The sky is cloudy and the trees are stained with ink.
An old-fashioned urban and rural bus drove slowly on a winding mountain road.
The car lights penetrated the fine rain curtain and illuminated the lush bamboo forests and steep ravines on Thunder Mountain.
There were only five or six passengers, and most of them looked away from the window to watch the rain. Only two young guys gathered together with their mobile phones to watch a live broadcast of a basketball game.
The two of them whispered from time to time, and occasionally laughed.
Long Xiaochuan sat alone in the last row, folding his hands on his chest and closing his eyes to relax, originally not paying attention to everything around him.
It wasn't until he vaguely heard the two people mentioning the word "Leizhai" repeatedly that he couldn't help but open his eyes and ask: "Brother, is this a competition between Leizhai and Yucun? How close is it? Who is in the lead?"
Today is the "Shangsi Festival" on the third day of the third lunar month. Qiandong City is one of the birthplaces of "Village Basketball". It is customary for all towns and villages to organize friendly basketball matches between villages on this day. This has been the case for decades, rain or shine.
The two young men turned their heads at the same time. One of them had an exaggerated expression, as if there was some shocking news: "Damn it, you may not believe it, fifty-six to zero! Haha, the game is almost over, and Lei Zhai still hasn't scored a point. Woolen cloth!"
Long Xiaochuan's eyes widened in shock: "How is that possible?!"
Another person on the opposite side clapped his hands and smiled evilly: "Hahahahaha, really, really! Lei Zhai will probably have his head shaved by Yu Cun, he will be very embarrassed this time!"
Their conversation immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the car, and people in front turned to ask about the situation.
This is indeed a folk basketball holy land with a solid mass base. Even the fat lady who seems to be the most irrelevant has to comment: "How can you not make a single shot in a basketball game? Lei Village is really a scorpion this time." The only one!"
The old man next to her stroked his mustache and pretended to be serious: "Anyway, I have lived a long time, and I have never heard of a village basketball game where someone returned with a big zero!"
Others also echoed: "Yes, we have never heard of it."
Long Xiaochuan couldn't help but leave his seat and move forward: "Let me see if the points were calculated wrongly?"
In the live broadcast, there were at least a thousand people watching, and the results of this competition were absolutely unmistakable.
The live broadcast camera switched back and forth between the court and the referee's box. The score "60:00" on the scoreboard was eye-catching and eye-catching. As he spoke, Amemura scored two more goals in a row.
At this moment, the referee suddenly blew the foul whistle.
The unique cigarette voice of the anchor "Shi Lang can't pass people" sounded off-screen, hoarse: "Brothers, the game is crazy! Have you ever seen such an enjoyable game? There is one minute left, and the referee sends it off again Lei Zhai has two free throw opportunities, do you think this goal can be scored? Come on, brothers, I hope Lei Zhai gets out of here with zero points, and there will be a 0 deduction in the comment area..."
Before he finished speaking, "0" had already filled the screen in the comment area.
Only then did everyone in the car notice that a mere village-level basketball game actually attracted 6,000 people to watch on the Internet.
Long Xiaochuan frowned and stared at the court intently. Lei Zhai's No. 7 player in dark blue uniforms was panting towards the free throw line.
This is a short, dark, thin, unshaven, middle-aged man in his fifties. His hair is wet with rain and sweat, and strands are stuck to his forehead. The needle lines between his eyebrows seem to be filled with unresolved depression and sorrow. .
On the first free throw, he turned his head and glanced at the scoreboard before starting to dribble to find his touch.
"Bang!"
The basketball landed on the plastic court and bounced between his rolled-up trousers, the yellow rubber shoes he wore for farm work, and his big, calloused hands.
"Bang!"
He knew that even if he made these two goals, he would not be able to restore his self-esteem, but he had to make them.
"Bang!"
He took a deep breath, looked up at the basket, and made a very standard free throw pose.
At that moment, the area around the stadium suddenly became quiet, and all the noise seemed to have stopped abruptly.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the basketball, watching it roll and spin, drawing a graceful arc in the rain. Some people even forgot to breathe...
"哐——"
It’s really evil!
The basketball popped out of the frame again!
The audience was in an uproar, followed by a roar of boos and jeers.
The same was true on the bus. The faces of the young man, the old man, and the fat aunt were all smiling. They were obviously happy to have found something to talk about for a lifetime.
Long Xiaochuan looked very unhappy: "There is another free throw!"
Everyone disagreed, and the fat lady muttered: "His teammates have left the game, why is this guy still shooting?"
The young man holding the mobile phone also shook his head: "Yeah, if the game turned out like this, I would have stopped playing. So what if I made a shot? It's not embarrassing enough."
Their cynicism was like a heavy hammer hitting Long Xiaochuan's eardrum.
He just felt a wave of evil in his chest, which he could no longer suppress, and finally turned into a rage that rushed straight to his forehead.
So this kid stood up and yelled at everyone in the carriage: "He will definitely vote, and he will definitely hit the target, because this is the last face of the entire village of Leizhai!"
Everyone looked up at Long Xiaochuan, whose face was red and whose whole body was shaking with excitement. They felt that this man was incomprehensible.
The fat aunt rolled her eyes at him and curled her lips: "Just vote, why are you so excited?"
Long Xiaochuan punched the back of the car seat: "Because I am from Leizhai, and the person shooting on the court now is my father!"
There was a sudden silence in the carriage. After everyone looked at each other awkwardly, they all returned to their seats.
The two young men also wisely put away their mobile phones, which made the next drive very long. It was hard for everyone to discuss the game, but they were still thinking about whether the last free throw was made or not. It was really five.
The six beasts with a hundred claws scratch the heart...
Long Xiaochuan also returned to his seat, his chest still heaving and unable to calm down. What happened today? The friendly match that was promised, how could it end up like this? The people of Yucun have healed their scars and forgot about the pain, but they still need to clean up.
Already?
At this moment, he was only annoyed. If he had returned to the village a day earlier, he would have been able to catch up with the game. Even if he lost, he would not have lost so uglyly with him on the court.
He looked down at his hands, those big hands with deformed knuckles caused by years of practicing football, and suddenly gritted his teeth: "As long as I'm here, you won't necessarily lose. No, you will definitely not lose!"
The bus stopped one stop after another, and the number of passengers on the bus gradually decreased. When only Long Xiaochuan was finally left, his cell phone prompted a new message.
Under his girlfriend Chen Qian’s smiling WeChat avatar, there is anger between the lines: “Long Xiaochuan, your uncle actually went back? Break up and never see each other again!”
There was a hint of bitterness at the corner of Long Xiaochuan's mouth, but he did not respond.
Everything that needs to be said has been said, discussed, and argued about last night. That's why I returned to the village one day late, that's why I missed the game in the village, and that's why this situation was created... What else is there to say?
Chen Qian was obviously very resentful. Seeing that Long Xiaochuan ignored her, she received messages of blame and questioning one after another:
"You say your family is poor, I don't care, we can work and struggle together in a big city!"
"I really don't understand why you have to go back to the poor ravine?"
"There is nothing in that shabby place. Besides farming, what else can you do?"
…
"Put away your unrealistic basketball dreams! Don't forget, you were expelled from the school team. Coach Liu said you were too short and not talented!"
Staring at the three words "Coach Liu", Long Xiaochuan's mind instantly flashed a proud and stinky face, as well as many bad memories.
He clenched his fists, looked at the stilted buildings in the drizzle outside the car window, gritted his teeth and muttered: "One day, I will prove it to you!"