Hard work after winning the lottery

Hua Yun was in a great mood and turned up the volume of the car radio.

"Good luck to you, may good luck bring you joy and love..."

The high-pitched, festive, and incredibly powerful vocals instantly filled the entire carriage, causing the windows to tremble slightly. Normally, Hua Yun would have thought the song was terribly corny and incredibly noisy. But today was different; the lyrics sounded perfectly pleasing to the ear, as if it were background music tailor-made for her.

Good luck.

It really is good luck.

Having a lump in your stomach, isn't that good luck?

She hummed along, her lips curving upwards involuntarily, glancing occasionally through the rearview mirror at the bag on the passenger seat—containing the freshly completed B4 medical report.

As the car rounded the big locust tree at the village entrance, a ball-shaped figure could be seen moving in the snow from afar.

Hua Yun squinted at it and laughed.

Isn't this her younger brother, Hua An?

Hua Yun slowed down, glided slowly to his side, and rolled down the window.

The cold wind, mixed with snowflakes, blew in, dissipating some of the heat from the car's heater.

"drop--"

Hua Yun honked the horn once.

Hua An was startled, his foot slipped, and he almost fell into the snowdrift by the roadside, along with his belongings. He steadied himself, turned his head with difficulty, and saw that it was that familiar car. His face, which was red from the cold, immediately broke into a smile.

"Sis! You're back!"

Hua An, as if seeing a savior, rushed to the car window with the things in his arms. His breath fogged his glasses. "Oh my god, I'm exhausted! Quick, quick, open the trunk, this stuff is so heavy!"

Hua Yun smiled and shook her head, unlocking the central locking system: "You went to buy supplies? Why didn't you drive?"

Hua An hurriedly stuffed the items and the roll of New Year pictures into the back of the truck, then opened the passenger door and squeezed in like a big bear, bringing in a chilly blast of air.

"Phew—I'm alive, I'm alive!" Hua An took off his glasses, wiped the fog off them haphazardly, and complained while rubbing his hands, "Sister, you don't know, Mom insisted that the New Year pictures bought in town weren't as spiritual as the ones handwritten by Grandpa Wang at the village entrance, and she forced me to go get them."

Hua An adjusted his seat back and comfortably slumped in. "By the way, sis, Mom's frying meatballs at home. The first batch just came out of the oil when she came out, and the aroma was amazing! I've been craving them all the way here."

Upon hearing the words "meatballs," Hua Yun's stomach didn't churn like it had that morning; instead, a faint sense of anticipation arose. Perhaps it was because it tasted like her mother's cooking, a craving etched into her DNA being awakened.

"The house exploded in just a short while?"

"Of course! Mom said you love freshly cooked radish and meatball soup the most, so she specially saved it for you when you came back," Hua An said, slurping his saliva.

The car came to a smooth stop in front of the Hua family's courtyard.

Before even getting off the bus, a rich aroma, a blend of scallions, ginger, garlic, and savory oil, forcefully filled my nostrils. It was the smell of the New Year, the most comforting smell of everyday life.

The yard had been swept clean, except for the snow piled up in the corner that hadn't been shoveled away yet.

The main room door was wide open, and the sounds of pieces being placed and arguing could be faintly heard coming from inside.

"General! Old Hua, you're not getting away this time!" This was the booming voice of Old Master Zhou Yinchuan.

"Go away, go away! You regret it! I was seeing things just now and didn't see your horse hiding there!" That was Grandpa Hua Mutou's voice as he acted like a spoiled child.

"A true man never regrets his moves! Why are you dawdling like a woman!"

"I'm an old man, not a grown man! Let's try again!"

Hearing the familiar banter, Hua Yun felt a huge weight lifted from her heart.

"Sister, you go inside first, I'll carry the things." Hua An volunteered to be the laborer.

Hua Yun didn't stand on ceremony, wrapped her down jacket tighter, and strode towards the kitchen.

The kitchen door was ajar, and white steam seeped out through the crack. Pushing the door open, a wave of heat hit you.

Under the dim light, Li Guifen, wearing a faded floral apron, was busy at the stove. The oil in the large iron pot was sizzling and rolling with golden bubbles. Holding a strainer in one hand and long chopsticks in the other, she skillfully turned the round meatballs in the oil.

A small "golden mountain" had already piled up in the aluminum basin next to the stove, with fried crispy pork, lotus root sandwiches, and meatballs gleaming temptingly.

"Mom," Hua Yun called out.

Li Guifen didn't even turn her head, her voice booming: "You're back? Did you wash your hands? There are some freshly cooked meatballs by the basin, take one and try it, be careful not to burn yourself."

This is probably the universal opening line for mothers all over the world.

Hua Yun walked to the stove and looked at her mother's busy figure. Suddenly, her eyes welled up with tears.

She reached out and picked up a meatball that was still sizzling with oil.

Ignoring the heat, I fiddled with my hands for a bit, blew on it, and carefully took a bite.

Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

The sweetness of the shredded radish mixed with the savory aroma of the minced meat exploded in your mouth.

It's not disgusting.

Only satisfaction.

"Is it good?" Li Guifen glanced back at her daughter, a smile hidden in the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. "I added more minced ginger this time to remove the fishy smell and dispel the cold."

Hua Yun, chewing on a meatball, nodded indistinctly, "Delicious, Mom's is the best."

She swallowed the food in her mouth and watched as her mother put another batch of raw meatballs into the pot, the range hood roaring loudly.

At that moment, the only sounds in the kitchen were the sizzling of frying and the faint crackling of firecrackers coming from outside.

The atmosphere was so warm it brought tears to my eyes.

Hua Yun took a deep breath and felt it was time.

She moved closer to her mother, her voice soft but exceptionally clear.

"Mom, um... I'm pregnant."

Time seemed to stand still in that second.

Li Guifen's hands didn't stop moving; she habitually stirred the oil in the pan with a slotted spoon and casually replied, "Oh, you're pregnant? Pregnant is good... what?!"

next second.

"Clang!"

The long chopsticks in Li Guifen's hand fell directly into the boiling oil.

"Sizzle—"

Oil splattered everywhere.

A few drops of hot oil splashed onto the back of Li Guifen's hand, but she seemed completely oblivious to the pain. She suddenly turned around, her eyes wide as saucers, staring intently at Hua Yun's stomach.

Because she turned around too quickly, the strap on her apron got caught on the cutting board next to her, almost tipping over a bowl of dough.

"Oh my god!"

Li Guifen hurriedly turned off the gas stove, not even bothering to retrieve the chopsticks from the pot. Her hands, covered in flour and oil, reached out to grab Hua Yun, but halfway there she realized they were dirty and quickly wiped them haphazardly on her apron.

"What did you say? Say it again? You can't joke like that!" Li Guifen's voice trembled, a mixture of extreme surprise and disbelief.