“Lin Hairui, I’m here to check out the car air conditioning! My brother is here too!” Yu Chengci shouted as he stepped through the gate of the Lin family courtyard.

At the same time, he spotted the shiny new car in the yard. “Wow, it’s a new car! So fresh!”

Erbao was already inside the car.

He saw the Yu brothers approaching through the rear window and pressed the button to lower it.

Having sat in numerous military family vehicles before, and with Lin Guodong’s connections for transportation, Erbao was familiar with some of the car’s features.

“Come on in! It’s super cool in here! One person can sit in the front, and there’s room for another in the back. My mom’s driving seat is off-limits.”

“Got it,” Yu Chengci replied. “It’s so refreshing! The car really has air conditioning, but I can’t see where it is.”

He climbed into the back, preferring to sit with his friends.

Yu Chengyuan, however, preferred to sit alone in the front.

“I don’t know where the car air conditioning is,” Erbao replied. “The cool air comes from the front, so the air conditioning must be inside there.”

“Wait, that’s not right,” Yu Chengci argued. “I’ve seen the Ling family’s air conditioner, and it’s huge…” He gestured with his hands. “There’s no way it could fit in here.”

Yibao chimed in, “Air conditioning can be made smaller.”

“Right, air conditioning can be compact!” Yu Chengyuan agreed from the front.

“Oh, I didn’t think of that,” Yu Chengci laughed. “By the way, Lin Haizhi, did your family buy this car, or did the army give it to your dad? This is my first time sitting in a car with air conditioning; it feels so nice!”

“Neither! I got it as a reward for winning the championship! Remember the uncle who came to ask me what prize I wanted?” Erbao reminded him.

Yu Chengci’s eyes lit up. “Lin Hairui, you’re amazing! They really rewarded you with a car!”

“It’s not that big of a deal…” Erbao said, trying to be modest, but then added, “However, I need to win six gold medals for this car. I’ve only won two so far, so I still owe four. If I retire like Damao and Tiedan without winning those four medals, my family will have to pay for them.”

“Ah?” Yu Chengci was surprised but quickly replied, “You’ll definitely manage! Next time in the 3000m and 5000m, you can win two more gold medals, and then you’ll win two more in the following races. That’ll be four!”

“Exactly! That’s what I’m thinking too! Hahaha…” Erbao laughed confidently.

The young boys were filled with a mysterious confidence, and their friends had an inexplicable faith in him.

Yibao, Sanbao, and Yu Chengyuan remained silent, feeling they didn’t have the same boldness as the other two.

The five boys chatted and enjoyed the air conditioning in the car until Ning Shu called them for lunch.

The three brothers went to eat, while Yu Chengyuan returned home with his brother to rest and complete their summer homework.

With no choice but to comply, Yu Chengci obediently followed.

As the eldest grandson of the Yu family, he was always respectful.

Because it was a weekday, the news of the car didn’t create much buzz in the military compound, but it did cause a stir in the neighboring Yu family.

Later that evening, when the Yu family members returned from work and sat down for dinner, Yu Chengci brought up the topic. “Mom, did you see the new car parked in the Lin family yard when you got home? It’s the one the state awarded to Lin Hairui for winning gold medals.”

“What car?” Li Yue had not noticed anything in the Lin family’s yard.

Even if she had, she would have assumed it was just a vehicle returning Lin Guodong home, never considering it was a reward from the state for Erbao.

“Really?” Vice Director Yu was also surprised. “So it’s a national award?”

He hadn’t expected the state to be so generous.

Winning a gold medal was indeed a significant achievement, but a car as a reward was quite something.

“Yeah,” Yu Chengyuan added. “But you need to win six gold medals to get the car. Lin Hairui has only won two, so they gave him the car first, and he still owes four medals. If he retires without winning the remaining four, he will have to pay for them. But we think he’ll manage; he can win gold medals in the 3000m and 5000m events.”

Everyone agreed with Yu Chengyuan’s assessment.

The adults thought more deeply about it.

Erbao was only twelve years old, and the next time he raced in the 3000m and 5000m, not only would he likely win, but his speed might even improve.

It seemed that the responsible parties noticed the situation, so despite missing four gold medals, they still awarded the car to the other party.

This was also a way for them to evaluate Er Bao and other athletes.

To go deeper, they wanted to encourage not just athletes, but anyone willing to bring glory to the country.

Of course, some people had other thoughts about this situation.

“Dad, the government might take more action soon,” Yu Chengyuan’s father, Yu Laoda, said.

