Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

At Jixian Bus Station, smoke and dust mingled with the acrid smell of gasoline, filling the nostrils. The blaring of horns, roaring engines, and the clamor of the crowd created a dizzying cacophony. Cang Zhenye, his back hunched, was weighed down by a bulging fertilizer bag on his shoulder, causing him to lean to one side. Inside the bag, Su Yumei had stuffed hard grain cakes and old clothes, along with a small jar of dried radishes she had stayed up all night pickling. His rough, tree-bark-like hands gripped Cang Tianci's wrist tightly, so tightly that Tianci felt a slight pain, as if if he loosened his grip, his youngest son would be swallowed up by the sea of ​​strangers.

"When you get there... listen to Teacher Zhou... don't cause trouble... practice hard, study hard..." These words had been echoing in his throat countless times since he left home. He glanced blankly at the glaring skyscrapers and speeding metal boxes around the station, his gaze finally settling on his son's face, which was filled with unyielding worry. "Money... Dad... will find a way to send some... don't... don't practice on an empty stomach..."

Cang Tianci's throat felt like it was blocked by scalding mud, unable to utter a sound, only able to nod heavily. The lines on his father's face were deeper than the cliffs of Wild Boar Gully, as if etched with all the humiliation and forbearance of the Cang family. That thin, old jacket, the heavy cloth bag on his shoulder, bent not only his father's back, but also his heart, weighed down with a heavy weight. But then, his elder brother's burning gaze at parting and his entrustment with "asking questions" intertwined with Coach Zhou's fiery words, "Let's see who suffers more and is more ruthless," burning fiercely in his chest. He bit his lower lip hard, tasting a hint of saltiness. He couldn't cry; tears couldn't wash away the hardship, nor could they answer his elder brother's questions.

After leaving Jixian Station, guided by passersby, Cang Zhenye brought Tianci to Jixian Sports School, where they met Zhou Zhenhua.

Zhou Zhenhua, dressed in a crisp blue tracksuit, smiled warmly, but his eyes swept over Tianci like a ruler, scrutinizing and assessing him. He strode forward, took the heavy load from Cang Zhenye's shoulders, patted Tianci's thin shoulder blade, and said heartily, "Uncle, don't worry. Tianci will be fine with me. We don't look for flashy moves here; we only care about who's willing to put in the hard work. Results and gold medals are the only true measure!"

Cang Zhenye nodded and said, "My son Lifeng has spoken highly of Coach Zhou many times. From now on, Tianci will need your continued support." After a pause, he added, "Coach Zhou, I have some urgent matters at home and need to catch the next bus. I'll leave Tianci in your care."

"Yes, Uncle, don't worry, Tianci has me."

Cang Zhenye gave Tianci a few more detailed instructions before turning to leave. Only after Cang Zhenye disappeared from the sports school gate did Zhou Zhenhua lead Tianci across the training field and into the men's dormitory building. The clanging of barbell plates and the coach's short, sharp whistles from the training field were like invisible whips, lashing the air and striking Tianci's taut nerves.

The men's dormitory building has two floors. Zhou Zhenhua led Tianci to the innermost room on the first floor. Before even entering, a smell mixed with sweat, medicinal liquor, and mildew hit them. The cramped space was crammed full of four iron bunk beds. The walls were grayish-white, and dim light from the high window couldn't illuminate the shadows in the corners. Several small wooden desks were squeezed between the beds, with lunchboxes and tattered old magazines scattered on them.

Inside the dormitory, several teenagers were lying or sitting on several beds. When they saw Zhou Zhenhua enter the dormitory, they quickly got off their beds and respectfully greeted Coach Zhou.

Zhou Zhenhua nodded to them, then pointed to Tianci beside him and said, "This is our new junior brother, Cang Tianci. He'll be living and training with you from now on. Take good care of him!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the brief silence in the dormitory was replaced by an invisible scrutiny. Several pairs of eyes were fixed on Cang Tianci. He felt as if he had been stripped naked and thrown into a threshing ground. Those gazes carried curiosity, assessment, and even a hint of barely perceptible contempt, making him involuntarily want to shrink even smaller, his toes curling uncomfortably inside his worn-out liberation shoes.

"Oh ho, a bean sprout?"

A stocky boy with a buzz cut and bulging arms stood up from the lower bunk near the door. He was wearing a tank top, his chest still damp with sweat, exuding a hot, intimidating smell from exercise. He looked down at Tianci, his eyes filled with undisguised mockery: "With that build, are you here to practice taking a beating?"

He reached out and his rough, hard fingers squeezed Tianci's thin shoulder hard.

Zhou Zhenhua stood aside, his eyes scanning back and forth between Tianci and Sun Peng, but he didn't stop them immediately, as if he wanted to see how the newcomer would react.

Tianci's body swayed as he was pinched, a dull pain shooting through his shoulder blade. He didn't flinch or retaliate, but simply raised his head to meet the defiant gaze. In those eyes, the initial timidity was forcibly suppressed, replaced by a calm coldness, as if weighing, as if remembering. He remembered his elder brother's words, "See clearly the weight of those weights." Was this Sun Peng one of those weights? He didn't know. But he knew that when a weight comes down, bones must not bend.

Zhou Zhenhua nodded secretly, then, as if he had just noticed, grabbed Sun Peng's wrist and sternly said, "Sun Peng, I asked you to look after me, not to show off!"

