In the early morning, Lao Zhang hurriedly boarded the speeding train, looking at the green outside the window, and all that echoed in his ears was the murmuring of mountains and flowing water in the train broadcast.

Lao Zhang has no artistic cells when he is a child, and the people he likes since he was a child are all well-known public brothers. He seems to have always liked music, as if he has always liked freedom, and he seems to have always liked everything in his life.

But the only thing he doesn't seem to like is himself.

He sat at the end of the carriage, his eyes constantly changing with the scenery outside the window, and he couldn't help but sigh in his mind that time was really cruel, and in a blink of an eye, he seemed to be unable to keep up with this era of rapid development.

The train was fast, and so was his thoughts.

The two-hour drive also seemed to make him finish the first half of his life in his mind.

After getting off the train, he took out his newly purchased peaked cap in front of the train station from his crumpled school bag, and grinned heavily on his bald head.

He came to participate in the preliminary round of the Muzi Cup, and he also realized his dream.

Lao Zhang is a person who thinks too much, he did not sign up in Beijing, but in a nearby city, in order to avoid friends in the park.

In fact, he also knows that his chess strength is limited, and he may not be able to enter the final wherever he registers, but he just doesn't want to meet his friends in advance in the competition.

The thin monkey laughed at him for doing too much, and Lao Li said that he was idle, because even if he met a deer, he didn't necessarily kill anyone. But Lao Zhang still went his own way and chose to take a long detour to compete.

He has principles in life, he has a ruler in doing things, and his life has missed many opportunities because of principles and rulers, but he has never regretted the first half of his life.

Because it is this seemingly useless principle, as well as the invisible ruler, that can make Lao Zhang always get up with a smile after falling.

Lao Zhang walked on the road, unfamiliar cities, unfamiliar streets, and strange opponents that he was about to meet, all of which made his heart surging with rare heart.

He wanted to make his dream come true, and even though he knew it was hard to achieve, he still wanted to try.

That's pretty stupid for a middle-aged man in his forties.

But dreams are stupid in themselves.

The road to realize the dream is even more stupid, but in this world, this society is not stupid because of stupid people and their stupid efforts.

Lao Zhang walked on the road, he didn't know how far ahead, but what he knew was that as long as he walked on the road step by step, he would finally be able to reach the end before noon.

He suddenly also discovered that life is also composed of one solid step after another, as long as he moves forward, he must reach the end of life, and life will give him a good answer.

Lao Zhang finally walked to the venue.

There were a lot of people in the venue, which also made Lao Zhang unconsciously press the cap on his head lower, looking at so many chess players, he suddenly felt nervous and suffocated, he thought about Lao Li Slender Monkey and the chess friends in Happy Park, are they the same as himself, looking at this crowd of people, his eyes are full of melancholy?

I can't tolerate Lao Zhang to think too much, the game is about to start.

He staggered to his place, he sat at the chess table, looking at the wooden chess pieces, his mood was much better.

Today, there are five games to be played.

Win three games to continue tomorrow's game.

Each person is assigned a highly intelligent badge, which clearly records the victory or defeat of each player.

Originally, the number of applicants in the city was 1,248, but less than 300 actually attended and participated in the competition.

There are a lot of people who don't even have the courage to compete.

……

Lao Zhang's luck was good, his first opponent was a seven or eight-year-old child, he estimated that he had just learned chess for a short time, or perhaps he was strongly "forced" by his parents to compete.

Otherwise, his face would not have been so reluctant.

Lao Zhang felt a little embarrassed for the first time, he was a good old man and a good elder, he looked at this child and thought of his own child.

He set up the chessboard very gently, and under the kind eyes of the referee, Lao Zhang actually turned into a chess teacher, whispering and patiently teaching the children to play chess.

Amateur tournaments are not as strict as professional tournaments, and as long as there are no insults and forbidden words, and there is a lot of noise, the organizers still allow players to communicate with each other.

This kind of amateur competition is also quite kind.

At least thirty minutes into the game, there were no surprises in the venue, after all, everyone had three chances in five games.

The reluctance on the face of the child in front of Lao Zhang slowly disappeared.

I have to say that Lao Zhang seems to be more suitable to be a teacher in addition to a chef, he is patient and loving.

Under his careful teaching, this child, who didn't seem to like chess, finally clapped his hands happily.

Because under the guidance of Lao Zhang, he finally won the game.

Lao Zhang watched him lose at the end, and there was no trace of regret or resentment.

He smiled and said to the child that chess is still very interesting.

He also praised the child, saying that he had a talent and must stick to playing chess.

The child looked at Lao Zhang with a calm face, he nodded vigorously, and then stood up and said thank you.

The referee on the side, looking at this scene, he was also a little touched in his heart, but more may still not understand.

He watched the child leave the venue happily, he subconsciously looked at Lao Zhang, who was slowly packing up the chessboard, and suddenly asked, "Is it worth it?" ”

Lao Zhang listened to this question, he was stunned for a moment, and then he raised his head to look at the referee in front of him who was much younger than him, and he grinned and replied: "It's worth it!" ”

The referee looked at the "stupid" Lao Zhang, and a warm current suddenly welled up in his heart.

He didn't know what to say, looking at Lao Zhang's back as he packed up the chessboard and slowly left the venue, he opened his mouth and closed it.

It wasn't until Lao Zhang's back completely left the venue that he spit out the same words as the child he sent before.

"Thank you."

……

Lao Zhang walked out of the venue, he raised his head to look at the sun, felt the cold touch of the raindrops on the tip of his nose, and said with some emotion: "I haven't seen the sun and rain for a long time." ”

He looked down at the red record of defeat on his chest, shook his head and said, "The rain should stop soon, right?" ”

His pace slowly became brisk, and gradually he strode to the door of the next venue, waiting for the next match to begin.

Although Lao Zhang lost the first game, he was in a happy mood, because dreaming of this thing, don't give up until the last moment.

Perhaps, the realization of dreams is inadvertently?