Hard work after winning the lottery

Back in Baixi Village, life returned to a temporary peace.

However, everyone's state of mind has changed drastically.

On the brand-new phone is a newly created WeChat group for the family, named "A Loving Family," which is both rustic and heartwarming.

Li Guifen and Hua Shu were clumsily learning to send voice messages to share photos they had taken of the foundation of their new house in the yard.

Wearing his new sneakers, Hua An practiced his shooting form in the open space of his new house, brimming with boundless energy.

Grandpa Hua Mutou carefully polished his purple clay pipe.

That evening, the meal consisted of the usual home-style vegetables and stewed potatoes, but everyone's spirits were different.

Hua Yun called out to her mother, who was about to clear the dishes.

"Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, Anzi, please sit down."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable calmness.

Upon hearing this, the whole family stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her.

Under the dim light bulb, Hua Yun's face was calm and serious.

"Let's have a family meeting."

"Meeting?" Li Guifen was taken aback. The word sounded both unfamiliar and formal coming from her daughter's mouth.

Hua Yun nodded, took out a bank card from her pocket, and gently placed it on the greasy octagonal table.

The thin card made a crisp, soft sound on the table, but it felt like a boulder crashing into everyone's heart.

"This card contains the remaining money from this lottery win."

"The construction costs for the new house, the car, home appliances, and clothes totaled nearly two million."

"We still have one million left. I've transferred the rest of the money into fixed deposits, and the interest is enough to ensure we can live comfortably for the rest of our lives."

She spoke at a steady pace and with clear logic, just like she would when giving a project report in City A.

The family members held their breath as they listened. Seventeen million... This number felt like a mountain, making it hard for them to breathe.

Hua Yun's gaze slowly swept across the faces of each family member.

"Winning the lottery is luck, a gift from God."

"But this money is like water falling from the sky. If we don't build a pool to store it, it will soon run out, and it might even bring us disaster."

"So, I want to discuss with everyone today how to make good use of this money and how to make our good life last a long time."

She paused, her tone becoming more serious.

"I divided the money into three parts."

"The first part is the 17 million in fixed deposits. This is our family's 'immovable property,' our ballast. Unless something extremely serious happens, no one can touch it."

"The second part, this million, is our 'living security fund.' From now on, the family's daily expenses, water, electricity, gas, social obligations, and even Anzi's future university tuition and living expenses will all be covered by this fund. I will be responsible for it."

"The third part," she pointed to the hillside not far from the window, "is the remaining five hundred thousand. I plan to use it as our family's 'development fund'."

Hua Shu suddenly looked up, frowning, and asked, "Development Fund? What do you mean?"

Hua Yun looked at her father, her eyes bright and resolute.

"Dad, we can't just sit around and collect interest. If people are idle, problems are bound to arise. Our family has always earned a living with our own hands, and we can't afford to lose that."

"I want to use this 500,000 yuan to expand our family's sheep farming scale."

Her voice was filled with excitement and power.

"We are no longer like before, with dozens of sheep grazing freely on the mountain, relying on the weather for their livelihood. We now cultivate our own pasture specifically for grazing sheep."

"We need to introduce better breeds, such as Boer goats, which grow quickly and have a high meat yield."

"Five hundred thousand is enough for us to expand tenfold! Then, the mountains and plains of Baixi Village will be covered with our flocks of sheep!"

But Hua Shu and Li Guifen, upon hearing this, not only did not get excited, but their expressions changed.

"No way!" Hua Shu slammed his pipe heavily on the corner of the table, his way of expressing strong opposition.

"Absolutely not!" Li Guifen waved her hands repeatedly, looking panicked.

"Yunyun, are you crazy? That's 500,000! Not 500 yuan! You're just going to throw it away in the mountains like that? What if the sheep get sheep disease? We'll lose everything!"

"And you said you'd be responsible for all household expenses from now on, and you'd pay for Anzi's tuition too... How can that be? You're a girl, this money is your own, it's your future dowry! How can we spend your money?"

