Hard work after winning the lottery

"And then?" Zhou Yinchuan slapped his thigh and laughed, "He was halfway up when he slipped and fell with a thud! It scared our whole family half to death. When we got to the hospital, lo and behold, he broke his arm and had it in a cast for over half a month!"

"Later, his mother asked him if it hurt, and he stubbornly insisted that it didn't. But at night, he would secretly hide under the covers and wipe away his tears, thinking we didn't know. What a little rascal!"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Hua Mutou laughed so hard he slapped the table, and Hua Shu and Li Guifen couldn't help but laugh as well.

The triplets listened with shining eyes, as if "climbing trees" and "raiding bird nests" were some kind of incredible heroic feats.

Only Hua Yun didn't laugh that loudly.

She listened quietly, a faint, gentle smile playing on her lips, a smile she herself was unaware of.

A picture involuntarily formed in her mind.

A young boy stubbornly climbed the tall locust tree, his eyes sparkling with curiosity and a desire to conquer the world.

He fell from the tree again, and although he was in excruciating pain, he had to pretend to be strong. In the end, he could only hide under the covers and cry secretly.

That scene was vivid, lively, and even adorably heartbreaking.

The two bodyguards, Xiao Zhang and Xiao Li, who had been standing silently at the door, were pulled to the table by the enthusiastic Hua Shu.

"Come, come, brothers, don't stand! You're Zhou Shu's men, so you're our honored guests. Sit down and eat with us! Not sitting down is disrespecting us farmers!"

The two initially waved their hands repeatedly, indicating that it was their duty and they dared not overstep their bounds.

But under Hua Shu's insistence without explanation and Zhou Yinchuan's tacit approval with a smile, they finally took their seats somewhat awkwardly.

Li Guifen immediately provided them with new bowls and chopsticks, while Hua Yun thoughtfully poured them rice wine.

The atmosphere at the dinner table thus became more lively and harmonious.

Outside the window, the night was as dark as ink, dotted with countless stars.

Inside, the lights were on, and it was warm as spring.

The laughter of adults, the playful shouts of children, and the clinking of glasses blended together to create the most beautiful and heartwarming symphony.

The next morning, Zhou Yinchuan was not awakened by his usual biological clock.

What woke him was a clear bird song that drifted through the window, carrying the crisp scent of the mountains and fields.

And faintly, in the distance, came the high-pitched crowing of a rooster.

He opened his eyes and stared at the unfamiliar carved wooden ceiling, momentarily disoriented.

Immediately, an unprecedented feeling of relaxation, like a warm tide, slowly washed over my limbs and bones.

He slept very soundly last night, without any dreams.

This is the kind of deep sleep he can't get in the concrete jungle, no matter how expensive the mattress or how soothing the aromatherapy.

Zhou Yinchuan slowly sat up, stretched his muscles and bones, and felt a sense of comfort throughout his body.

He put on the comfortable cloth shoes that the Hua family had prepared in advance and pushed open the door.

In the courtyard, the morning mist had not yet completely dissipated, like a thin veil shrouding the distant green mountains.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and damp earth.

Hua Mutou had already gotten up and was squatting under the tap in the yard, washing his face with spring water from a large vat.

Upon seeing Zhou Yinchuan emerge, he grinned, revealing a set of teeth that were slightly yellowed from tobacco but still perfectly aligned, and spoke in a loud voice:

"Old Zhou, you're awake? Did you sleep well?"

"I'm used to it, so used to it!" Zhou Yinchuan said with a smile as he walked over. "This place is a treasure trove for nurturing people."

As the two were talking, Hua Shu came over from the neighboring courtyard, carrying a bag of steaming hot meat buns. Hua Shu greeted Zhou Yinchuan.

The two bodyguards, Xiao Zhang and Xiao Li, who were initially dutiful and always on edge like two guardian deities, were completely "disarmed" by the tranquility of Baixi Village in just one or two days.

They no longer maintain a safe distance of three meters as they do in the city; their eyes are sharp as eagles, scanning everything around them.

Now, they lean against the old locust tree in front of the guesthouse, offer a cigarette to passing villagers, and chat about this year's harvest and the weather in their still somewhat broken dialect.

When Zhang, who was usually serious, saw his grandson Dundun chasing a big white goose barefoot all over the village, a smile would unconsciously appear on his lips.

This kind of relaxation is contagious.

