In general, individuals who engaged in regular moderate exercise tend to have better health in old age compared to those who are inactive.
Uncle Gao’s recovery progress was excellent, and he was able to run a marathon. However, he couldn’t return to work at the store for the time being due to concerns about leaving Qin Chunxiao, a minor, to manage the store alone. Therefore, he decided to pay Qin Chunxiao his salary.
Qin Chunxiao had worked for a month, and his salary amounted to 2,700 yuan, along with the sales commission. Uncle Gao placed the money in an envelope and said to the young man, “There’s a snakeskin bag under the cash register, take it with you.”
Qin Chunxiao understood that the kind old man intended to give him an additional gift, and although he didn’t need anything more, he knew it was Uncle Gao’s way of expressing gratitude. If he declined, Uncle Gao might feel uneasy, so he nodded and agreed.
“Thank you, Uncle Gao. I’ll come to see you tomorrow.”
Uncle Gao waved his hand and replied, “Hey, I’m fine. You don’t have to come every day. You’ve already been admitted to a good school, so focus on studying and training. You’re a hardworking kid. Uncle Gao dares to say that no matter whether it’s your studies or sports, you’ll excel.”
Qin Chunxiao shyly smiled and said, “I think so too.”
Uncle Gao thought to himself, “You should be more humble.”
Since it was summer vacation, Uncle Gao didn’t suffer significant losses from closing the store. However, Qin Chunxiao now faced the challenge of finding a place to exercise. It was difficult to find a place like Uncle Gao’s equipment store, which had all the necessary equipment available free of charge and even allowed him to earn some pocket money.
Qin Chunxiao touched his arm, which was now 2 cm thicker and much tighter. Thanks to Uncle Gao’s equipment, his previously thin arm had finally gained a thin layer of muscle.
However, for men’s volleyball players, hitting speeds below 100 km/h were considered inadequate for the international arena. Even if his future goal was to become a libero, facing opponents in international games who could hit speeds of 120 km/h to 130 km/h meant that lacking strength would make it difficult for him to handle their powerful shots.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that receiving the ball and defending was akin to catching bones. Moreover, if he wanted to receive the ball effectively, he needed to improve his jumping ability and running speed, ensuring a broader defensive range and higher reception success rate.
The young man, who had developed a habit from the “sequel of the epidemic era,” instinctively put on his mask after leaving the ward. He took out a small notebook from his coat and reviewed the weaknesses he had listed that required improvement through training.
Upper body strength: Ball players must have a strong upper body.
Lower body strength: Insufficient hip and leg strength can be improved through various exercises.
Core strength: Enhancing stability and balance. A strong core provides better joint protection and reduces the risk of injury.
Jumping ability: Volleyball players need to have good vertical leap.
Running speed: Defense without speed is ineffective.
Ball handling: A crucial skill for players.
Among them, upper body strength can be further refined into arm, shoulder, wrist, and even finger strength.
Qin Chunxiao now missed Coach Mars from his time playing in the Brazilian league. Coach Mars was formerly the coach of the Brazilian national team and later took charge of the club team in Campinas. He had transformed Qin Chunxiao from a small main attacker into a defensive master capable of neutralizing the world’s top attackers like Dominic, to the point where even throwing a cup and roaring in celebration.
At this moment, Coach Mars hadn’t retired, but Qin Chunxiao couldn’t seek advice from him as he did in the league.
Besides Coach Mars, Coach Newton, who later brought him into the national team, was also skilled. It was worth mentioning that both Coach Mars and Coach Newton had graduated from Springfield College. Coach Mars was a professor who authored textbooks, and Coach Newton held a doctorate. They were both highly knowledgeable coaches.
Training on their own wouldn’t be as effective as having a coach to guide them. Qin Chunxiao sighed and went to the store to retrieve the snakeskin bag as instructed by Uncle Gao.
He unlocked the back door with the key and hurried over to the cash register. True to Uncle Gao’s words, there was a snakeskin bag underneath it, reminiscent of a bag carried by migrant workers when they entered the city. He reached out and found it surprisingly heavy.
“What’s this?” Qin Chunxiao muttered to himself as he opened the bag and widened his eyes in astonishment.
Inside the pink checkered snakeskin bag were a dozen or so volleyballs, some of which were old and others had minor defects from previous purchases. They were still playable but had some external damage. There was also a pair of collapsible volleyball hoops, a brand-new pair of knee pads, and a pair of Mizuno indoor volleyball shoes with the “Touch” series soles, valued at least 800 yuan. This was a precious gift, especially for a middle school student like him.
