Hard work after winning the lottery

"Life is so sweet," Zhou Yinchuan sighed, his tone full of contentment.

As the two were reminiscing about the past hardships, Hua An's car stopped.

The three children were having a blast, looking like they had just been dug out of a snowdrift, their heads and faces covered in snowflakes, their little faces red from the wind, like ripe Fuji apples.

"I can't take it anymore, I'm starving!" Si Tao said, brushing the snow off her clothes as she ran back.

Back inside, with the heating on, I hadn't felt it outside, but as soon as my hands warmed up, that piercing itching and pain came rushing back.

"Ouch, my hand hurts! My hand is so itchy!"

Sitao held up her two little hands, which were frozen like red radishes, wanting to scratch them but not daring to. She stamped her feet anxiously, "Mommy, am I going to have my hands amputated? Are my hands going to fall off?"

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Hua Yun was both annoyed and amused. She was about to grab a hot towel when Li Guifen stopped her.

"Don't use hot water! It'll give you frostbite!"

Li Guifen turned and went into the kitchen. A moment later, she brought out a basin of warm water with several large pieces of crushed old ginger floating in it, and a spicy aroma wafted out.

"Come on, put your hands in, Grandma will rub them for you."

Li Guifen placed the basin on a low stool.

Si Tao, being impatient, was the first to reach in.

"Ah! Spicy! So spicy!"

The moment his hand touched the water, the ginger juice contacted his frozen skin, and the burning sensation made him want to pull it back.

"Don't move!" Li Guifen grabbed the restless little hands, her rough but warm hands, moistened with ginger water, vigorously rubbing the backs of his hands and between his fingers. "Bear with it! This is what works—rubbing them until they're warm! It'll force out the cold, otherwise you'll get chilblains, and then they'll be itchy and swollen. Let's see how you cry then!"

"Waaah...it feels like being pricked with needles..." Si Tao pouted, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Sile and Si'an beside her. "Run! This is torture! Grandma knows Iron Palm!"

Watching her brother's grimacing face, Sile felt a mix of amusement and fear. She cautiously reached out her hand: "Grandma, can you rub it gently?"

"Gentleness won't work!" Li Guifen was incredibly impartial, grabbing Sile's little hand and rubbing it vigorously.

When the three children's hands were rubbed until they were red and warm, the stinging sensation finally disappeared, replaced by a feeling of refreshing comfort.

"Huh? It doesn't itch anymore!" Si Tao exclaimed in surprise, wiggling her fingers. "Grandma, you're amazing!"

"Of course, this is a method passed down from our ancestors." Li Guifen splashed the water, her face full of pride.

Lunch was simple yet substantial.

The stew, served in a large pot, contained fried tofu puffs, sliced ​​pork belly, cabbage, and glass noodles, along with freshly steamed hot buns. The three children devoured it, clearly exhausted from the snow drifting that morning.

After lunch and a short rest, Hua Yun checked the time.

"Mom, I'm going to check out the West Goat Farm."

Hua Yun's return this time wasn't just for the Lunar New Year; she also had her "adoption plan" in mind. It's currently the crucial time for the ewes to give birth, so she needs to keep an eye on things.

"Me too! Me too!" The three tagalongs immediately jumped up from the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Okay, get dressed and don't run around."

The Xishan Goat Farm is located on a sunny hillside not far behind the village.

Even before you get close, you can hear the continuous bleating.

Upon entering the greenhouse, a warm aroma mixed with hay and goat milk wafts towards you.

The cold air outside collided with the hot air inside, instantly condensing into puffs of white vapor.

Hundreds of black goats were comfortably ruminating on the haystacks, and when they saw someone come in, they just lazily raised their eyelids.

Wow! So many sheep!

The children were instantly excited, but remembering their mother's instructions, they didn't dare to make a loud noise. They just leaned against the fence, their eyes wide open.

"Mom, look, that sheep has such a big belly!" Si'an pointed to a ewe lying down not far away.

The ewe had a round belly, was breathing slightly rapidly, and occasionally let out a few low bleats.

"That means she's about to give birth," Hua Yun explained gently, taking a few steps closer to check on the ewe.

Just then, a worker walked over carrying a bucket of freshly mixed feed, ready to add it to the sheep trough.

This feed is specially made to supplement the nutrition of pregnant ewes. In addition to corn and soybean meal, it also contains a lot of chopped silage and some Chinese herbal medicines to prevent diseases.

One of them is houttuynia cordata.

The worker tossed his hand, and the feed poured into the trough with a whoosh.

A strong, fermented, sour smell, along with the distinctive fishy odor of houttuynia cordata, instantly filled the greenhouse.

Normally, this smell would just be a bit pungent, but at this moment, to Hua Yun's nose, it was like a fuse, instantly detonating the long-dormant bomb in her stomach.

The fishy smell shot straight to the top of my head, and the churning feeling in my stomach was impossible to suppress.

"vomit--"

Hua Yun's face turned pale, she suddenly covered her mouth, turned around and leaned against the fence, retching.

"Mother?!"

"Xiao Yun?!"

The three children and their uncle were all startled.

"What's wrong? Is the smell in this shed too strong?" Uncle quickly tried to open the window to ventilate the room.

Hua Yun waved her hand, wanting to speak, but as soon as she opened her mouth, that nauseating feeling came back.

"vomit……"

She felt as if her stomach was being squeezed tightly by a hand, and acid reflux surged up, instantly forcing tears to come out.

Uncle Tang stared at Hua Yun's deathly pale face and her instinctive action of protecting her stomach. He paused for a moment, then slapped his thigh, his eyes revealing a mixture of surprise and disbelief.

"Oh dear! Xiaoyun, you...you wouldn't be...?"

The three children gathered around, looking bewildered. Sitao was on the verge of tears, asking anxiously, "Mommy, did you eat something bad? Was the candied hawthorn Sitao gave you poisoned?"

Hua Yun took a while to calm down before accepting the thermos cup from Si An, taking a sip of water to settle her stomach.

She leaned against the fence, feeling the familiar yet strange throbbing in her stomach. Suddenly, the inexplicable fatigue and drowsiness she had been experiencing lately flashed through her mind, along with the fact that her period seemed to be two weeks late...

She blinked blankly, her hand unconsciously touching her still flat stomach.

Could it be that... the old man's casual remark about "having a son" in the tea room that day actually came true?

This is... way too fast!

"Oh no, oh no!" Hua Yun cried out inwardly. This was it; she hadn't even dealt with the three little devils at home yet, and now another one was coming...