Hard work after winning the lottery

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

A brand-new silver-gray seven-seater SUV quietly pulled up next to the construction site of the new house.

This was picked up by Hua Yun from the county town yesterday afternoon while everyone was busy.

She didn't want her family to squeeze into that bumpy farm tricycle anymore.

"Get in the car." She smiled and opened the car door.

The whole family was stunned.

The pipe in Hua Shu's mouth fell to the ground with a "thud".

Li Guifen walked around the car, not daring to put her hands on it for fear of getting them covered in dust.

"Yunyun...how much does this car cost?"

Hua An pounced on it, pressing his face against the gleaming car window, his eyes shining brighter than the stars.

"Wow! It's an SUV! Dude, you're so cool!"

Hua Yun helped her grandparents into the spacious back seat and then pushed her parents into the middle seat.

"Money is only money when it's spent, Dad, Mom, hold on tight."

The car drove smoothly out of Baixi Village, leaving the dust and the past behind.

***

Our first stop was the city's largest home appliance mall.

Upon entering the gate, the blast of cold air and blindingly bright lights left everyone in the family, except for Hua Yun and Hua An, somewhat bewildered.

Li Guifen subconsciously tugged at Hua Yun's sleeve and whispered, "The things here must be ridiculously expensive."

Hua Yun smiled, took her hand, and gave her a reassuring look.

"Mom, today we won't look at the price, we'll just look at whether you like it or not."

She led her family straight to the refrigerator section.

The sales assistant greeted them warmly. Seeing the family's simple attire, a hint of disdain flashed in her eyes, but her professionalism kept her smiling.

"Auntie, look, this double-door refrigerator has a large capacity and is energy-efficient."

Li Guifen glanced at the long string of numbers on the label and waved her hands in fright.

"It's too big, too big, it's a waste of electricity! Our old one still works."

Hua Yun interrupted her directly.

"Mom, the new house has a big kitchen, so it needs a big refrigerator. From now on, we won't have to worry about where to put the stewed meat and the New Year's dishes we make during holidays."

She turned to the sales assistant and pointed to the most high-end smart refrigerator.

"This is it, it has a touchscreen, you can see the weather forecast, and you can listen to music."

"I also need a front-loading washing machine with a drying function, so I won't have to worry about clothes not drying in winter."

"We need an 85-inch LCD TV in the living room, the bigger the better."

"Each room should be equipped with the best inverter air conditioner, capable of both cooling and heating."

She finished speaking in one breath, leaving not only the sales assistant stunned, but also her whole family.

Hua Shu opened his mouth as if to say something, but Hua Yun spoke first.

"Dad, you and Mom have worked hard all your lives. In the summer, you suffered from heatstroke in the fields, and in the winter, your hands and feet cracked from the cold indoors. Now, it's time for us to enjoy ourselves."

These words were like a key, unlocking the lock in the elderly couple's hearts that they couldn't bear to part with.

Yes, after a lifetime of hardship, why can't we be kinder to ourselves?

Li Guifen's eyes reddened, and she didn't say anything more, only nodded silently.

After leaving the appliance store, the next stop is the department store.

Hua Yun led her family, starting from the shoe section on the first floor and heading upwards.

"Anzi, go pick out your favorite pair of basketball shoes."

Looking at the dazzling array of shoes, Hua An was so excited that he didn't know where to put his hands. In the end, he picked up a pair of the latest Tomahawk series shoes, which was the very shoes he had looked at for a long time in the county town but couldn't bring himself to buy.

After putting on his new shoes, he jumped around on the ground, feeling like he could take off from the spot.

"Thank you, sis!"

Hua Yun smiled and ruffled his hair, then turned to her parents.

"Dad, Mom, it's your turn."

Li Guifen and Hua Shu looked at the bright and beautiful clothes and backed away.

"No, no, our clothes are fine."

"These clothes are precious; I'm afraid of getting them dirty when I go to work in the fields."

Hua Yun pulled Li Guifen directly into a women's clothing store and took out a burgundy wool dress.