Qin Chunxiao had initially planned to use his salary to buy a pair of five-hundred-yuan shoes, so this saved him a considerable amount of money.
Realizing that Uncle Gao had prepared all this for him before falling ill, Qin Chunxiao was deeply moved. Uncle Gao must truly love volleyball.
With this thought in mind, even though he temporarily lacked a training ground, Qin Chunxiao’s passion remained ablaze. After dragging the equipment back home, he set out again and ran an additional 15 kilometers.
He resolved that once his physical fitness was at an appropriate level, he would pursue a professional path. G City had a volleyball club with a training camp for youth, which was considered a recreational activity. Last year, he had contributed two players from the youth team to the provincial team, and their photos were proudly displayed on the wall of honor.
Meituan offered an 800-yuan four-session experience class, and he planned to participate when there were provincial team players coaching.
After completing the 15-kilometer run, Qin Chunxiao pondered his future journey and felt a sense of relaxation. He jumped, extending his feet and elbows, and accidentally bumped his head against the ceiling.
“Ah!” Qin Chunxiao dropped to his knees, covering his head and vigorously rubbing it with his hands. It seemed that his jumping ability had recovered faster than expected.
The ceiling height of his old residential house was 2.8 meters. It wasn’t difficult for him to touch it with his head, and if he reached up with his hands, he could touch as high as 3.4 meters. This was already a respectable height for a volleyball team in the southern region.
The next step was to do a plank on the mat. Qin Chunxiao supported himself with his right hand while keeping his eyes on the news playing on the TV. With his left hand, he skillfully pushed the ball.
The yellow and blue ball moved up and down, sometimes veering left, sometimes right, but Qin Chunxiao’s arms were always able to catch it accurately and hold it up.
When Qin Chunfeng entered the room, the corner of his mouth twitched. “No matter how many times I watch, I still feel that athletes’ physical fitness and reaction speed are on a different level compared to ordinary people. Why are you playing volleyball while practicing sprinting? Is this a new way to increase the difficulty of plank exercises?”
Qin Chunxiao responded, “Sprinters don’t play ball, but volleyball players do.”
He switched hands to support himself and used his right arm to cushion the ball. The movement was slightly more awkward than before. Qin Chunfeng asked, “Can you lend me yourself and the ball in your hand?”
Qin Chunxiao questioned, “Why?”
Qin Chunfeng coughed and explained, “Wen Lang has also made it into the National People’s Congress and plans to continue playing volleyball in college. I promised to practice with him during summer break.”
Wen Lang was Qin Chunfeng’s classmate. Standing at 1.85 meters, he was a member of the school volleyball team, although his athletic talent was average, limiting him to amateur events.
In Qin Chunxiao’s memory, Wen Lang was quite slim—a kind-hearted person who cooked delicious food and was good with children.
Qin Chunfeng squatted down and gently discussed with his younger brother, “I remember you used to practice football and volleyball when you were a child. Let’s form a team. Volleyball requires six players, and we are missing one.”
Qin Chunxiao replied enthusiastically, “Sure, sure! What position do you need? Setter? Receiver? Libero?”
Volleyball is a team sport, with players assigned specific positions. The setter’s primary role is responsible for setting up the plays, while the receiver is to receive the serve.
Either way, he wouldn’t be asked to play as the wing spiker which roles to attack. These two positions required players to be active at the net, whether it was jumping to spike the ball or blocking at the net. Players needed to have sufficient height, which was the realm of giants.
In his previous life, Qin Chunxiao played for the provincial team as a setter, then middle blocker and finally as wing spiker. He had often been criticized for being the shortest middle blocker and wing spiker in the country.
But at that time, he couldn’t help it. The original middle blocker was nearly forty years old, and the wing spiker got injured. The coach temporarily moved Qin Chunxiao into those roles, and unexpectedly, he led the team to the top four in the national competition that season, breaking records.
Qin Chunxiao muttered to himself, “I shouldn’t have worked so hard and let the coach witness the power of the dwarf wing spiker.”
Qin Chunfeng said awkwardly, “We are lacking a wing spiker.”
Qin Chunxiao leaned back and fell to the floor, staring at his sister in disbelief. “What on earth? You’re lacking a main attacker and you found a 1.73-meter person to fill that position? Why are you playing volleyball?”
Qin Chunfeng replied, “Didn’t you used to jump up and touch the ceiling when you were 1.6 meters tall? I believe you can jump higher than the net. Xiaoxiao, you’re like the reincarnation of the spring spirit. My sister believes in you!”
