Hard work after winning the lottery

At the courtyard gate, Hua Mutou nodded in satisfaction as he watched his son meticulously arrange everything.

He turned around and patted Zhou Yinchuan's arm hard.

"Come on, old man! Don't just stand at the door, come inside and have some tea!"

"Great!" Zhou Yinchuan readily agreed. "I'll have to try it carefully. I wonder if the tea brewed with your mountain spring water is even better than my Da Hong Pao!"

"Absolutely!"

Amidst the hearty laughter of the two elderly people, the family gathered around each other and walked through the open courtyard gate.

Upon entering the living room, a warm and bright atmosphere immediately greets you.

The huge floor-to-ceiling windows let in all the warm afternoon sunlight, which falls on the smooth wooden floor and reflects a soft halo.

The off-white fabric sofa looks soft and comfortable.

On the spotless coffee table, there are fresh fruit platters and local specialty dried fruits.

The air was filled with a faint, woody fragrance, along with the rich aroma of food wafting from the kitchen.

There was none of the poverty and backwardness that Zhou Yinchuan had imagined.

Only the bright and clean windows and the overwhelming sense of home.

Li Guifen had already quickly brewed a pot of steaming wild mountain tea, with wisps of white steam rising from it.

The three little ones couldn't wait to place the gift box on the spacious carpet, sit together, and excitedly study how to open it.

Hua Yun smiled and walked over to them, helping them unpack the complicated packaging.

"Wow--"

When three identical, futuristic, and technologically advanced intelligent educational robots were presented in their entirety, the children exclaimed in surprise and admiration.

Zhou Yinchuan was pressed down by Hua Mutou and sat in the main seat in the middle of the sofa.

He picked up the celadon teacup that Li Guifen handed him, its surface warm and smooth to the touch.

He took a sip, and a mellow and refreshing tea aroma instantly filled his mouth.

In my ears, I could hear my old comrade-in-arms rambling on about the changes that had taken place in the village over the past few years.

Before my eyes is a heartwarming scene of children and grandchildren surrounding me, enjoying a harmonious and joyful time together.

In the distance, children cheered as they unwrapped their new toys.

Zhou Yinchuan leaned back on the soft sofa and let out a long, satisfied sigh.

The fatigue from the long journey seemed to be completely washed away at this moment by the laughter and cheerful conversation in the room, and by this cup of refreshing mountain tea.

The half-century wait was worth it.

The hustle and bustle of the living room gradually subsided into a peaceful and warm atmosphere over time.

Zhou Yinchuan leaned back on the soft sofa. The wild mountain tea had already been refilled three times. The tea color was fading, but the aroma still lingered in his nose, like the mountain breeze, clear and long-lasting.

This long-lost, unguarded sense of relaxation made his eyelids begin to feel slightly heavy.

Hua Mutou noticed the weariness in his old comrade's eyes.

He put down his teacup, stood up, and patted his knees with his large, fan-like hands.

"Come on, old man, it's stuffy inside. Come with me to the yard and get some sun!"

His voice was loud and clear, carrying an undeniable familiarity.

"Sunbathing is good!" Zhou Yinchuan perked up and agreed with a smile, "Let's bask in the sun and get rid of this old haggle!"

Upon seeing this, Hua Yun immediately understood.

She quickly stepped forward, taking one of the elderly people's arms on each side, her voice as soft as a feather.

"Grandpa, Grandpa Zhou, let me help you out."

In the courtyard, a small square bamboo table and two comfortable rattan chairs had been moved out at some point.

The afternoon sun was no longer so scorching; the golden warmth, like a layer of melting honey, gently spread across the bluestone pavement.

The air is filled with the fragrance of earth, the sweet scent of flowers and grass, and the faint bleating of sheep in the distance.

Everything seemed so peaceful, so vibrant.

After settling the two elderly people in, Hua Yun turned and went back inside, soon returning with a tray.

On the tray was a thermos filled with boiling water, a brand-new set of purple clay teaware, and several dishes of pumpkin seeds and peanuts that Grandma Hua had roasted herself.

She deftly brewed them a fresh pot of tea; the amber-colored tea shimmered with a translucent light in the sunlight.

After doing all this, she quietly stepped aside, leaving this little space entirely to the two old comrades who had been separated for half a century.

At first, there was a brief silence.

The only sound was the rustling of the wind blowing through the old locust tree in the corner of the yard.

The two elderly people simply sat quietly, squinting their eyes, enjoying the rare warmth and tranquility of the sun.

It's as if this silent companionship is meant to fill the 54-year gap.

"Old Zhou," Hua Mutou spoke first, his voice much lower and more hoarse than when he was inside, "Do you still remember that dark-faced Platoon Leader Zhang from our recruit company?"

Zhou Yinchuan's eyelids twitched, and a wistful smile slowly curved his lips.

"How could I not remember?"

"That Black Yama who can eat eight steamed buns in one meal and punish people to the point of death."

"Hahaha!" Hua Mutou slapped his thigh, his hearty laughter startling a few dozing sparrows under the eaves. "That's him! You have a good memory, kid!"

"I remember one winter, during a field training exercise, the temperature was below minus twenty degrees Celsius. Our feet were so cold that we couldn't feel them anymore, so we shared half of a compressed biscuit that was frozen like a rock."

Zhou Yinchuan's gaze seemed to pierce through the courtyard before him, looking towards the distant, snow-covered past.

His eyes became sharp and bright; he was no longer a kind old man, but a warrior of unyielding spirit.

"I remember," he continued, his voice carrying a hint of battle rumble, "you even bragged to me back then that when you got discharged, you'd definitely go home, marry a beautiful wife, eat white flour buns every day, and never have to put up with this scum again!"

"That's right!" Hua Mutou grinned, revealing a carefree smile. "Look, haven't I achieved it all? I've got a wife, and I have three great-grandchildren! Steamed buns... hey, now I can eat whatever I want!"

When he got emotional, he picked up his teacup and raised it forcefully in Zhou Yinchuan's direction.

"Come, old comrade, let's raise a glass of tea instead of wine to our youth, a time when we endured the cold together, carried guns together, and shed blood and sweat together!"

Zhou Yinchuan also picked up his teacup, his aged hand steady and deliberate.

"Salute to Youth!"

"Bang!"

Two antique teacups gently touched in mid-air, producing a crisp sound.

The sound was like an echo of time, long and meaningful.

A sip of hot tea warms you from your throat all the way to your limbs.

Hua Mutou put down his teacup, his heart still brimming with heroic spirit.

He slowly stood up, walked to the edge of the yard, raised his calloused, large-knuckled hand, and pointed to the sunlit hillside in the distance.

His posture was just like that of a general inspecting his troops.

"Old Zhou, look over there!"