Chapter 70 Let Me Give You a Wedding
In the 1990s, 200,000 was a number that could make people dizzy.
Zhao Qingda held the thin lottery ticket in his hand, standing at the entrance of the prize redemption point, feeling as if he were walking on clouds, his legs weak.
The numbers on the lottery ticket were exactly the same as the winning numbers published in the newspaper—the grand prize, 200,000.
He pinched his thigh; it hurt. It wasn't a dream.
When the staff pushed stacks of bundled cash in front of him, Zhao Qingda's hands trembled so badly that he had to try three times before he could sign his crooked name on the prize claim form.
The brand-new banknotes smelled of ink and felt heavy in my hand.
Stepping out of the prize redemption point, the sunlight was blinding.
Zhao Qingda stood by the roadside, watching the flow of cars and people, when he suddenly looked up and laughed loudly, laughing until tears streamed down his face.
Two hundred thousand! He drives long-distance trucks, working from dawn till dusk, when will he ever earn that?!
It would take twenty years, without eating or drinking, to save up this amount.
But now, with just one lottery ticket, you have it all.
Wang Juan was doing laundry at home when she heard the news.
The call was from Zhao Qingda at the post office, his voice trembling with excitement: "We won! We won!"
She was stunned for a moment, then asked, "What? You won?"
"Lottery! I won 200,000 in the lottery!"
The soap in Wang Juan's hand fell into the basin with a "plop," splashing up a cloud of foam.
"real??"
"Really! I've withdrawn all the money! It's in sacks!" Zhao Qingda shouted on the other end of the phone. "Wait at home, I'm coming right away!"
After hanging up the phone, Wang Juan slumped onto a small stool and didn't move for a long time.
Zhao Qingda rushed in carrying a bulging black travel bag, threw the bag on the ground, and unzipped it with a "whoosh".
Bundles of banknotes were stacked neatly.
Wang Juan covered her mouth, and tears streamed down her face.
She rushed over, grabbed a bundle of money, and touched and smelled it as if it were some rare treasure.
Then she looked up at Zhao Qingda, the two looked at each other, and suddenly hugged each other, crying and laughing at the same time.
Mr. and Mrs. Wang were happy for them. They also told the two of them not to spend money recklessly, but to save it and live a good life.
That night, the two of them guarded the bag of money and didn't sleep a wink.
The lights were turned on brightly so that we could see the bills clearly.
Zhao Qingda counted them over and over again, then scrambled them and counted them again.
Wang Juan then began to plan how to spend the money.
“Let’s sell the side rooms of the courtyard house first,” she said. “We won’t be living there anymore anyway. Then we’ll buy an apartment in the city, a two-bedroom one with a bathroom. We’ll put the rest of the money in the bank and earn interest.”
Zhao Qingda nodded vigorously: "I'll do whatever you say!"
The sale of the side rooms went smoothly.
When Zhao Fei heard that Zhao Qingda wanted to sell the house, he didn't say anything, but just asked someone to pass on a message that he was willing to buy it at the market price.
Zhao Qingda originally wanted to keep it under wraps, but he needed the money urgently, so he sold it.
With the money from selling their house and their lottery winnings, Zhao Qingda and Wang Juan bought a two-bedroom apartment in the best neighborhood in the city.
The apartment is on the first floor, with plenty of sunlight, and has a separate kitchen and bathroom with a flush toilet.
On the day of the move, Wang Juan touched the snow-white walls and the smooth floor tiles, and tears fell again.
This is the life she has always dreamed of—living in an apartment building, using a gas stove, and having a water heater for showering.
It's a pity that Iron Head is gone...
But it seems like things are finally going to get brighter.
Zhao Qingda was even more triumphant.
He bought himself a new outfit: a leather jacket, jeans, and polished leather shoes.
He bought another gold watch, which he wore heavily on his wrist, and deliberately rolled up his sleeves when he walked so that people would see it.
