Chapter 5

Update Time: March 19, 2013

After sitting in a daze for a long time, Zhang Yang finally stood up, boarded a bus, and hurried back to his shabby apartment. He had over three thousand yuan in his pocket, which was a huge sum for him. When he left home to work, he only had two thousand yuan. He hadn't decided what to do with the money yet, but he knew he had to get home quickly; carrying so much cash outside was too dangerous.

After returning to his rented room, Zhang Yang locked the door from the inside, pulled the curtains, and then picked up the pillow from the bedside. He unzipped the pillow, stuffed the three thousand yuan inside, and patted it until it looked normal. Only then did his heart settle.

Lying on the pillow, Zhang Yang chuckled.

It wasn't until nightfall that Zhang Yang woke up from his dream of wealth. Rubbing his stomach, he realized that one benefit of being in detention was the regular meals, which meant he never had to worry about stomach problems!

"Damn, why am I thinking about that again? I should think about what to eat tonight!" he muttered.

Walking down the street, he looked at the restaurants on both sides and swallowed hard, lifting his feet to enter a nicely decorated one. In the past, when he was poor, Zhang Yang always dreamed of having enough money to go to a luxurious restaurant, order a lot of delicious food, and feast to his heart's content.

Who wouldn't want to eat and drink well? When he went out that night, Zhang Yang had five hundred yuan in his pocket, which was enough to eat at a restaurant. After hesitating several times, he still didn't go in and turned away.

He wasn't the kind of person who could be heartless. Thinking of his parents at home, who had always lived frugally, his feet felt heavy, and he couldn't step inside.

Walking quickly, he found a phone booth and called home.

"Mom, are you and Dad doing well?" Zhang Yang asked.

"You naughty boy, why did you only call now? What have you been doing for the past half month? You've almost worried us to death!" his mother, Wang Shuang, said, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed.

Zhang Yang was their precious child. Although they were poor, they had never let him lack for food or clothing. After his college entrance exam results came out, they had planned to sell everything to send him to college, but the sensible Zhang Yang refused their offer.

This led to several intense arguments between father and son. Zhang Yang's father, Zhang Li, even hit him, but it didn't change his mind. No matter how much they persuaded him, Zhang Yang refused to go to college and left home with two thousand yuan to work in Jin City.

In their hometown, many people like Zhang Yang worked in the city. The land was scarce, and both parents had been laid off early. The young people left home early to work in big cities, some even after middle school.

The couple had their only child when they were nearly forty, and they couldn't bear to let him work outside.

After much persuasion, Zhang Yang promised to return home if he encountered difficulties, and the couple reluctantly agreed.

Who would have thought that just over a month after leaving, Zhang Yang would lose contact with home. The couple had been worried sick for half a month! If not for Zhang Li's restraint, Wang Shuang would have already gone to Jin City to look for him!

"Mom, I'm sorry. I was just too busy!" Zhang Yang said, his voice choking up. Thinking about not calling his parents immediately after leaving, he felt a bit of self-hatred. He wanted to tell his mother everything about the past half month, but he couldn't. After living independently for a while, Zhang Yang had matured a lot. He knew that to make his parents worry less, he could only share good news, not bad.

Wang Shuang's tears wouldn't stop. She handed the phone to Zhang Li and sobbed on the sofa, relieved to finally have news of Zhang Yang.

"Da Yang, is everything okay?" Zhang Li asked, his voice steady.

"Father, I'm fine. I just changed jobs recently and was too busy to call you," Zhang Yang said, making up an excuse.

Zhang Li's expression turned stern. "You've only been working for a month. Why did you change jobs? Didn't I tell you to be down-to-earth and not aim too high? Why don't you listen?"

When Zhang Yang was at home, he hated his father's endless political lectures. But after facing the hardships of society alone, he suddenly found his parents' voices so warm and comforting. Who else would care about him and teach him how to behave?

After scolding Zhang Yang a bit, Zhang Li felt he had said too much and sighed. "Alright, I won't say more. Just be careful out there."

Noticing that Zhang Li didn't ask about his job, Zhang Yang wanted to make his parents happy. "Father, my new job pays three thousand yuan a month! I'll send some money home."

This was a figure Zhang Yang had carefully considered. If he said too little, his parents would worry; if he said too much, they would suspect he was doing something illegal. He chose a reasonable salary.

Zhang Li said, "Don't send money! Your expenses are high. Keep it for yourself. Remember to eat well and take care of your health. If you need money, just tell us. We were worried sick when you didn't have a phone. Get one now; it will be more convenient to stay in touch."

Zhang Yang's parents didn't care how much he earned; they just wanted to know he was safe.

