Chapter 33 — Medals Are Not For You

I put my hands in my pockets. “On the racetrack there is a destination.” Luc Thua Da nodded. “In the divorce agreement, I don't take anything.” “The payment for office expenses has been processed.” “That's work.” “In marriage, there is nothing that needs to be divided.” "Have." He took out a key from his pocket. It's the key to the old house. On the key ring is still hanging the red number tag I sewed for him three years ago. "My things haven't been moved yet. There are two boxes of books in the study room, and in the storage room there is also a wooden box my mother left behind." “I will ask the moving company to come over this weekend.” “I've finished cleaning up for you.” "Thank you." He gave me the key. “The door lock hasn't been changed.” I don't accept. “Just ask the assistant to open the door.” Luc Thua Da's hand froze in midair. A moment later, he put the key away. "Okay." Before leaving the base, he asked me: "Is Tong Han coming back?" "The club has canceled the decision to suspend her, and the Professional Association has also intervened to investigate. As for whether to return to her old position or not, it is up to her to decide." “She refused.” I never knew about this. “She applied to be the doctor in charge at the young talent training center.” “It suits her very well.” “Before she left, she left a sentence.” Luc Thua Da looked out at the empty runway. "She said, if a team only thanks the medical staff when an athlete wins a medal, but when the injury causes the medical staff to take the blame, whoever wears that gold medal will feel their hands burn." I don't laugh. It's really similar to what Tong Han would say. At the end of the weekend, I went back to my old house to move the last of my furniture. Luc Thua Da was not there. The two cartons in the study room were carefully taped, and each book was arranged in its original order. The red velvet box in the storage room is still there. The never-worn men's ring still lies inside. Next to it is another sheet of paper. *[The ring cannot be returned, you can handle it as you please.]* I left the box in its original position. After the moving company carried the last box of books out, I stood in the middle of the living room and looked back. Right in the middle of the last wall hung that national championship gold medal. Below is no me, nor is there a photo of Tong Han. There are only competition dates and achievements. I put the key on the shoe cabinet at the door. Before closing the door, the gold medal on the wall flashed a ray of light. This time, it's right where it belongs. ### 13 One year later, the first professional athlete I coached returned to the national championship field. It was the badminton player who injured his anterior cruciate ligament and hurriedly wanted to get on the treadmill on the opening day of the clinic, Trinh Da. His recovery took two months longer than expected. In the second month, his father still came to me to ask if he could participate in the internal selection match earlier. By the fifth month, he knew to proactively reduce exercise intensity when his joints showed signs of swelling. In the eighth month, he completed his first full-court match and sat on the sidelines crying for ten minutes. The day the competition returned, his mother left me a ticket in the family area. I don't sit there. The recovery team's position is closer to the field, making it convenient to observe his movements and landings. The first set ended at 18-18. After a jump shot, he bounced back and landed, his right knee slightly bent inward. I raised my hand. Trinh Da saw the signal and immediately asked the referee for a medical pause. The audience at the scene was somewhat dissatisfied, the coach also stepped forward to ask if they could continue trying.