Hard work after winning the lottery

For the Hua family, Hua Yun's belly has become a top priority for the entire family.

Li Guifen completely put aside her packing work and devoted herself to the kitchen, researching and developing various nutritious meals for her daughter.

Crucian carp and tofu soup, walnut and lotus seed porridge, steamed perch, eucommia and pork kidney soup... Three meals a day, plus two snacks, with almost no repetition.

She even asked someone to buy a professional pregnancy recipe book from the city, and every night she would wear her reading glasses and study it word by word under the lamp, afraid that her daughter and the three little ones in her belly might be lacking any nutrients.

Hua Shu and Hua Mutou, father and son, took on all the heavy and physical labor both inside and outside the house.

Slaughtering sheep, butchering, moving mutton from freezers, carrying heavy insulated boxes to the village entrance to wait for delivery trucks... Hua Yun wasn't allowed to do any of these things, not even packaging.

Hua Yi was typing on the keyboard in the study, and the order notification sound kept ringing.

In the living room, Hua Shu and Hua Shi were packing the cut lamb spine into vacuum bags, while Li Guifen weighed and labeled them.

Hua Yun sat on a grand chair covered with thick cotton cushions, watching from afar, unable to intervene, only able to offer occasional reminders.

"Dad, that client in Beijing needs it urgently, so pack his order first."

"Alright!" Hua Shu replied, and her hands moved even faster.

Hua Mutou sat to the side, holding a piece of fine lamb leg in his hand, examining it closely.

The lamb leg had firm muscles, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and distinct red and white marbling, like fine marble.

A layer of tears suddenly welled up in his cloudy old eyes, as if he were recalling some distant past.

He sighed, a hint of melancholy in his voice, and said softly:

"The quality of this mutton is truly excellent..."

"The old goats we ate in the army when we were younger were much better than the ones we ate back then."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a power that transcended time, silencing everyone busy in the living room.

"If only my old buddy from the army... that old buddy Zhou Yinchuan, could have a taste too..."

"Zhou Yinchuan?" Hua Shu stopped what he was doing and asked curiously, "Dad, is he the one you always mention, the comrade-in-arms who fought alongside you in the same pit?"

"Yes, that's him!"

Once this name is mentioned, Hua Mutou immediately starts talking non-stop.

His gaze became distant, as if he had instantly returned to that era of war and turmoil.

"Back then, we had a life-or-death bond..."

He rubbed the lamb leg with his rough hands, his voice becoming low and hoarse.

"The time I remember most clearly was when we were fighting in the north in winter. It was freezing cold, and the snow could bury us up to our knees."

"We huddled in a snow cave for three days and three nights without closing our eyes. We were so hungry that our stomachs were practically touching our backs, and all we had left was a black steamed bun that was frozen as hard as a rock."

He insisted on breaking off a piece for me, saying he was stronger than me and could withstand hunger. I refused and stuffed the steamed bun back into his arms, saying, "You're a city soldier, your body is precious, you're not used to this."

"We almost got into a fight in the snow cave over just this one steamed bun."

"In the end, he punched the steamed bun in the fist, breaking it in two. They each took one half and swallowed it with snow water."

"Back then, he grabbed my hand and said, 'Wooden head, when we get home after the war, I'll treat you to the best hot pot in all of Beijing! All you can eat!'"

The old man's voice was tinged with laughter, but there was something glistening in the corner of his eyes.

"In the blink of an eye, fifty years have passed... I wonder if he still remembers that hot pot meal."

"I wonder if he's doing well now, and if he's still healthy."

The living room was completely silent.

Everyone was deeply moved by Grandpa's memory, which was hidden deep in the past.

The camaraderie forged amidst gunfire was pure and intense.

He does not mean that.

Hua Yun listened quietly, her gaze falling on her grandfather's deeply lined face, looking at the deep longing and loneliness in his eyes.

A thought, like a seed, quietly took root and sprouted in her heart.

She didn't know who this grandfather named Zhou Yinchuan was or where he lived.

But this is not important.

Most importantly, he was someone his grandfather cared about his entire life.

She gently stroked her round belly and made a decision in her heart.

After finishing this batch of orders, I will select the best and tenderest lamb legs and chops, carefully pack them into a package, and try to send it to my grandfather's comrade-in-arms named Zhou Yinchuan in his name.

Let's just say it's... to fulfill a dream that my great-grandfather had when he was young, on behalf of the three little ones in my belly.

The next morning, before the online store orders had even started to be processed, Hua Yun, supporting her aching back, slowly made her way to the temporary workshop in the courtyard.

"dad."

She called out to Hua Shu, who was sharpening a knife.

"Don't butcher the sheep we slaughtered this morning yet."

Hua Shu stopped what she was doing and turned around in confusion: "What's wrong, honey? We have a lot of orders today, we're afraid we won't have enough time if we don't hurry up."

"Don't rush the orders."

"I want to pick the best meat and send it to Grandpa's old comrade-in-arms."

Hua Mutou, Li Guifen, Hua Shi, and everyone else's eyes were focused on Hua Yun, filled with emotion and relief.

"good!"

Hua Shu slammed the whetstone onto the cutting board with a loud "thud".

"I'll listen to you!"

He walked up to the lamb, which had just been cleaned and was still warm, and patted it with a proud look on his face.

"Girl, you choose! Our lamb, you can pick any piece with your eyes closed, it's top-notch!"

Hua Yun smiled but didn't say anything.

She stretched out her slightly swollen fingers and gently stroked the sheep's body.

The touch of her fingertips told her where the fat was most evenly distributed and where the meat was most tender.

"We need this hindrance."

Her fingers landed steadily on the plumpest and fullest hind leg of the lamb.

"The lamb from this leg is the largest and has the best meat quality, making it perfect for stewing in soup or braising, to nourish the elderly."

She then pointed to the sheep's spine.

"And this tenderloin, cut it off the whole way."

"This piece of meat is the most tender, with absolutely no tendons or membranes. It melts in your mouth when you cook it in the hot pot."

Without saying a word, Hua Shu picked up the freshly polished dicing knife and swiftly and cleanly sliced ​​it down.

The most perfect leg of lamb and the tenderest tenderloin are cut off whole.

Li Guifen had already prepared the largest vacuum bags and the latest vacuum machine.

"Sizzle—"

The air was sucked out, and the bright red mutton was tightly wrapped, locking in its original freshness.

Back in the room, Hua Yun sat at her desk and unfolded a piece of letter paper.