F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 67 [Tai Chi] (4K4)

Before returning to China for vacation, the first thing Shu Long wanted to do was move.

This is actually quite convenient, because he has never had very high requirements for accommodation.

As long as he can get enough sleep, food, and personal hygiene, and most importantly, internet access, that's perfectly sufficient. Any other furnishings are somewhat superfluous to him.

Training and work are both done at the team, and when he gets home at night, his computer and mobile phone are more than enough to satisfy his entertainment needs. Apart from eating, Shulong is now very easy to satisfy in terms of other material conditions.

Pack your phone and computer, throw your clothes and shoes into a suitcase, and you're good to go.

Actually, you don't have to move if you don't want to; not many drivers truly consider their racing team their own home.

Normally, everyone goes back to their own homes and finds their own mothers. It's just that if you live closer to the factory, it's more convenient if something happens. Shu Long doesn't want his race car to be stuck at the back of the pack next year. He doesn't trust the data from those simulator drivers.

Moreover, the "Core of Synergy" stat can't be farmed by yourself alone. You need to work on your team's mechanics more to avoid making fatal tire changes like the last time during races.

Red Bull's factory is located in Faenza, Italy, a tranquil town with typical Italian charm, where even the wind blowing through the streets seems to have a leisurely and lazy feel that is completely different from that of big cities.

Of course, it could also be because I was away from Marco, and the air I breathed in Italy seemed much fresher after I arrived.

Although the old man was generally quite good to Shu Long and tried his best to secure the resources he could, having him by his side all the time was a bit too burdensome.

The house that Tost helped Shulong rent was in a suburban residential area less than five kilometers from the factory. Unlike the apartment he used to live in in Milton Keynes, this was a small two-story detached house with its own small garden and parking space.

Because it's relatively close to the industrial area of ​​Faenza, the rent doesn't seem too expensive, and of course, it's not up to Shulong to pay for it.

Which F1 official driver is so easy to talk to and always available? This one is a treasure!
I had heard about Shulong's ability to run data from the Red Bull factory long ago. Not to mention paying for his house, I would be happy to pay him a daily wage even if it meant treating Shulong's daily rest as a job.

Before leaving, Shu Long spent two days in the factory using a simulator, mainly to get a feel for the car's handling next year, which didn't really help with research and development.

This step is actually unnecessary. Any car can be driven here in Shulong. We'll have to wait and see how competitive it is before we can get a feel for it.

Everyone here is in F1, which is the world's fastest and most technologically advanced racing car. Even the worst teams, which are criticized as being like tractors, are only a fraction of a second behind the points.

There has definitely been a significant improvement in lap times compared to this year, but competitiveness isn't something you can judge by comparing yourself to yourself; you have to compare yourself to other teams to know.

Having just been tormented by the DTS crew, Shu Long, taking advantage of his rare vacation, did not want to be associated with any business or fan-related activities that required him to face strangers.

So he didn't think about making a big splash by taking over the spotlight and officially announcing his driver position. Instead, he quietly boarded a plane to Shanghai and then transferred back to Yunnan.

He didn't attract much attention; his only disguise was a fisherman's hat tied around his neck. The only person who recognized him was the Italian guy sitting next to him on the plane. He exchanged a signed photo for a verbal guarantee of confidentiality, and after getting off the plane, he blended perfectly into the crowd.

It's not that nobody recognizes him. Although he himself hasn't paid much attention to him, Shu Long's fan base on domestic social media has actually grown rapidly during this period.

Unlike in other countries where people stand out from the crowd, in China, people with yellow skin and black eyes are everywhere. Unless you make a big fuss about it, even if someone thinks you look familiar, they will probably just subconsciously assume that you look a bit like someone else.

On the contrary, those who cover themselves up completely with masks and sunglasses seem to be afraid that others won't suspect their identity, making it hard for them not to attract attention.

Ordinary is the best camouflage, and coupled with the peculiar low presence brought about by "emptying one's mind," Shu Long was content with his leisure.

When he went back to China to take his driver's license test in the middle of the year, he didn't have time to go back to Yunnan. This time when he went home for the holiday, Shulong's first task was to spend a few days with his grandfather, whom he hadn't seen for almost a year.

Seeing his successful grandson, the old man was overjoyed. He even gave the nanny a day off and sent her back home, insisting that Shulong taste the familiar flavors from his childhood.

That evening's dinner consisted of noodles.

It wasn't exactly delicious; in fact, it was rather strange and unpalatable. Yet, Shu Long managed to eat two large enamel bowls of it.

