A ray of warm sunlight shines through the window lattice. The 83-year-old Yuan Weimin reverently sat on the Taishi's chair, his eyes were empty, looking out the window, recalling his tortuous and turbulent but magnificent life course, as if it was just yesterday.
The years have left a deep mark on his face, but his expression is still full of energy, his eyes are bright, and his eyebrows are full of calm calmness. Turning his head, he saw his wife, Zheng Huying, carefully massaging his legs, his eyebrows full of love and concern.
For many years, Zheng Huying has been his solid backing, silently supporting him, and warming this home with her rough hands.
Thinking of the bits and pieces of the past, Yuan Weimin's eyes couldn't help but moisten. He and Zheng Huying have been together for decades, and have gone through the glory and trough of life together, and now they are enjoying their old age, and his heart is full of infinite gratitude and comfort.
Burning youth
Back fifty or sixty years ago, Yuan Weimin was a young man in his early twenties, tall, with thin bones and bright eyes. He was born into a very ordinary farming family, his father was good at farming and fishing, and his mother was hardworking and capable.
Although his parents have only received a few years of education, they have given Yuan Weimin great enlightenment and encouragement, hoping that the old and young in this family can have a future career.
The opportunity of fate soon came, and Yuan Weimin's excellent diploma opened the door to a new world for him, and he was selected by the Jiangsu Provincial Volleyball Team, and since then he has embarked on the road of no return to sports.
Although he left his hometown at a young age, Yuan Weimin is full of love for volleyball, sweating on the court, carefully studying skills, and practicing hard day and night.
In the team, Yuan Weimin quickly stood out and was selected into the national men's volleyball team and became the main player, standing majestically in the center of the court. However, the good times did not last long, due to the drastic changes in society, the national men's volleyball team had to be disbanded, and the young Yuan Weimin could only return to the Jiangsu provincial team to continue his career.
The turning point occurred in 1964, when an unexpected encounter allowed Yuan Weimin to meet his lifelong confidant, Zheng Huying. She was also a women's volleyball player, retired due to injury, and was introduced by her teammates to Yuan Weimin.
The two hit it off at first sight, cherished each other, and soon became husband and wife, starting a new stage of life.
In 1970, the national men's volleyball team was reorganized, and Yuan Weimin joined without hesitation and soon became the captain. However, the national women's volleyball team at that time has been stagnant, and its skills are not as good as others.
At this time, an opportunity came, and Yuan Weimin was elected as the head coach of the women's volleyball team, opening a new chapter in his coaching career.
At the beginning of his tenure, the young and vigorous Yuan Weimin put forward a strict plan of "devil training", and the players practiced day and night under his dedicated guidance, often training until they were physically and mentally exhausted and burst into tears.
As the team leader, Yuan Weimin is also tireless, leading by example, reflecting on and adjusting strategies and tactics all the time. Despite the hardship, the desire to win the title trumped everything.
Win glory for the country and create brilliance
In 1981, under the wise command of Yuan Weimin, the Chinese women's volleyball team won the World Cup. For him, as the head coach, this is undoubtedly the beginning of the re-emergence of the Chinese women's volleyball team, which makes him very excited and encouraged.
In this game, Yuan Weimin won the honor of "Best Head Coach" with his excellent tactical command.
In the following 1982, the Chinese women's volleyball team suffered a setback in the group stage of the World Championships, losing 0:3 to the strong United States team, which was devastated.
The victory of all this is inseparable from Yuan Weimin's excavation and cultivation of Lang Ping's "Dinghai Divine Needle". Although Lang Ping, who was 17 years old at the time, was tall and powerful, his experience and skills needed to be improved.
However, Yuan Weimin has a special eye and resolutely uses her exceptionally and cultivates her to be the team's top scorer and control the pace of the game.
Sure enough, on the field, Lang was usually fierce and sometimes accurate, scoring for the team many times, becoming the most dazzling star player. Her appearance is undoubtedly one of the most important factors for the Chinese women's volleyball team to emerge in the world volleyball arena.
In 1984, the world-renowned Los Angeles Olympics kicked off. In the final, the two strong teams of China and the United States staged a fierce battle. In the middle of the first game, the Chinese team was already leading 14:9 and was only one step away from winning the championship.
However, the U.S. team stubbornly counterattacked, chasing five points in a row to equalize the score, and the scene was once stalemate, and the atmosphere was tense.
At this critical juncture, Yuan Weimin's head was calm-headed, and he aimed at the opportunity to change to Hou Yuzhu in time to serve.
There were bursts of cheers at the scene, and the Chinese players burst into tears and cried with joy. And relatives and friends who are far away in the motherland are also moved by this glory. Yuan Weimin, as the initiator, stood silently and stared, with a happy smile on his face.
The achievement of this moment is hard-won, and it is the fruit of years of hard work by him and the team.
A dilemma between career and family
Although he has achieved incredibly brilliant results, the price Yuan Weimin has paid for it is also heavy. In order to devote himself to coaching, he had to live separately from his wife and children.
In those long six years, his only son, Yuan Li, never called him "Dad".
Recalling those difficult years, Yuan Weimin's eyes couldn't help but moisten. In order to cope with the heavy training tasks, he often leaves the house early in the morning and does not return until nightfall.
There is no one to take care of everything in the family, and it is all up to his wife Zheng Huying to take care of it alone, including daily life and taking care of his son.
Once, during the critical period of preparing for the war, Zheng Huying suddenly had a high fever that did not go away. Although the training venue is not far from his home, Yuan Weimin can't get out, and only his young son Yuan Li accompanies his mother to the hospital alone.
Along the way, both mother and son wept familiarly, and this scene was suffocating. Since then, Yuan Li has been full of resentment and rebellion towards his father, and regards him as "Coach Yuan" rather than his dear "father".
Whenever he read a letter from his son with resentment, asking him whether he put his career above his family, Yuan Weimin would cry bitterly and blame himself.
He has never forgotten the heart-wrenching scene in March 1984 when Yuan Li suddenly contracted appendicitis and needed to be hospitalized for immediate surgery, but he could not be by his son's side at this critical moment.
In the final sprint to prepare for the Olympics, Yuan Weimin was so focused on training that he couldn't even take the time to visit his son during his week's hospitalization.
Until the day his son was discharged from the hospital, he hurried back and took his son back to his home.
As soon as they met, Yuan Li was cold to his father and had nothing to say. Yuan Weimin was extremely guilty and wanted to appease the relationship, but he couldn't explain it. He can only return to the team with a hard head, continue to practice, and fight for the championship.
Looking at her tired husband, Zheng Huying was full of sympathy and helpless.