wavenovel Chapter 86: The Olympics Open, the Whole Nation Resonates
Chapter 86: The Olympics Open, the Whole Nation Resonates
Lin Bei boarded the bus and found that more than a dozen passengers, whether they knew each other or not, were all talking about the same thing.
"I heard that tonight's opening ceremony will feature a giant footprint made of fireworks, stretching from Yongding Gate all the way to the Bird's Nest."
"The 29 giant footprints represent the 29th Olympic Games."
"I don't know if it's true or not, but it's gone viral online."
A young man wearing glasses was talking to the person next to him while holding a newspaper.
"It's true!" someone chimed in. "I saw the trailer on the news yesterday. The director is Zhang XX, so it's bound to be big-budget."
"I heard that there were more than 10,000 actors and they rehearsed for two years."
Another middle-aged man slapped his thigh and said, "My TV has been broken for half a month. I went to get it repaired this morning, and the repairman said it would take three days."
"I told him it was the opening ceremony of the Olympics tonight, and guess what... that mechanic just left his toolbox behind, rode his electric scooter to my house, and fixed it in half an hour."
"He said his TV was also waiting, and he wouldn't be able to get home to watch it if my TV wasn't fixed. He didn't even charge extra for the work, just for tonight's game."
"Of course we can't delay it!" A young mother holding a child next to her said, her eyes a little red: "The Beijing Olympics, we Chinese people have waited for so many years."
"Do the math: from the failed bid in 1993 to the successful bid in 2001, and now how many years has it been?"
"My daughter just turned seven this year. From the year she was born when China won the bid to host the Olympics, to now when she can sing the national anthem."
"I have to watch it with my daughter tonight. Her grandfather is over eighty years old and said that it's all worth it to be able to see China host the Olympics in his lifetime."
A boy who looked like a student took out five Fuwa pendants from his schoolbag and hung them one by one on the handrail of the bus.
The passengers around him not only didn't say anything to him, but some even stood up to help him hang it up.
The driver saw it in the rearview mirror, smiled, and said nothing.
Not a single person on the bus looked gloomy; everyone's emotions were on the same wavelength.
Something big is going to happen tonight at 8 PM.
And each of them is a part of this matter.
By the afternoon, the lively atmosphere had intensified.
When Lin Bei passed by the Civic Square, he saw that the large screen in the center of the square was playing a loop of highlights of China's gold medal wins in previous Olympic Games.
A large crowd had gathered in front of the screen, some with their own stools, some sitting directly on the edge of the flowerbed, and some even standing and watching while holding onto their bicycles without using kickstands.
There was an old lady selling small national flags she had sewn herself next to the square. They were five cents each, and she was surrounded by a group of elementary school students on summer vacation.
The owner of the newsstand next door turned the radio volume up to the maximum. The special Olympic program from China National Radio was playing from morning till night. The two hosts had lost their voices from broadcasting, but they were still persisting.
Lin Bei took out his phone from his pocket and dialed Lao Gao's number first.
The phone rang several times before the other party answered.
However, the background noise over there was as loud as a pot of boiling porridge.
The sounds of people, whistles, and loudspeaker announcements were all mixed together.
"Feed?" Lin Bei asked.
"Old Gao, why is it so noisy over there?"
"I'm at the city sports center!" Old Gao's voice was almost a shout.
"There's an Olympic countdown event at the sports center plaza tonight, and tens of thousands of people are packed here!"
"Let me tell you, that giant screen in the square is bigger than my entire wall."
"When I passed by just now, they were playing a replay of the Chinese women's volleyball team winning the last World Cup. The whole stadium was chanting 'Go China!' My voice is hoarse from shouting so much... Can you hear it? Is it hoarse yet?"
Lin Bei moved his phone a little further away.
Old Gao's hoarse voice was indeed much higher than usual.
Lin Bei: "Don't ruin your voice by shouting, or you won't be able to speak tomorrow."
Old Gao excitedly said, "There's a guy next to me who just carried a national flag, the kind that's two meters long!"
"He asked me to hold it for him, so I'm talking to you on the phone while I'm holding the national flag!"
"By the way, where are you watching the opening ceremony tonight?"
Lin Bei picked at his ear and said, "I'm going to a street food stall with Qing Ning and the others to eat and watch."
"Street food stalls are great!" Old Gao laughed. "You can drink and eat skewers while watching the opening ceremony. It's so much fun!"
"By the way, when you order the skewers, remember to order a few extra kidney skewers, as a substitute for mine."
"I'll be standing here until 10 p.m. tonight, and I won't get anything to eat."
"You need to eat more, make sure you get my share too, you hear me!"
"Okay." Lin Bei nodded. "I'll bring it for you then."
"What's the point of bringing anything? Just eat it for me!" Lin Bei shouted. "Take a picture while you're eating and send it to me. I need to look at the picture when I make instant noodles!"
Just then, someone called Lao Gao's name. After responding, he yelled into the phone, "I'm not talking to you anymore, we need to assemble!"
"Remember to message me when the opening ceremony starts tonight!"
Then the call ended.
Lin Bei smiled and shook his head, then dialed Wu Xiaoxun's number.
The call was answered quickly, and Wu Xiaoxun's voice was as sweet as ever.
But the background noise wasn't the usual quiet atmosphere.
Instead, there was the dense "clack-clack!" of sewing machines and the clamor of workers shouting to each other.
"Brother Lin Bei!" Wu Xiaoxun said in a sweet, coquettish voice, "Why did you suddenly decide to call me?"
Lin Bei asked curiously, "Why do you hear the sound of a sewing machine over there?"
"Is your dad's factory not closed today?"
Wu Xiaoxun smiled and said, "My dad said the whole factory is going to watch the Olympic opening ceremony tonight!"
"He had the big TV in the workshop moved to the yard, and he also bought three cases of beer, saying that he wouldn't leave until he was drunk tonight."
"The workers are setting up stools in the yard, and I'm helping them move drinks."
Her tone was filled with excitement.
But when he got to the second half of his sentence, his tone softened slightly, and he said, "So, I can't come see you guys tonight."
"My dad is managing so many things by himself, he's a bit overwhelmed, so I have to stay and help him."
"It's alright," Lin Bei said. "We can watch the replay of the opening ceremony anytime."
"That's different!" Wu Xiaoxun laughed, "This is a live broadcast!"
"Brother Lin Bei, you have to treat me to a meal next time to make up for the one you owe me today."
"I want to eat pickled fish, but not the spicy kind. The last place was too spicy, and I got pimples after eating it."
"Okay." Lin Bei nodded. "I owe you a meal of pickled fish."
"Great!" Wu Xiaoxun said, then added, "When you watch the opening ceremony tonight, remember to message me so we can watch it together online!"
"If you see a nice place, text me and I'll send it to you too."
"That way, even if we're not together, we can still watch it together!"
Lin Bei: "No problem."
Wu Xiaoxun chuckled again: "I'm not talking to you anymore, my dad wants me to go get some beer, bye!"