Hard work after winning the lottery

Hua Yun sat in the restaurant, sipping soy milk while making plans in her mind.

Previously, Zhou Yanjin had prepared a wedding house in the most bustling area of ​​the city center for their marriage.

That's the famous Jingyuan Villa District, a quiet oasis amidst the hustle and bustle, only a fifteen-minute drive from the Zhou Group Building and a mere ten-minute walk from that international kindergarten.

The place has been renovated and is ready to move in anytime.

Once he moves there, Zhou Yanjin can sleep an extra hour and a half every day, and he can even go home at noon to have lunch with his wife and children.

The children no longer have to get up early and work late, and they can go to school happily every day.

No matter how you look at it, moving is the more cost-effective option.

but……

Hua Yun looked up and glanced at Grandpa Zhou Yinchuan, who was walking in from the garden humming a little tune.

The old man was carrying a birdcage, looking energetic and with a ruddy complexion.

"Yunyun, are you awake? Where are those little sleepyheads? Still not awake? I've already prepared the stories for them today!"

Seeing the old man's enthusiastic expression, Hua Yun swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

If we were to say we were moving out, the old man would probably smash the birdcage on the spot and then cry in front of her.

This is a huge project.

7 PM.

Rarely having no overtime work, Zhou Yanjin returned to the old house just in time for dinner.

The meal was extremely lavish.

Since the granddaughter-in-law and great-grandson returned, the Zhou family's chef has been using all his skills, preparing a variety of dishes every day, afraid that these little darlings might get too thin from hunger.

Crystal shrimp, sweet and sour pork ribs, steamed grouper, and the kids' favorite assorted steamed egg.

Sile held a small spoon in her hand, her mouth covered in oil as she ate, mumbling indistinctly, "Great-Grandpa, eat meat!"

Then, very "filially," she placed the half-eaten rib into Zhou Yinchuan's bowl.

This action would be considered impolite in other people's homes.

But at the Zhou family's old house, Zhou Yinchuan smiled so hard his eyes narrowed into slits. Without saying a word, he picked up the saliva-covered rib and put it in his mouth, chewing it with great relish.

"Oh, Lele really loves her great-grandpa! These ribs smell delicious!"

Zhou Ye and Lin Yi watched from the sidelines, shaking their heads but also smiling broadly.

The family was having a wonderful time together, and the atmosphere was wonderful.

Zhou Yanjin and Hua Yun exchanged a glance.

They both saw a hint of determination, and... a trace of guilt, in each other's eyes.

What's meant to happen will happen.

Long-term pain is worse than short-term pain.

Zhou Yanjin put down her chopsticks and cleared her throat.

"cough."

The soft cough sounded somewhat abrupt amidst the cheerful chewing sounds.

All eyes were on him.

"What's wrong? Is the food not to your liking?" Lin Yi asked with concern.

Zhou Yanjin shook his head, picked up his teacup and took a sip, as if to bolster his courage.

"Grandpa, Dad, Mom."

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the elders present, finally settling on Zhou Yinchuan, who was teasing Si Tao.

"There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Before Zhou Yinchuan's smile had faded, he casually said, "What are we discussing? If it's company matters, you can make your own decisions and don't bother me. But if it's about having a second child... hehe, that's something we can discuss."

Hua Yun's face instantly turned red, and she secretly stepped on Zhou Yanjin's foot under the table.

Zhou Yanjin winced in pain, her facial expression contorting slightly, but she quickly regained her composure.

"It's not a company matter, nor is it..."

He took a deep breath and got straight to the point.

"Yunyun and I plan to move to Jingyuan with the children in the next couple of days."

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

The once bustling restaurant suddenly seemed to have been put on pause.

The spoon in Sile's hand fell onto the table with a crisp "clang".

Zhou Yinchuan's hand, which was holding a chopstick, froze in mid-air. The wrinkles on his face instantly solidified, then slowly, little by little, smoothed out, and finally settled down.

The servants standing nearby didn't dare to breathe, wishing they could just disappear on the spot.

A full half minute passed.

Zhou Yinchuan slowly put down his chopsticks, his movements so slow it was unsettling.

He didn't look at Zhou Yanjin or Hua Yun, but stared at the unfinished bowl of rice in front of him, his voice revealing no emotion.

"We were living comfortably, why the sudden decision to move?"

"Is your house not big enough? Or do you find this old man annoying?"

That's a recipe for disaster!

Hua Yun quickly waved her hands, "Grandpa, no! This old house is very comfortable to live in, and you've always been the best to us. How could we possibly dislike you!"

Zhou Yanjin quickly picked up the conversation.

"Grandpa, it's mainly due to practical considerations."

"As you've seen these past few days, I spend almost two hours on the road every day. It's nothing, I'm young and can handle it."

"But the children are going to kindergarten soon."

Zhou Yanjin pointed to the triplets who were still in a daze.

"That international kindergarten is in the city center, and you have to be there by eight in the morning. If we live in the old house, the children have to get up at six, and they're crammed into the car before they're even fully awake, and then it's a bumpy ride of more than an hour to get to school."

"Besides, you know the road conditions here. If there's an emergency or a traffic jam, the children will suffer on the road."

Every word of these remarks is reasonable and every sentence hits home.

Especially the line "The children suffer on the road".

Zhou Yinchuan's gaze wavered for a moment.

He looked at his three great-grandchildren, who were as delicate as flower buds. Sile loved to sleep in so much; if she had to get up at six every day, wouldn't she be crying her eyes out?

but……

I'm so reluctant to part with it.

This old house has been deserted for so many years. It's so rare to have a bit of life here. It's so rare to hear these crisp "Great-Grandpa" calls every time I open my eyes.

If he moves away, this huge house will only be left with him and that pond of silent fish.

The immense sense of loss left the old man feeling as if a lump of cotton was stuck in his heart, causing him unbearable bitterness.

Zhou Yinchuan didn't speak, but sighed and leaned back in his chair, his once straight back seeming to hunch over a bit.

"I know……"

The old man's voice was low and somber, revealing an undisguised sense of loneliness.

"You young people have your own careers, and children need to go to school... I understand all of this."

"Young people these days like freedom and don't like living with us old fogies. They think there are too many rules and they feel uncomfortable..."

This is a classic example of "retreating to advance," commonly known as "playing the victim."

Zhou Ye felt bad watching his father's behavior, but he was also afraid of his wife, so he turned to Lin Yi for help.

Lin Yi is a woman after all; she is meticulous and can best understand her son's difficulties, as well as her father-in-law's feelings.

She put down her chopsticks, smiled gently, and began to smooth things over.

"Dad, you're exaggerating."

"Yan Jin and the others moved there entirely for the sake of the children and their work, not because they disliked you."

"Think about it, what if Yan Jin doesn't get enough sleep every day, and the company makes wrong decisions? What if the children don't get enough sleep and don't grow tall?"

"Besides," Lin Yi poured Zhou Yinchuan a cup of tea, "transportation is so convenient these days. Jing is less than a two-hour drive from here. It's not far."

Hua Yun stood up, walked to Zhou Yinchuan's side, squatted down, and held the old man's hand as if coaxing a child.

"Grandpa, even though we've moved away, we promise we'll come back every weekend!"

"Besides, that villa isn't ready yet, so we'll have to stay here and eat at your place this week."