Just moments ago, Sun Peng was full of arrogance, but when he met the coach's gaze, his swagger instantly vanished, and he muttered in a low voice, "Understood, Coach."

"Tianci, don't be afraid. Remember, this is where you take off. Fists and gold medals are the only things that matter here. From now on, you should ask your senior brothers for advice and practice hard," Zhou Zhenhua said to Tianci.

His gaze then swept over the other boys in the dormitory, and he solemnly instructed them: "Listen carefully, Tianci will be your junior brother from now on. Teach him what needs to be taught, and help him what needs to be helped."

"Yes, Coach!" the boys replied in unison.

Zhou Zhenhua pointed to an empty bed by the window and said, "Tianci, you can sleep there." Then he instructed a calm, square-faced boy, "Chen Gang, you're the captain. Show Tianci the place and familiarize him with the rules."

"Okay, Coach," the boy named Chen Gang nodded in response.

Zhou Zhenhua gave a few more instructions, then turned and walked out of the dormitory.

Chen Gang walked over, his face kind: "Tianci, you can ask me if there's anything you don't understand in the future."

"Thank you... thank you, Senior Brother!" Tianci said softly.

"Don't mention it," Chen Gang waved his hand. He pointed to a metal cabinet in the corner of the dormitory, "That empty cabinet is yours, use it to store things. But you'll have to buy your own lock." He then pointed to a half-open door at the far end of the dormitory, "That's the water room and toilet, you wash up and use the toilet there. The hot water room is at the end of the corridor, hot water is available every morning and evening."

Tianci clutched his blankets, trying hard to remember every word Chen Gang said. The sense of unfamiliarity was still strong, but the kindness of his senior brother Chen Gang slightly dispelled the biting chill.

"Let's get ready," Chen Gang said, then sat back down on his bed.

Tianci, carrying his bedding, climbed the ladder of the iron bunk bed to the upper bunk by the window. He silently opened the fertilizer bag; the clothes his mother had washed still carried a familiar, faint scent of soap. He slowly made the bed, each movement deliberate and forceful, as if he weren't just tidying up the bed, but rather building his first fortress brick by brick on this small piece of land.

Just as they finished setting up, several teenagers wearing sports vests and shorts, covered in sweat, walked in chatting and laughing, clearly having just finished training. They were all taken aback when they saw there was an extra person on the upper bunk.

"Yo ho, a newbie?" A boy with wet hair plastered to his forehead and eyes as bright as a leopard whistled, scanning Tianci up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.

"He was brought by Coach Zhou; his name is Cang Tianci," Chen Gang said succinctly without looking up.

"Cang Tianci? That's a big name!" Another dark-skinned, lean boy grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "What do you train for?"

Sun Peng scoffed, "What are you going to train? You'll train to get beaten up! With a build like that, you could be blown away by a strong wind, and you call that 'a gift from heaven'?" He deliberately raised his voice, causing the other new boys to burst into laughter as well.

The laughter pierced Cang Tianci's ears like needles. He abruptly raised his head, looking directly at Sun Peng, then glancing at the laughing teenagers. He didn't speak, but his silent, stubborn gaze seemed to say, "I've got it."

The laughter in the dormitory gradually subsided under that gaze. Even Sun Peng felt the weight of that gaze, and somewhat uncomfortably looked away, muttering, "What are you looking at..."

Chen Gang looked up from the magazine, glanced calmly at Tianci on the upper bunk, then at Sun Peng, and said indifferently, "Alright, both of you, say less. Hurry up and pack up, dinner will be served soon."

Tianci withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, and looked at his old, worn-out canvas shoes, stained with mud. The toes of the shoes pointed directly at the window. Outside, the sports school's spacious training field was bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, which cast a dark hue on the cold equipment.

This is the place Coach Zhou referred to as "the takeoff point".

He took a deep breath, the air thick with the mingled smells of sweat, feet, dust, and food filling his lungs. The noise outside the window and the commotion inside the dormitory seemed to be shut out by an invisible barrier. All his senses were focused on the ever-growing flame in his heart.

Then, he continued to tidy up his small, simple "territory." He might not have fully grasped the "principles" here yet, but he knew that the first step was to take root here like a nail, survive, and hone his skills.

He didn't know what he would face tomorrow. But he knew that when the sun rose tomorrow, he would be going to a place called "Jixian No. 1 Primary School".

Outside the window, the lights of the county town began to come on one by one. He didn't look up. But the light still seeped in through the corner of the window and fell on his old liberation shoes.

He looked down at the shoes. The soles were thin, and the uppers were worn through, covered in mud from Xiqiao Village and dust from the temple fair stage. When his mother made these shoes, the oil lamp shone on her hands as she stitched, one stitch after another, pricking her needle and pulling it out. At that time, he didn't understand why the way his mother sewed shoe soles was so similar to the way she taught him to write.

He suddenly remembered the invisible thread at the temple fair. That day it was tautest, allowing him to dodge a blow. Later it loosened, broke, and was pieced back together little by little. He didn't know if that thread was still there now, or if it was taut enough.

But he knew that when the sun rose tomorrow, he would go to a place called school. There, a new weight awaited him.

These shoes have been worn in so many places, they should be able to hold their ground.

He continued tending to his small, humble territory. The scent of soap still lingered faintly in his nostrils.