Hard work after winning the lottery

Hua Shu frowned deeply, a sense of foreboding creeping over him.

"What happened? Tell me quickly!"

Hua Yun closed her eyes, suppressing all shame and fear, and said clearly, word by word:

"I am pregnant."

boom!

These three words, like a thunderclap, exploded in the quiet living room.

Hua Shu and Li Guifen were instantly petrified on the spot.

Time seemed to have been paused at this moment.

The air was deathly silent.

A full half minute passed before Li Guifen seemed to find her voice again. Her lips trembled as she asked incredulously, "Yun...Yunyun, what did you say? Mom didn't hear you, can you say it again?"

Hua Yun raised her head, her vision blurred by tears.

"Mom, I'm pregnant."

"It's been more than two months."

"Which bastard did this?!"

A loud shout came from Hua Shu, who had been silent all along.

He suddenly stood up from the sofa. The man, who had been honest all his life, now had bloodshot eyes and throbbing veins on his forehead, like an enraged lion.

"Tell Dad! Which bastard is this?! I'll fucking break his legs!"

In a conservative rural area, an unmarried daughter who becomes pregnant out of wedlock is a disgraceful thing that can break the backbone of an entire family!

"dad……"

Hua Yun cried uncontrollably.

"Don't ask anymore, it has nothing to do with him, it was me... it was my own choice."

"Voluntary?" Hua Shu trembled with anger, raising his hand, but the slap did not fall.

He looked at his daughter kneeling on the ground, trembling with sobs, and his anger finally turned into endless heartache.

Li Guifen had already realized what was happening. She squatted down, hugged her daughter tightly, and tears streamed down her face.

"Silly child, how could you be so foolish! Tell Mom, who is that man? Does he know? What does he plan to do?"

In her mother's warm embrace, Hua Yun's pent-up fear and grievances from the entire day finally erupted.

She didn't say Zhou Yanjin's name, only that he was someone she could never reach, and that it was an accident.

The living room fell silent once again.

Only the suppressed sobs of the mother and daughter could be heard.

After hearing this, Hua Shu seemed to have all her strength drained away, and slumped back onto the sofa.

He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and the swirling smoke blurred his weathered face.

He stopped roaring and stopped asking questions.

There was only silence.

That silence was more suffocating to Hua Yun than any scolding.

After a long while, Li Guifen's crying gradually stopped. She wiped the tears off her daughter's face, her voice hoarse but gentle.

"Yunyun, don't be afraid."

"What do you want to do? Whatever decision you make, Mom will support you."

Hua Yun raised her tearful eyes and looked at her mother.

"Mom...I want to give birth to him."

These words caused the atmosphere, which had just eased, to tense up again.

"Nonsense!"

Hua Shu slammed his cigarette butt into the ashtray and growled, "You're a young woman, unmarried and already have a child, your life is ruined! The villagers' spittle could drown you! No way! Tomorrow I'm taking you to the hospital to abort this child!"

"No!"

Hua Yun shook her head violently, grabbing her mother's arm as if it were the last straw.

"Dad! I beg you! He's my child! I can't abandon him!"

"You..." Hua Shu was so angry that he pointed at her, unable to say a word.

Looking at the resolute look in her daughter's eyes, Li Guifen felt as if her heart was being cut by a knife.

She turned to her husband, her eyes brimming with tears, and pleaded, "Dad, please say less! Look how terrified the child is!"

She turned around and hugged Hua Yun tightly again, gently stroking her back.

"Silly child, no matter what happens, this will always be your home."

"Even if the sky falls, your parents will hold it up for you."

Her mother's warm words, like a warm current, instantly shattered Hua Yun's last line of defense.

She burst into tears, releasing all her grievances, fears, and anxieties.

Hua Shu sat on the sofa, watching his wife and daughter crying their hearts out, and his own eyes gradually reddened.

His daughter was strong-willed and sensible from a young age.

He knew that she would never do something so crazy unless she was driven to desperation.

Now, the rice has been cooked.

No amount of scolding will help; it will only push the child to the brink.

He let out a long, long sigh, a sigh that contained anger, helplessness, and final compromise.

He stood up, walked to his daughter's side, and placed his calloused, rough hands on her head.

The movements, though somewhat clumsy, were full of power.

"Give birth to the baby."

The man's hoarse voice rang out clearly in the quiet night.

"Our Chinese heritage must not be allowed to be scattered abroad."

"Don't worry, we'll help you raise them."

These two simple sentences carry immense weight.

Hua Yun suddenly raised her head, looking at her father in disbelief.

The anger on the father's face had dissipated, leaving only endless heartache and the responsibility of being the head of the family.

Her family's support, like a pair of warm and strong hands, steadily lifted her out of the mire.

At this moment, Hua Yun knew.

No matter how difficult the road ahead, she has the greatest courage and confidence to face everything.

Last night's dramatic family storm seemed to have exhausted all the energy the Hua family had accumulated over the years.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the air was still moist with dew and fragrant with the scent of earth.

Li Guifen's eyes were red and swollen, but she got up earlier than ever before.

Inside the kitchen, the fire in the earthen stove burned brightly, reflecting the sorrow and tenderness etched on her face.

When Hua Yun stepped out of the room, she didn't smell the usual bland rice porridge, but rather a rich aroma of chicken soup with medicinal herbs.

"mom……"

Her voice was still a little hoarse.

Li Guifen peeked out from behind the stove, saw her daughter, quickly wiped her hands, and brought out a steaming bowl of poached eggs with brown sugar.

"You're awake? Quick, drink it while it's hot to help you recover."

She didn't mention last night's events, not a single word, but her cautious gaze spoke volumes more than any words could.

Hua Shu squatted at the entrance of the courtyard, smoking one cheap cigarette after another.

The swirling smoke blurred his weathered face, obscuring his expression, leaving only his silent, mountain-like silhouette.

He neither scolded nor advised, but Hua Yun knew that her father had already taken on half the weight that should have been borne by her alone, in his own way.

Not long after, familiar footsteps were heard in the house. After waking up, the grandparents could not believe that such a thing had happened to their beloved granddaughter.

Clearly, it was Mom and Dad who got up early in the morning and told the two elders about this earth-shattering event.