Qingzhou is located in the alluvial plain in the eastern part of Jiangdong Province. There are many water systems and abundant water resources in the area. Yishan County is even known as the "Jiangdong Water Town". Qishui, Jinhe and Matihe meet in the county from three directions and flow into Liusu River, which flows directly into the sea. As a Qingzhou native, it is equivalent to growing up in the water since childhood. Most people are very good at swimming and are first-class experts in fishing, catching shrimps and riding the waves.
So, when they heard that Gu Wenyuan was going to have a rowing competition with Wen Liang, people who were playing around Baiou Lake gradually gathered from all directions. No one thought it was incredible, but rather it was natural. In such weather and such an atmosphere, it would be a shame not to have an exciting competition. In less than half an hour, one or two hundred people had lined up in a long line along the lake. There were crowds of people, excited young faces, shouting one after another, chasing each other and playing. Baiou Lake has never been so lively in many years.
Gu Wenyuan was surrounded by a large group of people, including Mu Shanshan, Bai Huan, Hou Qiang, Honghou, Shi Chengcai, the strong man who had wrestled with Wen Liang, a tall and strong man, and some other followers. After several months of development, Gu Wenyuan's circle has become increasingly large, and has not shrunk at all because of Wen Liang's several blows. He glanced at everyone with a gloomy look and said coldly: "Shanshan has already said everything that needs to be said. I just want to emphasize one thing. If you win, tonight is mine. Brothers, go to Guanshan and enjoy a night. The top Kaiyuan International Club has good food, drinks, fun, and the best women. If you lose... If you lose, all of you jump into the lake and swim around. In the future, don't say that I am Gu Wenyuan's people. Liu Zhihe has called so many people to watch. If I lose and refuse to pay, I can't afford to lose face! Do you understand?"
Seeing that everyone looked gloomy, Mu Shanshan was obviously already traumatized by Wen Liang, so he encouraged them, "Although Wen Yuan's words were a bit harsh, we all know what's going on. Wen Liang has been against us many times, and he's been getting more and more arrogant at school recently. Today we have to beat him up hard and put down his arrogance. In a rowing competition, whoever is stronger wins, but those guys are so skinny or fat that it's a question whether they can even start the boat. There's a saying, strategically..."
"Despise the enemy strategically, and take him seriously tactically!"
"Yes, the Red Monkey has been studying lately. We just have to despise him and then defeat him! If we win, not only tonight, but every day thereafter, we will all have fun."
The two of them, one soft and one hard, immediately aroused the enthusiasm of the crowd. Red Monkey shouted, "MB, kill them!"
Hou Qiang has been much more honest recently. His father, Hou Chuanhai, had just replaced Yang Yixing as the secretary of the Huashan District Committee. Before he could even get comfortable in the position, Zhou Yuanting suddenly fell from power. His future suddenly became uncertain. He was always gloomy and irritable, and had been angry with Hou Qiang many times, scaring the guy so much that he dared not go home and had been hiding in Honghou's house. But the high-profile person could not stand the low-profile life. At this moment, he had forgotten his father's shaky position and became excited: "I have wanted to deal with Wenliang for a long time. Today, I must make him look bad on the spot!"
Bai Huan didn't say much. Gu Wenyuan glanced at him and said, "Old Bai hasn't been in good spirits recently, so don't go on stage. Just cheer on the sidelines."
Ever since Bai Changqian changed sides at the last minute, his reputation in Qingzhou officialdom has been ruined to the lowest level. Even Xu Fuyan's people, although they didn't say it, despised him in their hearts. Of course, they envied Bai Changqian for being able to judge the situation and decisively join Xu Fuyan's team. Compared with those former comrades who lost their future and official positions, how much happier is he
What does a little fame and face mean!
Hou Qiang had heard Hou Chuanhai scolding Bai Changqian for being a treacherous villain more than once at home, and his relationship with Bai Huan was no longer as close as before. There was always a thorn in his heart, and he couldn't help but sneer, "Mayor Bai is about to be promoted, but you are pretending to be listless all day long. Who are you trying to show off to?"
Bai Huan has a sinister personality, and his father is in a high position, so few people dare to offend him in the circle. Even Mu Shanshan is always polite when talking to him. Hearing Hou Qiang's rude words, he sneered, "Yes, you don't have to pretend. I just heard the news yesterday that Secretary Xu is very dissatisfied with the work of Huashan District. Your father may be invited in by Liu Tianlai for tea. We are brothers, and I don't dislike you. You should just follow me in the future!"
