Won the Prize

Early the next morning, at exactly eight o'clock.

Summer in Jiangcheng always arrived particularly early. It was just past breakfast time, yet the air was already filled with a stifling, restless heat. Cicadas screamed themselves hoarse in the treetops, their noise irritating enough to drive anyone crazy.

Chen Zhi stood at the entrance of the stairwell.

Faint footsteps echoed from the stairs above, the sound of shoe soles scraping against the concrete floor. Li Zhiyi shuffled down with her head bowed, her hands twisting the hem of her shirt in a death grip. Heavy, dark circles hung under her eyes, making it obvious she had not slept a wink all night.

Right behind her was Lin Wanwan. The girl had not tied up her usual flashy high ponytail today; instead, her hair hung loose.

Let's go. Chen Zhi flicked a coin into the air and caught it smoothly, his tone as relaxed as if he were discussing the weather.

Li Zhiyi shuddered and looked up, her delicate little face filled with the grim determination of someone going to their death. Brother Chen Zhi, if... if we don't win, take my money to pay off the debt first. I already told my grandpa that I won't go to high school. I'll go work in a factory...

Shut up. Chen Zhi reached out and lightly flicked her forehead. You are too young to be acting like a tragic heroine.

Lin Wanwan sniffled and shoved her piggy bank into Chen Zhi's arms. There is over three hundred in here. I was saving it to buy a Walkman.

Chen Zhi weighed the heavy pig-shaped piggy bank in his hands, then casually stuffed it back into Lin Wanwan's arms. Hold onto it tightly. We will need it to hold the big bucks later.

The three of them walked to the lottery station under the scorching sun, silent the entire way.

The rolling shutter door was half-open. Inside, an old pedestal fan panted as it oscillated, blowing nothing but hot air. The owner sat behind the counter with his legs crossed, a nearly burnt-out cigarette wedged between his fingers, squinting at a small TV hanging on the wall.

Seeing Chen Zhi walk in, the owner paused for a moment before recognizing these suckers who had come to throw their money away yesterday.

Oh, little students, here so early? The owner blew a smoke ring, his face carrying a mocking expression that showed he was just here for the show. What is up? Dreamt of the God of Wealth last night? Here to claim your prize?

Chen Zhi ignored his sarcasm, walked straight up to the counter, pulled the crumpled wad of lottery tickets from his pocket, and slapped them all onto the glass surface.

Check the tickets.

The owner glanced at the pile of tickets that looked like scrap paper, sneered, and slowly stubbed out his cigarette. Alright, alright. Students these days just have too little homework. Always dreaming of pies falling from the sky.

He carelessly picked up the first ticket and fed it into the somewhat chipped ticket scanner.

Beep.

The machine let out a dull, long sound.

No winning. The owner tossed the ticket into the trash can by his feet without even batting an eyelid.

Lin Wanwan's heart clenched violently, and she instinctively grabbed Li Zhiyi's arm. Li Zhiyi buried her head even lower, completely terrified to look at the dark screen.

Beep.

No winning.

Beep.

Still nothing.

As ticket after ticket was handed a death sentence, the air in the lottery station seemed to freeze. The owner's movements became increasingly casual, even tinged with a bit of impatience. I say, little student, this is the ninth ticket. Two hundred bucks to buy a lesson is not a bad deal. Go back and study hard, stop wasting time on this useless stuff.

Lin Wanwan's eyes instantly turned red, tears welling up within them. She bit her lip hard to keep from crying out loud. Li Zhiyi simply went limp, leaning against the wall with a deathly pale face.

It was over.

Everything was over.

Chen Zhi would not be able to go to school with me anymore. He would have to go back to his hometown to feed pigs.

Chen Zhi stood in front of the counter, his face still devoid of expression. He watched the owner pick up the tenth ticket, the last of the quick-pick tickets from yesterday.

Beep.

The machine beeped ruthlessly once again.

Alright, total annihilation. The owner dusted off his hands, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and spoke in an earnest tone. Young man, take a word of advice from your uncle. Keeping your feet on the ground is the real deal. This lottery thing is just a...

Wait.

Chen Zhi interrupted his lecture.

He reached into his pants pocket and, like a magic trick, pulled out another crumpled wad of paper.

There is one more. Chen Zhi tossed the paper wad onto the counter.

The owner frowned, pinching the paper wad with two fingers in disgust. As he flattened it out, he muttered, Where did this garbage come from... It is so wrinkled, the machine might not even be able to read it...

Lin Wanwan and Li Zhiyi were already in complete despair. They had not even noticed when Chen Zhi had bought an extra ticket. To them, this was nothing more than Chen Zhi's final, dying struggle.

The owner shoved the wrinkled ticket into the slot. The machine hesitantly swallowed half of it, jammed for a second, and then swallowed it down with difficulty.

The lottery station was so quiet that only the noise of the spinning fan could be heard.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Ding ding ding ding ding!!!

