20demayo Chapter 157
Chapter 157
Daylight had broken, and a few faint stars still hung in the pale blue sky, like faded scraps of paper. On the track, people were running, their steps synchronized, four or five people in a row, wearing matching red vests, circling the track.
He got out of bed, put on his slippers, and went to the bathroom to wash his face.
The restroom was at the end of the corridor. The terrazzo floor was wet, and the air smelled of toothpaste and laundry detergent mixed together. All three faucets were already in use. He stood in front of the fourth faucet, waiting. The person in front of him was vigorously scrubbing their face, water splashing everywhere.
His turn. He turned on the tap; the water was cold, and when it splashed on his face, the last vestiges of sleepiness vanished instantly. He washed himself twice, dried himself with his sleeve, and looked up at himself in the mirror.
The mirror was an old-fashioned square mirror with a white frame, the edges stained with limescale, making it unclear, but he could see his face—thinner than three months ago, with a more defined jawline and a slight hollow below his cheekbones. There was a faint dark circle under his eyes; he hadn't slept well the night before. But his eyes were bright, like freshly sharpened knives.
When Chen Hao returned to the dormitory, he was already up. He was sitting on the edge of his bed putting on his glasses, moving slowly, carefully hanging the temples of the glasses over his ears, and then blinking twice before the world became clear. Gao Yuan was sitting on his bed, munching on a piece of bread, leaving crumbs all over the bed, but he didn't seem to care.
"Let's go eat." Gao Yuan stood up and patted the bread crumbs off his pants.
The three of them went downstairs together.
The cafeteria was already quite full. Those in blue tracksuits were from the basketball team, those in red were from the track and field team, and those in white were from the swimming team. The different colored uniforms divided the cafeteria into sections, like a painting pieced together with blocks of color.
Lin Feng stood in line with his tray. Ahead of him were several basketball team members, all very tall, the shortest of whom was at least half a head taller than him. They lined up like a row of moving bamboo poles, and the lady serving the food had to crane her neck to see their faces.
Breakfast was simple—plain porridge, steamed buns, boiled eggs, and a dish of pickled vegetables. Lin Feng got two steamed buns, an egg, and a bowl of porridge, then found a corner to sit down with his tray.
Chen Hao and Gao Yuan also came over with their trays. Gao Yuan's tray had four steamed buns, while Chen Hao's tray only had one.
"Eating so little?" Gao Yuan glanced at Chen Hao's plate.
"I didn't eat much in the morning," Chen Hao said, pushing up his glasses.
Gao Yuan took a bite of the steamed bun, his cheeks bulging as he chewed. "Then you won't be able to hold on during training this morning. Old Li will definitely push you to your limits in the first class today."
Chen Hao didn't say anything. He picked up the steamed bun, broke off a small piece, and slowly chewed it. He ate very politely, like a girl, which didn't match his 1.96-meter height at all.
Lin Feng took a sip of the porridge, which was very hot, so he blew on it and took another sip.
"Lin Feng," Gao Yuan's voice was muffled, his mouth stuffed with steamed buns, "what did you practice in the mornings at the sports school?"
"Power. Then shoot. Five hundred."
Gao Yuan almost choked on the steamed bun. "Five hundred? This morning?"
"Um."
Gao Yuan swallowed the steamed bun, took a sip of porridge, and swished the contents of his mouth. "I can only throw two hundred at most in the morning. Five hundred? My hands would be ruined!"
"You'll get used to it." Lin Feng peeled off the eggshell. The egg was soft-boiled, with the yolk semi-solid. He took a bite, and the golden egg liquid slowly flowed out. He dipped a piece of steamed bun in it and put it in his mouth.