The fat man only had around seven or eight scratch cards in his stack. He was counting through the cards half-heartedly as if contemplating which one to scratch first.
Is this guy not going to scrape them?
Ye Hao acted quickly before he lost the chance and nudged the fat man gently with his elbow.
The man turned his barely discernible neck and looked confusedly at Ye Hao, "Brother, what's the matter?"
"Just to let you know, that stack in your hands is very unlucky. See the many wrinkles and dust on it? Those are the signs of passing through many hands. They are probably worthless. Trust me, I have frequented this lottery shop a lot since my school is close by. That stack of cards has been here a long time and no one has ever gotten even a cent of return from it, even to this day where only a few cards remain. I would recommend a different stack; just see it as a favor from a fellow scratcher." Ye Hao bullsh*tted with a serious and sincere face.
âHeh?" The fat man looked carefully at the stack in his hand. There were indeed wrinkles and barely noticeable traces of dust on it.
Usually, such factors wouldnât matter, but seeing that someone went through the trouble of informing him, his words must be true. After all, what gains would this student get by lying to him? It wouldnât hurt to choose a different stack anyways. Who knows? He might get lucky.
âIf thatâs the case, Iâll have to thank young brother for his reminder.â The man went up to the counter and tactfully asked the boss to replace the stack he had. The boss was befuddled by the fattyâs reasoning to do so but upon confirming that the cards were not tampered with in any way, he consented to the request.
The fat man sauntered off to one side and while he was distracted, Ye Hao took the opportunity to carry out his transaction and tore off the piece worth 20,000 from the forsaken stack.
Ye Haoâs hand trembled with anticipation and excitement. However, he did not scrape it on the spot but tucked it away carefully before taking his leave.
The boss of the lottery shop did not have the authority to redeem such a huge sum; Ye Hao would have to go to the City Sports Lottery Center or the Municipal Lottery Bureau to redeem it.
Mounting his bicycle, Ye Hao rode home with a belly full of joy.
"Tomorrow if your bank's loan debt is not paid, we will bring the matter to court. Then the court will seal your house. Don't blame me." A staff member with glasses said unkindly.
"In another half-a-month, you will have your money." Ye Zhiguo hurriedly said, his face painted with worry.
"I have already postponed it for three months now. If I help you again, I will be the one to get in trouble." The bank staff said coldly.
Before Ye Zhiguo could find any more words to say, the young man spoke again, "I have done my job and brought the issue to you. You can figure it out for yourself."
After saying this, the young man turned and left.
Ye Zhiguo's eyes suddenly dimmed.
Guo Xiuâs eyes turned red and were on the brim of spilling tears.
"Husband, are we going to become homeless?" Guo Xiu choked with a sore voice.
"Iâll never let that happen." Ye Zhiguo said in a deep voice.
"Can we just sell the house in order to pay for everything?" Guo Xiu proposed in an aggrieved tone.
"No." Ye Zhiguo flatly refused.
"But if we don't sell the house, it will eventually be seized by the court anyway. Additionally, if that happens, its value would be cheaper since it would be auctioned off quickly.â Guo Xiu said weakly.
"Donât worry; I will definitely find a way." Ye Zhiguo shook his head stubbornly.
He strongly disagreed to sell the house.
"Dad, Mom, I'm back." Ye Hao said with a smile while putting up his bicycle.
Ye Zhiguo and Guo Xiu instantly adjusted their looks as if nothing had happened.
"You hungry?" Guo Xiu looked at Ye Hao tenderly.
"Hungry!" Ye Hao nodded vigorously before saying cautiously, "Mom and dad, I made a small fortune today."
âHuh? Did you pick up lost money?" Guo Xiu asked curiously.
Lost? He did indeed âloseâ it in a way I guessâ sorry fatty... (^âœ^;)
"Hehe, something like that." Ye Hao nodded with a little guilty conscience.
"How much?" Guo Xiu inquired light-heartedly, thinking it was only a small sum.
"Guess!" Ye Hao challenged cheekily.
"One hundred?" Guo Xiu asked tentatively.
"Too little." Ye Hao smiled and shook his head.
"Mom didn't I just say too few?."