An unprecedented, sharp, and frantic electronic cheering sound suddenly exploded, startling the owner so much that the teacup in his hand slammed onto the desk with a clang, splashing boiling hot tea all over his crotch.

Holy shit!

The owner ignored the burn, bouncing up from his chair as if he had been electrocuted. His eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out of their sockets, staring fixedly at the string of bright red numbers on the screen.

That string of numbers flashed wildly on the screen, as if mocking his earlier nonchalance.

Units, tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands...

The owner rubbed his eyes vigorously and leaned in for a closer look. The expression on his face morphed from disdain to terror, finally freezing into a deeply contorted look of utter disbelief.

This... this, this, this... The owner's tongue seemed tied in knots, and the finger pointing at the screen trembled violently. Second... second prize?! Four... four hundred and fifty thousand?!

Boom!

The number was like a bolt of lightning, striking down hard on the tops of Lin Wanwan and Li Zhiyi's heads.

Lin Wanwan jerked her head up, the tear tracks on her face not yet dry, her mouth wide enough to fit an egg. Li Zhiyi's legs gave out completely, and she slid down the wall to sit on the floor, absolutely dumbfounded.

How... how much? Lin Wanwan asked, her voice trembling, feeling as though her soul had floated up into mid-air.

Four hundred and fifty thousand! Four hundred and fifty thousand! The owner finally found his voice. I just run a lottery station, and I actually produced a grand prize! My ancestors must be blessing me!

Chen Zhi, however, remained excessively calm. He reached out and tapped the counter, making a crisp sound. Stop howling. Hand over the money.

The owner whipped his head around, looking at the calm teenager in cheap street clothes before him. At this moment, in his eyes, Chen Zhi was no longer an arrogant little brat who did not know the ways of the world, but a shining golden Buddha!

Little... no, Young Master! I do not have this kind of money here! The owner rubbed his hands together, his face plastered with a smile so flattering it was greasy. He bowed so low he practically wanted to press his face against Chen Zhi's shoes. You have to go to the city center to claim this! And... and for such a huge amount, you are not an adult yet, right? You will need a guardian to come do it!

Speaking of this, the boss seemed to remember something. He hurriedly pulled his phone from his pocket and clumsily handed it to Chen Zhi: "Quick! Call the adults in your family! This is a big deal! A massive deal!"

Chen Zhi took the phone and skillfully dialed a string of numbers he knew by heart.

The phone rang twice before it was connected.

"Hello? Who is this?" came Chen Jun's tired and hoarse voice from the receiver, clearly still overwhelmed by that 150,000 yuan debt.

"Dad, it's me," Chen Zhi said in a flat tone. "Bring your ID card and the household register, and come to the lottery station at the school gate."

"The lottery station? What are you doing there? Did you cause trouble?" Chen Jun's voice instantly rose eight octaves, full of panic and anxiety. "Chen Zhi! Did you beat up a classmate? Or did you break their machine? Don't move, whatever you do, don't move. Dad is coming right now! Don't be afraid, Dad is on his way!"

A flurry of chaotic sounds came from the other end of the line. It sounded like a chair falling over, followed immediately by Zhang Guifang's anxious questioning.

Before Chen Zhi could explain, the phone hung up.

Ten minutes later.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Chen Jun scrambled out, almost falling flat on his face. Zhang Guifang followed closely behind, running so hard her hair was disheveled and her face was deathly pale.

"Chen Zhi! Chen Zhi, where are you?"

Chen Jun rushed into the lottery station. At a glance, he saw his son standing at the counter, along with the boss, whose face was covered in fierce flesh and who looked like anything but a good guy.

His heart instantly sank.

It is over.

He must have gotten into huge trouble.

Chen Jun dashed over in a few strides, pulling Chen Zhi behind him like a mother hen protecting her chick. He bowed repeatedly to the boss. "Boss, I am sorry, I am so sorry! The kid does not know any better. Did he break something? Tell me, I am his dad, I will pay whatever it costs! Please do not call the police, please do not!"

Zhang Guifang also rushed up, grabbing Chen Zhi's arm and looking him up and down. She asked tearfully, "Son, are you okay? Are you hurt? Ah?"

The boss was taken aback by this display, but he quickly reacted, waving his hands hurriedly. The smile on his face looked worse than crying. "Oh, my good brother! You are making me feel guilty! What compensation?! It is your son... your son won the lottery!"

"Won... won the lottery?" Chen Jun froze, stuck in his bowing posture, his mind turning to mush. "Won what? Another free bottle of drink?"

The boss took a deep breath, pointed at the string of numbers still lit up on the screen, and roared with all his might, "Four hundred and fifty thousand! Your son won four hundred and fifty thousand!"

The air froze once again.

Chen Jun followed the boss's finger and looked over.

Units, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands...

His lips began to tremble, and his knees seemed to lose their bones. They suddenly gave way, and he fell backward.

