Days.
The sky was dark and gloomy.
He breathed in the fresh, slightly chilly air brought by the rain.
He relaxed a little.
He ran straight over through the rain.
"One of each."
With a rapid clatter, the numbers Li Yu had given were entered.
Yuan. He carefully tucked the lottery tickets into the bottom pocket of his backpack, then turned and left the lottery sales center.
Li Yu bought an umbrella beside the lottery sales center.
He hailed a taxi straight home. The five-yuan bus fare really was cheap.
He stopped worrying about any of that.
He let a few stray raindrops patter against his face.
Greenery filled his vision.
Li Yu thought he would have to set aside a patch of land inside the base to grow rice. He would probably only be able to plant late-season rice.
Meters, a three-and-a-half-story house.
The closer he got to home, the more apprehensive he felt.
He walked slowly.
He called out for his parents out of habit. The body's ingrained habits were undeniably powerful.
When you realized your calls would never be answered again.
That was a loneliness that pierced you to the core.
Then he saw his mother walk out of the kitchen wearing an apron.
Two trails of tears ran down his cheeks.
"Looks like someone's had a rough time."
Then he stepped forward and hugged his mother tightly.
Countless emotions welled up inside him.
"I'll build a future here at home."
There were plenty of neighbors nearby, too, so he still felt it was best not to say anything.
Having returned from the apocalypse, he knew very well that the saying "only interests are eternal" was so fucking true.
He was afraid a slip of the tongue would cause trouble. Something like this was incredibly hard to believe, anyway.
When the time came, he could take the opportunity to drill the idea into their heads.
Li Yu silently firmed up his resolve.
He could just do it at home when the time came. Besides, there would probably be some other arrangements later. His parents knew something about those as well.
Li Hongyuan did not say much more.
Li Yu had boarded at school since elementary school, yet he had insisted on going somewhere far from home for university.
His father had declared that he would not pay Li Yu's tuition or living expenses.
Unexpectedly, Li Yu had risen to the challenge. He had scraped together his tuition and living expenses, working while attending university.
Who could have imagined that the kid would stubbornly solve every problem himself?
Yet he was utterly helpless when it came to this son. Still, there were limits to that.
If he could solve his problems himself, all those dilemmas would resolve themselves.
He could gain some measure of freedom.
After all, his father had spent years back home and had a fair number of connections.
Li Yu lay down at home to rest.
He went to his grandmother's house. One aunt. The whole extended family numbered more than twenty, and they only returned to gather during holidays.
But she still could not sit idle. They had been allotted quite a lot of land back then.
There were also two hills that belonged to their family, now covered with orange trees.
Minutes, and he could reach his grandmother's house.
The air was fresh. It was nestled within a vast forest.
Their home was hard to spot.
And it was only a twenty-minute drive from the county seat. This place could hardly have been better.
There were hills, water, and flat land. It could sustain long-term development.
Hidden, but not remote. The country road was actually quite easy to miss.
There were also several small ponds, and the largest plot, more than ten mu, lay right beside the hill his father leased.
So he went straight to the fields and found his grandmother.
She was still hale and hearty.
She told Li Yu to wash them himself before eating them.
Boundless joy filled his heart.
"I'm not leaving again this time, Grandma. I'm planning to start an eco-tourism farm here at home."
Starting a business at home.
"Living in the city. My eldest grandson is still the best. We'll let your uncles know when the time comes."
The biggest problem was construction.
Time slipped by in a flash.
Days. Days.
Li Yu checked the lottery results on his phone. The winning numbers had not been affected.
Ten thousand yuan.
Li Yu took a taxi to the provincial capital to collect his winnings.
A pair of sunglasses.
Li Yu had not wanted to donate anything in the first place. Who the hell knew where that money would end up?
"It's a blessing." But he had a bit of a bald spot.
He stared fixedly at the official. That look in his eyes had been honed by killing countless people during the apocalypse.
Cold to the bone.
The official did not dare meet Li Yu's gaze.
It would be hard to leave without donating.
But he could not be bothered to deal with that annoying bullshit.
The official still wanted to pester him some more.
"Then I won't donate a single cent."
After that, no one stopped him again.
Ten thousand yuan. A faint excitement stirred in Li Yu's heart.
★★
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