In general, individuals who engaged in regular moderate exercise tend to have better health in old age compared to those who are inactive.
Uncle Gao’s recovery progress was excellent, and he was able to run a marathon. However, he couldn’t return to work at the store for the time being due to concerns about leaving Qin Chunxiao, a minor, to manage the store alone. Therefore, he decided to pay Qin Chunxiao his salary.
Qin Chunxiao had worked for a month, and his salary amounted to 2,700 yuan, along with the sales commission. Uncle Gao placed the money in an envelope and said to the young man, “There’s a snakeskin bag under the cash register, take it with you.”
Qin Chunxiao understood that the kind old man intended to give him an additional gift, and although he didn’t need anything more, he knew it was Uncle Gao’s way of expressing gratitude. If he declined, Uncle Gao might feel uneasy, so he nodded and agreed.
“Thank you, Uncle Gao. I’ll come to see you tomorrow.”
Uncle Gao waved his hand and replied, “Hey, I’m fine. You don’t have to come every day. You’ve already been admitted to a good school, so focus on studying and training. You’re a hardworking kid. Uncle Gao dares to say that no matter whether it’s your studies or sports, you’ll excel.”
Qin Chunxiao shyly smiled and said, “I think so too.”
Uncle Gao thought to himself, “You should be more humble.”
Since it was summer vacation, Uncle Gao didn’t suffer significant losses from closing the store. However, Qin Chunxiao now faced the challenge of finding a place to exercise. It was difficult to find a place like Uncle Gao’s equipment store, which had all the necessary equipment available free of charge and even allowed him to earn some pocket money.
Qin Chunxiao touched his arm, which was now 2 cm thicker and much tighter. Thanks to Uncle Gao’s equipment, his previously thin arm had finally gained a thin layer of muscle.
However, for men’s volleyball players, hitting speeds below 100 km/h were considered inadequate for the international arena. Even if his future goal was to become a libero, facing opponents in international games who could hit speeds of 120 km/h to 130 km/h meant that lacking strength would make it difficult for him to handle their powerful shots.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that receiving the ball and defending was akin to catching bones. Moreover, if he wanted to receive the ball effectively, he needed to improve his jumping ability and running speed, ensuring a broader defensive range and higher reception success rate.
The young man, who had developed a habit from the “sequel of the epidemic era,” instinctively put on his mask after leaving the ward. He took out a small notebook from his coat and reviewed the weaknesses he had listed that required improvement through training.
Upper body strength: Ball players must have a strong upper body.
Lower body strength: Insufficient hip and leg strength can be improved through various exercises.
Core strength: Enhancing stability and balance. A strong core provides better joint protection and reduces the risk of injury.
Jumping ability: Volleyball players need to have good vertical leap.
Running speed: Defense without speed is ineffective.
Ball handling: A crucial skill for players.
Among them, upper body strength can be further refined into arm, shoulder, wrist, and even finger strength.
Qin Chunxiao now missed Coach Mars from his time playing in the Brazilian league. Coach Mars was formerly the coach of the Brazilian national team and later took charge of the club team in Campinas. He had transformed Qin Chunxiao from a small main attacker into a defensive master capable of neutralizing the world’s top attackers like Dominic, to the point where even throwing a cup and roaring in celebration.
At this moment, Coach Mars hadn’t retired, but Qin Chunxiao couldn’t seek advice from him as he did in the league.
Besides Coach Mars, Coach Newton, who later brought him into the national team, was also skilled. It was worth mentioning that both Coach Mars and Coach Newton had graduated from Springfield College. Coach Mars was a professor who authored textbooks, and Coach Newton held a doctorate. They were both highly knowledgeable coaches.
Training on their own wouldn’t be as effective as having a coach to guide them. Qin Chunxiao sighed and went to the store to retrieve the snakeskin bag as instructed by Uncle Gao.
He unlocked the back door with the key and hurried over to the cash register. True to Uncle Gao’s words, there was a snakeskin bag underneath it, reminiscent of a bag carried by migrant workers when they entered the city. He reached out and found it surprisingly heavy.
“What’s this?” Qin Chunxiao muttered to himself as he opened the bag and widened his eyes in astonishment.
Inside the pink checkered snakeskin bag were a dozen or so volleyballs, some of which were old and others had minor defects from previous purchases. They were still playable but had some external damage. There was also a pair of collapsible volleyball hoops, a brand-new pair of knee pads, and a pair of Mizuno indoor volleyball shoes with the “Touch” series soles, valued at least 800 yuan. This was a precious gift, especially for a middle school student like him.
