for Qin Jiangwen’s 3000m battle tomorrow.

Song Li had two layers of band-aids on his knees. He still walked with a slight limp, but he was determined to go to the relay inspection office to warm up. Ling Qingye followed him, holding iodophor and a bottle of warm sugar water in his hands. After walking two steps, he reached out to help him, and said in a calm but indifferent tone: “Wait a minute, don’t do it.”If it hurts the wound, don’t do too much during the warm-up.” Song Li curled his lips and pulled his arm away, letting him hold him. From the corner of his eye, he saw that the man’s fingertips were tensed, fearing that he would fall. He felt soft in his heart, but said hard: “This injury is nothing, it won’t delay the baton.”

Ling Qingye didn’t answer, just handed him the warm sugar water: “Drink it first, sprinting will use up your energy later.” He had already figured out his opponents in the relay race. They were two sprinters from the next class. They had the advantage in speed. The victory or defeat all depended on the tacit understanding of handing over the baton. Chen You specially ranked him and Song Li in the third and fourth batons. For the most critical baton handover, he only said, “You two have the most stable tacit understanding. Hold the last baton.”

Not far away from the track, Qin Jiangwen was walking slowly along the inner track in a circle, walking very slowly and gently waving his hands to adjust his breathing. This was his only action today. He did not run or jump during the whole process, just to preserve his physical strength until tomorrow’s 3,000 meters.Xu Jiangyou followed him a few steps away, holding a small book in his hand, recording the wind speed of the track today and the elasticity of the plastic floor. He occasionally raised his head and said: “The wind is blowing to the west. When I run tomorrow, I will run on the inner track to save more energy.”

Qin Jiangwen nodded and responded “Yes” in a low voice, the tips of his ears feeling slightly warm.Ever since he was told by Chen Youhao that he had given up 3,000 meters, Xu Jiangyou helped him pay attention to these details every day, without making any noise or fuss, and only gave him a reminder when he needed it, which made him feel more at ease than those noisy cheers.The two of them walked slowly in tandem, with the sun falling on them through the sycamore leaves, casting mottled shadows. There were no unnecessary words, but they didn’t feel embarrassed at all.

The inspection of the relay race ended soon. The relay teams of each class stood on the track. The physical education student from the next class deliberately came over, patted Song Li on the shoulder and teased: “You still have to go up when your knees are like this? Don’t wait until you can’t catch the baton, which will delay Song.”Li raised his eyebrows and was about to retaliate, but Ling Qingye stretched out his hand to stop him, glanced at him coldly, and said calmly: “Let’s talk after the competition, don’t talk nonsense.” The determination in his tone actually made the sports student choke, and he stepped back angrily.

During the test run before the race, Ling Qingye deliberately slowed down and practiced handing over the baton to Song Li repeatedly.The moment their fingertips touched, the thin sweat on Song Li’s palm rubbed against Ling Qingye’s slightly cold fingertips. They both paused for half a second, quickly looking away, but when they raised their heads, they caught each other’s eyes and hurriedly missed each other.”When I take over the baton, I shout ‘run’ and you run again,” Ling Qingye’s voice was very low so that only the two of them could hear it. His fingertips touched Song Li’s palm again to confirm the precise position of the baton, “I hand the baton to your hand, you hold it tightly and run without looking back.”

Song Li’s Adam’s apple moved and he responded with only one word: “Okay.”

The starting gun sounded, and the first baton rushed out like an arrow. The gap between the classes quickly widened. Song Li’s first baton fell in the middle, and the second baton tried his best to catch up to fourth. When the baton was handed to Song Li’s hand, he almost immediately sprinted to the ground, the wind whistling in his ears, the pain in his knees was left behind, and all he could see was the baton zone in front, and Ling Qingye, who stood there with his body slightly leaning forward and his eyes locked tightly with him.

When he was three meters away from the receiving area, Ling Qingye’s voice came clearly: “Run!”

Song Li grasped the baton tightly and handed it over at the agreed speed. Ling Qingye’s fingertips accurately grasped the baton without any pause. He kicked off the ground and sprinted in one go. During the alternation of long legs, he was able to throw away the two players around him in an instant and rushed to the second position.The noise in the stands suddenly increased. Song Li stood there, looking at Ling Qingye’s back, his heart beating fast, and his knuckles holding the railing turned white.

In the last 100 meters, Ling Qingye and the sports student from the next class ran neck and neck. Both of them worked hard to the extreme. The hem of Ling Qingye’s school uniform was blown by the wind, and the sweat on his forehead flowed down his jawline, but he never slowed down his pace.Ten meters away from the finish line, he suddenly got stuck sideways, and with a sharp change of direction, he overtook his opponent and crossed the finish line first.

