Hard work after winning the lottery

On Friday, the setting sun bathed the mountains and fields of Baixi Village in a gentle golden glow.

A crisp bicycle bell rang out from afar, breaking the clanging sounds of laborers working on the construction site.

Hua Yun was wiping her grandfather's sweat with a towel when she heard the sound and looked up.

On the path at the village entrance, a boy wearing a faded school uniform, with tanned skin but surprisingly bright eyes, was pedaling a worn-out old bicycle with great effort.

It's my younger brother, Hua An.

He is back.

A smile unconsciously crept onto Hua Yun's lips as she was about to wave when she noticed Hua An's car suddenly slow down.

His feet were on the ground, and he was frozen in place as if he had been frozen in place.

The bicycle fell to the ground with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Hua An, however, was completely unaware.

His mouth was slightly open, his eyes wide like copper bells, staring intently at the three-story vermilion building in front of him, which was already taking shape.

The magnificent Roman columns, the expansive French windows, and the glazed tile roof gleaming in the sunlight unfolded before his eyes like an unreal painting.

The low, dilapidated mud-brick house that I remember, which leaked when it rained, has long been razed to the ground.

Instead, he saw a villa that he had only ever seen on television or in the most luxurious residential area in the county.

"Holy crap!"

A gasp, punctuated by a crack, escaped from Hua An's dry throat.

He rubbed his eyes hard, thinking he was hallucinating because he was too tired from studying.

But that building still stands there steadily, its red brick walls gleaming with a warm and solid light in the setting sun.

"sister?"

He called out tentatively, his voice trembling with disbelief.

Hua Yun smiled and walked over to him, bending down to help him up his bicycle.

"What are you standing there for? Don't you recognize your own home?"

Hua An rushed over in one stride, ran around the foundation of the new house, and carefully touched the cold and rough brick wall with his hands like a child who had never seen the world.

"Sister! Is this our home? Is it really our home?"

His face flushed with excitement, and he gestured incoherently, "How long has it been? When I left, this place was still flat! This... this is like building with blocks, it's so fast!"

Li Guifen and Hua Shu, who were cooking in the makeshift shed, also came out. Looking at their youngest son's eager expression, they couldn't hide their smiles.

"You little rascal, you're always making a fuss over nothing," Li Guifen said reproachfully, but her eyes were overflowing with affection.

Hua An rushed to his parents, then looked at his grandfather who was inspecting the steel bars, and finally his gaze fell on his sister.

He knew that all these changes stemmed from the older sister in front of him, who had once rolled around in the mud just like him.

"Sis, you really won the lottery..." he murmured, his tone still a little disbelieving, but it turned into sincere admiration and emotion.

Hua Yun reached out and ruffled his short hair, which was soaked with sweat, the movement as natural as when they were children.

"What else? Do you think your sister would rob a bank?"

Hua An chuckled foolishly and scratched his head.

His gaze lingered for a moment on the worn-out sneakers on his feet before quickly looking away.

This subtle movement did not escape Hua Yun's eyes.

She remembered.

Before the start of last semester, Hua'an stared at a pair of the latest basketball shoes in a specialty store in the county town for a long time. In the end, he pulled her aside and said, "Sister, forget it, they're too expensive. I can still wear these."

At that moment, the longing in the boy's eyes and his sensible restraint felt like a needle gently pricking Hua Yun's heart.

At that time, she had just graduated and earned a meager salary, barely making ends meet, let alone fulfilling her younger brother's small wish.

But now, things are different.

The needle still seems to linger in my heart, but it's no longer a stinging pain; instead, it serves as a reminder, a determination to make up for all the regrets.

"Anzi, your shoes are so worn out, why don't you say you want to get a new pair?" Hua Yun squatted down and gently poked the crack in his shoes.

Hua An's face flushed red instantly, and he instinctively tried to pull his foot back.

"It's okay, I can still wear it, it won't affect my running."

Hua Yun stood up, her eyes filled with an unwavering determination.

"Come on, let me take you shopping."

She paused, then looked around at her family.

Dad Hua Shu was still wearing those same old canvas shoes, the soles almost worn flat. Mom Li Guifen's clothes had frayed cuffs. Grandpa and Grandma had been frugal their whole lives, wearing clothes that were several years old.

A thought quickly took shape in her mind, clear and resounding.

The house is new, and so should our lives.

She cleared her throat, her voice not loud, but loud enough for everyone to hear clearly.

"Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma."

"Tomorrow, I'll take you to the city for a big shopping spree."

The words "big shopping spree" were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples in the hearts of the family.

Li Guifen was the first to react and quickly waved her hand.

"Go to the city? How much would that cost? We have everything we need at home, and we have enough clothes to wear. Why waste money like that?"

This frugality is ingrained in her very being.

Hua Shu squatted on the threshold, puffing on his pipe. His expression was obscured by the swirling smoke, but his furrowed brows revealed that he shared the same thoughts as his wife.

Hua An's eyes suddenly lit up like two stars.

"In the city? Really, sis? I want to buy a new phone. My old one is so crappy, it lags terribly even when I open a learning app! And also, I want to buy a computer so I can use it when I go to university!"

The excitement of youth is so pure and so undisguised.

Hua Yun smiled and looked at her younger brother, then turned to her parents.

"Mom, money is meant to be spent; it only becomes money when it's spent."

She walked over to Li Guifen, took her arm, and spoke in a soft and gentle tone.

"You and Dad have worked hard your whole lives, how many nice clothes have you ever bought for yourselves? I remember the last time you went to town, you saw a wool sweater you liked, but you held onto it for a long time and still couldn't bring yourself to buy it."

"And my dad, how long has he been wearing those canvas shoes? Doesn't he worry about slipping on them in the rain?"

"My grandparents' joints ache every winter, so we went to the best shopping mall in the city to buy them the warmest down jackets and foot bath tubs with massage functions."

"Anzi is about to take the college entrance exam, so her study tools must be up to par: a cell phone, a computer, a new schoolbag, and new shoes—she can't be without any of them."

Hua Yun spoke each sentence steadily, yet with a powerful force, gradually soothing and melting away the hesitation and resistance in her family members' hearts caused by their unfamiliarity with the place.

She wasn't depicting extravagant spending, but rather the deepest and most delicate love for her family.

Li Guifen's eyes reddened slightly. She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal.

Hua Shu stopped smoking, looked up, and took a deep look at his daughter.

This little girl, who once needed his protection, has unknowingly grown into a big tree that can shelter the whole family from the wind and rain.

He tapped his pipe against the sole of his shoe, the sound a little hoarse, yet unusually steady.

"Listen to your sister."

Three words, and the decision was final.

"Yay!" Hua An jumped up excitedly and hugged Hua Yun tightly. "Sister, you're the best! You're my real sister!"

Hua Yun was choked so tightly by him that she could hardly breathe, and she pushed him away with a laugh.

"Alright, alright, go change your dirty clothes now, you're covered in sweat."