Hard work after winning the lottery

"Yan Jin, you're a good driver."

Zhou Yinchuan pointed to the black Bentley parked in the yard, speaking as casually as if he were discussing the weather.

"Take Yun to town. The packaging materials for roasted whole lamb that she ordered online a few days ago should arrive today."

Hua Mutou chimed in with his honesty, "Yes, yes, there's a lot of stuff, the girl can't carry it all back by herself."

Hua Yun bit her lower lip so hard it almost bled.

"Grandpa, I'll just drive my tricycle there..."

"Nonsense!" Zhou Yinchuan's face instantly hardened. "That broken tricycle is bumpy and offers no shade. In this blazing sun, do you want to get heatstroke? Besides, the road from here to town isn't short, and Yan Jin has nothing to do at home. Let him go with you."

This reason is impeccable.

Zhou Yanjin had already stood up, holding the car keys in her hand.

He looked at her, his eyes showing no sign of coercion.

In the end, Hua Yun still got into the passenger seat of that expensive luxury car.

The air conditioning inside the car was on full blast, completely isolating the outside heat.

It also blocked out all sound.

Hua Yun's back was ramrod straight, like a wooden stick forcibly inserted into a leather seat.

Her gaze was fixed on the rapidly receding fields outside the window, as if some rare treasure was hidden there.

Zhou Yanjin gripped the steering wheel, his fingers long and strong, with distinct knuckles.

He didn't look at her; his deep gaze was fixed straight ahead, yet he seemed to be able to feel every single thorn standing upright on her body.

The sound of their breathing was amplified infinitely in the enclosed space, weaving together a heart-stopping web.

He could even smell a faint scent of shampoo emanating from her hair.

Exactly the same as five years ago.

His Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably.

In the end, he was the one who broke the silence first.

"seat belt."

He spoke, his voice as deep and magnetic as ever, yet it sounded exceptionally clear in the excessively quiet environment.

Hua Yun froze, only then realizing that she had been so nervous that she had forgotten to fasten her seatbelt.

She turned around in a panic and reached out to pull the strap, but because of her embarrassment, she couldn't fasten it successfully no matter how many times she pulled.

A large, bony hand suddenly appeared in front of her without warning.

His cool yet domineering masculine aura instantly enveloped her.

Hua Yun held her breath and dared not move.

She could even see the sleek, powerful forearm beneath his shirt cuffs.

A "click" sound.

The seatbelt was fastened immediately.

His fingertips, intentionally or unintentionally, brushed against the soft flesh of her waist.

As if scorched by a spark, Hua Yun shuddered violently and shrank back into her seat, wishing she could become invisible.

Zhou Yanjin withdrew his hand and started the car again with a normal expression.

However, the knuckles of his fingers gripping the steering wheel were slightly white from the force he was applying.

······

Finally, on a sunny afternoon, Zhou Yinchuan unleashed his trump card.

"Oh dear, as people get older, their love for chess grows stronger. Old Hua, come on, come on, I got a new game yesterday, I absolutely have to play a couple of rounds with you!"

As the old man spoke, he pulled up Hua Mutou, who looked completely bewildered, without saying a word.

"We two old men are going out to play chess and chat with Old Li, so we'll leave the children at home to Yun and Yan Jin."

No sooner had the words been spoken than the two old men walked out of the courtyard gate with their hands behind their backs, their backs as dashing as two mischievous truant children.

In the vast courtyard, only Hua Yun, Zhou Yanjin, and three little ones chasing butterflies remained.

And, the room was deathly silent.

Hua Yun stood there, looking in the direction where her two elders had disappeared, and for the first time, she felt an urge to run away from home.

This is just... way too deliberate!

She took a deep breath, turned around, and forced herself to ignore the man with a very strong presence in the yard.

She focused all her attention on the children.

"Dabao, don't run so fast, be careful not to fall."

"Second child, that butterfly isn't pretty. How about Mommy folds you a paper butterfly?"

"Sanbao, come here quickly, your forehead is all sweaty, let Mom wipe it for you."

She crouched down and, with the gentlest of patience, played with the children, creating an invisible barrier between herself and Zhou Yanjin.

Zhou Yanjin did not approach either.

He stood in the shadows under the eaves, like a silent sculpture.

His gaze passed through the dappled shadows of the trees and landed on the woman who was squatting in the sunlight, her smile gentle but unable to hide her exhaustion.

Watching her patiently wipe Sanbao's face, which was covered in sweat.

Watching her magically pull candy out of her pocket made Erbao cheer with joy.

Watching her gently brush the dust off Da Bao's trouser legs.

The scene was as heartwarming as a painting.

But he could only stand outside the painting, watching quietly, like an outsider.

After an unknown amount of time, the two old men finally strolled back, satisfied.

As soon as Zhou Yinchuan entered the courtyard, he saw this scene.

The grandson stood in the shadows, his expression inscrutable.

Hua Yun and the children create their own world under the sunlight.

The two people were only ten meters apart, yet it felt like there was an insurmountable Milky Way between them.

Don't be so hesitant; neither of you is willing to take the first step.

Zhou Yinchuan sighed inwardly.

He looked at his grandson, who was usually decisive and ruthless, but was now hesitant and indecisive. He was both anxious and amused.

This guy's romantic life seems to be much more difficult than the challenges he faces in the business world.

That's it.

A sly, fox-like glint flashed in the old man's cloudy eyes.

Haste makes waste.

It's still far from being cooked properly.

Take your time, there's no rush.

He refused to believe that his old bones couldn't pry open the mouths of these two young men!

Zhou Yanjin's gaze was like a tangible branding iron. Whether Hua Yun was playing with the children in the yard building blocks or helping her mother pick vegetables in the kitchen, it could always penetrate the barriers of people and space and accurately land on her back.

Without any emotion, it made every inch of her skin feel a burning sensation.

Hua Yun took the concept of avoidance to its extreme.

She meticulously calculated Zhou Yanjin's activity range, and if he was reading documents in the east room, she would never step into the east room.

If he drinks tea at the stone table in the courtyard, she would rather take a longer route and enter through the back door.

The two people were like the two poles of a magnet programmed to repel each other, always maintaining a subtle and awkward distance.

Neither of them was willing to cross the line first.

However, once the gears of fate begin to turn, they will not easily stop.

An opportunity, or rather, an inevitable collision, finally arrived quietly on a noisy afternoon filled with the chirping of cicadas.

That afternoon, the sun was scorching hot, like a fireball, baking the earth until it was emitting white smoke.

The village dogs lay lazily under the eaves, tongues lolling out, motionless.

After lunch, Li Guifen and her grandmother went back to their room for a nap.

The two old men, Zhou Yinchuan and Hua Mutou, had an unwavering habit: every afternoon they would take their chessboards to the big banyan tree at the village entrance, find Secretary Zhang and the others to play a few games, and listen to the latest happenings in the village.

For a moment, the entire Hua family mansion fell into silence.