THEY SAW HIM RUNNING CIRCLES AROUND THEM AND DASHING OFF TO THE DISTANCE, RAISING A CLOUD OF DUST

he had no idea why she sought him out. He put his hands in his pockets and moistened his dry lips with his tongue, and appeared to be all ears. Wang Yueling asked, “Are you a fast runner?” Li Qi was still at a loss, so instead of answering, he asked, warily, “What do you mean?”

Wang Yueling laughed and said, “Look how scared you are! It’s because you wanted to talk about your job that you came to see me last time, right? I thought about it. We are going to hold a sports meet, and if you’re good at sports, you can enter your name for the races. If you get a prize, the director might pay attention to you and you might get the chance to organize cultural activities and sports events in the logistics department. It’s a good job.”

Li Qi became overjoyed, since everyone wanted to work in an office. Therefore, without even thinking about his athletic ability, he agreed. “No problem, I can do it. I’m thin, but I’ve got stamina. I even won a prize in Tiexi district when I was younger! You can enter my name for the 1,500-meter race. I haven’t run in a few years, but I’ll practice and claim glory for our workshop.” Wang Yueling was delighted, so she immediately helped Li Qi to fill out the registration form and said, “You have to work hard. The sports meet will start at the end of the month.

Try to be the champion!”

Although Li Qi was exhilarated, he still remembered to express his thanks to Wang Yueling, so he invited her to have dinner together. Wang Yueling saw how excited Li Qi was, and felt she had done something really useful for him, so she finally agreed to go to the Fengwei Restaurant for sautéed pork tenderloin.

At dinner, Li Qi generously ordered four dishes, soup, and a few bottles of beer, which he opened with his teeth. Sitting on the chair with his legs splayed, Li Qi raised the bottle to his mouth and downed the beer in one go. Wang Yueling didn’t drink beer, so she ate her dinner while listening to Li Qi babble on about his childhood and the odd habits of the other workers.

Wang Yueling didn’t pay much attention to him at the start, but she was gradually attracted by his stories, and even started to admire his observational skills and memory. When Li Qi’s appetite was satisfied, he became bored of talking about other people, so he narrowed his eyes and asked Wang Yueling, “You’re divorced. Why don’t you find a new boyfriend?”

Wang Yueling wasn’t bothered by the question, and answered, “Why do I have to find a new boyfriend? It’s just as good to be single.” Throwing his head back and leaning into his chair, Li Qi said, “Don’t overthink it! You can easily get married again!” This time his words irritated Wang Yueling. She thought, “Whether I get married or not is none of your business! Who gives you the right to tell me what to do?” Her expression suddenly darkened and she grabbed her bag to leave. Li Qi realized that he had said something inappropriate, so he said something nice to soothe her.

By the time they left the restaurant, it was around 9 p.m., and Li Qi insisted on escorting Wang Yueling back home. He felt genuine regret for annoying his benefactor, so he apologized all the way to her home. Wang Yueling had already forgiven him, but she wore a frozen look. She didn’t know why. Even though she was no longer sad, her expression had frozen like ice—it would not melt, nor soften.

Wang Yueling’s feelings were still conflicted by the time she went to bed. Workers’ enthusiasm for the sports meet was not high, so

she had asked Li Qi to take part simply to make up the numbers. As for the possibility of transferring to the logistic department, she had made that up on the spot. She never thought Li Qi would take it seriously. How was it possible? Her father had to beg all of his connections even to get her own job. How could Li Qi get a decent job by winning the race? He was so naive!

Li Qi took it seriously. The next day during lunch break, he put on his red-striped vest and white shorts, like a real athlete, and started his training in an open area on the factory campus. First, he measured the distance between the shop and the canteen, which was about 200 meters. If he ran four laps, it would be 1,500 meters. Then he started to warm up—he not only stretched his arms and legs, but also grunted occasionally to encourage himself.

The bell for lunch rang, and workers all filed out of the shop with their lunchboxes to get their meal. Li Qi began to jog slowly back and forth while smelling the delicious food. His old mentor Zhu saw him and was confused, but he had a vague feeling that he was somehow responsible, so he kept his head down and stayed as far away as he could.

Wang Yueling didn’t leave her office until after the lunch rush had passed. She did this intentionally to keep herself separate from the workers, and ate whatever was left instead of scrambling for tasty dishes with the others. As soon as she left the workshop, she met Li Qi, who was doing his practice run.

Li Qi’s forehead was already covered in sweat, which reflected the bright golden rays in the sunlight and gave off a fresh smell completely unlike the smell of the lubricant in the shop. His vest and shorts made him look neat and healthy, and as he ran to greet her, panting heavily, Wang Yueling felt a little dizzy. She couldn’t stand still, so she raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. She asked him whether he had eaten lunch yet, and Li Qi declared, “No, I’m not eating lunch. I don’t have much time, and it’s more important for me to get back into shape.”

Li Qi’s training was effective, in a way. At least, it let almost everyone in the workshop know that there was a person who decided to practice running rather than eat during the lunch break. They saw him running circles around them and dashing off to the distance, raising a cloud of dust. He wasn’t attracted by the smell of stewed green beans and braised eggplants, and he could fully master his body, and these qualities helped him win much admiration. In the history of the workshop, no one had ever paid so much attention to the forthcoming sports meet.

Seeing this, Wang Yueling felt more guilty than ever, and she wanted to tell Li Qi the truth—that even if you won a prize, it was still impossible for you to get what you want. Unfortunately, she wasn’t brave enough, so instead, she told herself that it was unnecessary to tell him. “He should be able to understand. If he can’t, then that’s his problem,” Wang Yueling always told herself.

