PCJ – Chapter 304 The Stone from Another Mountain

“In basketball, there are five players, each with different roles. The point guard, or position one, usually operates in these areas during an offensive play…” Xu Xuehe didn’t know much about the game, but he had learned the basics and never thought his knowledge would come in handy here.

As Zhang Jiaohua listened, an image formed in his mind, allowing him to replay the scenes from the earlier match. No wonder he lost so badly—there was logic behind it all. Realizing this, Zhang Jiaohua vaguely felt he was onto something important, but he couldn’t quite grasp it yet. This sense of missing out was driving him crazy. He knew that if he could catch hold of that strange feeling, it could be really useful for him.

“Alright, that’s it for today. In future P.E. classes, I’ll continue teaching you more about basketball coordination. Practice the basic skills in your own time. The easiest way to improve is just to carry a basketball with you everywhere. Your technique will naturally get better,” Xu Xuehe said, unaware that for the students in his class, even this simplest advice was hard to follow.

After school, Xu Xuehe stopped Zhang Jiaohua. “Zhang Jiaohua, do you have time this afternoon?”

Zhang Jiaohua was a bit puzzled. “I don’t have anything planned.”

“Come play basketball with me,” Xu Xuehe suggested.

Zhang Jiaohua nodded.

Meizi’ao was a poor area, and Meizi’ao Primary School’s facilities were simple. Except for a new teaching building, everything—from the classrooms to the desks and chairs—had been built through village donations. Even replacing classroom windows and tiles every year relied on villagers raising money. The P.E. storage room had barely any sports equipment, and the few basketballs were cheap rubber ones. There were only three in total, one of which constantly deflated and needed air every time it was used. P.E. teacher Ma Lishong treated the sports equipment like treasures, refusing to let students use it during class. Otherwise, those three basketballs wouldn’t have lasted.

When Xu Xuehe asked Ma Lishong for the key to the sports storage room for a P.E. class that day, he was shocked by what little equipment was inside. He let the kids play with one of the basketballs and then snuck away. He hadn’t returned the key yet, but he had stumbled upon a way to tame Zhang Jiaohua, the wild child. Now he needed to strike while the iron was hot and solidify his victory from P.E. class.

Zhang Jiaohua wasn’t particularly interested in basketball, but losing so embarrassingly today had made him unwilling to give up. He wanted to master the skills and win back his pride.

With different motivations, the two of them, each carrying a basketball, headed to the court.

“If you want to get good at basketball, you have to master the basics first. The first step is dribbling…” Xu Xuehe slowly coaxed Zhang Jiaohua into learning the fundamental skills.

Zhang Jiaohua was determined to win, so he followed Xu Xuehe’s instructions to the letter.

As Xu Xuehe taught Zhang Jiaohua, he began to feel a bit jealous. This kid learned things too quickly. As long as you explained something clearly, he could grasp it instantly. Although some skills require time to hone, Xu Xuehe wasn’t an expert himself. Even if Zhang Jiaohua only learned the basics, he might soon surpass Xu Xuehe.

Xu Xuehe wasn’t stupid; he didn’t let Zhang Jiaohua learn everything at once. That afternoon, he only taught him how to dribble and control the ball, forbidding him from practicing anything else. “You haven’t even learned how to walk, how can you learn to run? Master dribbling first, then you can learn the rest. Dribbling alone will take at least ten days to half a month to get right.”

This practice went on for a month. Zhang Jiaohua bought a basketball in town and brought it to school every day, always carrying it with him. Everyone needs a hobby, and having one gave Zhang Jiaohua a newfound sense of energy. Following Zhang Jiaohua’s lead, his loyal friend, Mute, copied him. However, Zhang Benrui and his wife couldn’t afford to buy Mute a basketball, so Zhang Jiaohua bought one for him. A few second-graders from families slightly better off also went to town to buy rubber basketballs.

“Mr. Xu, can we learn some new techniques now?” Zhang Jiaohua had already become adept at dribbling. Xu Xuehe had long since been outshone—by now, even the worst ball-handler in the second grade had better control than him. Physical education truly needs to start from a young age, Xu Xuehe thought to himself, wishing he had had such a wise and capable P.E. teacher when he was a child.

Pretending to be serious, Xu Xuehe glanced around. “Hmm, passable, but you still need to keep practicing. Starting today, though, you can begin practicing shooting.”

He marked several spots on the court and tossed aside the chalk. “From each spot I’ve marked, you need to make 10,000 shots before you pass.”