With tears in his eyes, Zhang Yang said, "Mom and Dad, don't worry. I'm fine. I'll buy a phone tomorrow, and we can talk every day." He hung up the phone, unable to control his emotions.

After hanging up, Zhang Li looked at the still-crying Wang Shuang. "Don't cry. Our son is doing well. He changed jobs and earns three thousand yuan a month, more than both of us combined!"

Wang Shuang wiped her tears. "Really? What kind of job? Is it tiring?"

Zhang Li scratched his head. "I was so happy I forgot to ask! Da Yang said he'll buy a phone tomorrow, so we can call him whenever we want."

The couple, relieved to have news of their son, excitedly discussed his new job, unable to sleep.

They were ordinary parents, simple and honest. They didn't dream of their son becoming a high official or a millionaire. For them, their son's safety was their greatest happiness.

Wiping away his tears, Zhang Yang went to a Lanzhou noodle shop and ordered a bowl of knife-cut noodles.

These Lanzhou noodle shops, found on the streets of major cities, were the only restaurants Zhang Yang had visited for a long time. The eight-yuan bowl of noodles made him sweat profusely. Sometimes, you don't need fancy food; the love and encouragement of your parents are the best seasoning.

Back at his apartment, Zhang Yang silently vowed to earn more money to let his parents live a better life. Although he felt uncomfortable using his ability to buy lottery tickets, this feeling disappeared. To make his parents live a better life, he was willing to pay any price. Besides, he wasn't stealing or robbing; he was just using some tricks, which was much better than committing serious crimes.

Finding a reason to use his ability, Zhang Yang slept soundly that night.

The next morning, he changed into some old clothes, went to a bus stop, and chose a route he had never taken before. Jin City was so big that he could find a place where no one knew him, buy a lottery ticket, and leave after claiming the prize, avoiding suspicion.

To keep it secret, Zhang Yang bought a pair of black sunglasses from a street vendor. This way, no one would know if his eyes were open or closed. This was the best way he could think of to keep it secret.

After checking that he had nothing noticeable on him, Zhang Yang entered an inconspicuous lottery shop.

Perhaps because it was early, there were no customers except the owner.

Zhang Yang walked over casually. "Boss, give me a few scratch-off tickets. I'll pick one."

The owner handed him a stack of ten-yuan scratch-off tickets. "They just came in this morning. Pick any you like."

Zhang Yang took them, closed his left eye behind the sunglasses, and looked at each one with his right eye. Suddenly, a number caught his attention. Two numbers, fifteen, matched, and the prize amount was 400,000 yuan. After checking several times, he trembled slightly as he pulled out the ticket.

He lost interest in the others and picked two more at random. "Boss, how much?"

"Thirty yuan," the owner said, putting away the other tickets.

Zhang Yang took out thirty yuan and handed it over, pretending to ask casually, "Boss, where do I go to claim the grand prize?"

"It's written on the ticket. The welfare lottery center. Good luck, young man!" the owner said with a smile.

"Thanks for the good luck!" Zhang Yang said, sitting down on a chair. He scratched the other two tickets, but neither won. He sighed, realizing he still needed luck. Then he focused all his attention on the last ticket.

If he hadn't counted wrong, it should be 400,000 yuan.

Zhang Yang tried to suppress his excitement, scratching off the numbers one by one. When the string of zeros after the 4 appeared, he couldn't sit still and stood up, trembling with excitement.

"Did you win the big prize, young man?" the owner teased.

Zhang Yang took a deep breath. "I wish, but I didn't win anything."

He put the ticket away in his pocket, knowing it was better not to show his wealth.

After that, Zhang Yang left the shop quickly.

On the street, he kept his hand in his pocket, tightly holding the ticket. He was so nervous that every glance made him uneasy. They couldn't know he had won, could they?

He looked at everyone approaching with suspicion and was so nervous that he started sweating.

Zhang Yang didn't dare take the bus, fearing the ticket would be stolen. This was 400,000 yuan, more money than he had ever seen. He had to be extra careful.

After walking for half an hour, he found a quiet spot and took out the ticket again to check the amount.

The past two days had been like a roller coaster, with his heart racing up and down. He was worried he might get a heart attack if this continued.

Right, go claim the prize! Why am I waiting here?

Zhang Yang slapped himself. The money wasn't real until it was in his hands. He needed to get it out to feel secure.

For the 400,000 yuan prize, Zhang Yang took a taxi for the first time. He was more afraid of being pickpocketed on the bus. Nowadays, pickpockets were professionals, with one stealing, another distracting, and others covering. If he was really stolen from, he wouldn't get it back. In a few minutes, his things could be transferred to another bus.