I don't know if it's a method my grandfather brought from his hometown in Sichuan and Chongqing, or a crooked trick he learned from the army. Essentially, it's just noodles with soup broth poured over them, with some chopped green onions and a few blanched lettuce leaves.

The recipe is so simple, it sounds like it can't possibly taste bad, right?

But the old man had a strange habit: he liked to add vinegar to his noodles, and quite a lot of it, which made the whole bowl a dark, murky mess.

The old man said that eating more vinegar is good for your health.

When Shu Long was in elementary school, Shu Xiong and Zhang Xin were always busy and rarely home. Every morning before sending his grandson to school, the old man would get up early to make a bowl of noodles.

It's actually quite suitable as breakfast; it's hard not to wake up after eating such a bizarre dish.

The old man is actually only 65 years old this year. When he was just starting elementary school in Shulong, he was only 53 years old. Of course, he can drive.

Unlike Shu Xiong, who prefers all kinds of sports cars, Mr. Shu, who came from the military, has two main preferences when it comes to cars: first, they have to be big! Second, they have to be tough!

So after Shu Xiong's several unsuccessful attempts to recommend sports cars, he simply went all out and recommended a Jeep Wrangler to his father, who immediately took a liking to it.

In Grandpa Shu's words, it looks very sturdy, like those military vehicles in the army, and sitting inside it feels both imposing and safe.

The old man no longer needs to take his eldest grandson to school. He now goes out either on foot or by bicycle. This bicycle has been sitting in the garage collecting dust for the past few years, and Shu Xiong only occasionally remembers to help with its maintenance.

It seems like something that has been completely phased out and is now a thing of the past, but we still can't bear to sell it. Just like this bowl of noodles, which is not exactly delicious, its sour taste is filled with memories.

For the next three days, Shulong felt like it had returned to the period immediately following its signing with Red Bull's youth academy.

Every day, I accompany the old man to take a walk in the park early in the morning, chat with him about topics we've already discussed many times, and watch him practice his boxing over and over again.

When I was a child, I found it boring and meaningless, and it wasted my playtime. Now, after experiencing a lot of worldly hustle and bustle, I am surprisingly able to calm down.

Do you think the old man's Tai Chi is good?
After all, when he was young, he practiced mixed martial arts in the military. He only gradually became interested in Tai Chi after handing the company over to his son and daughter-in-law and having some free time. So it's impossible to say that he was particularly skilled or talented in it.

But you wouldn't say the old man played badly; his movements were quite standard and precise.

He initially learned it from other old men in the park, and later he specifically sought out some related theoretical books and even found a master to systematically study it for a while. He didn't practice this for the purpose of fighting with others; Grandpa Shu just wanted to cultivate his mind and body and wash away the resentment he had accumulated from his struggles in his youth.

"Don't just squat there, come over and do a couple of moves with Grandpa!"

"Oh? Never mind, so many people are passing by, I feel bad!"

"Hey! What's there to be embarrassed about, little boy? They don't even know who you are. Hurry up, we're not asking you to take your clothes off in public!"

"They might actually know who I am."

Things are different now. Shu Long can be considered a celebrity to some extent, but because he is not very popular, ordinary people are not particularly sensitive to his face.

We are currently in the era of the booming development of self-media, and many people, from children to the elderly, are hoping to become internet celebrities.

In particular, a large number of middle-aged and elderly people who pursue the latest trends among young people will take a walk and record a video of any flowers, plants or interesting things they see on their phones. Then, they will add some weird background music like "Flowers Bloom in Wealth" and post it on the platform.

There's really nothing to worry about, because this kind of content probably won't be shared or liked by anyone other than the few friends in their contact information, so the traffic will be pitifully low.

However, there are a lot of people online who are like Leeuwenhoek, constantly scrolling through their phones with microscopes. Who knows, someone might find Shulong in a street photo taken by a passerby, and it might become some kind of embarrassing history and be turned into memes and spread everywhere.

This kind of thing is no big deal to Grandpa Shu. Doesn't the fact that someone can recognize him mean that his grandson is successful?

Unable to dissuade the old man, and considering that he probably wouldn't have many opportunities to spend time with his grandfather for the next year, Shu Long had no choice but to reluctantly comply with the old man's wish.

It's just gesturing, anyone can do that.
With keen eyesight and a photographic memory, coupled with exceptional control and coordination of the body, Shulong can perfectly imitate several basic Tai Chi routines after just one viewing.

The ability to learn and summarize movements is a talent that Shu Long showed from the time he started playing table tennis at a young age.