“Ten thousand?” Mute’s mouth fell open. He could barely count to a thousand.

The other kids were just as shocked. Ten thousand—what a massive number.

Zhang Jiaohua, who could stand on a wooden post for hours, wasn’t intimidated by the idea of 10,000 shots. He picked up his basketball and started shooting.

Xu Xuehe, still responsible, recited the basic principles of shooting form before pretending to be profound and retreating to his office, where he shut the door and burst into laughter.

Mute thought Mr. Xu must have gone crazy. He glanced at the teacher’s office, then ran over to Zhang Jiaohua. “Jiaohua, what should I do if I can’t keep count?”

“Don’t you know to mark a line on the ground after each shot?” Zhang Jiaohua casually replied.

Mute thought it was a great idea and didn’t stop to consider whether marking lines would actually help him keep count.

That afternoon, Zhang Jiaohua made thousands of shots, while the other kids’ arms had gone limp long before. By the time they went home, they could barely lift their arms, but Zhang Jiaohua was still full of energy.

“Zhang Jiaohua, it’s dark out, don’t you know it’s time to go home?” Xu Xuehe asked when he came out after dinner and found Zhang Jiaohua still shooting.

“I’ve only made a couple thousand shots. How long will it take to finish all the spots at this rate?” Zhang Jiaohua scratched his head.

“You can’t learn basketball in a day or two. Go home for now,” Xu Xuehe said, waving him off.

Zhang Jiaohua let the ball fly, and it swished cleanly through the hoop. But as the ball bounced away, Zhang Jiaohua had to chase after it.

“Jiaohua, you need to aim for the iron ring so the ball will bounce back to you,” Xu Xuehe said offhandedly.

“That’s right!” Zhang Jiaohua’s eyes lit up as he was about to test the idea, but Xu Xuehe stopped him.

“It’s dark. Go home,” Xu Xuehe insisted.

After Zhang Jiaohua left, Xu Xuehe took a basketball and threw it at the hoop, missing completely. “This is ridiculous! I’ve been practicing for years and can’t make a shot, but he can nail them in one afternoon. People can be so infuriating! I can’t shoot in front of that kid anymore. If he realizes I’m worse than him, will he still listen to me?”

Xu Xuehe stalled for more than two months. By the time he introduced actual game strategies to the students, it had already started snowing.

When Zhang Jiaohua saw the positions Xu Xuehe had drawn on the blackboard, he realized that basketball teamwork was like a formation. If the five players worked together, their power would increase exponentially. Suddenly, he remembered something Shi Qingwang had told him about his forty-four mountain dogs not really being mountain dogs. Zhang Jiaohua had never understood why his forty-four mountain dogs were weaker than twenty-four sweeping mountain dogs. Now it made sense. Although he had more dogs, they all charged forward in a disorganized mess, with no coordination or tactics. Despite their ferocity, they were just a scattered force with limited combat ability. The twenty-four sweeping mountain dogs, however, had a strict formation and coordinated efforts. Once they formed a formation, their power was immense, and each position could bring out the strength of all twenty-four dogs. But in his group of forty-four dogs, each position only had the power of one dog. Against a strong opponent, they could easily be defeated one by one.

“So that’s how it is!” Zhang Jiaohua muttered to himself.

“Jiaohua, Jiaohua! Don’t just stand there, you’re the point guard. Pay attention to passing the ball, don’t keep thinking about shooting,” Xu Xuehe called from the sidelines as he saw Zhang Jiaohua freeze in place.

Zhang Jiaohua nodded and passed the ball, though his mind was elsewhere. “So you really can learn useful things in school. If I hadn’t learned basketball, who knows how long it would’ve taken for me to figure this out?”

,

Though Zhang Jiaohua had grasped the concept of the twenty-four mountain dogs’ formation, actually training them was still no easy task. The twenty-four points, eight directions, twelve branches, and their interactions with the five elements and trigrams were even more complicated.

But Zhang Jiaohua’s mood was much improved. Understanding this principle lifted a weight off his chest, and he felt more at ease.

Watching the kids on the court, Xu Xuehe saw that their movements had become increasingly disciplined.

This was largely thanks to Xu Xuehe’s method of instruction. If he had let the kids play randomly from the start, they wouldn’t have improved nearly as much, even after several years. By forcing them to focus on the basics, they had built solid foundational skills. Although they hadn’t received formal training, they had developed real competence.

Xu Xuehe sighed, wishing he had more knowledge in this area. At most, he could only guide them to appear competent. If they received professional training, who knows? Maybe one or two of them could become basketball stars.