As the day of the sports meet approached, the workers began to feel that Li Qi had suddenly gotten more agile. He could run faster than anyone. He nimbly jogged through the crowd and didn’t even pause to greet his fellow workers. They could only hear his heavy breaths coming nearer and nearer. As Li Qi became thinner and more tanned, he also grew stronger. It seemed that he was growing out of the wilderness, for he looked untamed, persevering, and self-contained.

As time went on, Li Qi attracted an audience, most of whom were his former colleagues. Every day, they squatted at the entrance of the workshop with their lunchboxes, stuffing lunch into their mouths while watching Li Qi run, and they would make comments. Sometimes they would also tease him, “Don’t work so hard! You won’t win!” Li Qi ran past them like the wind, and there wasn’t enough time for him to get angry, so he would only look back and shout, “Piss off!”

Wang Yueling also watched, but she watched from her office window. Sometimes she was so absorbed in watching Li Qi running round and round that she forgot to have lunch. She kept asking herself, “Am I the bad guy? What if he really gets a prize?” She even considered whether she should do something to make it up to him, so that she wouldn’t feel so guilty. However, she couldn’t come up with any ideas, so she gave up after a while.

The workers had a half-day off on the day before the sports meet in order to prepare. A great number of bamboo sticks, colorful flags, and gongs and drums were delivered to the factory on tricycles. All the participants were running and jumping and warming up in the open area. Everyone was excited, and the gloomy factory seemed to come alive. The director of the workshop promised a big reward to workers who won a prize at the meet.

Wang Yueling was busy in her office—writing reports, getting the equipment ready, and doublechecking the registration form. At this time, Li Qi strutted into her office and sat down. Wearing a dazzling smile, he said, “Tomorrow if I win, you have to bring some water to the finish line to welcome me. I’ll be thirsty after the race.”

Wang Yueling had a lot of work to do, so she was annoyed and said,

“There’ll be staff working at the finish line. They’ll offer you water.”

Li Qi stood up and walked around Wang Yueling’s desk, and then he bent toward her until his mouth almost touched her face. He put on a serious expression and said, “I won’t drink other people’s water.

You have to offer me water. It has to be you!”

His warm breath brushed against her cheek and it filled into her collar, making her feel warm and itchy.

She wanted to indulge herself in the moment, but forced herself to clear her mind. She shuddered and took a step back, and then she shouted, “What’s wrong with you!”

Hearing this, Li Qi twisted his mouth. He realized that Wang Yueling didn’t want to continue their conversation, so he straightened up and snorted. As he turned back to leave, he sneered, “Every day you stand in your office and watch me run. You didn’t think I knew? You’re just pretending! Acting like a virgin when you’ve already been divorced. Well, keep acting!”

Wang Yueling was struck dumb, her mind reeling from the shock. It took her a long time to regain her composure. In the beginning, she was so irritated that she even started to tremble. Then she felt that she was wronged, deeply wronged. But she was unable to cry, so she just stood still with a pile of forms in her hands.

Seeing that his remarks struck home, Li Qi was overwhelmed by the pleasure of revenge. He was so excited that his body began to quiver, though his legs were still stiff. Walking out of Wang Yueling’s office, Li Qi quickened his pace until he started to run down the corridor. He ran out of the workshop and stretched his body. In the gentle breeze and the brilliant sunlight, he made a final sprint before the race— he opened his arms and dashed toward the colorful flag that had just been raised.

The weather was bad on the day of the sports meet. Gusts of chilly wind came and went. It wasn’t until noon that the weather improved.

The 1,500-meter race was the first event in the afternoon, the workers of each shop were already sitting in their lanes, neatly dressed, striking bamboo clappers and shouting slogans for morale. Li Qi was in Lane 5. He was crouched on the ground with his eyes slightly closed, his whole being apparently concentrated in the moment.

The gun sounded, and everyone dashed out, including Li Qi, who was faster and more confident than anyone. When they rounded the first curve, everyone started to merge into the inner lanes, except for Li Qi. He still ran in the outer lane, looking vigorous and persistent. One lap later, Li Qi was still in his own lane, and he lagged more than 10 meters behind the fastest runners. His colleagues were all shouting, “Move to the inner lanes!”

Li Qi didn’t seem to hear their suggestions, and he ran like there was no one around him. He felt that his legs were getting stiff, and they were losing feeling and strength, and this was the same feeling he had when he walked out of Wang Yueling’s office the previous day. He was scared and hurt and he panted heavily. His disappointment and frustration didn’t surge through him and change into motivation, as he had imagined; his dream had turned sour.

The only thing he could do now was run mechanically; he was like a machine that had just been serviced—running stably and smoothly. Screwing up his eyes, Li Qi ran forward, and he felt that the world before his eyes had turned black. He dreamed about his future, feeling that he was about to fly.

At this time, Wang Yueling was walking to the finish line with two bottles of water in her hands. She had not been able to sleep all night, and her eyes were bloodshot. As soon as she got up in the morning, she resolved to bring some water to Li Qi that afternoon. She didn’t have any special reason, but she just wanted to tell him, she really hadn’t been acting.

The anthology District Champ was my earliest work, and it was because of these stories that I began to set my stories in the industrial districts of the Northeast in the 1990s. At the time, the industrial age notions were fully integrated with traditional livelihoods, and change was constantly taking place—some inspiring, others bleak. In “District Champ,” the factory serves as the background where workers are the protagonists. All the other stories in the book take place here.