“Win!” The classmates in the class stands jumped up instantly. Song Li rushed over almost immediately. As soon as Ling Qingye stopped, he was hugged by him. Song Li’s chin rested on his shoulder, with a quick gasp: “Awesome! Ling Qingye, you are so awesome!”

Ling Qingye’s body stiffened for a moment, then he raised his hand and patted Song Li’s back gently. His palm was pressed against his sweaty jersey, and the warm touch spread through the fabric, making his heart feel soft.He was also panting, his voice was a little hoarse, and he leaned against Song Li’s ear: “You took over the baton well and didn’t drop the chain.”

The two hugged each other for a few seconds before letting go amidst the commotion around them. They both blushed a little and pretended to look at the track, but secretly glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes.Ling Qingye’s fingertips still retained the rough touch of the baton, as well as the warmth of Song Li’s back; Song Li’s shoulders were stained with Ling Qingye’s sweat, and the faint scent of soap locust on his body lingered on the tip of her nose. Thousands of words were hidden in this silent afterglow.

Not far away, Qin Jiangwen and Xu Jiangyou looked at this scene and both pursed their lips and smiled.Qin Jiangwen quietly touched Xu Jiangyou’s arm and handed over a bottle of warm water. Xu Jiangyou took it and whispered “thank you”. The two stood side by side, looking at Song Li and Ling Qingye, as if watching a tenderness hidden in the sun, quiet but real.

The afternoon events were sporadic and insignificant. Song Li’s knees were not suitable for moving anymore, so Ling Qingye sat with him in the stands. The two of them leaned on the railing, occasionally chatting about the details of the relay race, and occasionally watching the people coming and going on the playground in silence.Ling Qingye took out a pack of wider band-aids from his pocket and insisted on re-applying them to Song Li: “The ones in the morning were edged. Get a new one. Don’t touch the water when you go back. I’ll bring you iodine in the evening.”

When he lowered his head to put a band-aid on Song Li, his eyelashes were lowered and he moved gently. Song Li could clearly see the small mole at the end of his eye and the faint sweat marks on his forehead. The autumn sun fell on him, coating him with a layer of warm gold. Song Li suddenly felt that it was nice to slow down time like this.

Qin Jiangwen still walked slowly on the track, adjusting his breathing. Xu Jiangyou followed behind him, occasionally handing him a tissue and reminding him to “drink some water and don’t pout, as your mouth will dry easily.”The two of them just walked like this, going round and round the track. They didn’t talk about cheering or encouraging, but they used the quietest way to accompany each other to build up strength.

The setting sun gradually set behind the teaching building, dyeing the playground a warm orange color, and the next day’s competition came to an end.The four of them walked side by side to the school gate. Song Li and Ling Qingye walked in front. Ling Qingye still helped Song Li’s arm from time to time to prevent him from spraining his feet. Qin Jiangwen and Xu Jiangyou walked behind. The boy lowered his head and kicked the pebbles on the ground. The girl held a small book filled with details and occasionally said, “Tomorrow is 3000 meters. Run at your own pace. No need to compete for rankings. Just finish.” The boy responded softly, “Yes”, the tips of his ears were slightly warm.

The evening breeze carries the coolness of autumn, blowing away the heat of the stadium, but not the warmth in my heart.The tacit understanding of running in the relay race, the quiet companionship in the stands, and the side by side accumulating energy on the track all hide the delicate thoughts of young people.Everyone knows that tomorrow is the real tough battle – Qin Jiangwen’s 3,000 meters. This long-distance race of endurance and determination is waiting for them.

When they reached the fork, Ling Qingye told Song Li again: “Don’t move when you go back. I’ll send iodophor later.” After a pause, he turned to look at Qin Jiangwen and said in a serious tone, “Tomorrow is 3000 meters. Do it at your own pace. Don’t push yourself. If you can’t do it, just stop. No one will blame you.”

Qin Jiangwen nodded and whispered: “Thank you, I will finish the run.”

Song Li waved his hand and patted Qin Jiangwen on the shoulder: “Don’t worry, we will be waiting for you at the finish line tomorrow.”

The night slowly spread, and the four of them separated, and the light of the street lamp reflected their backs, stretching them very long.Song Li’s knees still hurt, Ling Qingye’s legs were still sore, Qin Jiangwen was still adjusting his breathing silently, and Xu Jiangyou was still looking through the small book full of details, but in their hearts, they all had expectations for tomorrow – looking forward to someone on the 3,000-meter track who could persevere to the end, and looking forward to a gentle ending to this three-day sports meeting.