Since the university hasn't officially started its holiday break yet, Sheldon can definitely go to the University of Texas first and try to experience independent living.
Moreover, Dr. Sturgis teaches at the University of Texas, so he can also help look after Sheldon.
Therefore, Connie's suggestion was a good idea.
After another discussion, Mary reluctantly agreed to the proposal for her youngest son to experience university life at the University of Texas.
Of course, the premise was that Sheldon could take good care of himself there, otherwise Mary would personally go and pick him up at any time.
After all, the University of Texas is not far from Medford, just over an hour's drive.
"This is great! I can finally go to university to study!" After getting his mother's permission, Sheldon pulled out his University of Texas admission letter and cheered.
Dr. Sturgis's research project for the Nobel Prize was about to be finalized, and Sheldon's visit this time was, on the one hand, to learn university knowledge, and on the other hand, to help Dr. Sturgis.
Driven by this dual temptation, Sheldon was eager to attend the University of Texas, a college that wasn't particularly highly ranked.
He was even already considering how to collaborate with Dr. Sturgis to win next year's Nobel Prize.
Once Sheldon's schooling was settled, the atmosphere at the Cooper family dinner table also relaxed.
"George, how did it go with the car?" At this moment, Mike took the opportunity to ask about the used car.
"Dale has a Dodge Pickup that's seventy to eighty percent new and he's asking for ten thousand dollars..." George introduced the situation of the used car, then continued, "Mike, actually, you can drive my car back, I won't be using it much during this time anyway."
Although he knew Mike had made some money, considering he was still a student, spending ten thousand dollars on a car rashly was still a bit too wasteful.
What's more, he already had a red Ferrari sports car.
And now, during the summer vacation, George, who didn't have to work and had no plans to go out, didn't mind lending his old Ford to Mike to drive.
"Forget it, George. Your old car is almost toothless." Connie, listening to Mike and George discuss, her eyes rolled, and she said, "Mike, you can drive my Chevrolet; its quality is guaranteed and its horsepower is absolutely strong."
"Of course, in exchange, your Ferrari needs to be lent to Grandma for a few days..."
Mike's red Ferrari was definitely a high-end car in Medford, and driving it out was very flashy; Connie had wanted to try it for a long time.
"Forget it, I'll go look at that pickup truck first." Mike, who felt like he had been hit by an abacus bead, rejected Connie's suggestion.
Connie's Chevrolet was also quite old and not much better than George's old car.
Mike, who wasn't short on cash now, decided to buy a suitable used car for transportation to be on the safe side.
The next morning, as Mary picked up Connie and drove Sheldon to the University of Texas, Mike also drove his Ferrari, carrying George and others, to the sporting goods store in town.
Yes, the person selling the used car this time was Dale, the owner of the sporting goods store.
"Look who it is!" In front of the sporting goods store, Dale, also a football enthusiast, warmly welcomed Mike.
Because of the newspaper's promotion a while ago, Mike's popularity in Medford was very high now.
In fact, Dale even put up Mike's poster in his own sporting goods store as a selling point.
After all, the latter had once bought protective gear at this store.
After some pleasantries, Dale led Mike and his group to his pickup truck, signaling Mike to take it for a test drive first.
Doing business with acquaintances has this advantage: everything can be discussed.
Immediately, Mike test-drove the Dodge Pickup, and after experiencing the car's performance, he checked its mileage.
This car was indeed seventy to eighty percent new, as George said, and the driving experience was also very good.
Next, it was time to talk about the price.
George, sensing Mike's intention to buy a car, spoke first: "Dale, how about a family price, five thousand dollars?"
"Impossible! You've all seen the condition of this car; five thousand dollars is too little..." Like someone whose main artery had been cut, Dale shook his head, indicating he could not accept the price George offered.
Cutting the price in half right off the bat was indeed a bit ruthless.
"How about we add a little more, six thousand?"
George continued to play the emotional card: "This car is for Mike, and he's still a student, so it's too expensive for him to afford."
"No, no, no, six thousand is still too little." Dale paused and said, "Given that we're acquaintances, I can give you a discount. How about nine thousand? This car is worth that price."
"Mike, what do you think?" Georgie, whose emotional card failed, handed the negotiation initiative back to Mike.
"This car is indeed good..." Mike first confirmed his intention to buy the car, then looked at Dale and said, "A final price of eight thousand; if that works, I'll pay now."
Used car sales are all about mutual willingness, and price fluctuations can often be significant.
And Dale's used Dodge, at a price of eight thousand dollars, was quite fair and wouldn't cause him much loss.
"Alright, eight thousand it is."
Hearing Mike's decisive offer, Dale didn't hesitate much, considering it doing the other party a favor, and readily agreed to the deal.
After swiping his card and paying, Mike successfully acquired his second car, a seventy to eighty percent new Dodge Pickup.
"Mike, can I drive this pickup?" After the transaction, Georgie asked expectantly.
His eyes, looking at the Dodge in front of him, were practically glowing.
A few days ago, Georgie also celebrated his sixteenth birthday, gaining the legal right to drive a vehicle.
Here, as long as you're sixteen, even if you haven't obtained a driver's license, you can drive on the road with an experienced driver accompanying and supervising you.
"Of course, if you'd like, you can take it for a spin." Seeing his expectant little eyes, Mike agreed to his request.
It was just a car for transportation, nothing major.
"This is awesome! Thank you, Mike." Georgie excitedly went to hug Mike, but wasn't embarrassed when the latter stopped him.
Subsequently, he invited his father to accompany him and excitedly drove the Dodge for a joyride around town.
"Let's go, we'll also go to the town's commercial street." After Mike planned the next itinerary, he looked at Paige and confirmed, "Your parents are definitely picking you up at noon, right?"
"Yes, we talked on the phone earlier," Paige replied.
"That's good, there's still time now, we can just go browse around." Mike motioned for Paige and Missy to get in the car, and the three slowly drove to the commercial street.
The car buying process earlier was very smooth, which also gave Mike ample time to take the two girls shopping.
More than an hour later, the two girls, one hand carrying a large snack gift bag and the other holding a fruit-flavored ice cream, got into the car and headed home.
To be honest, Mike had miscalculated; the weather today was too hot and not suitable for staying outdoors for long.
Later, when the three returned to Connie's, Paige's parents had not yet arrived. George and his son, who had driven off for a joyride, also hadn't returned.
So, Mike told the two girls to rest in their room, while he prepared to start making lunch.
Just then, Paige's parents and her sister arrived.
Then, with the help of Linda, everyone enjoyed a hearty lunch. Afterwards, Mike and Missy watched Paige's family leave.
According to Barry, who revealed it during dinner, their family was indeed going on a summer trip afterwards.