Hard work after winning the lottery

"It's really... the village's accounts are too empty."

His voice carried a sense of helplessness and bitterness.

"You also came from Baixi Village, so you know our village's situation best. The roofs of those classrooms in the village primary school have been leaking for years, and we haven't had the money to fix them. The main roads in the village are full of potholes and muddy tracks after it rains."

"And then there are the elderly and children left behind in the village. During holidays, the village committee has to be very careful with money and calculations when they want to buy them rice, flour, and oil."

"This 10,000 yuan might not seem like much to you right now. But for the village collective, it's a lifeline that can actually get things done!"

Secretary Zhang's words were sincere and heartfelt.

Hua Shu, who was listening nearby, couldn't sit still any longer. He tugged at his daughter's sleeve, signaling her to let it go.

Hua Yun gently patted her father's hand to reassure him.

She looked at Secretary Zhang with clear and sincere eyes.

"Uncle Zhang, I understand your difficulties, and I sincerely want to do something for the village."

She paused for a moment and then proposed a completely new solution.

"How about this, we'll sign a contract for 8,000 yuan per year."

"However," she emphasized, "I personally will donate an additional 50,000 yuan to the village committee, specifically for the renovation of the village primary school classrooms."

When this plan was announced, both Party Secretary Zhang and the accountant were stunned.

They had anticipated that Hua Yun would try to negotiate, but they hadn't expected her to do it this way.

The price was reduced by 2,000, but 50,000 was donated in one go.

Anyone can do the math.

This is not just about money; it's about a profound sentiment and a sense of responsibility.

"This...this is too much trouble..." Secretary Zhang rubbed his hands together, a blush rising on his dark face.

Hua Yun smiled.

"Uncle Zhang, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. I'm also from Baixi Village, and it's only right that I contribute to the village."

Her smile was clean and open, making it impossible to refuse.

"And I have one more condition."

"Go ahead and say it!" Secretary Zhang said immediately.

"I hope to stipulate in the contract that when my farm needs workers in the future, under the same conditions, I must give priority to hiring villagers from Baixi Village. I need the village committee to help me supervise and implement this."

This condition resonated deeply with Secretary Zhang.

He slapped his thigh suddenly!

"become!"

"It's settled then!"

He stretched out his large, calloused hand and firmly grasped Hua Yun's hand.

"Yun'er, on behalf of the people of Baixi Village, thank you!"

In the sunlight, two hands, one large and one small, clasped together, like a handover of a promise.

At this moment, a 30-year land contract and a brand-new future for a family and even a village were tightly bound together.

Three days later, Hua Yun signed her name on the neatly printed contract in the village committee office.

As she put pen to paper, she seemed to hear the bleating of sheep coming from the western hills.

Time seemed to be fast-forwarded, and life in Baixi Village flew by amidst the roar of excavators and the shouts of workers.

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

The old mud-brick house that once held memories for generations of the Hua family has completely disappeared from its original location.

In its place stands a brand-new, imposing three-story off-white villa, quietly positioned in the most prominent spot at the village entrance, gleaming warmly in the sunlight.

On the day of the housewarming, before dawn, two huge red lanterns were hung at the entrance of the Hua family's new courtyard.

According to the village's old customs, moving to a new house is a very important event and must be celebrated in a lively and festive manner.

The sound of firecrackers rang out from dawn until the sun was high in the sky, crackling and popping, igniting a festive atmosphere throughout Baixi Village.

The banquet stretched from the courtyard all the way to the open space outside, and men, women, and children from the village, as well as relatives and friends, all came.

Li Guifen, wearing a dark red new dress bought by her daughter, moved through the crowd with a smile on her face that seemed to overflow, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were filled with sweetness.

"Wow, Guifen, your house is really grand! It's like a villa in the city!"

"Absolutely! Yun'er is truly promising and capable!"

Hearing these envious compliments, Li Guifen modestly replied, "Oh, it's nothing, I'm just lucky," but in her heart, she felt sweeter than if she had drunk three bowls of honey.

She would occasionally glance at the daughter in the courtyard who was calmly serving tea to Secretary Zhang, and her eyes would well up with tears.

Who would have thought that the daughter, who was worried about making a living just a few months ago, has now become the pillar of the family and a "capable person" praised by the whole village.

Hua Shu led a group of old brothers to wander around the new house, upstairs and downstairs.