"A thousand?!" Guo Xiu probed, a little surprised.
Guo Xiu and Ye Zhiguo glanced at each other and saw a shock in each other's eyes.
"Come inside and talk." Guo Xiu hurriedly said.
The amount had exceeded Guo Xiu's expectations. This kind of thing was not suitable to discuss at the door.
After closing the door, Guo Xiu and Ye Zhiguo looked at Ye Hao with a scorching gaze.
Ye Hao smiled and took out the scratch card in his pocket.
Ye Zhiguo took a look at the card and soon a glimmer of light appeared in his eyes, "Twenty thousand?!"
"Not bad, huh. My luck ainât bad at all." Ye Hao said smugly.
Guo Xiu was shocked speechless when she heard the amount of 20,000 yuan.
She quickly got herself together.
When she and Ye Zhiguo confirmed that the lottery won was indeed 20,000, their faces were full of ecstasy and relief.
"Zhiguo, our house is safe." Guo Xiu accidentally leaked her joy in the heat of the moment.
Ye Zhiguo quickly gestured to Guo Xiu. Guo Xiu realized her mistake and quickly sealed her lips.
"Little Hao, your parents will keep this lottery money for you," Guo Xiu said softly.
"Mom, what are you saying? You can use it however you want." Ye Hao shook his head with a smile, "Anyway, Iâm a little tired. I'll go to my room and take a rest first."
Ye Hao lied on his bed after returning to his room.
With Ye Hao's sensitive ears after his transformation, how could he not have heard the conversation between his parents and the bank staff? It was just that his parents didn't want him to know so he pretended not to.
Ye Hao clenched his fists at his parentsâ silent suffering
Facing the college entrance examinations, he wasnât the only one bearing intense pressure. His parents were also worried about his well-being. At this point in time, Ye Hao couldnât do much other than putting out his best efforts. He wasnât strong enough to support his parents yet.
"Zhiguo, we will go to the Municipal Lottery Bureau to redeem the lottery after Little Hao attends school at noon." Guo Xiu glanced at Ye Hao's room.
"Okay then, let's go together." Ye Zhiguo nodded.
"This can finally be delayed for a few months." Guo Xiu said, the worry resting upon her eyebrows relaxing a bit.
People who have never experienced the feeling of being pressured by huge debt every day should count themselves lucky.
Ye Hao sighed but was relieved upon hearing his parentsâ conversation.
It seems that this 20,000 yuan has alleviated the family's urgent needs to some extent for now. As for the next step...
Ye Hao believed that in the next few months, he could find a way to get rich. But for now, there were still more important things to do. That is, learning.
Ye Hao's main task currently was to keep all the note-worthy information in his mind.
Time passed on at its own pace day by day.
Tomorrow is the day of the monthly exam, so no evening self-study is scheduled.
Ye Hao hurried towards his house on his bicycle. Just as he passed by a small dark alley, he heard a cry of exclamation.
Ye Hao hesitated for a moment before deciding to turn back and check things out.
"Who?" Ye Hao asked cautiously in a deep voice.
Ye Hao saw a girl sitting paralyzed on the ground. The girl was wearing a school uniform and her pretty face was full of panic.
"Li Qianqian?" Ye Hao was surprised.
Li Qianqian was Ye Hao's neighbor for many years. How could Ye Hao not remember her? It was only a few years ago that Li Qianqianâs family moved away and the two had no contact ever since.
What Ye Hao didn't expect however was that Li Qianquian would grow into such an incredible beauty in only a few years
Even the school belle, Lan Xiao Die, of the No. 2 Middle School seemed to be inferior.
"Ye Hao, itâs you? Please, save me!" Li Qianqian saw Ye Hao and quickly shouted.
"Relax, Iâm here." Ye Hao knew that this was the opportune time for the hero to save the beauty so he didnât leave the damsel in distress.
Rushing over, Ye Hao stood in front of the helpless Li Qianqian before transfixing his gaze towards the attacker. Under the superb eyesight of Ye Hao, the darkness of the alleyway dispersed as easily as the morning mist in sunlight.
But when Ye Hao saw the appearance of the enemy, he couldnât help but ooze cold sweat from his entire body.