"Mom, you should try this. You have fair skin, this color will definitely look good on you."

With the combined persuasion of her daughter and the sales assistant, Li Guifen reluctantly entered the fitting room.

When they came out again, everyone's eyes lit up.

The woman in the mirror had her waist perfectly outlined, and the haggardness brought on by years of hard work was swept away by the bright wine red color, revealing a bit of the gentle charm of her youth.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Li Guifen felt somewhat unfamiliar and dazed.

She hadn't looked at herself like this in many years.

Hua Shu stared wide-eyed at it, muttering, "It's...it's quite pretty."

"If it looks good, I'll buy it!" Hua Yun decided immediately.

From underwear to outerwear, from thermal underwear to down jackets, from leather shoes to sneakers, Huayun acts like a tireless commander, giving everyone in the family a complete "equipment upgrade".

She remembered that her grandfather's pipe had a crack, which he had wrapped several times with hemp rope and was still in use.

She then picked out a smooth purple clay pipe for him at a time-honored shop, and paired it with top-grade Jin Jun Mei tea.

Hua Mutou stroked the warm, smooth pipe, saying "What a waste of money," but the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes blossomed into a smile.

She remembered that her grandmother always complained about joint pain and how she was most afraid of the cold in winter.

She then chose the lightest and softest cashmere sweater for her grandmother; it was warm to the touch, like a cloud.

Grandma put it on, stroking it back and forth, saying repeatedly, "Warm, so warm."

When it was Hua Yun's turn to take her father, Hua Shu, directly to a mobile phone store.

Hua Shu's old-fashioned mobile phone often has intermittent line errors when answering calls.

Hua Yun replaced his phone with the latest smartphone and patiently taught him how to open WeChat and make video calls.

When Hua An's face first appeared on that small screen, so clear it seemed to be right in front of him, Hua Shu, this usually stern man, revealed a childlike smile of wonder and surprise.

"Feed? Anzi? Can you hear me? Hey, this thing is amazing!"

Finally, Hua Yun led her mother to the gold jewelry counter.

Li Guifen's heart skipped a beat, and she wanted to run away.

Hua Yun held her tightly.

She will always remember that once when she was a child, she went to town with her mother, and her mother stared at a thin gold necklace in a shop counter for a very long time.

Back then, her father didn't earn much money, and her mother just touched it, sighed, and then took her away.

Hua Yun remembered that look for many years.

Now, pointing to an elegant and substantial solid gold necklace in the display case, she said to the sales assistant, "Hello, could you please wrap this up?"

"No, Yunyun! This is too precious!" Li Guifen said anxiously, waving her hands.

Hua Yun took the necklace herself and gently put it on her mother.

The moment the cold metal chain touched her skin, Li Guifen could no longer hold back her tears, which fell drop by drop.

She wasn't after a gold necklace, but rather for her daughter's heartfelt gift, a token that made up for half a lifetime of regrets.

Hua An also gained a lot: a top-of-the-line gaming laptop, enough for him to use from now until he graduates from university.

Holding his brand-new computer, he solemnly said to Hua Yun, "Sister, don't worry, I will definitely get into a good university!"

Hua Yun drove her family, who were returning home with a full load of goods, to the revolving restaurant on the top floor of the tallest building in the city center.

Through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, you can overlook the dazzling lights of the entire city.

It was the first time the family had eaten Western food that required knives and forks. They were a little reserved at first, but with the encouragement of Hua Yun and Hua An, they gradually relaxed.

Tender steak, rich mushroom soup, exquisite desserts... each one was a taste they had never experienced before.

Hua Mutou even ordered a small glass of red wine, took a sip, smacked his lips, and said, "This foreign wine isn't as strong as our homemade rice wine."

This made the whole family burst into laughter.

On the way back, the newly bought SUV was stuffed full of shopping bags.

Grandpa and Grandma were leaning back in their chairs, already asleep.

The parents were quietly discussing the features of their new phone in the back seat.

Hua An was wearing headphones, listening to music while watching the neon lights rushing past outside the window.

A soft song was playing on the car stereo.