Hard work after winning the lottery

boom--!

Hua Yun felt as if something exploded in her mind, the sound of countless fireworks blooming simultaneously.

For a moment, the world seemed to fall silent.

All that remained were those two childish "Mama" sounds, like two soft feathers, yet they struck the softest part of her heart.

Tears welled up unexpectedly.

"Oh... Mom's here... Mom's here!"

Hua Yun suddenly reached out and hugged the little bundle of flesh on the ground tightly into her arms.

That thrill of blood ties, that ultimate happiness of becoming a mother for the first time, reached its peak at this moment.

"What's wrong? Who's crying?"

The study door was suddenly pushed open.

Grandpa Zhou Yinchuan was still carrying a calligraphy brush, with Si'an and Si Tao following behind. Even Lin Yi and Zhou Ye rushed over from the greenhouse.

"Nuan Nuan... Nuan Nuan can call me 'Mama' now..." Hua Yun looked up, tears streaming down her face, but her smile was brighter than the sunshine.

"Really?!"

"Quick, quick! Call him Great-Grandpa!"

"Call me brother! Call me third brother!"

That afternoon, the Zhou family's old house was completely overrun.

Everyone surrounded Nuannuan, using all sorts of threats, inducements, coaxing, and deception, just to hear that precious little mouth call out again.

However, the aloof and warm-hearted little girl seemed to feel that she had already given him enough face.

Facing the jade thumb ring in my great-grandfather's hand, the gold bracelet in my grandmother's hand, and the various toys in my three older brothers' hands.

She simply yawned calmly, buried her head in Hua Yun's arms, closed her eyes—and fell asleep.

All that was left was a room full of men, filled with envious resentment and jealousy.

7 PM.

When Zhou Yanjin pushed open the door, she keenly sensed that something was off about the atmosphere in the house.

It's too quiet.

It was eerily quiet.

At this time of day, Si Tao would usually be running around the house, and the old man would be watching the news on TV.

But today, everyone was sitting on the living room sofa, their eyes fixed on Nuannuan playing with building blocks on the floor mat in the center.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Zhou Yanjin asked, frowning as she changed her shoes.

Is my daughter feeling unwell again?

"Yan Jin..." Lin Yi looked at her son, her eyes filled with sympathy, "You came back late today and missed out on a fortune."

"What? One hundred million?" Zhou Yanjin unbuttoned his cufflinks and strode over. "Is there a problem with the project?"

"It's much more serious than the project." Hua Yun sat next to her, a smile she couldn't suppress playing on her lips. "Nuan Nuan spoke this afternoon."

Zhou Yanjin's hand, which was rolling up her sleeves, suddenly froze.

It was as if his entire body had been frozen in place.

He slowly turned his head, staring intently at Hua Yun, his voice hoarse: "What...did you say?"

"She called for her mother," Hua Yun added cruelly. "She called twice, very clearly, and the whole family heard it."

Click.

Zhou Yanjin seemed to hear the sound of her own heart breaking.

He rushed to the floor mat, not caring whether his suit pants would get wrinkled, and knelt down on one knee, cupping his daughter's face in his hands.

"Warm and cozy?"

Zhou Yanjin looked at his daughter eagerly, his eyes filled with longing and a hint of humility. "Who am I? I'm Daddy. Come on, call me Daddy. Baba—"

Nuan Nuan was engrossed in playing with building blocks when someone suddenly cupped her face, making her a little unhappy.

She frowned slightly, looking at the magnified handsome face in front of her.

"Ba-ba-ba!" Zhou Yanjin persisted, continuing her lesson, "If you call me 'Daddy,' I'll pluck the stars from the sky for you! Call me 'Daddy!'"

Nuannuan looked at his opening and closing mouth.

Sudden.

"puff--"

The little guy was very obliging and sprayed a huge spit bubble at his father.

Zhou Yanjin: "..."

"Hahahaha!"

The crowd of onlookers finally couldn't hold back any longer, and their laughter nearly lifted the roof off.

"Serves you right! You've been working overtime every day!" The old man laughed, his beard trembling. "I've been waiting all afternoon and haven't even heard a 'Great-Grandpa' from you, and you expect to hear it as soon as you get back? Dream on!"

Zhou Yanjin wiped the drool off her face. Instead of being angry, she felt even more aggrieved.

He picked up his daughter, placed her on his lap, pressed his forehead against hers, and began a half-hour-long, "Tang Monk-like" sermon:

"I'm your dad...the dad who loves you the most...please call me that...just once...Daddy will buy you an amusement park...a little pony...an airplane..."

Even when Nuannuan was so sleepy that her eyelids were drooping and she fell fast asleep on his shoulder, he still couldn't get his way.

Finally, on a sunny morning, as Zhou Yanjin was changing his daughter's diaper, Nuannuan, probably feeling comfortable, looked at her elderly father who was taking care of her and casually remarked:

"ba...ba!"

It is said that when he went to the company that day, President Zhou smiled at everyone he met. Even the senior executives who were usually most afraid of him were terrified and thought that the boss was possessed. He even gave all the employees of the company an extra month's bonus, the reason being - "to celebrate my daughter calling me dad".

Time flies, and Nuannuan is already nine months old.

Summer arrives with waves of heat.

In the backyard of the Zhou family's old house, there is a huge outdoor swimming pool.

In previous summers, this was the battleground for triplets; this year, there's an extra little pink character.

Zhou Yanjin, wearing beach shorts that revealed his muscular upper body, stood by the pool as if facing a formidable enemy. He held a thermometer in his hand, having already taken the temperature eight times.

"Alright, alright! It's already 28 degrees Celsius! Any hotter and we'll be boiling dumplings!"

Hua Yun rolled her eyes at him helplessly, then walked out carrying Nuan Nuan, who had just changed into her swimsuit.

At that moment, all the men in the room stared wide-eyed.

Nuan Nuan was wearing a bright yellow one-piece swimsuit with two small duck wings on the back, and a matching yellow duck swim cap on her head.

The exposed arms and legs, segment by segment, were so white they seemed to glow, just like a freshly steamed custard bun.

"Wow! My little sister is a duckling!"

Si Tao had already jumped into the water and was excitedly splashing around on the shore.

"Come on, slow down."

Zhou Yanjin carefully took her daughter from Hua Yun's hands.

This is Nuannuan's first time in the water.

At first, when his toes touched the cool water, the little guy instinctively pulled back, his little mouth twitched, as if he was a little scared, and his two little hands gripped Zhou Yanjin's shoulders tightly.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Daddy's here."

Zhou Yanjin patiently coaxed her, carrying her little by little towards the shallow water area.

He put a professional baby armpit life ring on Nuannuan in the water—of course, it was also shaped like a little yellow duck.

The moment the body completely floats up.

Nuannuan was stunned.

She tentatively kicked her legs.

Huh? The body can move!

She waved tentatively again.

Snapped!

A small splash of water rose up.

The door to a new world has been opened.

"Giggle giggle!"

The little dumpling, who was a little scared just now, suddenly became excited.

Two chubby little hands started splashing water frantically, and the legs were kicking wildly underwater, like a runaway little propeller.