Qin Chunxiao had initially planned to use his salary to buy a pair of five-hundred-yuan shoes, so this saved him a considerable amount of money.
Realizing that Uncle Gao had prepared all this for him before falling ill, Qin Chunxiao was deeply moved. Uncle Gao must truly love volleyball.
With this thought in mind, even though he temporarily lacked a training ground, Qin Chunxiao’s passion remained ablaze. After dragging the equipment back home, he set out again and ran an additional 15 kilometers.
He resolved that once his physical fitness was at an appropriate level, he would pursue a professional path. G City had a volleyball club with a training camp for youth, which was considered a recreational activity. Last year, he had contributed two players from the youth team to the provincial team, and their photos were proudly displayed on the wall of honor.
Meituan offered an 800-yuan four-session experience class, and he planned to participate when there were provincial team players coaching.
After completing the 15-kilometer run, Qin Chunxiao pondered his future journey and felt a sense of relaxation. He jumped, extending his feet and elbows, and accidentally bumped his head against the ceiling.
“Ah!” Qin Chunxiao dropped to his knees, covering his head and vigorously rubbing it with his hands. It seemed that his jumping ability had recovered faster than expected.
The ceiling height of his old residential house was 2.8 meters. It wasn’t difficult for him to touch it with his head, and if he reached up with his hands, he could touch as high as 3.4 meters. This was already a respectable height for a volleyball team in the southern region.
The next step was to do a plank on the mat. Qin Chunxiao supported himself with his right hand while keeping his eyes on the news playing on the TV. With his left hand, he skillfully pushed the ball.
The yellow and blue ball moved up and down, sometimes veering left, sometimes right, but Qin Chunxiao’s arms were always able to catch it accurately and hold it up.
When Qin Chunfeng entered the room, the corner of his mouth twitched. “No matter how many times I watch, I still feel that athletes’ physical fitness and reaction speed are on a different level compared to ordinary people. Why are you playing volleyball while practicing sprinting? Is this a new way to increase the difficulty of plank exercises?”
Qin Chunxiao responded, “Sprinters don’t play ball, but volleyball players do.”
He switched hands to support himself and used his right arm to cushion the ball. The movement was slightly more awkward than before. Qin Chunfeng asked, “Can you lend me yourself and the ball in your hand?”
Qin Chunxiao questioned, “Why?”
Qin Chunfeng coughed and explained, “Wen Lang has also made it into the National People’s Congress and plans to continue playing volleyball in college. I promised to practice with him during summer break.”
Wen Lang was Qin Chunfeng’s classmate. Standing at 1.85 meters, he was a member of the school volleyball team, although his athletic talent was average, limiting him to amateur events.
In Qin Chunxiao’s memory, Wen Lang was quite slim—a kind-hearted person who cooked delicious food and was good with children.
Qin Chunfeng squatted down and gently discussed with his younger brother, “I remember you used to practice football and volleyball when you were a child. Let’s form a team. Volleyball requires six players, and we are missing one.”
Qin Chunxiao replied enthusiastically, “Sure, sure! What position do you need? Setter? Receiver? Libero?”
Volleyball is a team sport, with players assigned specific positions. The setter’s primary role is responsible for setting up the plays, while the receiver is to receive the serve.
Either way, he wouldn’t be asked to play as the wing spiker which roles to attack. These two positions required players to be active at the net, whether it was jumping to spike the ball or blocking at the net. Players needed to have sufficient height, which was the realm of giants.
In his previous life, Qin Chunxiao played for the provincial team as a setter, then middle blocker and finally as wing spiker. He had often been criticized for being the shortest middle blocker and wing spiker in the country.
But at that time, he couldn’t help it. The original middle blocker was nearly forty years old, and the wing spiker got injured. The coach temporarily moved Qin Chunxiao into those roles, and unexpectedly, he led the team to the top four in the national competition that season, breaking records.
Qin Chunxiao muttered to himself, “I shouldn’t have worked so hard and let the coach witness the power of the dwarf wing spiker.”
Qin Chunfeng said awkwardly, “We are lacking a wing spiker.”
Qin Chunxiao leaned back and fell to the floor, staring at his sister in disbelief. “What on earth? You’re lacking a main attacker and you found a 1.73-meter person to fill that position? Why are you playing volleyball?”
Qin Chunfeng replied, “Didn’t you used to jump up and touch the ceiling when you were 1.6 meters tall? I believe you can jump higher than the net. Xiaoxiao, you’re like the reincarnation of the spring spirit. My sister believes in you!”