The first time, he only managed to mimic the appearance, but the second time, he seemed to grasp the power generation techniques inherent in these movement designs. As the number of repetitions increased, the concepts in his mind became clearer and clearer.

It's hard to say how much combat power this set of boxing techniques used by the elderly for fitness has, but it seems to have given Shu Long new inspiration in controlling race cars.

As for which specific aspect it refers to, it's probably somewhat related to the new term that appeared in the panel.
[Tai Chi: 10%]: Guiding and integrating the instinct of "force," seeking the essence of balance in dynamics. (Not a boxing style, nor a martial arts manual)

Although that's what the panel says, Shu Long felt that the effect of this thing was already very close to something like an internal energy cultivation technique, and the improvement it brought was fundamental, coming from the inside out.

I never expected that coming back to visit my grandfather would bring such an unexpected reward. Is this the system's reward for a filial and obedient child?

After staying in Yunnan for about a week, Shu Long was kicked out of the house by his grandfather.

Aside from needing his son's help with something in Guangdong, Old Master Shu was very concerned about the relationship between Shu Long and Gan Mengning.

What kind of behavior is it for a young person to spend all their time sitting at home with an old guy and getting moldy? Now is the perfect time to enjoy your youth to the fullest!

The gossip from the driving school had been circulating between the two families for a while now, and after waiting for half a year, there seemed to be no new progress. This made the two families' fathers quite anxious.

Actually, the relationship between Shu Long and Gan Mengning is a little strange now.

Neither of them explicitly broke through the thin veil of secrecy, and there was no sign of either of them taking the initiative to confess their feelings, which was a landmark in their relationship.

However, judging from the frequency of their usual chats and video calls, they seem to be no different from young people in love. It's just that they both seem to feel that it would be very awkward to confess to the "him/her" from their childhood memories first.

Ambiguity is like a piece of candy that you can't suck out; if you indulge in it too much, you might get tired of it sooner or later. Now is about time to swallow it whole.

After packing his things and flying back to Guangdong, Shu Long was greeted by his father who had come to pick him up at the airport. He was immediately lifted up from the spot by a bear hug.

"Don't be a hot commodity here! Do you want me to be surrounded?! I'm over forty years old, aren't you afraid of hurting your back?!"

"Can't I just miss you? Come on, let's go home and pack our things first. Think about what kind of car you want, and we'll try to get this sorted out in the next couple of days!"

"What's going on? Has the sun risen in the west?"

Because he knew from a young age how much his family had invested and sacrificed for his racing dream, whether it was doing well in exams or winning a racing championship, Shu Long never asked for any extra reward for these reasons.

Now you're just saying you're going to reward him with a car?!
"Is there something you want from me?"

"You little brat! Do I need to beg you to do something for my father?"

"But didn't you say that on the phone earlier?"

"That's another matter. This is a belated coming-of-age gift for you, and also a reward for officially becoming an F1 race car driver! Tsk tsk tsk, we wouldn't have dared to dream of this before."

"Hurry up! You can pick any car under the three million quota. Since you joined the youth training program these past few years, your dad has saved up a lot of his own money. Don't miss out!"

Of course, there is another reason besides that. Back then, Shu Xiong won Zhang Xin over with a sports car and a drive. In Shu Xiong's mind, how could he win over a girl without a good car to back him up?
It's rare to find a girl as good as Gan Mengning, whom you know well. The two of them have a good foundation in their relationship and there is indeed some attraction between them. Naturally, their parents are also trying their best to help them get together.

Otherwise, when Shu Long becomes more famous in the future, who knows if the people who approach him are genuinely sincere or have ulterior motives?

However, faced with his father's sudden gift of a million-dollar sum, Shu Long seemed to suffer from both decision paralysis and money phobia.

He really doesn't have high needs for material things.

Aside from normal food, clothing, and daily necessities, I only occasionally spend a little money on games to reduce the grind. The shoes I'm wearing now cost less than a thousand yuan. If you suddenly ask me to choose a car worth millions, who wouldn't be confused?

　Thanks to Campfire Watcher, White Mist Red Dust Less Sugar, Braised Pork Ribs Stewed Potatoes, and AM Amin for their monthly ticket donations.

　　This is the shortest thank-you list I've seen in a while, and I actually feel a sense of relief.

　　Otherwise, making up for this backlog would be too hopeless; the more you pay, the more it seems to accumulate.
　　I now owe one more chapter for monthly tickets, making a total of four chapters. I also owe four chapters for donations. I haven't been home much these past few days, but I'll try my best to make up for it as soon as possible.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)