Zhou Yinchuan's daily routine quickly became completely synchronized with Hua Mutou's.

As dawn broke, the two men, each leaning on a cane carved from a bamboo root, strolled toward the sheep farm on the western hill.

What was called "inspection" was actually more like a morning walk between old friends.

Zhou Yinchuan took off his well-tailored casual clothes and changed into clean old clothes that the Hua family had found for him. He put on a straw hat, and it looked perfectly natural.

He watched as Hua Mutou skillfully grabbed a handful of chopped hay and added it to the trough in the sheep pen.

The aroma, a mixture of fresh grass and the smell of mutton, might make one frown in the city, but to Zhou Yinchuan at this moment, it was full of vibrant life.

He followed suit, clumsily rolling up his sleeves and grabbing a handful of fodder to add to the mixture.

A few bold lambs came over and rubbed their fluffy heads against his trouser leg, tickling him and making him laugh out loud.

"This one! His name is Dazhuang!" Huamutou pointed to a particularly robust breeding sheep, his face beaming with undisguised pride. "He bred it last year, and it had five litters, all twins! He's amazing!"

"That one, the one with the biggest belly, is about to give birth, it's just a matter of days."

"And that little one, just weaned, is so clingy..."

Zhou Yinchuan listened and nodded repeatedly.

He watched his old comrade-in-arms talk about the sheep with such enthusiasm that the light in his eyes was even more genuine and bright than when he saw Zhou Yanjin close a multi-billion dollar project at the board meeting.

This is a love rooted in the land, a most simple yet most powerful force.

After a simple farm-style breakfast, the most leisurely time of the day begins.

Sometimes, Zhou Yinchuan would accompany Hua Mutou on walks along the village paths, nodding and greeting every villager they encountered.

Sometimes, he would move a small stool and sit by the shimmering lake, not fishing, but quietly watching the anglers wearing straw hats, sometimes for half an hour at a time.

The wind blew across the lake, bringing a touch of coolness and dispelling the invisible weariness and restlessness that had accumulated in his heart for many years.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, a series of crisp footsteps would always be heard on the path at the entrance of the village, accompanied by childish shouts.

"Great-Grandpa Zhou—!"

"We're back—!"

The triplets are out of school.

They were like three little red cannonballs, dashing off the school bus and running home, their schoolbags bouncing behind them.

The first thing I do when I get home is not ask my mom for snacks, nor do I try to get my grandparents to be affectionate.

Instead, they headed straight for Zhou Yinchuan.

"Grandpa Zhou! What story are you going to tell today?" The second child, Hua Sile, looked up with his greasy little face, his eyes full of anticipation.

"Mom said that the Great Wall was built brick by brick, is that true?" The eldest son, Hua Si'an, always asked such profound questions.

The third brother, Hua Sitao, was the most direct. He had already climbed onto Zhou Yinchuan's knees, found the most comfortable position, and assumed a posture that said, "I'm ready, please begin your performance."

Zhou Yinchuan was amused by them and laughed heartily, pulling the three little ones into his arms one by one.

"Okay, today, we won't talk about the Great Wall, we'll talk about the Forbidden City."

He cleared his throat and began to speak slowly in a highly attractive tone:

"Do you know? In the capital, there's a huge house, bigger than our entire Baixi Village! It has 9,999 and a half rooms, and the roof is covered with golden tiles. When the sun shines on it, it looks like it's covered in gold..."

He told them about the grandeur of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the rare and precious stones in the Imperial Garden, and the interesting stories about the emperor and empress that he had adapted into childlike tales.

The three little ones listened intently, their mouths slightly open and their eyes wide open, as if they were already there, seeing that magnificent palace.

Zhou Yinchuan completely integrated into the Hua family's lifestyle, or rather, into the lifestyle of Baixi Village.

The sun was shining brightly in the afternoon.

He would sit with Li Guifen and Grandma Hua on a small stool under the grapevines in the yard, chatting idly while slowly peeling the strings from the green beans.

The fingers rubbed against the bean pods, making a soft "rustling" sound, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the vine leaves, casting dappled, dancing light and shadow on the ground.

Li Guifen would tell him embarrassing stories about Hua Yun when he was a child, while Grandma Hua would tell him about Hua Mutou's "heroic deeds" of fighting with people when he was young.

As Zhou Yinchuan listened to these everyday conversations, a faint, genuine smile remained on his lips.