Three boys compete for one spot on the team. The coach praises speed and sharp eyes—then asks what they've overlooked.
天还没亮，训练馆里已经亮着灯。一排排绿色球台旁，队员们在练球。老教练头发花白，穿着深蓝色运动服，在球台之间慢慢走着。
It was still dark, but the lights were already on in the training hall. Beside rows of green tables, the players were practicing. The old coach, his hair gray, wearing a dark blue tracksuit, walked slowly between the tables.
他停在小涛面前。小涛打得又快又狠，对面根本接不住。教练点点头。今天他要从这些孩子里选一个进队。
He stopped in front of Xiaotao. Xiaotao hit fast and hard, and the player across could not return the balls at all. The coach nodded. Today he had to choose one of these kids to join the squad.
教练叫来三个人：“首先是小涛，其次是阿明，最后是俊杰。一个一个上来。”三个男孩都很紧张。
The coach called over three of them: "First Xiaotao, second Aming, and last Junjie. Come up one by one." All three boys were nervous.
小涛先上。他不仅球快，力量也很大，对面的人一个接一个输了。大家都说他的手全队最快。
Xiaotao went first. Not only was his ball fast, his power was also great, and the players across lost one after another. Everyone said his hands were the fastest on the team.
“你的手很快，可是光快还不够，”教练说。小涛不明白：他刚才打得那么好，教练为什么不满意？
"Your hands are fast, but fast alone is not enough," the coach said. Xiaotao did not understand: he had just played so well, so why was the coach not satisfied?
阿明上来了。他眼睛特别好，球怎么转，他一看就知道，并且每次都能稳稳地接回去。大家拍起手来。
Aming came up. His eyes were especially sharp: however the ball spun, he knew at a glance, and every time he returned it steadily. Everyone started clapping.
“你既看得准，又接得稳，”教练说，“不过光看得清还不够，还要跑得到。”阿明不笑了，和旁边的小涛一样不明白。
"You read the ball well and return it steadily," the coach said, "but seeing clearly isn't enough on its own. You also have to get to it." Aming stopped smiling. Like Xiaotao beside him, he did not understand.
俊杰又瘦又安静，穿着蓝色旧球衣。他几乎不动，球来了就轻轻一接。刚打了两分钟，就有人小声说：“太慢了吧？”
Junjie was thin and quiet, wearing an old blue jersey. He barely moved; when the ball came, he just returned it lightly. He had only been playing for two minutes when someone whispered, "Isn't he too slow?"
不管球打到哪里，俊杰都能接住，一个球都没丢。他的球不狠，看起来也很普通，教练看着他，眼睛慢慢亮了。
No matter where the ball went, Junjie returned it, without missing a single one. His shots weren't fierce and looked quite ordinary, but as the coach watched him, his eyes slowly lit up.
训练后，教练叫大家过来。他刚刚用手机拍了俊杰打球。“你们都说他慢，”他说，“看看是不是真的。”
After training, the coach called everyone over. He had just filmed Junjie playing with his phone. "You all say he is slow," he said. "Let's see whether that's true."
教练把画面放慢，大家才看清：俊杰的脚一直小步移动，从来没停，球还没到，脚已经到位。
The coach slowed the footage down, and only then did everyone see clearly: Junjie's feet kept moving in small steps, never stopping; before the ball arrived, his feet were already in place.
“原来他不是慢，”有人小声说，“每个球他都提前到。”教练点点头。俊杰看起来不动，其实脚一刻也没停。
"So he isn't slow," someone said quietly. "He gets to every ball early." The coach nodded. Junjie looked like he was standing still, but in fact his feet never stopped for a moment.
教练转身对全馆的队员说：“打球不仅手要快，脚也要快。首先要看得清，其次要跑得到。”
The coach turned to all the players in the hall and said, "In this game, it's not only your hands that must be fast, your feet must be fast too. First you must see clearly, and second you must get there."
教练说：“这次进队的是俊杰。”大家都看向他。俊杰刚才还以为自己没希望了。他站直身子，轻轻说：“谢谢教练。”
The coach said, "The one joining the squad this time is Junjie." Everyone turned to look at him. A moment ago, Junjie had thought he had no chance. He stood up straight and said softly, "Thank you, Coach."
第二天天还没亮，训练馆又亮起了灯。队员们没拿球拍，先在地上的梯子格里一步一步练脚步。俊杰也在他们中间。
The next day, while it was still dark, the lights came on in the training hall again. Without picking up their paddles, the players first practiced their footwork step by step in the ladder squares on the floor. Junjie was among them.