69novels Chapter 173 - 124: First Reward, Exclusive Weapon
Chapter 173 - 124: First Reward, Exclusive Weapon
The Lin Family home.
It was almost noon.
The range hood in the kitchen rumbled.
Li Wan, wearing an apron, was focused on cooking.
Nearby, at the sink, Lin Wei skillfully helped her mother prep and chop vegetables as water splashed in the basin.
"Xiaoye’s appetite is getting bigger and bigger. Mom, I feel like you’ve cooked more in the past few months than you have in your entire life."
Lin Wei complained, but she saw a satisfied smile on her mother’s face.
Ever since Lin Ye’s martial arts training got on the right track, his appetite had been growing by the day.
As soon as Li Wan got off work, she spent nearly all her time either cooking or on her way to buy groceries.
But she was happy to do it.
"I wonder how he did on the mock exam this time?"
Lin Wei wiped her hands and brought up Lin Ye’s exam from today.
"What’s to wonder? As long as he performs as he normally does, it’ll be fine."
The two of them chatted idly in the kitchen.
The television was on in the living room, playing the local noon news for Dongjiang City. The anchor’s voice drifted in intermittently.
"Thinking about the time, Xiaoye should be done with his exam by now."
Li Wan took off her apron and wiped her hands.
DING-DONG—
The words had barely left her mouth when the doorbell suddenly rang.
"I’ll get it."
"Coming—"
Lin Wei called out and hurried to the door.
She glanced through the peephole and saw a middle-aged man in a crisp uniform standing outside, a smile on his face.
Puzzled, Lin Wei opened the door.
"Hello, is this the home of student Lin Ye?"
When the visitor saw Lin Wei open the door, his smile instantly became more sincere, and his tone grew even more polite.
He first showed his credentials, which read, "Ma Dong, Deputy Director, Logistics and Support Department, Dongjiang City Education Bureau."
"Yes, it is," Lin Wei nodded, still a bit confused.
Ma Dong stepped aside, clearing the way.
Only then did Lin Wei see two or three workers in moving company uniforms standing behind him in the hallway.
Farther down at the stairwell, it looked like people were carrying something large and heavy up the stairs, one step at a time.
"What is all this...?"
Ma Dong explained with a wide smile, "Hello, I’m here on behalf of the city’s Education Bureau to deliver student Lin Ye’s reward for the mock exam!"
’A reward?’
Lin Wei was stunned.
’The mock exam has rewards? What kind of reward required such a huge procession?’
The old residential area on the west outer ring road where the Lin Family lived had narrow streets.
Many large trucks couldn’t even get in, so large items had to be transported using the most primitive method: manual labor.
"Xiaowei, who is it?"
Li Wan heard the commotion from the kitchen and came out.
When she saw the scene at the door, she was just as astonished as her daughter.
Before Ma Dong could explain again,
the voice of the news anchor came from the living room TV.
"At eight o’clock this morning, the highly anticipated Year 167 Unified Mock Exam for the Dongjiang City Martial Arts College Entrance Examination officially began at the Municipal Testing Center!"
"According to reports, more than eighty-six thousand students participated in this mock exam, setting a new record for attendance! Dignitaries such as Li Kai Nian, Deputy Director of the Provincial Education Department, and Sun Changkong, Director of the Dongjiang City Education Bureau, were present to observe and provide guidance..."
"...The martial arts mock exam is not only a grand review of the years of hard training by our city’s third-year high school students, but also a crucial step in selecting top talent and building a reserve of strength for our city’s martial arts future..."
The scene on the television changed.
A tall, upright figure stood in the center, receiving a tsunami of applause from the entire audience.
"In this year’s mock exam, student Lin Ye from our city’s First High School has won the championship, taking first place in the overall score!"
"With his exceptionally outstanding results, he has completely shattered all seven historical records for our city’s martial arts mock exam since its inception, including the Qi and Blood index, life force index, and peak fist power!"
The announcement from the television, combined with the familiar figure on the big screen,
was like a clap of thunder that echoed through Lin Wei and Li Wan’s minds!
When he left this morning, Lin Ye had smilingly told them not to wait for him at the venue, that they could just watch the news at home to see him.
They had both thought Lin Ye was just joking and bragging.
’Seventy to eighty thousand martial arts students in the whole city!’
’How could it possibly be their boy who took first place?’
Now, reality had given them the most resounding answer.
Lin Ye wasn’t just first.
He was a first-place winner who had broken every historical record—someone worthy of being reported on and celebrated in the news!
Li Wan felt a little numb all over. The wave of happiness was so sudden that she could barely stand steady.
The corners of Lin Wei’s mouth, however, uncontrollably curved into a wild grin as unparalleled pride and ecstasy surged through her heart.
She hurried forward and greeted Ma Dong and the movers with great enthusiasm.
"Please, come in, come in! You’ve gone to so much trouble!"
Ma Dong waved his hands repeatedly, his attitude so humble it was unlike that of a city official:
"No trouble at all, no trouble at all! It’s our honor to be of service to a genius like student Lin Ye!"
「Ten-odd minutes later.」
The Lin Family’s living room, which wasn’t spacious to begin with, was now almost completely filled.
Seven large, waist-high boxes were lined up side by side.
In addition, there was a small but exquisitely and securely wrapped box on the table.
The entire living room was so cluttered there was almost no place to set foot.
After seeing off the beaming Ma Dong and the movers, Li Wan and Lin Wei looked at each other, seeing intense curiosity in the other’s eyes.
"Should we open them and see?" Lin Wei suggested.
Li Wan hesitated, wanting to wait for Lin Ye to come back.
But Lin Wei went ahead and undid the latch on top of one of the large boxes by herself.
The lid sprang open.
In an instant, a rich, medicinal fragrance burst forth, immediately filling the entire living room!
Just one sniff made them feel their pores open up, and their spirits were instantly revitalized.