He also bought a Motorola cell phone, as thick as a brick, which he would carry under his arm when he went out and hand out his business card to everyone he met. The business card was newly printed and listed his title as "General Manager of Qingda Transportation Company," even though he was the only person in the company with only one car.
Zhao Qingda, who suddenly became rich, quickly became a local celebrity.
Everyone knows that the Wang family's son-in-law, who owns a sports car, won the lottery, bought an apartment, and is now living the high life with a mobile phone!
But Wang Juan's sense of crisis grew stronger and stronger.
She discovered that Zhao Qingda had become increasingly indifferent to her since he became wealthy.
Lying in bed at night, she snuggled closer to him, but he always turned his back, saying, "I'm tired," or "I have things to do tomorrow."
Sometimes when she takes the initiative, he just goes through the motions, finishes quickly, and then goes to sleep.
After a while, she realized something was wrong.
One night, Zhao Qingda came home drunk and went straight to bed.
When Wang Juan was taking off his clothes, she smelled an unfamiliar perfume scent on his collar.
She sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her husband's sleeping face, and a string in her heart snapped.
She decided to hold back and remain silent for the time being.
The next day, Wang Juan went to a traditional Chinese medicine clinic and got a prescription for some kidney-tonifying and aphrodisiac medicine, saying that "after some conditioning, you will be able to get pregnant soon."
Wang Juan took the medicine home, brewed it into a strong brew, and forced Zhao Qingda to drink it.
"I'm not sick, why would I drink this stuff?" Zhao Qingda frowned as he looked at the bowl of dark medicine.
“Just drink it!” Wang Juan pushed the bowl in front of him. “We’re still young, and we still need to have children. Tie Tou is gone, but we still need another one.”
Zhao Qingda couldn't refuse, so he pinched his nose and forced it down.
The medicine was very bitter, so bitter that he kept grimacing.
But he knew in his heart that it wasn't that he was incapable; he was just tired of Wang Juan.
The young lady named Ruomei was eight years younger than him. She had a good figure, was good at talking, and was also very open in bed.
Most importantly, she looked at him with admiration, unlike Wang Juan, who would constantly criticize him for being incompetent.
He and Ruomei developed feelings for each other after sleeping together.
Ruomei said she didn't want to do this job anymore and wanted to live a good life with him.
Zhao Qingda didn't agree verbally, but he had the idea in his mind. Now that he had money, what was wrong with marrying a young and beautiful woman and having a healthy child?
But he didn't dare tell Wang Juan this.
He knew Wang Juan's temper; if she found out, she would definitely cause a huge uproar.
Wenbin learned that Zhao Fei and Wen Xiaoxiao were living together.
He made a special trip to the neighboring city and sat in the tailor shop for an afternoon, watching his sister's long-lost smile, watching Zhao Fei busy himself helping out, and watching the children calling Zhao Fei "Dad".
Before leaving, he called Zhao Fei outside the door and offered him a cigarette.
"Zhao Fei, have you thought it all through?" Wenbin asked.
Zhao Fei took the cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag: "I've thought it through. This is the one for me."
“Xiaoxiao has had a tough time,” Wenbin said, looking at the street in the distance. “She’s raised three children and suffered a lot. If you truly care for her, I have nothing to say. But if you…”
“There are no ifs.” Zhao Fei interrupted him, his eyes firm. “Wenbin, I, Zhao Fei, swear to God that if I ever wrong Xiaoxiao in this life, may I die a horrible death.”
Wenbin looked at him for a while, then patted him on the shoulder: "Okay, I'm relieved to hear that."
After seeing Wenbin off, Zhao Fei returned to the shop.
Wen Xiaoxiao was helping Yizhen and Yibao try on their newly made clothes: white shirts and navy blue suspender skirts. The two little girls looked like a pair of exquisite porcelain dolls in them.
"Mom, is it pretty?" Yizhen asked, spinning around in circles.
