Chapter 6: Washing Socks for a Month

No matter what Brother Ye Chen did, Gu Nianxi supported him unconditionally.

After leaving the lottery shop, Ye Chen carefully tucked the lottery ticket into his pocket. This was a 5-million-yuan jackpot—a huge sum of money. Once the winning numbers were announced, he could claim the prize.

But he needed to inform his parents about it. Kids couldn't open bank accounts, and there was no way to carry such a large amount of cash in his schoolbag.

The question was, how should he explain it to them?

When he got home, Ye Chen double-checked the numbers on the ticket to ensure they were correct. Only then did he feel at ease.

Knock, knock!

"Xiao Chen, what are you doing in your room? Come wash your hands and eat dinner!" Shen Yuhua's voice came from outside. Lately, she'd felt that her son's behavior was becoming increasingly odd.

He had become much more thoughtful, even volunteering to do chores—something that made her feel uneasy.

Her husband thought she was overthinking.

But their son had indeed become more mature!

Ye Chen placed the lottery ticket into a drawer, still contemplating how to explain everything, when he heard the knock again.

"I'm coming!"

As soon as he opened the door, the aroma of dinner wafted through the air.

At the dining table, Shen Yuhua and Ye Yuanfeng were already eating.

Ye Chen noticed something by his father's rice bowl—a lottery ticket!

He raised an eyebrow. Did Dad buy a ticket too?

As they ate, Shen Yuhua glanced at the lottery ticket and clicked her tongue. "Why do you keep wasting money on this stuff?"

"It's just a few yuan. What if I win? Even if it's not the grand prize, I might get a small prize," Ye Yuanfeng chuckled.

Shen Yuhua rolled her eyes. "You're always dreaming about hitting the jackpot. You waste money on tickets but haven't even won a cent."

"Hehe, my dear wife, it's all about luck. Maybe today is my lucky day," Ye Yuanfeng replied with a grin.

Shen Yuhua scoffed, "If you win, I'll wash your socks for a whole month!"

Ye Chen couldn't help but laugh. His mom had always refused to wash Dad's socks, saying they were too smelly.

Back in 2005, most families didn't have washing machines, so clothes were usually hand-washed. Only wealthy households had such luxuries.

"Wife, you said it! Let's make a bet. If I win anything, big or small, you'll wash my socks for a month," Ye Yuanfeng said with a smile.

"It's a deal!"

And so, the bet was made.

Ye Chen guessed his dad might actually win a few yuan.

---

The Day of the Lottery Results

March 6th, 9 PM.

Ye Yuanfeng sat in front of the TV, tightly clutching his lottery ticket, visibly nervous.

Ye Chen sat beside him, holding his own ticket.

"Xiao Chen, why aren't you in bed yet?" Shen Yuhua asked as she emerged from her room, having just finished applying her face cream. She was surprised to see the father and son watching TV together.

"I'm keeping Dad company while he watches the lottery results," Ye Chen replied with a smile.

"You can understand this stuff?" Shen Yuhua asked, laughing.

"A little. I've watched Dad do this so often that I've picked up a thing or two."

Shen Yuhua gave Ye Yuanfeng a stern look. "You're teaching the boy bad habits."

Ye Chen grinned. Dad, sorry for throwing you under the bus.

---

9:30 PM

As the time arrived, Ye Yuanfeng focused all his attention on the TV screen.

On the screen, a male and female host appeared, announcing the total prize pool and ticket sales.

Then they began drawing the first red number.

The first red ball was (06).

When the number appeared, Ye Yuanfeng's face fell in disappointment—his number was (07), just one off!

The second, third… until the blue ball number was announced.

All matched!

Ye Chen was ecstatic. Five million yuan! Even now, this was an enormous amount of money, let alone for an ordinary family.

After his initial disappointment, Ye Yuanfeng suddenly smiled. "Hehe, no big prize, but I won 10 yuan. Your mom's going to wash my socks for a month!"

As he spoke, he noticed the ticket in Ye Chen's hand.

Huh?

This kid also bought a lottery ticket? He had been too engrossed earlier to notice.

So, this little rascal had gone out and bought a ticket!

"Xiao Chen, you bought a lottery ticket too?" Ye Yuanfeng patted him on the shoulder. "Didn't win, huh? That's okay. Don't buy another one. If your mom finds out, it won't be good."

As he glanced at Ye Chen's ticket, the numbers caught his eye.

Wait a minute.

Why did these numbers look so familiar?

He looked at the TV, then back at Ye Chen's ticket.

Boom!

It felt like lightning struck him. He jumped up from the couch, staring at Ye Chen in shock.

This… this was a winning ticket?

Holy crap!

He couldn't believe his eyes. How was this possible? He rubbed his eyes, but the numbers remained unchanged.

They'd won!

And it was the grand prize!

---

A Family Meeting

Minutes later, the family sat around the dining table. Shen Yuhua looked at her son seriously. "Xiao Chen, tell me honestly. Did you really buy this ticket yourself?"

This was 5 million yuan!

What if he had taken it from the lottery shop by mistake while buying snacks? Even if they had the winning ticket, it would have to be returned to its rightful owner.

Ye Chen shrugged. "I bought it. If you don't believe me, you can ask Nianxi. She was with me."

The couple exchanged glances.

After some thought, they realized they knew their son well enough to trust him. He wasn't the type to lie.

It was real.

They had truly won 5 million yuan!

"My son, did you tell anyone else besides Nianxi?" Ye Yuanfeng asked.

Such a large sum of money had to be kept secret. If the wrong people found out, it could be dangerous.

Ye Chen shook his head. "Aside from Nianxi and the shop owner, no one else knows."

"Good, good," Ye Yuanfeng said with relief.

Shen Yuhua was also nervous as the family began discussing how to claim the prize and where to keep the money. After all, this was a huge sum.

Ye Yuanfeng suggested putting it in a bank to earn interest. Over the years, it would accumulate into a substantial amount.

Shen Yuhua agreed with the idea.

But Ye Chen, with his knowledge of the future, thought otherwise. What good was bank interest?

It would be better to buy real estate. Housing prices would skyrocket in the future. While other investments might lose value, real estate would only appreciate.

They could rent out properties for steady income or sell them later for a significant profit.

For now, the family shelved the topic of how to handle the money.

"Xiao Chen, it's late. Go to bed early. We'll claim the prize tomorrow," they said.

Ye Chen smiled. "Alright!"

It was a Sunday, so he could go with his dad to claim the prize.