Chapter 30: 029 Badminton Partner

Two hours passed quickly; Fang Qingye and Liu Dong politely bid farewell to the two Misses, then went to shower and change clothes before leaving the badminton hall.

"Liu Dong, I saw you chatting and laughing with the Miss you were playing with; did you know each other before?" Fang Qingye asked.

"Not exactly; her name is Bi Huanhuan, she works at the Government Office. I've seen her before; our jobs are similar, so we have common topics," Liu Dong explained.

Fang Qingye made an "oh" sound and said nothing more.

"Her cousin, the girl you were playing with, is named Du Juan; she's a physical education teacher at Chaoyang Middle School," Liu Dong added.

"So you introduced me to her?" Fang Qingye asked.

"Of course."

"Fine, up to you."

Liu Dong smiled and asked again, "Ye Zi, I'm free tomorrow night; how about the day after, Saturday noon?" Liu Dong asked again.

"Sure; I'm now sacrificing myself to keep a gentleman company," Fang Qingye laughed.

"Then it's settled: three in the afternoon; after the game, I'll treat you to beer."

"Forget it, I'll treat; you paid for the court fees. If I keep letting you treat, I'm afraid I'll bankrupt you," Fang Qingye replied.

Liu Dong chuckled twice and said nothing.

His salary wasn't low; over 2,000 yuan a month, drawn from the Aging Affairs Commission, while the Propaganda Department provided rural travel allowances for fieldwork; however, within the system there were no overtime pay for extra hours, so by month's end he could take home about 2,400 yuan.

He lived in the government staff dormitory, paying no rent; meals at the government canteen were cheap, so unless he bought clothes, he didn't spend much in a month.

But due to his family's financial difficulties, his family had incurred debt to support his university education, so he had to send 1,500 yuan home each month, leaving less than 1,000 yuan.

That was enough for daily expenses, but now with training and treating others, it was truly tight.

So when Liu Dong heard Fang Qingye offer to treat, he didn't refuse.

They were close brothers; the other knew his current situation, so there was no need to pretend stubbornly.

By Saturday afternoon, Fang Qingye had taken a nap; after waking and seeing the time was about right, he slung his badminton racket over his back, mounted his small scooter, and headed straight for the badminton hall beside the stadium; Liu Dong was already there, and the two began practicing.

After a few minutes, Fang Qingye suddenly noticed two Misses, one tall and one short, carrying badminton bags, entering through the door.

Oh my...

It was exactly those two from a couple of days ago!

The girl named Bi Huanhuan saw Liu Dong, waved at him from far away with a smile, and Liu Dong hurriedly waved back to greet her.

Seeing this scene, Fang Qingye asked Liu Dong, "Hey, did you arrange this?"

"No, it was just a coincidence; I really didn't arrange to meet them," Liu Dong hurriedly explained.

Alright...

I believe you.

The two Misses went to the locker room to change into sports clothes, then started playing badminton on the vacant court next to Fang Qingye and the others.

At first they each played their own game; after an hour, Du Juan proposed switching partners again. Before Fang Qingye could speak, Liu Dong readily agreed.

This guy, could he have taken a liking to Bi Huanhuan?

Fang Qingye muttered inwardly.

It's fine; playing with Du Juan is good too; it's a match of evenly matched opponents.

Just like last time, the two didn't chat and started playing immediately; meanwhile, on the adjacent court, Liu Dong and Bi Huanhuan were chatting and laughing while playing, having a great time.

After another two hours of training, both sides departed separately.

From the latter half of May to early June, Fang Qingye spent his time this way: besides work, he was often dragged out by Liu Dong to practice; under his training, Liu Dong's skills improved greatly.

While playing, they often met that pair of cousins; their relationship grew familiar; last time after the game, Liu Dong even treated the two Misses to milk tea at a milk tea shop.

A simp...

Fang Qingye silently muttered the remark inside, then lifted his own milk tea and took a sip.

By mid-June, the Jinghai region where Nanxin County is located entered the plum rain season; compared to last year's temperamental "Plum Super-Feng," this year's plum rains were relatively gentle.

But the rain occasionally asserted its presence, either as a downpour or a drizzle; the temperature wasn't so high, yet one always felt damp and sticky, very uncomfortable.

It rained all morning today; by noon there was still no sign of stopping. Fang Qingye felt irritable; after eating, he returned to the office. Just as he walked up the stairs, his phone rang; he took it out and saw it was Liu Dong calling.

Could this guy be asking me to play badminton again?

Fang Qingye thought as he answered; sure enough, Liu Dong asked if he was free tonight to go to the stadium to play.

He didn't really want to go, so he said:

"I have something tonight; I'm afraid I can't make it."

"Really something?"

"How could I lie to you? You might as well find Bi Huanhuan and Du Juan; we're all friends, and your skill level isn't bad now," Fang Qingye offered a suggestion.

"I don't know if they're free or willing... I'll try."

"It'll definitely work!" Fang Qingye encouraged him.

Just as he hung up, Fang Qingye heard someone speak behind him: "Xiao Fang, did you arrange to play with a friend?"

He turned around and saw Xia He; he didn't know when she had come up behind him.

"A friend of mine invited me to play badminton; I'm not free today, so I told him to find someone else," Fang Qingye answered truthfully.

The two walked together toward the upper floors.

Xia He asked curiously again: "Badminton? Xiao Fang, how good are you?"

"Just so-so."

"Really? If you have time, how about we go play?" Xia He suddenly made a request.

"You like playing badminton?" Fang Qingye was somewhat surprised.

He had never heard that Xia He played badminton.

Xia He replied: "Yes; I played often when I was in school. Later, while working in Jin Ling, I often went to badminton halls with friends; sometimes I went alone; there were practice partners there. But after coming to Nanxin, I know fewer people; I heard the badminton halls here don't have practice partners, so when I want to play, I can't find a partner."

Fang Qingye nodded after hearing that.

True, badminton was a fairly niche sport in Nanxin; indoor venues were limited to just two — the stadium and the Yikangyuan Sports and Leisure Center — and there were no practice partners to speak of.

"Alright, this time I've found a badminton buddy." Xia He's pretty face was full of smiles.

Judging by Xia He's tone, her badminton level didn't seem too bad?

Fang Qingye's interest was piqued as well.

"Alright then, let's find time to play a match."

"Mm... how about tonight?" Xia He said.

"Tonight won't work, I have something on." Fang Qingye refused immediately — refusing Liu Dong while agreeing to Xia He would be a lousy thing to do to a friend.

Xia He didn't press the matter either: "Then the day after tomorrow evening."

"Sure."

Two days passed, the rain still falling on and off. Not long after getting off work in the afternoon, Fang Qingye was still eating at home when he got a call from Xia He.

"Xiao Fang, don't forget — we're playing tonight."

"I remember, I'll be at the stadium on time at seven-thirty." Fang Qingye said, phone in hand while eating.

"Let's play at the Yikangyuan Sports and Leisure Center instead? I heard the conditions are better there. I'll drive over to pick you up — you live in the teachers' compound on Wenhua Road, right?"

"Yes."

"Then at seven-fifteen, I'll wait for you at the gate of your compound."

"Okay."

After the call ended, his mother Zhang Meili, who was eating beside him, asked: "Xiao Ye, is Liu Dong asking you to play ball again?"

"Yes."

Fang Qingye had originally meant to say it wasn't Liu Dong but Xia He, but on second thought, explaining too much was a hassle.