"Beautiful, so beautiful." Wen Xiaoxiao squatted down and straightened her daughter's collar.
Time flies.
In the blink of an eye, those two wrinkled little babies will be going to kindergarten with their little backpacks on.
From the moment they were born, to their first steps, to their first words, and now to their ability to run, jump, and talk... these three years have felt like a dream.
Zhao Fei walked over and picked up one of his daughters in each arm.
The two children giggled, wrapped their arms around his neck, and called out in their clear, sweet voices, "Daddy!"
Zhao Fei had waited three years for that one word, "Dad."
Now that he had finally heard it, he felt his heart melt into a puddle of water, becoming incredibly soft.
When Zhao Yidi came over on the weekend, she saw Yizhen and Yibao calling Zhao Fei "Dad," and her little face was full of confusion.
“Dad,” she tugged at Zhao Fei’s sleeve and asked softly, “Why do your uncle’s children call you Dad?”
Zhao Fei squatted down, looked into his daughter's clear eyes, and didn't know how to explain for a moment.
He thought for a moment and said, "Yidi, Daddy is getting married to Auntie. From now on, Auntie will be your new mom, and Yizhen, Yibao, and Xiaogai will be your younger siblings. Daddy is their daddy, and he's also your daddy, okay?"
Zhao Yidi blinked: "Will Auntie still make braised pork for me?"
"Yes, of course."
Will you braid my hair?
"meeting."
Will they hold a parent-teacher conference for me?
"meeting."
Zhao Yidi thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Alright then. But when you get married, I want to attend the wedding banquet, and I want to eat lots and lots of delicious food!"
Zhao Fei picked up his daughter and kissed her on the cheek: "Okay, I'll let you eat your fill then."
That night, Zhao Fei had a serious talk with Wen Xiaoxiao about marriage.
"Xiaoxiao, let's get married." He held her hand and looked into her eyes. "I want to give you a proper status, and I want everyone to know that you, Wen Xiaoxiao, are my wife, Zhao Fei's wife."
Wen Xiaoxiao lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers: "Just get a marriage certificate, no need for a big ceremony... it's too embarrassing."
“That won’t do.” Zhao Fei’s attitude was firm. “I’m going to have a big celebration, a grand one. I’m going to invite all our relatives and friends, have the most dignified banquet, and have everyone come to give us their blessings.”
“But…” Wen Xiaoxiao’s voice was even softer, “This is… not a good look. After all, I used to be your brother’s wife, and besides, you’re a big boss, while I’m a divorced woman with three children. People will gossip.”
"Let them talk!" Zhao Fei raised his voice. "What business is it of theirs if I, Zhao Fei, get married? I just want everyone to know that I, Zhao Fei, have chosen you. Let them say what they want, I don't care!"
Seeing his excited expression, Wen Xiaoxiao felt a mix of sweetness and bitterness in her heart.
Zhao Fei didn't give her a chance to back down.
He started making wedding arrangements: booking a hotel, choosing a date, printing invitations, buying rings... he was so busy he barely had time to breathe.
Wen Xiaoxiao couldn't dissuade him, so she had no choice but to let him be.
Strangely enough, ever since she got together with Zhao Fei, her complexion has improved day by day.
Her skin became fairer and brighter, and the sorrow in her eyes dissipated, replaced by a gentle smile.
Even Sister Liu, who sells fried dough sticks, joked with her: "Master Wen, is there some good news lately? Look at your face, so rosy, like you've put on rouge."
Wen Xiaoxiao just smiled and didn't answer.
The wedding is set for three months from now, on the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Zhao Fei said he wanted "flowers in full bloom, the moon full, and people reunited," which has a good meaning.
The hotel chose the best state-run restaurant, which could accommodate thirty tables.
Wen Xiaoxiao still felt it was too flamboyant, but she couldn't persuade Zhao Fei otherwise.
It was as if he wanted to make up for all the time he had missed with her over the past three years.
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