Hard work after winning the lottery

Hua An simply wouldn't listen to any of these grand principles.

He interrupted Hua Yun, his neck stiff as a stubborn bull.

"I get paid to work, that's only fair!"

"I'm your brother, not an outsider!"

"Does not taking these shares mean I won't work hard?"

"Sister, you really underestimate me, Hua An!"

On this night, the teenager's self-esteem was so sensitive that it was on the verge of exploding.

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, tears welling up in his eyes, but he stubbornly held them back.

"I don't want these shares no matter what! If you insist on giving them to me, I'll leave tomorrow! I'll go back to City C and deliver food!"

This roar plunged the main room into complete silence.

An even more suffocating silence than before.

Hua Shu opened his mouth, but his hand holding the pipe froze in mid-air.

He wanted to persuade his son, since it was, after all, his sister's good intention.

But seeing his son's unyielding spirit, he felt gratified.

None of the Hua family's offspring are spineless or greedy ingrates.

As his father, he couldn't persuade him otherwise.

Hua Mu frowned, took a puff of his pipe, and let out a long sigh.

It was a mixture of relief and helplessness.

Li Guifen and Grandma Hua looked at each other in bewilderment.

Both women felt that Hua Yun's considerations were thorough and far-sighted, but they were worried that their younger brother would suffer in the future without a proper status.

I also feel sorry for Hua An's naivety and stubbornness.

The family got into a huge argument because they gave each other too much money.

If this gets out, I'm afraid no one will believe it.

Zhou Yanjin remained quietly seated to the side.

As the only "outsider" in this family meeting, it was indeed inappropriate for him to interrupt.

But his deep, pool-like eyes never left Hua An's face.

He had seen far too many scenes of bloodshed and violence in the fight for inheritance.

The infighting, sibling rivalry, and father-son estrangement within wealthy families.

For a fraction of a percent of shares, people are willing to tear family ties to shreds.

It can be found here.

Faced with a fortune that could change one's destiny.

This young man, barely in his early twenties, did not react with elation or greed.

Instead, it was anger.

It was anger stemming from the feeling that he had taken advantage of his older sister.

Zhou Yanjin tapped her fingers lightly twice on the table.

The rhythm was so light that no one noticed.

But deep down, he began to have a different opinion of his brother-in-law, who usually treated him coldly.

This simple and honest spirit is more precious than mountains of gold.

Hua Yun's judgment was indeed correct.

Only by entrusting this whole affair to someone like this can she truly leave in peace.

"Xiao An..."

Hua Yun wanted to say something more.

"I won't listen!"

Hua An suddenly waved his hand, as if to brush away the temptation and humiliation before him.

He didn't want his sister to see the tears that were about to fall from his eyes.

She didn't want to lose face in front of her wealthy brother-in-law.

"I'll just say one thing: money or people, the choice is yours!"

After saying that...

He couldn't stay there any longer.

He turned around and strode towards the door.

Because he was walking too fast, his knee hit the door frame with a dull thud.

But he didn't even rub it.

I lifted the heavy cotton curtain and plunged into the pitch-black night outside.

The footsteps were heavy and hurried, and soon disappeared around the corner of the courtyard.

Only the still-swaying curtain testifies to the fierce conflict that erupted just moments ago.

The main room was once again filled with silence.

The equity agreement that had been pushed out lay forlornly in the center of the table.

The black text on white paper looked particularly glaring under the light.

Hua Yun looked at the empty doorway, her shoulders slumping slightly.

She rubbed her temples wearily and sighed helplessly.

"That stubbornness of a donkey, I wonder who he got it from."

She really had a headache.

I originally thought the hardest hurdle would be my parents' reluctance to let me go.

Unexpectedly, the toughest nut to crack was this silly younger brother who desperately wanted to protect his sister's interests.

Although no more heated arguments broke out, everyone could feel the oppressive atmosphere.

It's like a cotton quilt that just won't dry no matter how hard you try during the rainy season, weighing heavily on my heart.

Hua'an has changed.

He no longer yelled "Sister, I'm hungry!" as he usually did before even entering the door.

Now, he's like a tireless, wound-up machine.

Before dawn, as the eastern hills began to lighten with the first hint of white, the sound of him chopping wood echoed from the courtyard.

"Click, click."

It was as if he wasn't chopping firewood, but rather the pent-up frustration in his heart that had nowhere to go.

Feeding sheep, cleaning sheep pens, organizing warehouses, packing and shipping.

He channeled all his energy into his work.

Even when eating, he would hold a large bowl, bury his head in his food, and not even look up at Hua Yun.

He didn't mention the shares.

Not a single word was mentioned.

Hua Yun saw it all and felt deeply pained.

……

The hot tea I was holding gradually cooled down.

Zhou Yanjin walked behind her and gently placed his broad hand on her shoulder.

The warmth of my palm seeped through the sweater.

Give him some time.

The man's deep voice carried a calming power.

"Xiao An is a proud boy; he's afraid he's not good enough for this generous gift."

Hua Yun sighed, her brows not relaxing at all because of those words.

"I know he meant well; he didn't want to take advantage of what I had worked so hard to gain."

"But the more this is the case, the more I cannot mistreat him."

If we don't break through this barrier and straighten out the relationships of interest, we will face consequences.

This thorn will remain stuck in the hearts of the siblings forever.

This became a hidden danger in the days to come.

That evening, Hua An went out to find his childhood friends.

Hua Yun called her father, Hua Shu, and grandfather, Hua Mutou, into the west room.

Under the bright lights, the smell of tobacco was somewhat pungent.

Hua Shu sat cross-legged on the sofa, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

The tobacco pipe in his hand clattered against the sole of his shoe again and again.

"That brat."

Hua Shu cursed, but there wasn't much anger in his voice; instead, it conveyed a sense of helplessness.

He may be a bit stubborn, but he has a good heart.

"He felt that you had suffered too much raising the child these past few years, and that you had finally found a good family, giving you hope for the future."

"If he takes your majority stake now, it's like he's sucking your blood."

"The men of our Hua family would never do such a thing."

Hua Shu exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, which blurred his wrinkled face.

Hua Mutou was playing with two walnuts in his hands; they were wild mountain walnuts that had been polished until they were shiny and smooth.

The old man squinted, as if recalling something from long ago.

"Yun girl, you're right."

"Even close brothers should keep clear accounts"—this saying may be crude, but it holds true.

"If Xiao An devotes himself wholeheartedly to the sheep farm without any official status, he won't feel at ease in the long run."

"Outsiders will gossip and say he's just a farmhand working for his sister."

"This will be detrimental to his future marriage prospects and ability to establish his own household."

The old man, having lived most of his life, sees things more clearly than anyone else.

Hua Yun nodded, sat down on the small stool, and looked serious.

"Grandpa, Dad, that's what I think too."

"But I didn't expect Xiao An to react so strongly."

"Staying stuck here isn't going to work either."

"Yan Jin and I discussed it and wanted to try a different approach."

Hua Mutou's cloudy eyes lit up: "What method?"

Hua Yun didn't rush to speak, but instead got up and added some hot water to her grandfather's and father's teacups.

As the steam rose, her voice rang out softly, revealing a composed and confident air.

……