After sitting in a daze for a long time, Ye Fei finally stood up, took the bus, and hurried back to his rented room. 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 with him. Now holding this unexpected windfall, he didn't know how to handle it and just wanted to get home quickly. It was too dangerous to carry so much cash around.
Once back at the rental room, Ye Fei locked the door from the inside and drew the curtains. Then, he picked up the pillow at the head of the bed, unzipped it, stuffed the three thousand yuan inside, and patted the pillow flat until there was no sign of anything unusual. Only then did his heart finally settle down.
Lying on the pillow, Ye Fei couldn't help but laugh out loud.
It wasn't until nightfall that Ye Fei woke up from a pleasant dream. Rubbing his stomach, he realized that being detained had its benefits—meals were on time, and he didn't have to worry about getting a stomach ache.
Ugh, why did he start thinking about that place again? Better focus on what to eat tonight!
Walking on the street, looking at the restaurants on both sides of the road, Ye Fei swallowed and lightly stepped towards a restaurant with a beautifully decorated entrance.
Back when he had no money, Ye Fei always thought that when he had the means, he would find a luxurious restaurant, order a lot of delicious food and drinks, and have a big feast by himself. Now, with five hundred yuan in his pocket, he could totally make this dream come true. However, after hesitating several times, he still didn't go in and turned away.
He wasn't heartless. Thinking of his parents at home who had been frugal all these years, his feet felt as heavy as lead, unable to move forward.
Hastening his pace, he found a telephone booth and called home.
"Mom, are you and dad doing well?" Ye Fei asked with concern.
"You brat, why did you call just now? What have you been doing for the past half month? You've almost worried us to death!" Ye Fei's mother, Wang Shuang, heard her son's long-lost voice and couldn't stop her tears from flowing, choked up as she spoke.
Ye Fei was the apple of his parents' eyes, and even though they lived in poverty, they never mistreated him. After this year's college entrance exam results came out, the couple planned to scrape together enough money to send Ye Fei to university. Unexpectedly, the sensible Ye Fei refused their arrangement.
Because of this, father and son had several intense quarrels. Ye Fei's father, Ye Li, even resorted to physical violence, but still couldn't change his son's decision. No matter how much they tried to persuade him, Ye Fei refused to continue his studies. In the end, he left his hometown with two thousand yuan and some luggage to work in the city of Tianjin.
In their hometown, there were many young people like Ye Fei. Due to scarce local land and the early retirement of the elderly, young people in the area entered society early to seek a living. Some even went to work after finishing junior high school.
The couple, in their late thirties, had their precious son at a late age and couldn't bear to let him suffer. But in the end, after several assurances from Ye Fei that he would return home if he faced difficulties, the couple reluctantly agreed to let him work away from home.
However, not even a month after leaving, Ye Fei suddenly lost contact. Two weeks passed, and the couple were extremely anxious. If it hadn't been for Ye Li's intervention, Wang Shuang would have rushed to Tianjin to find Ye Fei.
"Mom, I'm sorry, I... I've been really busy!" Ye Fei said, feeling a bit choked up. He felt guilty for not calling his parents immediately after coming out here. The experiences of the past half month were so eventful, he wished he could tell his mother everything in one breath. But he couldn't. He had grown up and knew that reporting good news without worries would make his parents feel at ease.
Wang Shuang couldn't stop her tears as she handed the phone to Ye Li and lay sobbing on the sofa. Finally knowing about Ye Fei's situation, she no longer needed to worry.
"Da Fei, everything's alright, isn't it?" At this critical moment, Ye Li steadied his emotions and asked softly.
"Dad, I'm fine. I just changed jobs recently and have been too busy to call you!" Ye Fei casually made up a reason.
Ye Li looked displeased and said, "Didn't you just start working a month ago? How come you've changed jobs already! Didn't I tell you, be down-to-earth and don't aim too high? Why won't you listen?"
When he was at home, Ye Fei detested his father's lectures on politics, which seemed endless. It wasn't until he faced the hardships of society alone that he suddenly realized how comforting his parents' voices were, and he never tired of listening to them. Besides those who truly cared for him, who else would talk to him about these principles of life and conduct?
After scolding Ye Fei for a few words, Ye Li felt that he had spoken too much and sighed, saying, "Alright, I'll stop. Be careful out there on your own!"
Noticing that Ye Li never asked about his job, Ye Fei wanted to please his parents and said, "Dad, the new job pays three thousand yuan a month! I'll send some money back to you!"
This was the amount Ye Fei carefully considered. If he mentioned too little, his parents would surely worry, but if he mentioned too much, they would suspect that he had done something illegal. Thus, he chose a relatively reasonable salary.
Ye Li said, "Don't bother sending anything! Your expenses are high out there, keep it for yourself! Remember to eat well and take care of yourself. If you don't have enough money, tell your parents! Ah, they say that a poor family has a narrow road. We planned to send you more money, but you didn't want it. This really frightened your mother! Now that you have money, buy a mobile phone for yourself, it'll be convenient for keeping in touch!"
Regardless of how much money Ye Fei earned, Ye Li and his wife didn't care. As long as they knew their son was safe and sound, they were content.
