Hard work after winning the lottery

"What?! You resigned?!"

Even Hua Shu, who had been hiding in a corner feeling guilty about concealing his marriage, suddenly changed his expression.

His face, tanned from working in the fields, now appeared deathly pale, before turning bright red.

That was a red from being consumed by anger.

"Clang—"

A crisp sound broke the suffocating silence.

The bunch of greens that Grandma was holding, which she was about to pick, fell to the ground along with the enamel basin containing them.

A few tender green vegetable leaves splashed onto the mud-covered cloth shoes, looking particularly glaring.

The old man seemed oblivious, his cloudy eyes wide open and his lips trembling uncontrollably.

"Xiao An..."

Grandma's voice trembled with confusion.

"How...how could you quit your job?"

"Well... at least it's a decent job! A respectable job in a big city!"

In the eyes of this old man who toils in the fields, sitting in an office with air conditioning is the life of a god, a blessing from his ancestors' graves.

How can you just say you don't want it anymore?

Li Guifen was so anxious that she jumped up from the stool.

The movement was so forceful that it overturned the bamboo chair behind him, making a loud "bang".

But she didn't even have time to help him up.

She rushed to her son, gripping Hua An's arm tightly with both hands, her nails almost digging into the fabric of his windbreaker.

"You child! Why are you so impulsive!"

"Such a good company, you just quit like that? What are you going to do after that?"

"Money is so hard to earn these days, are you delirious from a fever?"

As Li Guifen spoke, she actually reached out and touched Hua An's forehead, and tears welled up in her eyes once again.

This time, it wasn't out of guilt, but out of genuine anxiety.

Hua Yun stood to the side, completely stunned.

She never imagined that her brother would act so impulsively over this matter.

Is this the younger brother who once walked five kilometers to save two yuan on bus fare, vowing to settle down in a big city?

"Xiao An, you're so foolish..."

Hua Yun muttered to herself, her voice filled with disappointment.

"It's not worth quitting your job for something like this."

Originally, because they forgot to tell their younger brother about his marriage, the whole family felt a heavy weight on their hearts, a sense of guilt and indebtedness towards their relatives.

But now, the guilt she felt for concealing the truth vanished instantly, replaced by incomprehension of his actions.

"You...you bastard!"

Hua Mutou, who had been suppressing his anger, finally exploded.

The old man was so angry that his face turned ashen, and his chest heaved violently.

He shakily raised the pipe in his hand, pointed it at Hua An's nose, his finger trembling like a leaf.

"You'd smash your rice bowl over something so trivial?"

"That's your livelihood!"

"What am I supposed to say about you! You're simply... utterly unreasonable!"

The old man valued being down-to-earth most throughout his life and hated acting impulsively.

In his eyes, his grandson's behavior was utterly foolish.

The family's reaction was like a bucket of boiling oil poured over Hua An's already burning heart.

Hua An looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar faces before him.

Looking at my enraged grandfather, my weeping mother, and my disappointed sister.

He originally thought that he had given up everything to rush back to protect his family and prevent them from being deceived.

On the train back, he even imagined the look of emotion and heartache in his family's eyes when they learned that he had resigned for their sake.

But what about reality?

Reality slapped him hard in the face.

Instead of receiving a single word of understanding, they were met with an overwhelming barrage of accusations.

In their eyes, that so-called job, that so-called secure job, is more important than family matters?

Is it more important than whether my sister jumps into a fire pit?

"Oh……"

Hua An gave a cold laugh, his eyes red-rimmed and glistening with tears, yet he stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"Work...work!"

"All you ever think about is work!"

He abruptly shook off his mother's hand, the force so great that Li Guifen staggered back several steps and almost fell.

"In this family, only money and jobs matter, right?" Hua An roared.

"With such a huge thing happening at home, was it wrong for me to come back?"

"I want to find out whether my sister married a human or a ghost. Am I wrong?"

"Is Zhou Yanjin, that rich man, more important than my job?"

"Because he's rich, because he's the CEO, you all fawn over him, not even caring whether I live or die?"

"Who did I resign for? Wasn't it for this family!"

Tears finally welled up in his eyes, but he immediately wiped them away roughly with his sleeve, as if the tears were a sign of weakness and shame.

"These are two different things!"

Hua Shu, who had rarely spoken loudly, was now so angry at his son's outrageous words that the veins on his forehead throbbed.

This honest, simple farmer roared at his most beloved son for the first time.

"Your sister's wedding is a joyous occasion! A truly joyous occasion!"

"We were in the wrong first, but he still treats your sister well; that's a blessing for the Hua family!"

"Your resignation is ridiculous! You're demeaning yourself!"

Hua Shu took a step forward, his rough hands waving in the air, as if he wanted to slap his delirious son.

"Have you read so many books, only to have them go to waste?"

"They can't distinguish between good and bad people, or between what's important and what's urgent!"

"How can you do this to your mother and me, after all the hard-earned money we spent on your university education?"

Every word was like a poisonous thorn, precisely piercing Hua An's most painful spot.

The courtyard was immediately thrown into chaos.

Hua Mutou was still stomping his feet and cursing "bastard," while Grandma squatted on the ground, picking up vegetable leaves with heartache and muttering to herself.

Caught in the middle, Li Guifen cried as she tried to hold back her agitated husband, fearing that the father and son would actually start fighting.

"Wow--"

"Mommy... I'm scared..."

The triplets, who had been hiding behind Hua Yun and trembling, finally could no longer bear the terrifying atmosphere.

Sile was the first to cry, followed by Sitao and Si'an who also burst into tears.

The child's innocent cries sounded particularly shrill in the messy courtyard.

Hua Yun was heartbroken. She quickly squatted down, hugged both of them in one arm and held one in her lap, tears streaming down her face.

"Don't cry, baby, don't be afraid, Uncle didn't mean it..."

As she soothed the child, she looked up at her younger brother, her eyes filled with pleading.

"Xiao An, I'm begging you, please stop making a scene, okay?"

"Look how scared the child is..."

Hua An stood in the center of the courtyard, watching the chaotic scene unfold.

Looking at his mother crying because of him, looking at his furious father and grandfather, and listening to his nephews' heart-wrenching cries.

How come the house has become like this as soon as I came back?

No one understands him.

No one was on his side.

The whole world has betrayed him.

"Fine...you think I'm being annoying, huh?"

Hua An gritted his teeth and squeezed out those words.

"OK!"

"I'm not in your way!"

He didn't look at anyone again, and didn't even pick up the backpack that had fallen to the ground.

Carrying the dust of travel and the scars in his heart, he rushed towards the room that belonged to him.

"Bang!"

A deafening roar.

The wooden door was slammed shut, causing dust to fall from the door frame.

That voice seemed to shut out all the arguments, accusations, and grievances.

The courtyard fell silent for a second.

All that remained were the triplets' intermittent sobs and the mournful sound of the cold wind blowing through the bare branches.

Li Guifen looked at the tightly closed door, her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, covering her face and weeping bitterly.

This should have been a day of double happiness.

How did it turn out like this?

Behind the tightly closed door, Hua An leaned against the door panel, his body slowly sliding down.

He buried his face in his knees, clutching his head, and let out a low growl that was barely suppressed.