It was already noon after leaving the café.
The midday sun scorched the earth, and the asphalt was steaming with heat waves.
Diana and Ethan had a casual lunch at a street restaurant, and then parted ways—she hurried home with her bag to prepare for the company registration.
And he stopped a taxi and went straight to the written driving test location.
Outside the testing center, the other three had been waiting for a long time. Ethan just arrived and caught up with the queue to enter.
The exam process was surprisingly smooth, and he submitted and left in less than 5 minutes—the bright green "100%" on the screen was particularly eye-catching.
Ethan wandered out and waited outside the testing center for the others.
"This damn weather..."
Ethan wiped the sweat beads from his forehead and jogged into the convenience store next to the testing center.
The cold air from the freezer hit his face, and he took out four bottles of Coke with water droplets, and the bottles immediately condensed into a fine layer of water mist.
The first to come out was Sarah.
Ethan greeted her and placed the cold Coke on her reddened cheeks.
"Ah!"
She was startled by the ice and took the drink with a smile.
"How was it? Did you pass?"
Sarah replied easily:
"Of course! The questions were quite simple!"
Ethan gave her a thumbs up.
Subsequently, Ashley and Jack also came out one after another. No need to guess—just looking at their faces, you knew they'd passed!
Jack even gestured with a "V" sign, shouting from a distance:
"Ethan! Did you see? Could pass that with my eyes closed!"
It was still early!
The four of them decided to find a McDonald's to discuss school and major application issues.
Pushing open the glass door of McDonald's, the air conditioning mixed with the aroma of fried food hit their faces.
Ethan skillfully found a booth by the window, and the plastic seat made a slight creaking sound.
The results had already come out. Ethan didn't need to fill out applications—he was already a student majoring in business administration at NYU!
Needless to say, Sarah and Ashley would definitely apply to NYU, but now they had to discuss what majors Sarah and Ashley would apply for at NYU.
And Jack just had to think about which school to apply to. After all, his scores couldn't compare to universities like NYU and Columbia.
Sarah pulled up the NYU major catalog on her phone and smiled gently:
"The curriculum of the Media, Culture, and Communication program is very interesting. New media operations and public opinion analysis are very practical."
Her fingertips tapped on the screen, her eyes shining.
Ashley bit the Coke can straw:
"I still prefer the English Literature department. Classic literature, modern writing... And I heard that the library at NYU's College of Arts and Sciences is particularly beautiful."
In the end, Sarah chose the Media, Culture, and Communication program at NYU, while Ashley chose English Literature at NYU!
Jack, because some time ago Ethan had told him to apply for a computer major, now had one idea in mind: in New York, find a university with good scores and an excellent computer program.
"How about NYU Tandon School of Engineering?"
Ethan suddenly spoke, his fingers scrolling on his phone screen to pull up the score requirements for each school:
"The computer science program ranks in the top 20 in the country, and it's only three subway stops away from the main campus."
Finally, after several discussions, Jack chose Computer Science from NYU Tandon School of Engineering!
The group didn't spend a dime at McDonald's and left together after the discussion.
Walking out of the McDonald's, Sarah held Ashley's arm:
"Let's go to the mall for a stroll. I heard a new bookstore opened over there."
The two girls walked to the bus stop chatting and laughing.
And Ethan had already hooked Jack's shoulder and walked in the opposite direction:
"Gaming cafe, let's go! Today I'm teaching you how to play Yasuo!"
"Dude!"
"I'm going to use Yasuo to teach you how to be a person today!" Not to be outdone, Jack shot back.
The next day.
At six o'clock in the morning, as soon as it was light, Ethan was dragged out of bed by his mother Linda.
"Mom... What time even is it..."
Ethan rubbed his sleepy eyes.
"Stop talking nonsense!"
Linda neatly threw his clothes at him. "Your uncles and aunts are all waiting back home!"
The Miller family's old house was located in a small town outside the city, and Linda's smile hadn't faded the entire way.
Robert had a younger brother and three younger sisters, and the entire Miller family had always been known for its harmony. This time they heard that Ethan had become state champion, and several elders were happier than if their own children had gotten into college.
Yesterday, when they heard the family was coming back, they all took time off to go back to the old house early, preparing to cook a feast together to celebrate Ethan's championship victory.
As soon as they arrived at their hometown, the yard suddenly became lively.
The eldest sister-in-law was wearing an apron and peeking out of the kitchen, the second aunt was quickly setting up the dishes and silverware, and the younger sister-in-law was holding her phone and kept taking pictures.
The aroma of pot roast wafted from the kitchen, and Ethan's favorite corn chowder was simmering on the stove.
"Oh, my eldest grandson!"
Grandma hugged Ethan into her arms, and her wrinkled hands kept rubbing his back. "Grandma has been bragging about you at the community center!"
Grandpa sat on a wicker chair, seemingly calmly playing with chess pieces, but deliberately knocked them making loud clattering sounds:
"Old Jim was showing off to me a few days ago that his grandson got into a good school—hmph!"
Since the news of Ethan being admitted as state champion spread, the threshold of the Miller family's old house had almost been worn down by congratulatory neighbors.
This family banquet lasted from noon until the sun set.
The old wine that grandpa had treasured for years was brought out, and while raising glasses, grandpa's wrinkled face glowed red, and his voice was louder than usual.
Robert and his younger brother Uncle Mike sang old country songs side by side, clinking glasses from time to time, not even noticing when wine spilled on their clothes.
The youngest aunt saw the old man drinking bowl after bowl of wine and tried to persuade him, "Dad! Please drink less..."
"I'm happy! So happy!"
Grandpa slapped the table, and the wine in his glass jumped:
"Emily was admitted to a top graduate program at a top university, and now Ethan has given me a state champion!"
The old man's eyes turned red as he spoke. "Our Miller family plot is blessed!"
Today at this meal, the whole family got drunk!
Grandpa was drunk, and Robert and Uncle Mike were also drunk.
Cousin Sarah Miller was also excellent at studying and had been admitted to a top school last year.
Sister Emily had also been admitted to a prestigious university on the East Coast four years ago, and this year she'd been admitted to graduate school.
Now Ethan had aced the SATs.
The children were all so promising!
Ethan's older cousin had graduated with a bachelor's degree and went to work at a tech company in California, becoming a corporate drone. He hadn't come back for two years...
The salary was quite high, but he basically stayed at the company all day long.
In this era, this group of cousins desperately working 80-hour weeks at tech giants were still called "go-getters," but within a few years, they'd laugh at themselves as "corporate slaves" and "workhorses."
Ethan thought to himself that when the company started, he'd get a few cousins back...
Robert and Linda drove back to the city the next day.
They still had to work.
There are 50 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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