Chapter 22: A Morning Game of Basketball

Dragon Brother and I returned home quite late. It had been a long time since we last went out together, so we indulged a bit more than usual.

That evening, we even visited an amusement park, where she accompanied me on the carousel for a while.

Upon arriving home, Dragon Brother, looking like a weary princess, cast a tired glance my way before heading straight to bed.

I was quite exhausted myself, yet the day had been wonderfully enjoyable. I drifted into a deep sleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

I slept soundly until the early morning. I was enjoying my rest when I felt a persistent doorbell ringing.

Initially, I dismissed it as a dream, but as I groggily climbed out of bed, I realized someone was genuinely pressing the bell.

Reaching the door, I opened it to find Old Han. She was dressed in a black hoodie, her hood and dark hair cascading behind her, giving her a refreshed appearance.

Hugging a basketball, she gazed at me with a cheerful smile. “Still sleeping, are we?” she teased.

Still feeling a bit drowsy, I yawned, scratching my slightly itchy hair. “Come on in,” I said.

As I busied myself with instant noodles in the kitchen, Dragon Brother emerged from her room.

She was still wearing my white T-shirt and a pair of white underwear, rubbing her ruby-red eyes.

With a sleepy gaze, she looked at Old Han. “Oh, you’re here,” she mumbled.

‘Yes, Dragon Brother always loves to wander around the house in just her underwear. I suppose I’m almost used to it now…’

Seeing that Dragon Brother was also awake, I retrieved another bowl of instant noodles from the cabinet.

Just then, Ming Hai also stumbled out of her room, looking utterly bewildered. She wore a teddy bear pajama set, her long black hair a disheveled mess.

The moment she awoke, she made a direct path to the sofa, where she sat down and stared blankly at the coffee table.

‘Well, then. Four servings it is.’

I sighed, putting on another kettle of water to boil. From the cabinet, I pulled out four packets of instant noodles.

‘It seems our stock is running a bit low,’ I mused. ‘I’ll have to buy a whole box next time.’

Aside from Old Han, the three of us were still half-asleep, eating breakfast in a daze.

After we finished, Old Han suggested we go out and play some basketball.

I actually thought a morning workout sounded quite good and considered joining.

To my surprise, Dragon Brother glanced out the window, likely finding the weather pleasant, and actually agreed to go.

I decided we should go. I, too, needed some exercise; staying home all these days felt like I was growing moss.

Ming Hai, however, declared her intention to sleep. Yet, I believed continuous sleep couldn’t be good for her, and the weather was too beautiful to waste.

I wanted to take her out for some exercise, so I urged her to come along. She stated she didn’t want to play basketball.

“Then you can just stand by and watch,” I suggested. “It’ll be good to get some fresh air.”

She tilted her head, pondered for a moment, then silently nodded in agreement.

With no further objections, we all quickly washed up and prepared to leave.

As Dragon Brother searched for clothes, she realized her old tracksuit, riddled with cigarette burns, had been discarded by me.

Playing basketball in a fitted mini-skirt would look rather odd, so she ended up wearing one of my old tracksuits that had become too small for me.

Even then, it hung loosely on her frame. She didn’t seem to mind, however, simply splashing water on her face before heading out.

Conveniently, there was a basketball court near my home, belonging to the nearby high school, not far from where I lived.

The sun had just begun to rise in the early morning, and the air was filled with illuminated mist, feeling exceptionally crisp.

The court was largely empty, with only a few individuals, each with a basketball, practicing their shots on one side.

The morning air was indeed invigorating. I performed a few stretches with satisfaction, and Dragon Brother, yawning, also stretched her limbs.

Only Old Chu remained in her half-awake state, staring vaguely at the ground.

Old Han looked around and spotted a court where four boys were leisurely practicing their shots.

Old Han walked over, a smile gracing her lips. “Four on four, you in?” she called out.

The four boys, dribbling their balls, turned to look at us. I personally felt that just shooting around was fine; the morning outing was mainly for fresh air.

However, seeing Old Han’s enthusiasm, I kept quiet.

It was a bit chilly in the early morning, and a gust of wind swept by, making me shiver with my hands in my pockets.

The opposing team, seeing that we had only one male player and the rest were girls, exchanged glances and chuckled.

A Tall, thin boy smiled and said, “I’m worried people will say we’re bullying you. Let’s just practice shooting instead of keeping score.”

He then pointed to the tall, well-built boy behind him. “He’s our school team captain; he’s incredibly good at basketball.”

Old Han shook her head with a smile. The tall, well-built boy, however, was full of enthusiasm.

He stepped closer, grinning. “Playing for score is fine too, let’s just have some fun. How should we split up?”

Old Han gestured towards our group of four. “We’ll split up just like this,” she declared.

I glanced at Dragon Brother, who scratched her backside and then cast a quick look at me.

The boy looked us over, chuckling. “Can you guys really play?” he asked.

Old Han laughed. “Who cares if we can or not? Let’s just play.”

The boys all found it amusing. Old Han, still smiling, bounced the ball twice.

“Some of us aren’t very good,” she admitted. “Please go easy on us.”

It seemed encountering girls on the basketball court was a rare occurrence, as all the boys readily agreed.

I hadn’t played basketball in quite a while either. Back in middle school, I used to play with Old Han.

She was even on the school team then, primarily playing small forward, and was exceptionally skilled at dribbling past opponents and making layups.

Old Chu stood nearby, yawning, her eyes fixed on the people shooting around on the adjacent court.

Dragon Brother seemed annoyed by these cocky boys. She shot them a glance, then furtively whispered to me, “Old Lu, how exactly do you play basketball?”

