I, Yan Jiefang, will live to 2025 in this courtyard house.

After returning to City 49, Yan Jiefang finally had time to start learning to drive in late April.

After comparing options, he chose Yuanda Driving School, which is closest to Nanluoguxiang.

The driving school is located in the Sijiqing West Suburb Training Ground, which is only about 6 kilometers away from Yan Jiefang's home. It doesn't take long to get there by bicycle.

Even if you don't ride a bicycle, there is a shuttle bus every morning.

The driving school instructor teaches the BJ212, which is a perfect fit for his own vehicle.

The shuttle bus from Yuanda Driving School stops at the intersection of Ping'an Avenue and Kuanjie Road at 6:40 a.m. sharp.

Yan Jiefang got into the car carrying a canvas bag and went straight to the back seat by the window.

A trainee next to him, dressed in a Zhongshan suit and looking like he worked for a government agency, stared at him intently several times, confirming his identity before finally speaking in a low voice:

"Comrade, you are Yan Jiefang, who broke records and won gold medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints and long jump at the Los Angeles Olympics two years ago, and also led the basketball team to victory, right?"

You've been featured repeatedly in newspapers and on the radio before.

Upon hearing this, the twenty-odd trainees in the carriage all turned to look and began to whisper among themselves:

"I never expected that an Olympic champion would also be taking the shuttle bus with us to learn to drive."

"No wonder he looks so upright and has such strong arms and legs."

"Yan Guanjun is 41 years old this year, right? He still looks so energetic! He looks like he's not even thirty. Olympic champions are truly extraordinary!"

"I can say with certainty that he learned to drive much faster than the rest of us!"

"I think so too, after all, he's an Olympic champion!"

...

Yan Jiefang nodded slightly, his tone calm:

"I am indeed Yan Jiefang, but the racetrack is the racetrack. Learning to drive starts from scratch. I am also a newbie. From now on, we will practice together and learn from each other."

Old Li, who runs a clothing wholesale business nearby, struck up a conversation:

"With your athletic background, this BJ212 steering wheel is incredibly heavy. Our arms get sore after practicing for a while, but it will definitely be much easier for you to handle."

"I only have a bit of explosive power. This strength is useful for playing ball and running in games, but I probably can't use brute force to drive."

Experienced drivers have told me that the key to steering is maintaining a steady pace and applying consistent pressure. Smoothly pressing the clutch and accelerator makes the car easier to control. After practicing for a while, everyone's feel for it will be roughly the same.

The forty-day legal training course officially began. The classroom was old, and the desks were covered in scratches. (Regulations and training, the abbreviations are correct.)

Half of the course explains traffic regulations and road signs, while the other half teaches vehicle structure and on-road self-rescue and maintenance.

The instructor spread out a large teaching chart of engine circuits and explained how to troubleshoot headlights that were flashing or malfunctioning. He called on three students to answer the questions, but none of their answers grasped the key points.

The instructor looked up at Yan Jiefang. He had also heard of this Olympic champion and wanted to test him:

"This student, could you analyze where to prioritize troubleshooting the fault?"

Yan Jiefang stood up and answered:

"First check the vehicle's grounding wiring, then check if the headlight plugs are oxidized or loose."

The 212 often travels on bumpy dirt roads, and the original clips are easily loosened by vibrations, so there's probably no need to disassemble the headlight assembly.

The instructor, after checking the chart against the pointer, nodded in approval.

"That's a very good summary; it's clear you're quite familiar with mechanical circuits."

Yan Jiefang explained in one sentence:

"I used to be a level 11 technician at Factory 774. I had long-term contact with industrial electromechanical equipment and assembly lines. The principles are the same, so it just looks familiar."

The instructor nodded:

"Okay, sit down."

During recess, a few students chatted idly under the shade of a tree.

A trainee who regularly transports non-staple foods to other regions asked:

"You're strong in basketball, good at power control in track and field, so are you naturally more stable at steering than us?"

Yan Jiefang shook his head:

"I'm not too sure either. I only know that sports train physical coordination and mindset, while driving relies more on familiarity with pedal travel and steering angle."

Stay calm, don't steer or accelerate suddenly, and the car won't wobble.

The training ground was a hard mud field leveled from the wasteland in the western suburbs, surrounded by farmland, where the wind would blow yellow dust everywhere.

Five or six BJ212s were parked neatly, with no power steering or braking, making them heavy to handle.

Coach Wang, who was in charge of the class, was a retired truck driver. He was strict in his teaching and spoke bluntly.

Even knowing that there were Olympic champions among the students, the teaching standards were not relaxed at all; it's just that the tone of voice was no longer harsh or reprimanding under normal circumstances.

When it was Yan Jiefang's turn to practice driving for the first time, although it was his first time, his driving skills had already reached over 80 points after so much learning.

Driving this car is a piece of cake.

Once you're seated, grip the steering wheel with both hands to feel the weight distribution, lightly press the clutch with your left foot to feel the remaining travel, and use your right foot to test the gap between the brake and accelerator. Release the handbrake to start smoothly.

The parking and reversing maneuvers are performed in a neat and orderly manner, with the vehicle body closely following the lines without crossing them. The vehicle is stable when parked on a slope and does not roll away.

Coach Wang walked around the jeep, leaned against the door, and asked:

"Your control of the force is very even. Have you worked with heavy machinery before?"

Yan Jiefang answered without hesitation:

"When debugging production equipment in the factory, we need to precisely control the transmission structure all year round. The power-generating habits we have carried over to driving the car are just right."

After the field training session, the entire team went to a gravel road section in the suburbs for road training.

The road conditions were very poor at this time, with potholes and uneven surfaces being normal.

Tractors and donkey carts occasionally slow down and block the road.

The other students in the car gripped the steering wheel, their minds tense.

Many people complained:

"This bad road is too difficult to drive on. If the road surface is bumpy, the car will drift to both sides if you move the steering wheel even slightly."

Yan Jiefang maintained a steady speed and made minor adjustments to the direction.

The coach reminded him from the side:

"Reduce speed early, anticipate potholes, and make only minor steering adjustments. Don't turn the steering wheel all the way. The car will sway and you can drive over them."

The student drove for a while following the method, and his tense expression relaxed.

After completing the four-month training period, the entire team went to the Haidian Vehicle Management Office to take the parking and road tests.

Yan Jiefang's starting, shifting, turning, reversing, and passing oncoming vehicles on narrow roads were all smooth and seamless, without any mistakes.

After reviewing the application materials, the examiner offered their evaluation:

"The mental fortitude honed through the competition, coupled with the mechanical knowledge accumulated over a long period in the processing plant, provides a very solid foundation for driving on the road."

Yan Jiefang looked at the examiner and expressed his gratitude:

"Thank you for your recognition, examiner."

You cannot receive your driver's license on the spot after all the tests are completed.

Driving schools collect all student files and submit them to the vehicle management office for manual license production every Wednesday, which takes seven working days.

I never expected it to take so long to learn to drive.

He did not cheat or use any special methods throughout the entire process.

This is actually about restraining one's desire to achieve one's goals through other means, and it is also a form of training one's mental strength.

After passing their driving tests, the children's summer vacation was almost over, and they had been eagerly waiting for the holidays to end.

Fortunately, there are still about ten days before school starts, so Yan Jiefang decided to take everyone south during this last period of time.

However, her mother-in-law was getting old, and Liu Ruyan also had to manage the fruit shop.

Therefore, they will go to Jiangcheng for a few days first, and then return.

We'll decide whether to take the children south again depending on the time available.