He had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, but his hands were behind his back. With each step he took, the polished floor tiles reflected his wide grin.

That expression, rather than showing off, was more like a fearful appreciation, as if the ground beneath one's feet was not tiles but clouds, and one careless step would shatter this unreal dream.

The noise subsided, and the moon had already risen above the willow branches.

After seeing off the last group of guests, the family closed the heavy solid wood door, shutting out all the noise from the outside world.

The whole world fell silent instantly.

The air still held the aroma of food and wine, mixed with the fresh scent of new furniture wood and a faint smell of paint, creating a wonderful and comforting aroma.

Hua Yun took off her high heels, went barefoot, and felt the cool and smooth touch of her soles.

"Bright and clean" is not enough to describe the scene before us.

The living room was spacious enough for the younger brother, Hua'an, to run around in it. A huge LCD TV hung quietly on the wall, its black screen reflecting the family's faces, which showed a hint of fatigue but couldn't hide their excitement.

Li Guifen's hands moved as if caressing a rare treasure, carefully tracing the brand-new double-door refrigerator to the built-in oven, and then to the water purifier that could automatically dispense water.

Her fingertips trembled slightly.

"This...this means we won't have to fetch water from the well anymore?" she murmured to herself, as if asking someone else, or perhaps asking herself.

For decades, that old well and that worn-smooth carrying pole have been almost her entire life.

Hua Yun walked over and gently hugged her mother from behind.

"Mom, you can enjoy your retirement from now on."

One sentence brought tears to Li Guifen's eyes again.

In the backyard, Grandma Hua had enclosed a small space with a fence.

She carefully collected the leftover vegetable scraps and melon rinds from the daytime banquet, preparing to compost them into fertilizer.

The newly turned soil was dark and exuded the fragrance of earth.

In the few rows where seeds had just been sown, tiny, tender green sprouts had already emerged, their delicate yet tenacious buds stretching out under the moonlight, topped with glistening dewdrops.

That was a bok choy, the first root the Hua family planted on this new land.

The terrace on the third floor was Grandpa Hua Mutou's exclusive territory.

A rattan recliner and a small coffee table.

The old man had already changed into comfortable old cloth shoes and brewed himself a pot of strong tea.

Instead of sitting in the living room watching the TV, which was bigger than a movie screen, he chose to sit here.

From this angle, you can clearly see the outline of the Western Hills in the distance.

On the hillside, the sheepfold was already taking shape, like building blocks, standing silently in the night.

Grandpa's gaze passed over the wisps of white steam rising from the teacup and landed on the future that belonged to the Hua family.

He picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

Hua Yun finally returned to her own room.

The second floor, facing south, is the largest room.

A 1.8-meter-long soft bed, a separate walk-in closet, and a study with a bay window.

She walked to the desk, her fingertips tracing the smooth surface.

No more huddling on the edge of the bed in that tiny rented room of less than ten square meters in the city, working on proposals on my laptop.

She opened the window.

A gentle evening breeze caressed my face, carrying the fresh scent of rice and earth from the fields.

In the distance, there were the sounds of frogs croaking and insects chirping; nearby, the faint laughter of family members could be heard coming from the living room downstairs.

At this moment, her heart felt a peace and fulfillment she had never experienced before.

"Sis! Come down! Mom and Dad want you to come down and watch TV!"

From downstairs came the excited shouts of Hua'an, the younger brother.

Hua Yun smiled, closed the window, and went downstairs.

In the living room, the family sat neatly on the leather sofa that could seat eight people.

Hua An grabbed the remote and switched to a variety show where celebrities were playing games in an exaggerated way, making him laugh out loud.

Hua Shu clumsily fiddled with the smartphone his daughter had bought him, wearing reading glasses, and was figuring out how to send WeChat voice messages with his grandfather.

Grandma brought out a plate of sliced ​​watermelon from the kitchen; it had red flesh and black seeds, and looked sweet and delicious.

Li Guifen picked up an apple and carefully peeled it with a knife. The thin peel remained intact in a long strip until the entire apple was peeled.

After she finished peeling it, she didn't eat it herself, but naturally handed it to Hua Yun's mouth.

"Yunyun, have an apple."

Hua Yun opened her mouth and took a bite.

Crisp and sweet.

The juice flowed down my throat, its sweetness reaching my heart.