"Just say that again, you MB!" Hou Qiang was furious. He took off the key chain and put it on his middle finger, ready to smash it on Bai Huan's head.
Bai Huan didn't move, and said disdainfully: "What a bear! Let the three of you fight together!"
Mu Shanshan hugged Hou Qiang around the waist and said, "Why are you arguing? We are family, don't start a quarrel and make others laugh at you."
Gu Wenyuan frowned and said, "Old Bai, Heihou said too much. He is upset. Please forgive him. Why did he say such hurtful words?" He turned to Hou Qiang and said, "You have such a bad mouth. It's no big deal if a district party secretary is removed. Introduce your father to my father one day. Jiangdong has more than one Qingzhou. There are many other places to go. Don't worry!"
Bai Huan turned away with a cold face. To him, this was already an admission of fault. Hou Qiang pulled Mu Shanshan's hand away and said awkwardly, "Old Bai, you know me well, don't bother with me."
In fact, among this group of people, Bai Huan and Hou Qiang have the best friendship. They have done countless bad things together, but suddenly they have a disagreement because their fathers are in different camps. It has to be said that this is also extremely ridiculous.
Gu Wenyuan's two words suppressed the two men and they shook hands and made peace, and he was very satisfied. In a circle, there must be an absolute voice, a unique leader, to keep everyone united and form a force. Gu Wenyuan understood that Wen Liang's small power had already taken shape, and it was difficult to find an opportunity to simply provoke and discipline him in school like before. So today, he let Shi Jie provoke him first, and then he would challenge him. With Wen Liang's character, he would not escape, nor be afraid, and would definitely come to gamble on this game.
Gu Wenyuan turned his head and looked at the boy who was also surrounded by the crowd. Ji Su was standing beside him, with her head slightly raised, pure eyes and gentle smile. All her attention was on Wen Liang, and she never looked back.
You will regret it! You definitely will!
Wen Liang was in no mood to compete with Gu Wenyuan at this moment, and asked in a low voice: "Zhihe, isn't it bad to make such a big deal? The teacher is here, be careful not to catch your little braids."
Liu Zhihe was calculating the profits with a small notebook in his hand, and he said without raising his head, "The teachers have all gone to the county town for dinner, and there are not many left here. Don't worry, I won't make any mistakes. Besides, there are not many people betting, only more than 60, and the teachers won't hear anything."
Sixty isn't enough? Are you planning to open a casino and let Liu Tian come to kill his relatives for the sake of justice
"1:1.5 odds, Boss, if we win we will gain both fame and fortune, at least a thousand dollars..."
Wen Liang turned his head and looked at the crooked handwriting on the small notebook. It was a coded language full of Liu Zhihe's style. He couldn't understand it at all. It was incredible that he could calculate the final profit margin with such little effort. It really is true that every profession has its own expertise. You can't deny it!
"What does this 2:0:5 mean?"
"Well, someone bet fifty cents on us to win. 2 represents the team, which is us!"
Wen Liang was speechless: "MB, you have the nerve to take 50 cents? Is this the level of support you are giving us?"
"Brother, we are students. A lower threshold can help expand the audience. Besides, don't look down on 50 cents. If you operate well, you can get a 200% return."
What's there to be proud of when 50 cents turns into 1.5 yuan? Wen Liang was too lazy to pay attention to this guy and went to discuss with Zhang Song about selecting people. He had too few friends in school, so he could only rely on Liu Zhihe's circle to find some suitable people. First of all, they must be strong, have long and strong arms, and be good at swimming; secondly, they must have good coordination, quick reactions, and have rowed a boat before; finally, they must follow orders in all actions. After asking around, there were not many people who met these three conditions. It was not easy to find three, and with Wen Liang, Liu Zhihe, and Zhang Song, they could barely form a team.
Xu Yao pointed at Liu Zhihe and asked doubtfully, "Can he make it? Don't let the weight sink the boat."
Zhang Song and the others didn't dare to laugh, and turned their heads away. Wen Liang smiled and said, "Zhihe may be the most capable fat man besides Sammo Hung. It's okay. With someone to hold the rudder, it will be more stable!" After seeing Liu Zhihe fighting in the alley last time, Wen Liang had completely changed his opinion of him. This fat man is strong and powerful, and can fight and charge. He is definitely a good fighter.