Tears welled up in Ye Fei's eyes as he said, "Mom, Dad, rest assured. I'm fine. I'll buy a phone tomorrow, and we can talk every day!" Overcome with emotions, he quickly hung up the phone.
After hanging up the phone, Ye Li looked at Wang Shuang, who was still crying, and said, "Stop crying, our son is making progress. He got a new job, and he's making three thousand yuan a month, even more than both of us!"
Wang Shuang wiped her tears and said, "Really? What kind of job is it? Is it tiring?"
Ye Li patted his head and said, "Look, I was so happy that I forgot to ask! Dafei said, 'Buy a mobile phone tomorrow, and whenever we want to call him, we can do so!'"
After receiving news from their son, the couple's worries vanished, and they excitedly discussed their son's new job. Tossing and turning, they found it hard to fall asleep.
They were just ordinary parents, yet the most down-to-earth. They didn't expect their son to become a high-ranking official or make a fortune; they only hoped for their son's safety and well-being, which was their greatest happiness.
With tears in his eyes, Ye Fei went to a Lanzhou noodle shop on the street and ordered a bowl of knife-cut noodles. This kind of Lanzhou noodle shop, found in major cities, was the only restaurant Ye Fei had been to for a long time. Sweating profusely, he finished the eight-yuan bowl of noodles. Sometimes, good food wasn't necessary; parents' heartfelt care and encouragement were the best condiments.
Back at the rented house, Ye Fei silently vowed to work hard to earn money, so his parents could live a worry-free life. Initially feeling uncomfortable about winning money through the use of his X-ray vision to buy lottery tickets, he now felt differently. For the sake of his parents' well-being, he was willing to pay any price. Moreover, he hadn't stolen or robbed anyone; he had simply used some means. Compared to those who committed murder and arson, he was much better!
Having found a reason to use his special ability, Ye Fei slept particularly soundly that night.
The next morning, Ye Fei changed into some old clothes and walked to the bus stop, choosing a route he had never taken before. In such a big city as Jincheng, it shouldn't raise suspicion to buy a lottery ticket in a place where no one knew him and then leave after claiming the prize.
To maintain secrecy, Ye Fei deliberately bought a pair of black sunglasses from a street vendor, so nobody would know if his eyes were open or closed. It was the best way to keep his identity hidden for now.
After ensuring he wasn't carrying anything conspicuous, Ye Fei entered an inconspicuous lottery station.
Perhaps because it was early, there was only the owner selling lottery tickets, and no other customers.
Ye Fei casually walked over and said, "Boss, give me a few scratch-off lotteries, I'll pick them out."
The boss casually handed over a stack of ten-yuan scratch-off tickets and said, "Just came in this morning, not bundled up, pick whichever you like!"
Ye Fei picked up the tickets, keeping his left eye behind the sunglasses shut while scanning with his right eye. Suddenly, a number imprinted in his mind: fifteen matched, and below it was a jackpot of 400,000 yuan. After looking several times, he trembled slightly as he pulled out that ticket.
Without bothering to check the remaining tickets, he casually took out two more and asked, "How much?"
"Thirty yuan," the boss said, collecting the other tickets.
Ye Fei took out thirty yuan from his pocket and handed it over, casually asking, "Boss, where should I go to claim the first prize if I win?"
"Isn't it written on top? The Welfare Lottery Center! Good luck, young man!" the boss said with a smile.
"Thank you for your kind words," Ye Fei said, taking the ticket and finding a chair to sit down. He no longer looked at the other two scratch-offs, focusing entirely on the last one.
If he hadn't miscounted, this ticket should be worth 400,000 yuan.
Forcing down his excitement, Ye Fei scratched off the numbers one by one. When the string of zeroes appeared after the 4, he couldn't sit still anymore, standing up in excitement.
"Young man, did you win a big prize?" the boss joked.
Ye Fei took a deep breath and said, "I wish, but it looks like I didn't win anything!" With that, he put away the ticket and slipped it into his pocket. He knew the importance of hiding wealth, so he couldn't afford to be careless.
After speaking, Ye Fei didn't linger and quickly left the lottery station.
Walking on the street, Ye Fei tightly held the ticket in his hand, afraid to let go. Every glance from passersby made him extremely nervous. They wouldn't know he had won a prize, would they?
With a wary look, Ye Fei watched everyone who approached. After walking a few steps, he was sweating nervously. He didn't dare take the bus, fearing the ticket might be stolen. This was a lot of money, 400,000 yuan; Ye Fei had never seen so much money, making him especially cautious.
After walking on the road for half an hour and seeing no one around, Ye Fei once again took the ticket out and counted the amount.
The past few days had been like riding a roller coaster, with his heart constantly reaching its peak and then plummeting to the bottom. Under such pressure, Ye Fei even wondered if he might have a heart attack.
That's right, he needed to claim the prize! What was he waiting for?
Ye Fei gave himself a slap. Money remained virtual until it was in his hands. He had to withdraw the money to feel at ease.
For a 400,000 yuan prize, Ye Fei, for the first time ever, hailed a taxi. He was more afraid of taking the bus and encountering a thief. Thieves nowadays were professional, with one doing the stealing, another transferring, and a few others providing cover. If something was stolen, don't even think about getting it back! Within a few minutes, your belongings could be transferred to another bus.