Hard work after winning the lottery

At this moment, the roast lamb restaurant is brightly lit and packed with people.

Uncle Li Ye was busy with several helpers, keeping himself extremely busy.

The charcoal fire was burning brightly, and the whole fat sheep on the rack was sizzling and dripping with oil. The golden sheep fat dripped onto the charcoal fire, sparking clusters of flames and releasing an even more enticing aroma.

"Boss, another case of beer, please!"

"Can our lamb chops be served yet? The kids can't wait!"

The diners' calls for their food rose and fell, but their faces were all adorned with expectant smiles.

After a satisfying meal, many tourists will pick up a few servings of the restaurant's special vacuum-packed mutton when paying the bill.

"This mutton is really good, it doesn't have any gamey smell at all. I'll take it back for my relatives and friends to try."

A woman with a Shanghai accent bought five or six packs in one go, stuffing her canvas bag to the brim.

On the other side, the same scene of harvest was unfolding in Aunt Li's orchard.

On the small blackboard at the entrance of the orchard, it was written in white chalk: "Pick your own peaches, 15 yuan per pound."

This price is a third more expensive than the fruit sold in the town's fruit shops.

Not a single tourist thought it was expensive.

A mother in a dress is carrying a small bamboo basket, carefully catching the peaches her daughter has picked from a low branch.

The peaches were pinkish-red, with a layer of fine fuzz on their skin, and they emitted a sweet fruity aroma.

"You're so great, baby! We picked so many!"

The girl giggled at the praise, then stood on tiptoe, trying to reach another, even bigger peach.

For them, what they bought for fifteen yuan a pound was not just fruit, but also a rare opportunity for parent-child time and the fun of rural life.

Aunt Li set up a scale at the entrance of the orchard, and her wrinkles smiled so broadly they resembled a chrysanthemum.

As she deftly weighed and packed the cash, she counted the money with her rough fingers while muttering to herself.

"That's enough, girl, we can't hold any more!"

In previous years, peaches that needed to be taken to the town market and still might not sell out were snapped up this year right on our own land.

Uncle Wang's guesthouse has become a hot commodity in the village.

His phone hasn't stopped ringing since morning.

"Hey? Brother Wang, my friend and his family want to come over too. Do you have any rooms available for next weekend?"

Uncle Wang leaned back in his deck chair in his yard, wiping away sweat with a towel as he shouted into the phone with a mixture of helplessness and pride.

"Sold out! Really sold out! Forget about next weekend, all the rooms until the end of August were booked last week!"

"Who says we can catch fish right outside our door? The kids are going crazy for it; once they settled in, they don't want to leave!"

After hanging up the phone, he looked at the rows of confirmed check-in orders on his phone, grinned, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow from smoking, and laughed heartily.

Throughout the summer vacation, the occupancy rate was over 90%, an achievement he never dared to dream of since opening his guesthouse.

The village women who teach children handicrafts share the same joy.

In front of a stall selling foxtail grass, an elderly woman was carefully smoothing out each bill of money she had earned that day before gently stuffing them into a faded cloth bag.

Tens of yuan, a hundred yuan...

The money wasn't much, but it was the best recognition of her old craft.

Her fingertips, calloused from years of knitting, now seemed to be touching the most precious treasure in the world.

In the evening, Secretary Zhang, carrying an account book, found Hua Yun, who was helping out at the roast lamb restaurant.

His face was slightly flushed with excitement, and his lips were trembling.

"Girl, look!"

He spread the ledger out in front of Hua Yun and pointed to the rows of numbers on it.

"This is as you said, the village collective takes 5% of the management fee for each project... Guess how much that has been in just a few days?"

Hua Yun was also somewhat surprised as she looked at the ever-increasing number in the ledger.

Secretary Zhang slapped his thigh excitedly.

"That's enough! This money is enough for us to rebuild that dirt road in the village into a cement road! We can also install dozens of solar streetlights!"

His eyes shone with a light, a genuine hope for the future of Baixi Village.

As night deepened, the village gradually quieted down.

But the tourists' phones were still buzzing with activity.

A young mother is editing her nine-grid photo collage for today on her WeChat Moments.

The photos include her daughter's focused profile as she feeds lambs, her husband's hearty laughter as he holds their daughter while catching fish, and a family photo of the three of them returning home from the orchard with a bountiful harvest.

She thought for a moment and added a caption.

"A summer getaway to Baixi Village is highly recommended! While it may not have stunning scenery, it offers the most healing rural atmosphere and the purest joy. This is far more meaningful than visiting any trendy tourist spot. We've already made plans to come back next year!"

As soon as this post was published on WeChat Moments, a series of comments and likes immediately flooded in.

"Wow! Where is this? Please give me the address!"

"This looks so fun, the baby will definitely love it!"

"Save this! Taking the kids out next week!"

One share after another, one like after another, likes after likes, are like pebbles thrown into a lake, spreading ripples of fame throughout Baixi Village.

Summer in Baixi Village has just begun.

For Hua Yun, the biggest surprise of this summer carnival came from her three precious children—Si An, Si Le, and Si Tao.

Amidst the flurry of activity that swept through the entire village, three little ones who had just learned to express themselves clearly also found their own "jobs."

They transformed into little helpers for their mothers and grandmothers, becoming the youngest and most special "staff members" at the Baixi Village Parent-Child Park.

As the morning sun rose over the ridge of the western mountains, the entrance to the sheep farm was already bustling with activity.

A bus carrying a group of families stopped at the village entrance, and the tourists excitedly flocked to the sheep farm.

"Please don't push, everyone line up here to buy tickets!"

Hua Yun's mother, Li Guifen, shouted at the top of her lungs, her forehead already covered in fine beads of sweat.

Just then, a little figure wearing yellow duck overalls, with short legs, ran to the front of the line.

It's the eldest, Si'an.

He imitated the young traffic policeman on TV, stretching out his little hand to stop a young father who was trying to cut in line.

The little guy's face was tense, his brows slightly furrowed, like a serious little old man.

"Uncle, we need to wait in line."

His voice was childish and soft, but his pronunciation was exceptionally clear.

"One at a time. Otherwise, the lambs will be scared."

The young father was taken aback at first, then looked at the tiny child who was not even as tall as his knee and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Far from being angry, he found it extremely amusing and immediately retreated to the back of the line.

"Listen to our little commander! Everyone, line up!"

A burst of good-natured laughter erupted from the crowd, and the somewhat chaotic queue actually became orderly thanks to the innocent voices of the children.

Si'an puffed out her little chest, put her hands behind her back, and walked around the group with measured steps.

His innate sense of order was perfectly utilized in this small position.