Hard work after winning the lottery

Then came the long and agonizing wait.

The first day has passed.

The background data was as calm and still as a frozen pond in Baixi Village in winter.

Visitors, single digits.

The orders were a glaring zero.

The next day, it was the same.

The same thing happened on the third day.

The penguin icon in the bottom right corner of the computer, representing the customer service software, sat quietly, like a decoration.

Hua Yun had imagined the "thump-thump" sound countless times, but it never happened even once.

A silent anxiety permeated the air.

Hua Yi wanted to offer comfort several times, but seeing Hua Yun's tense profile, she swallowed her words back.

She knew that what Sister Yun needed right now wasn't comfort, but a way out of the predicament.

Hua Yun remained outwardly calm, eating and taking walks on time, but she was rubbing her lower abdomen more frequently than before.

Only she knew how many times she had opened the backend late at night, looked at that 0, and wondered if she had been wrong from the very beginning.

Perhaps those meticulously edited commercial images are the key to attracting traffic?

Aren't those overly realistic photos she took a bit too rustic?

Is the price too high?

One question after another, like vines, coiled around her heart, making it hard for her to breathe.

Li Guifen saw this and felt heartbroken. She carried a bowl of freshly stewed mugwort eggs and tiptoed into the study.

"Yun'er, don't overwork yourself, eat something first."

"Mom, am I being too presumptuous?" Hua Yun's voice carried a hint of vulnerability that she herself was unaware of.

Li Guifen put down her bowl and held her daughter's slightly cool hand: "Your father said that our sheep are worth this price. Good things will eventually be appreciated; it's just a matter of time."

Even so, the atmosphere at home remained somber for a few days.

Until the afternoon of the 7th day.

A crisp "thump-thump" sound suddenly broke out in the quiet study.

Hua Yun and Hua Yi sprang up like two startled rabbits, their eyes fixed on the screen.

A Shanghai ID purchased a "small portion of fresh lamb for one week".

This is the first order!

It's true, we're open for business!

Hua Yun's fingers trembled almost imperceptibly as she clicked the order confirmation button.

At that moment, all the previous torment and self-doubt seemed to be shattered by that crisp notification sound.

"Xiaoyi! Quick! Make a note! Add a note for the customer!"

Hua Yun's voice trembled with excitement.

"Sister Yun, what should I add as a note?"

"Note: First-time customers will receive a complimentary Grandpa's Secret Lamb Soup Seasoning Pack! Packed with the best quality and thickest ice packs! Shipped today!"

The whole family was alarmed.

Hua Shu ran back from the sheepfold, forgetting to light the cigarette he had in his mouth.

Hua Mutou and his grandmother also gathered around the computer, wearing their reading glasses, and looked at the small order interface with curiosity.

"It's... sold?" Hua Shu was still a little incredulous.

"It's sold!" Hua Yun nodded vigorously, her eyes welling up with tears.

This is more than just an order for mutton.

This is a trust from a stranger more than a thousand kilometers away, the first affirmation of all her efforts.

Soon, it seemed to trigger a chain reaction.

In the evening, another order came in from Beijing, for premium lamb leg.

The next day, the ding-dong sound rang three times.

One customer, perhaps seeing the new store's discounts, bought two servings of nourishing lamb spine hot pot on a whim.

Hua Yun dared not be negligent in the slightest, personally supervising the packaging of each order to ensure that nothing went wrong.

Then, there were several more days of silence.

Just as Hua Yun's heart was in her throat once again, a turning point quietly arrived.

The first customer from Shanghai left a long review two days after receiving the goods, along with several pictures of the mutton soup he had made.

[Follow-up Review]: I originally bought this on a whim because of a new store promotion, but I never expected to find such a gem! Boss, the quality of your lamb is divine! There's absolutely no gamey smell, just pure meaty aroma. I, who usually frown at the smell of lamb, actually drank two big bowls of soup! The meat is incredibly tender, melting in your mouth; even my two-year-old was fighting over it. The complimentary seasoning packet is also amazing! I've already recommended it to the moms in my neighborhood group. Sisters, buy it without hesitation, if you don't like it, you can come and blame me!

This comment, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirred up ripples.

Following closely behind, the customer from Beijing who bought the lamb leg also left a positive review: "The roasted lamb leg filled the whole house with its aroma. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with plenty of juice. It's the best lamb I've ever had, bar none! I'm definitely going to buy it again!"

Word of mouth has started to spread.

The "thump-thump" sound went from once every few days to several times a day, and then to more than a dozen times a day.

The number of orders in the backend, like the red line on a thermometer, is slowly but steadily climbing upwards.

At first, we could manage with freshly slaughtered sheep at home.

Gradually, Hua Yun discovered that the food in the refrigerator was running low.

"Dad, Grandpa, tomorrow... we might have to slaughter two more sheep."

During dinner, Hua Yun looked at the more than twenty new orders waiting to be shipped in the backend and spoke somewhat uncertainly.

Hua Shu paused in her eating, looked up, and her eyes gleamed with undisguised excitement: "Two? Is that enough?"

"That should be... enough."

The next day, Hua Shu and Hua Mutou got up before dawn.

In the courtyard, the "swish, swish" sound of the whetstone was clear and powerful.

By sunrise, the mutton from more than twenty orders had been meticulously cut and neatly arranged according to different cuts.

The living room at home has been completely transformed into a packaging workshop.

Hua Yun and Li Guifen sat side by side, with rolls of vacuum bags, foam boxes, ice packs and tape in front of them.

"Hiss—" The sound of the vacuum pump drawing out air became the most pleasant background noise in the house.

Li Guifen was responsible for bagging and weighing the cut mutton, and then handing it to Hua Yun.

Hua Yun skillfully operated the vacuum sealer, sealed the package, affixed a label with the Xishan Muyun logo, and then carefully placed it into the insulated box along with the ice packs.

Her movements were quick and steady, and her protruding belly did not affect her efficiency at all.

When his younger brother Hua-an came home from school and saw the bustling scene, he immediately put down his schoolbag and joined in, becoming a "helper" sticking on express delivery labels.

The family members each have their own responsibilities, busy yet orderly.

However, this balance was soon broken.

The growth rate of orders exceeded everyone's expectations.

From twenty orders a day, to thirty orders...

The number of freezers in the house has increased from one to three, but they are still crammed full.

The number of sheep that needed to be slaughtered each day increased from two to five, or even more.

Hua Shu's back is starting to give out.

He was getting on in years, and bending over to cut mutton for long periods of time every day was extremely physically demanding.

Hua Mutou was older and could only lend a hand; Hua Shu was the one who did the surgery.

That evening, after seeing off the last delivery truck, Hua Shu rubbed his lower back and let out a long sigh of relief, his forehead covered in sweat.

"Dad, you should rest." Hua Yun handed him a glass of warm water, her eyes full of heartache.

"It's okay, I can still manage," Hua Shu said, but the exhaustion on her face couldn't lie.

Hua Yun felt a pang of sadness as she looked at the several new cuts on her father's rough hands.

This can't go on any longer.

She made a decision in an instant.