Lin Zhilan had once worked with provincial team athletes, providing them with specialized bone injury rehabilitation and sports conditioning.
One female athlete who left a deep impression on her was a 100-meter sprinter who, it was said, had a chance of making it onto the national team. Lin Zhilan had seen her results—her personal best was 11.38 seconds.
She remembered asking the track team’s doctor offhandedly at what age the girl had started training. The doctor said she was recruited by a sports school at age ten, and at that time her 100-meter time was 16 seconds.
Han Mei was only nine now. She had never received any training, had no proper track or conditions, and didn’t even have a decent pair of shoes. Yet she had run a 16-second 100 meters.
Han Mei walked over slowly, her chest still heaving heavily as she gasped for breath. She felt a little uneasy under Lin Zhilan’s gaze and rubbed one foot against the other. “I already tried my best,” she said.
Lin Zhilan’s voice was full of excitement. “You run very fast. Can you do it once more?”
Han Mei didn’t understand why, but she agreed anyway.
She ran again. The time was still 16 seconds.
Lin Zhilan didn’t have a professional stopwatch, so she could only time it with the second hand of her watch. Still, Han Mei’s performance was astonishing enough.
“Su Lang! Come over here!”
Lin Zhilan cupped her hands around her mouth and called toward the basketball court.
Su Lang was explaining tactics to Jiang Chengzhou and the others. Hearing his wife’s voice, he turned to look. Lin Zhilan was waving at him excitedly.
Su Lang smiled, hoisted Linlin onto his hip with one hand, and walked over quickly.
Linlin giggled with every bounce, her little hands flailing in the air.
“What’s up?” Su Lang set his daughter down, his eyes warm with amusement.
Lin Zhilan put a hand on Han Mei’s thin shoulder, speaking with a triumphant tone. “Do you know? This kid just ran 100 meters in 16 seconds.”
“Sixteen seconds?”
Su Lang repeated, looking at Han Mei with a hint of surprise.
He understood better than Lin Zhilan just how impressive a 16-second 100-meter time was.
The last National Youth Sports School Competition was in 1965. For girls in the 10–12 age group, the champion’s time had been 14.5 seconds.
That was only 1.5 seconds faster than Han Mei’s time.
Su Lang crouched down to look Han Mei in the eye.
Han Mei’s face went pale with nervousness, and she hid behind Lin Zhilan.
Lin Zhilan gently pushed her forward. “Don’t be scared. Whatever your uncle asks, just answer. I’ll be right here watching you.”
Han Mei slowly stepped out.
Su Lang, trying not to frighten her, lowered his voice as much as possible. “Do you have the energy to run one more time?”
Han Mei didn’t answer immediately but looked up at Lin Zhilan.
Lin Zhilan nodded at her, clenched her fist, and said, “You can do it!”
Han Mei pressed her lips together and turned to Su Lang, whispering, “Okay.”
Su Lang led her to the starting line. Without teaching her any technique, he simply yelled, “Go!”
Han Mei bit her lip, her eyes fixed ahead. As soon as she heard the signal, she ran.
Su Lang watched the stopwatch, his brow slightly furrowed.
Lin Zhilan timed it too. This time, it was 17 seconds.
“The first two times were really 16 seconds,” Lin Zhilan said quickly, trying to explain.
“I believe you,” Su Lang said, taking her hand. “She ran three times in a row, so a little fluctuation is normal. And the change isn’t that big.”
Lin Zhilan’s eyes shone. “She has real talent for sprinting, doesn’t she?”
Su Lang smiled lightly. “Yes.”
The boys playing basketball had noticed the commotion and gradually gathered around.
Jiang Chengzhou ran over to Lin Zhilan, tossed the ball to Yan Yuan, and asked breathlessly, “Aunt, what are you all doing?”
“Watching Han Mei run,” Lin Zhilan said.
“What’s so interesting about that?” Jiang Chengzhou looked puzzled.
Everyone’s eyes were on Han Mei as she walked back from the track. Feeling the stares, she almost forgot how to walk properly.
After the initial excitement, Lin Zhilan began to worry.
The child had talent, but without room to grow, even the best gift would be wasted.
Realizing that the attention was because of Han Mei’s speed, Jiang Chengzhou borrowed Lin Zhilan’s watch and started timing himself.
Linlin wandered along the edge of the track with the older boys.
Su Lang and Lin Zhilan sat down on a nearby bench again.
“Do you think this kid can make it in track and field?” Lin Zhilan gently scratched Su Lang’s palm.
Su Lang clasped her hand tighter. “She’s gifted. She’s a promising prospect to train.”
“Hmm…” Lin Zhilan mused.
Su Lang chuckled. “What are you thinking?”
Lin Zhilan gave him a playful glare. “Just thinking of being a horse-finder, a talent scout.”
When the “talent scout” came knocking, Commander Han and Wang Xiuzhi felt like they were sitting on pins and needles—utterly uneasy.
Wang Xiuzhi had always kept her distance from Lin Zhilan, treating her with a kind of wary respect.
Commander Han, on the other hand, had once been left speechless after an argument with Lin Zhilan.
Now she was showing up uninvited. Wang Xiuzhi and Commander Han immediately started racking their brains, wondering what they might have done wrong this time.
Lin Zhilan cleared her throat. “Commander Han, Sister-in-law, let me be direct. Today, while watching the boys play basketball, I noticed your Han Mei runs pretty fast.”
Wang Xiuzhi glanced at Han Mei and said sheepishly, “She’s just a wild girl. She used to run all over the hills back in our hometown.”
Lin Zhilan got straight to the point. “Have you ever thought about training her in this area?”
Wang Xiuzhi didn’t understand and looked at her husband.
What was there to train in a kid just running around?
Commander Han was also puzzled. “Doctor Lin, just say what you mean.”
Lin Zhilan slapped the table in excitement. “Send her to a sports school!”
Silence filled the room.
After a long moment, Wang Xiuzhi stammered, “Doctor Lin, what’s a sports school?”
“It’s a school dedicated to sports training. Han Mei has a gift for sprinting. She could train in track and field there!”
“What kind of job would she get after that?”
“Plenty. If she does well, she could join the provincial team or even the national team and get a government job. At the very least, she could become a coach or a gym teacher—the state will assign her a position.”
As soon as she heard “government job,” Wang Xiuzhi’s eyes lit up.
“Doctor Lin, are you serious? Our Han Mei could get a government job?”
She looked at her daughter several times over—skinny arms, skinny legs. She couldn’t see anything special about her.
Commander Han also took a closer look at his daughter. “Doctor Lin, Commander Su, we don’t know much about these things. Please, guide us.”
Lin Zhilan nudged Su Lang.
Su Lang spoke calmly. “First, Han Mei needs to be noticed. This school sports meet is the perfect opportunity.”
“Right,” Commander Han said, thinking it over. “Starting tomorrow, I’ll train her myself.”
The army also had sprint training.
The basics—starting stance, stride frequency and length, mid-race running—were similar to track team methods, only more rigorous.