Liu Zhihe rolled up his sleeves, exposing his forearms, and acted like a bodybuilder boss. He said, "Xu Yao, today I will go all out to correct your wrong worldview about fat people. I must defeat those bastards."
Xu Yao cheered loudly, climbed up the white stone for viewing by the lake, waved her hand, and said: "Comrades, decades ago, the martyrs shouted for the new China to move forward, and the new China was established. Today, we also want to shout for the rowing race to move forward, so we..."
At this point, Xu Yao covered her ears with one hand and stretched out the other hand to the crowd like a microphone. A group of girls from a class approached and raised their hands and shouted wildly: "Victory, victory!"
Seeing Xu Yao's motivation for the first time, Ren Yi was stunned, his mouth opened wide. Wen Liang had the experience in the Lincoln last time, so he was no longer surprised. Liu Zhihe touched his shoulder and whispered: "I thought you were going to shout, so we became martyrs... Didn't it say in the front that the martyrs shouted forward..."
Wen Liang looked up at Xu Yao, who looked like an angel, smiled and clapped his hands, saying, "Don't you think that action just now was very much like that of a Hong Kong or Taiwan superstar?"
Liu Zhihe was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. This is really the truth!"
Wen Liang gave a few simple instructions, such as keeping your back straight and your chest high, bending your legs slightly, resting your feet against the horizontal edge of the boat bottom, stretching your arms forward and paddling into the water at a 30-degree angle, etc. Fortunately, I had watched many water sports competitions in my previous life, and I learned a lot about canoeing because I paid attention to it in the 2008 Olympics. Rowing seems simple, but in fact, there are many skills. Wen Liang could not train an Olympic team in just a few words. As long as you listen to the commands clearly and do it in unison, you are halfway to success. Everyone took off their bulky coats, put on life jackets, and got ready. Both sides boarded two boats from the small dock. From front to back, there was just enough space for six people. Gu Wenyuan sat in the front row on the right, and Honghou stood at the bow and shouted slogans.
There was no suspense on Wen Liang's side. Everyone unanimously nominated Xu Yao to lead the team. The scene just now really left a deep impression on everyone. Wen Liang sat in the front row on the left, right next to Gu Wenyuan. When the two looked at each other, they saw the deepest hatred in each other's eyes.
Wen Liang held the paddle tightly with both hands and took a deep breath.
He didn't know if he could win, but he was determined to do it, as if there was a fire burning in his chest. Many years later, with overwhelming power and countless wealth, nothing could make him as excited as that autumn day on White Gull Lake, and make him willing to go all out to row towards an unknown answer!
"One, two, three, go!"
“Wow!”
It was the sound of wooden oars breaking through the water. Twelve oars entered the water at the same time, swung backwards, and splashed water everywhere. The small fish that had just gathered at the bottom of the boat and pecking around immediately got frightened and fled in all directions.
The boat rushed forward, facing the cold wind and breaking through the clear waves. Today, regardless of identity, status, grudges, and hatred, the only thing that can be engraved in memory is the fleeting time in the red lake!
No regrets in youth!
The shore was in a state of excitement. A group of big-eyed girls stood on the white rocks and beat the rhythm vigorously. First one, then two, then three, until one or two hundred people's voices rang out at the same time, singing that loud song:
"One bamboo pole cannot cross the vast ocean; many oars can sail a large sailboat.
A small tree is so weak that it cannot withstand the wind and rain; but a hundred miles of forest can stand the cold winter together.
One plus ten, ten plus a hundred, a hundred plus thousands and millions; you plus me, me plus you, our hearts are connected!
"We are in the same boat, the sea makes way for us. The waves move aside when the boatmen shout. Hundreds of boats compete with each other, the waves are behind us and the shore is ahead!"
Xu Yao took off her down jacket, turned around and tied it around her waist, which made her look even more slender and graceful. Her rosy face was full of passion. She waved her right fist vigorously. The small girl was full of the beauty of strength. Following their slogans, she shouted hoarsely: "One, two, one, two..."
Wen Liang focused all his attention on the oar in his hand, feeling the resistance in the water, the speed of the boat, and the cooperation of his companions. His speed and strength far exceeded those of his peers, so he had to consciously find a point of convergence so that everyone could adapt to this rhythm and maximize the role of the group.
Zhang Song was tall and strong, sitting in the last row on the right. With his physical strength, he could take care of the front and rear together with Wen Liang. Liu Zhihe sat in the middle, supporting the front and back. The others also tried their best, rowing the boat with all their strength towards the island in the middle of the lake.