Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Charles led the two through an inconspicuous side door, pressed a button, and a spacious, bright garage slowly appeared before them.

"My God..."

Tom and Mike gasped simultaneously, frozen in the doorway, their eyes wide as if they had witnessed something unbelievable.

The garage was larger than I imagined, the floor gleaming like a mirror. A row of identical black Lincoln Continentals stood like a silent, imposing troop of soldiers, neatly arranged. While the models varied slightly, they were all meticulously maintained, their black paint shimmering under the lights, silently proclaiming understated luxury and a vast family heritage. I saw at least five of them here!

"So many Lincolns..." Tom felt his tongue getting tied.

However, their attention was soon drawn to a white figure in the corner.

It was a pearl-white Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible! Its sleek, exaggerated rocket tail fins, its massive body gleaming with metallic sheen, and its elegantly folded, creamy-white soft top contrasted sharply with the somber black Lincolns around it. Like a Hollywood star, it instantly captivated the two teenagers.

"Ahhh! It's it! It really is it!" Tom let out a suppressed scream and rushed over first. Like a pilgrim, he wanted to reach out and touch the smooth pearl white paint, but he was afraid that his hands would get dirty. In the end, he only gently stroked the curves of the car body from a distance.

Mike joined in, walking around the car. "Wow!" he exclaimed, carefully touching the gleaming chrome bumper and the iconic tail fin. "The lines... are so beautiful..."

"Lin...Lin said...we can...drive this car?" Tom's voice trembled with excitement as he looked at Charles for confirmation.

Charles smiled and nodded. "Yes, Mr. Tom. The young master instructed that you two may choose freely. This Cadillac, or any Lincoln, will do."

"This one! It has to be this one!" Tom and Mike exclaimed in unison.

Tom finally couldn't resist and gently opened the heavy car door, getting into the driver's seat. The incredibly supportive white leather seats, the wide, sofa-like steering wheel, the densely packed chrome buttons… everything was exactly as he'd dreamed—no, even better!

Mike excitedly got into the passenger seat, touching and looking at everything.

Charles stood to the side, watching the two boys rummage around in the car like mice in a rice bin, touching and looking at everything with excited yet cautious expressions, their lips slightly twitching. He handed the car keys to Tom, who was in the driver's seat: "Have a nice morning, all three of you."

At this moment, Lin Yan, who had changed into a coat, strolled over. Seeing the two of them looking excited in the car, he smiled and shook his head: "Don't just watch, if you want to try it, go for it."

Tom took the keys, feeling their weight in his hands—not just the weight of the keys themselves, but also the weight of a dream come true. He nodded emphatically, a brighter smile than ever before spreading across his face.

The pearl-white Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, like an elegant white knight, drove out of the quiet villa district of the Upper East Side. But this elegance was soon shattered by the two eccentric teenagers in the front seat.

"Quick! Mike! Put the roof down!" Tom shouted excitedly as he gripped the steering wheel.

"Absolutely! A convertible without a top down is no better than one of those black coffins (referring to Lincolns)!" Mike responded enthusiastically, frantically searching for the button.

"Buzz buzz buzz—" Amid the hum of machinery, the white soft top slowly folded back, and the cold winter air instantly poured into the car without any obstruction.

"hiss--!"

Wow! That's awesome!

Almost simultaneously, Tom and Mike both gasped and shivered from the cold, but their faces shone with even greater excitement, as if the cold wind were a medal of honor.

Sitting in the back seat, Lin Yan felt the temperature was less than five degrees Celsius and noticed the pedestrians on the street wrapped in their coats. He couldn't help but ask, "Hey...aren't you two cold?"

"Cold? That's what a man should do!" Tom retorted, his teeth chattering slightly.

"The price of fashion! Lin, you don't understand!" Mike said, rubbing his arms and casually flicking his bangs.

Lin Yan looked up at the sky speechlessly, confirming once again that his and his two friends' thought processes were not on the same wavelength. Resignedly, he circulated his qi and blood to ward off the cold, then pulled out a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses from the inside pocket of his coat and put them on, blocking out some of the cold air, and... the impending social demise. He silently wrapped his wool coat even tighter; there was a kind of cold that made him feel cold for them.

The car sped along the Long Island Expressway toward Queens. As the speed increased, the cold wind felt like knives slicing against their faces. Tom and Mike struggled to straighten their shivering backs, flashing what they thought were nonchalant smiles at the other vehicles. Sure enough, their convertible luxury car, a rare sight in winter, attracted many surprised glances and whistles, making them feel the cold was worthwhile!

We drove through Queens and onto the magnificent Queens Bridge. Spanning the East River, the wind was even more biting. Tom's hands on the steering wheel were stiff, and Mike's nose and ears were red from the cold, but they persevered, facing the wind, watching the Manhattan skyline unfold before them, letting out exaggerated exclamations of admiration.

Entering Manhattan, they drove north along FDR Drive, a freeway along the East River. It was a fantastic route for enjoying the city views, but it also meant a longer stretch of wind. The two were starting to feel the strain; their smiles were stiff, and their teeth were chattering uncontrollably. But whenever a sports car passed by and honked at them, or when young people on the street cheered them on, they would force themselves to perk up and wave back, as if injected with adrenaline.

"Look...see...Lin...this is...charm..." Tom said, trembling, feeling like his face was about to disappear.

Lin Yan, sitting in the back seat, huddled behind his coat and sunglasses, mumbled, "Hmm...very...charming..." The charm of being frozen to death?

Finally, before Tom and Mike felt like they were about to turn into ice sculptures, the car drove out of the wind and started to return. As the warm garage door of the villa slowly closed behind them, the two practically tumbled out of the car, stamping their feet and breathing on each other's noses, laughing at each other's red noses.

"Next time... we'll drive it out again next time!" Tom announced, trembling.

"That's right! It's so...so awesome!" Mike nodded vigorously, even though his body was honestly trembling.

Lin Yan took off his sunglasses and, seeing his two friends' disheveled yet excited appearance, finally couldn't help but laugh out loud. He patted them on the shoulders: "Alright, you two 'tough guys,' hurry up and go inside. Yu Ling has prepared hot cocoa."

This winter convertible trip was definitely something Tom and Mike could brag about for a whole semester.

"By the way, Tom, you two can brag all you want back at school, but don't take me with you, or you'll never be able to borrow my car again!"

Tom and Mike were stunned when Lin Yan said this.

Tom scratched his head, puzzled. "Why, Lin? This is a great opportunity to show off! Do you know how many girls waved at us just now?"

Mike chimed in, "Exactly! If everyone at school knew this was your car, you'd be the most popular guy in the whole school!"

"No, driving with the roof down in the dead of winter might look cool to you, but to me it's a great opportunity to embarrass myself." He pointed to his ears, which were still red from the cold. "I'll give this 'honor' to you two."

Tom and Mike exchanged a glance and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Lin, you're hilarious!" Tom patted the car. "Alright! Then we won't stand on ceremony! This feat is ours!"

Mike laughed so hard he almost fell over. "That's right! We'll tell everyone that the two of us drove a convertible all over New York! As for the owner..." He winked slyly, "we'll say it belongs to our distant cousin!"

"But seriously, Lin," Tom remarked as he drove, "your Cadillac is absolutely fantastic. I'll definitely buy one when I have the money."

"Then you'd better work hard," Lin Yan said with a smile. "But until then, you can come and borrow my car anytime."

"Really?" Mike turned around in surprise.

"Of course," Lin Yan nodded, "as long as you promise not to drive the convertible in the dead of winter."