I considered the rules, but explaining them felt too complicated. After a moment, I simply told her, “Just throw the ball into the hoop.”

Dragon Brother replied, speechless, “I f*cking know that.”

Old Chu called us onto the court. Since teams were settled, we immediately began with a two-point jump ball.

The opposing team started with possession. Among them was a Delicate-looking boy. He held the ball, aimed for a while, then threw it with a remarkably effeminate motion.

The ball didn’t even graze the net. His pretty face flushed crimson, and he lowered his head in embarrassment, stealing a glance at the tall boy.

Dragon Brother, having never played basketball, found the boy’s shooting form utterly effeminate and couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

I playfully tapped Dragon Brother’s head. She yelped, covering her head, then retaliated with a swat to my backside.

The effeminate boy’s head dropped even lower. He truly looked like a short-haired girl, with skin as fair as Dragon Brother’s.

The tall, well-built boy sighed, patting his shoulder. The effeminate boy gave him a grateful look before stepping aside.

Old Han watched with a smile, then passed the ball to us. “Just shoot whenever,” she said.

As soon as she spoke, the boys all looked at her.

Dragon Brother took the ball. “How do you play this?” she asked.

I sighed, exasperated. “I already told you, just throw it into the hoop.”

Dragon Brother thought for a moment, then, holding the ball in one hand like the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing, she aimed for a long time before suddenly heaving it.

The ball sailed directly over the backboard.

Dragon Brother hunched her shoulders and looked at me. Old Han, also feeling a bit helpless, jogged over to retrieve the ball.

The boys looked at Dragon Brother in surprise. “She’s got quite a strong arm,” one remarked.

I forced a wry smile, thinking, ‘If Dragon Brother really put her strength into a throw, she’d probably shatter the backboard.’

It seemed that besides the tall, well-built boy, the others weren’t particularly skilled either.

After Dragon Brother, it was the Tall, thin boy’s turn. He dribbled the ball a couple of times, then shot, but it didn’t go in.

Ming Hai, watching from the side, seemed to grow a little more interested. She stared at him shooting, then asked me, “Is it my turn next? Are there any tricks to shooting?”

I thought for a moment, unsure how to explain it. “You just need to practice a lot,” I said.

Seeing that Ming Hai was a girl, the boy bent down and carefully tossed the ball to her.

Ming Hai spread her arms, watching the ball roll towards her. She then hopped in its direction, squatted down, and embraced it with both hands.

I instinctively covered my face, finding her action incredibly endearing.

Ming Hai held the ball up, examining it for a few seconds before turning to me. “Is there a standard posture for shooting?” she asked.

I thought about it. “I remember your wrist and upper arm should be vertical, ideally forming a ninety-degree angle,” I explained. “The other hand is just for support; don’t use force with it.”

Old Chu nodded, her eyes fixed intently on the hoop. She gripped the ball and raised her hand, her posture as textbook-perfect as an illustration.

“Is this right?” she asked me.

I nodded repeatedly. “Exactly!”

The boys had been watching us, and seeing Old Chu’s suddenly perfect posture, they were all momentarily stunned.

I, however, found it quite normal, knowing Old Chu was a genius. She stared at the hoop and then asked me, “Are there any specific details for releasing the ball? Which fingertip should I use?”

“Your index finger,” I replied.

Old Han chuckled from the side. “Just shoot it already,” she said. “If knowing all that guaranteed a good shot, there wouldn’t be so many NBA stars, and no need for practice…”

Before Old Han could finish her sentence, Ming Hai’s gaze locked onto the hoop. With a flick of her wrist, the ball left her hand in a posture identical to a textbook illustration.

I watched as the ball arced closer and closer to the basket, maintaining a perfect parabola, spinning rapidly backward.

Then, with a clean swish, it dropped through the net.

The group of boys stood dumbfounded.

Old Han, hands in her pockets, was somewhat speechless, watching the ball bounce twice on the ground without a word.

I chuckled. “Our ball, right?”

Old Han, her hands still in her pockets, gave me a helpless look before jogging to retrieve the ball from under the hoop.

As she went to pick up the ball, I glanced at the adjacent court and was instantly startled.

Even in the early morning, a crowd of boys had gathered around the court. They had initially been scattered, practicing their shots.

Unbeknownst to us, at some point, a group had noticed three girls playing here and silently converged to watch.

Now, nearly a dozen people stood clustered around the court.

I was somewhat speechless, but Old Han’s expression remained calm, as if this was a common occurrence for her.

She picked up the ball and tossed it to me.

After Ming Hai’s successful shot, I noticed the tall boy frown. He whispered a few words to the Tall, thin boy beside him.

The Tall, thin boy nodded and silently positioned himself not far from Ming Hai, beginning to guard her.

The game had officially begun. I dribbled the ball twice, while the boys each took up their defensive positions.

I also glanced at Old Han’s spot, preparing to pass the ball.

The boys gathered around the court’s edge were whispering amongst themselves.

“Hey, look at those three girls. The one with black hair is really pretty.”

“I think the one with white hair is cuter…”

“Isn’t that tall guy Huang Li? Isn’t he on the school team? Why is he playing with three girls?”

“I was just watching. It was the black-haired girl who asked to play a game…”

“Being the school team captain is great. Girls practically throw themselves at him…”

Hearing these comments, I looked towards the tall boy named Huang Li. He stood with his hands on his knees, watching me from inside the three-point line.

When he saw me looking at him, he offered me a smile.

I smiled back at him, dribbling the ball, and pondered who to pass it to.

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