“Yeah, I think the policy for buying cars will start soon,” Deputy Director Yu speculated.

Traditionally, cars were considered the property of the organization or the collective, not individuals.

However, since the state rewarded the Ling family’s child with a car, it meant that cars were becoming personal property.

So, it was very likely that the national car sales policy would be implemented soon.

Deputy Director Yu’s idea was sound; the government indeed planned to privatize car sales earlier than the historical timeline.

Just like how the installment payment policy came early.

Deputy Director Yu’s words left everyone silent.

However, the silence was not just due to his statement but also because of Yu Chengci’s comments.

The Lin family was considered newcomers in the courtyard, while other families had lived there for years.

Ning Shu, unlike the other new mothers who visited neighbors and made friends, had made herself very comfortable in the courtyard.

Moreover, she had become quite famous there.

Initially, she gained her reputation for being generous with food; every time the kids visited her home, they would receive snacks.

Some said she was kind, while others thought she was wasteful.

Later, when her two children jumped from fourth grade to junior high, word spread throughout the entire courtyard, making her truly famous.

Her kids had become the envy of others, and she became someone everyone admired.

The people in the courtyard generally had enough money and were eager to invest in their children.

Who wouldn’t want a bright child who could skip grades? And they had two!

As for the child who went to the sports school, although he also skipped grades, people tended to overlook him.

Many held conservative views, believing there was no future in sports.

Now, with the Lin family owning a car, the other families in the courtyard began to realize that the Lins were starting to lead.

Not just in the courtyard, but throughout the whole capital, how many families owned cars?

“Let’s have our kids play with the Lin children more often,” Deputy Director Yu said.

He had never stopped his grandchildren from playing with the Lins.

In fact, he didn’t concern himself with who they played with; that was up to his sons.

Now that he had said this, it indicated his true change of attitude toward the Lin family.

Yu He chuckled, “Old Lin and I are friends. My son Chengci has been playing well with their kids.”

“Yeah, I’m good friends with Lin Haizhi. I even rode in their car with my brother today to enjoy the air conditioning,” Yu Chengci said proudly, not fully grasping the deeper implications of his father’s words.

His innocent excitement drew a resigned look from his mother.

She thought her son wasn’t very smart; maybe he should check out the sports school too?

Meanwhile, in the neighboring yard, a family along with two dogs was admiring the new car.

“Dad, look! The leaders rewarded me with a new car. Isn’t it cool? Isn’t it impressive?” Er Bao asked proudly, puffing out his chest.

Lin Guodong nodded with a smile, “It’s nice and impressive. Thanks to you, we’re the first family in the country to have a car!”

“Really?” Er Bao hadn’t thought that far, but his father’s words made him even prouder. “That’s right! I’m the best!”

Yi Bao chimed in, “Dad, we discussed it this afternoon and want to drive back to our hometown.”

Lin Guodong replied, “I’m still on vacation, but since I just moved back to the capital six months ago, it’s not easy to take leave now without a good reason.”

Er Bao quickly said, “You don’t need to come. My mom can drive! The three of us brothers plus Da Mao and Tie Dan will go. Mom said… it’s a spontaneous trip!”

Ning Shu thought, “…” He learned that so quickly! But she understood that Lin Guodong couldn’t take leave.

Lin Guodong turned to Ning Shu, “Can you drive back to your hometown? What if it’s unsafe on the road? And it’s quite a distance; you don’t know the way.”

Ning Shu replied, “I can drive; it’s just that I don’t know the roads. For safety, I’ll take the main roads, drive during the day, and stay in the city at night. It should be fine, plus the kids can enjoy the scenery. Er Bao rarely has such a long break; it might be two years before the next one.” This long vacation was due to the recent competitions.

Er Bao added, “Yeah! When we get back, we can bring Grandma and Grandpa to visit!”

San Bao interrupted, “But they can’t sit in the back!”

Er Bao realized, “Oh, right!”

Ning Shu reassured them, “It’s okay; you guys can sit in the trunk and give Grandma and Grandpa your seats.”

Er Bao immediately ran to check the trunk, opening it skillfully. “Wow, two people can fit in here!”

Yi Bao thought, “…” He didn’t really plan on actually sitting in the trunk, did he?

Seeing their excitement, Lin Guodong didn’t want to ruin their mood. “I’ll study the map tonight and mark the route. Tomorrow, I’ll discuss it with my comrades at the army.”

“You know the route?” Ning Shu was surprised.

Lin Guodong replied, “I studied here before. During our time at school, we also had training tasks, so I know some of the road conditions around here.”