As Li Guifen spoke, her eyes reddened.

"Your father and I are still able to work and support this family and pay for Anzi's schooling. We don't need a little girl like you to worry about us!"

Hua Shu, head down, took a deep drag on his cigarette and said in a muffled voice, "Your mother is right. We can't take this money. Keep it for yourself."

Their deeply ingrained beliefs are that raising children is a way to provide for them in old age, and that it's their duty to give everything for their children. But conversely, they can't get over the idea of ​​having their daughters support the family.

Hua An was so anxious that he scratched his head and cheeks, wanting to speak up for his sister, but he didn't dare to interrupt.

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat heavy.

Hua Yun felt a pang of sadness as she looked at her parents' stubborn yet concerned expressions, though she had expected it.

She didn't rush to refute, but stood up, walked to her mother's side, and gently held her rough hands.

Those hands, from years of farm work and housework, had large joints, and the palms were covered with deep lines and calluses that couldn't be wiped off, making them feel like sandpaper to the touch.

Hua Yun's fingertips gently traced an old scar on the back of her mother's hand.

She remembered that when she was in junior high school, her family was so poor that they couldn't afford to eat. In order to raise 100 yuan for her lodging fee, her mother went with the villagers to dig for medicinal herbs in the middle of the night and accidentally fell.

The bleeding wouldn't stop, but her mother simply bandaged it with a strip of cloth, and the next day, she limped over and stuffed the hundred yuan into her hand.

Her gaze then turned to her father.

My father's back is slightly hunched from years of working in the fields.

She remembered that when she was a child, her father would carry her and her younger brother on his broad shoulders as they walked across muddy field ridges and waded through icy streams.

Those shoulders held up a sky for them.

Now, it's her turn to hold up the sky.

"Mom," Hua Yun's voice was a little hoarse, "do you remember how you got this scar?"

Li Guifen's body stiffened.

"Dad, do you remember that summer when you collapsed from heatstroke in the fields trying to harvest more grain?"

Hua Shu's hand, which was holding the pipe, trembled almost imperceptibly.

Hua Yun's eyes also reddened, but her tone remained unusually firm.

"In the past, my family didn't have the means, and I didn't have the ability, so I could only watch you suffer."

"I studied hard, worked in big cities, and worked overtime day and night, all so that one day you could live a good life and not have to work so hard anymore."

"Now, God has given me this opportunity and this ability ahead of schedule."

"But you want me to hold onto the money, and then just watch helplessly as Mom's hands crack and bleed in the winter, and Dad's back aches so badly on rainy days that he can't straighten up?"

"If this money can't give my family a good life, then it's worthless to me!"

Her words, each and every one, struck Hua Shu and Li Guifen's hearts like a hammer.

They looked at their daughter and felt as if overnight, the little girl who still needed their protection had grown into a big tree that could shelter the whole family from the wind and rain.

Li Guifen could no longer hold back her tears, which streamed down her face, and she choked up, unable to speak.

Hua Shu, a man of few words, turned his head away and secretly wiped his eyes with the back of his rough hand.

Grandpa Hua Mutou, who had been silent all along, slowly placed his pipe on the table.

His cloudy yet wise eyes looked at his granddaughter, his gaze filled with satisfaction and pride.

He cleared his throat and spoke, his voice aged yet powerful.

"Let her handle it."

Everyone looked at him.

"The child is right." Hua Mutou looked at Hua Shu and Li Guifen. "We've suffered our whole lives, it's time for us to rest. Yunyun has the heart, and even more so, the mind; she sees further than we do."

He turned to Hua Yun, his gaze softening considerably.

"Girl, you've grown up and are more responsible now."

"From now on, you'll be in charge of planning this home."

We all believe you.

Grandpa's words were the final word.

Hua Shu let out a long sigh, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He looked at Hua Yun with a complex expression, a mixture of reluctance, emotion, and, above all, an indescribable sense of pride.

He finally nodded.

"Okay, whatever you say."