"Lao Chen!" Zhang Guifang screamed, desperately holding onto her husband. But her own legs were shaking, and her eyes were glazed over, as if she had been immobilized by a spell.

Four hundred and fifty thousand.

"Is this... real?" Chen Jun reached out with a trembling hand, wanting to touch the screen, but he did not dare, afraid that the numbers would turn into bubbles at his touch.

"Realer than real gold!" The boss offered the crumpled lottery ticket with both hands, his attitude as respectful as if he were presenting an imperial decree. "Brother, you have raised a good son! This luck, it is like the God of Literature has descended to earth!"

Only then did Lin Wanwan finally snap back to reality. She lunged forward to hug Chen Zhi's arm, crying and laughing at the same time. "Chen Zhi! Chen Zhi, you do not have to leave! Boohoo... You do not have to go feed the pigs! And you do not have to eat instant noodles without seasoning packets anymore!"

Li Zhiyi also covered her mouth, tears silently flowing down through her fingers. It was the joy of surviving a disaster, a flower blooming in despair.

Holding that thin lottery ticket, Chen Jun's tears mixed with sweat and streamed down his face. This man, whose back had been bent by the weight of life, was crying like a child at this moment.

"Good... good..." Chen Jun muttered incoherently. He turned and hugged Zhang Guifang tightly. "Guifang, we are saved... We do not have to move..."

Zhang Guifang was also sobbing uncontrollably. The family of three hugged each other, releasing all the fear and grievances that had built up over this period.

After quite a while, Chen Jun barely managed to calm down. He wiped his face, turned to look at Lin Wanwan, and asked with a cautious, probing tone, "Wanwan, you just said... with this money, Chen Zhi does not have to go back to our hometown?"

Lin Wanwan nodded vigorously, like a little chicken pecking at rice. "Yes! Uncle Chen, with this money, the debt can be paid off! Chen Zhi can stay and go to school with me!"

Chen Jun let out a long sigh of relief, a long-lost smile appearing on his face. It was the lightness of having a thousand-pound burden lifted off his shoulders.

However, right at this moment, Chen Zhi suddenly spoke up.

"Dad, we cannot use all this money to pay off the debt."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the warm atmosphere in the room.

Chen Jun froze, and so did Zhang Guifang. Even the lottery station boss pricked up his ears.

"What did you say?" Chen Jun could not quite believe his ears. "Son, this money... if not to pay the debt, what else is it for?"

Chen Zhi took the lottery ticket from Chen Jun's hand and flicked it lightly.

"I did not buy this lottery ticket alone."

Chen Zhi turned around, his gaze sweeping over the red and swollen eyes of Lin Wanwan and Li Zhiyi, who was shrinking in the corner.

"In this, there is Wanwan's one thousand yuan of pocket money. That is her entire life savings that she saved up for years."

Lin Wanwan was stunned. She opened her mouth to say something but was stopped by a look from Chen Zhi.

"And Zhiyi." Chen Zhi walked over to Li Zhiyi and reached out to rub her messy hair. "She brought out all the savings she earned from selling barbecue, and was even ready to drop out of school to work and help me pay off the debt."

Li Zhiyi's body trembled violently, and she looked up at Chen Zhi in disbelief.

Chen Zhi turned around, looking straight into his father's shocked eyes, and said word by word, "This four hundred and fifty thousand belongs to the three of us. I will pay the debt. But this money must be shared with them."

Chen Jun looked at his son's immature yet unusually calm face, suddenly feeling a bit unfamiliar. The son who only knew how to cause trouble and break his heart seemed to have grown up overnight.

He was silent for a moment, then nodded heavily, a flash of gratification and pride in his eyes.

"Alright! We will listen to you!" Chen Jun patted Chen Zhi's shoulder with such force that Chen Zhi bared his teeth. "A person has to be loyal and righteous! This money should be shared!"

Lin Wanwan grew anxious, stamping her feet and shouting, "I do not want it! That was for you! I do not want your money!"

Li Zhiyi also shook her head desperately, waving her hands rapidly. "I cannot take it either... That was Brother Chen Zhi's luck..."

"Cut the crap." Chen Zhi interrupted their argument, stuffed the lottery ticket back into Chen Jun's hand, and turned to walk outside. "We will talk about splitting the loot when we get home. Right now, I am going to get a good meal. I am starving to death."

The sunlight spilled through the glass door onto the teenager's thin back, stretching his shadow very, very long.

Lin Wanwan and Li Zhiyi exchanged a glance, broke into smiles through their tears, and hurriedly chased after him.

"Chen Zhi! I want KFC!"

Inside the lottery shop, Chen Jun, his wife, and the owner were left staring at each other in stunned silence.

"This kid..." Chen Jun watched his son's retreating figure and swore with a chuckle, the wrinkles around his eyes brimming with amusement. "He takes after me, damn it!"