Chapter 8 — Leaving That Dinner Table, I Had 70 Million Yuan

The first Sunday of November, 9:15 a.m., I was at home, making a pot of coffee. Before the coffee was finished, the doorbell rang. I opened the door. Outside stood three people. Mother, brother, and sister-in-law. Mom wore the cashmere scarf I gave her, which was the only detail that surprised me a bit. My brother stood behind, his face ashen as if he hadn't slept all night. The sister-in-law stood in front. As soon as she entered, her eyes looked everywhere, from the floor, the TV wall, the glass door, to the lake outside. She swallowed her saliva. I leaned away. Three people entered the living room. When I sat down, my sister-in-law's hand rested on the sofa and gently touched the skin for two seconds. I went to the kitchen and poured three cups of coffee. No one touched it. The sister-in-law was the first to open her mouth, her voice was lower than usual.

“Vien Chu, how much does this house… cost?”

“8 million yuan.”

Her eyelid twitched. My brother sat next to me, his hands clasped together on his knees, his knuckles white. My mother sat in a single chair, leaning slightly forward, her lips pursed tightly.

“My money…” sister-in-law's voice was dry, “where does it come from?”

I didn't answer right away, got up and went into the office, took a bag of documents, brought them out and put them on the tea table.

“See for yourself.”

The sister-in-law is the one who reaches out first. She opened her bag, pulled out an A4-sized piece of paper, with a red stamp on it, which was a confirmation of receiving the reward. First prize, the winning amount is 70,000,000 yuan, after tax is 56,000,000 yuan, the reward date is August 11. Her eyes stopped at the date for a long time, then slowly raised her head. The mouth opened, but no sound came out. My brother snatched the paper out of her hand, looked at it once, then looked at it again. His hands began to shake, the paper made a rustling sound in his hand. My mother did not hold the paper. She doesn't need it. Because the sister-in-law's expression said it all. But she still asked.

“Vien Chu… what is this?”

I sat back down on the sofa, my voice very calm.

“August 10 at 10:00 a.m., I bought a lottery ticket, prizes were drawn at noon, first prize, 70 million yuan.”

The air in the living room froze.

“At 4 o'clock that afternoon, I went home.”

I looked straight at my mother.

“Mom put four red books on the table and said they were all for him.”

Her face gradually turned pale.

“Mom even said, ‘You pay 5,000 yuan a month, what's the point of having a house.’”

Her lips began to tremble.

"My sister-in-law said, 'Go away, once your wings are stiff, you fly away. When you can't stand it, don't come back and cry.'"

Her sister-in-law's whole body seemed to have exhausted all her strength and fell onto the sofa.

“That night I went back to my room.”

“The next morning I went to receive my reward, 56 million yuan was deposited into my account.”

My voice is even, neither high nor low, like I'm reading a series of numbers.

“Then you buy a house, buy a car, do what you need to do.”

“Until today.”

I looked at the three of them.

"For more than two months, no one has asked me where I live, how I eat, whether I'm okay."

“You only care about one thing.”

“Where does your money come from?”

Mother's eyes turned red, tears overflowed, flowing down the corners of her eyes. Her lips moved a few times, finally spitting out a sentence.

“You… why didn't you say it earlier…”

As soon as those words came out of her mouth, my heart felt like it was being squeezed by a hand. Not angry. It's something deeper, heavier, colder than anger.

“What if I tell you?”

I looked at her.

“Can I have another apartment?”

Her mouth opened, but there was no sound.

“Or… sister-in-law won't call me ungrateful?”

Sudden sister-in-law Suddenly he slid down from the sofa, his knees hitting the floor with a heavy sound. She grabbed my pant leg.

“You… little brother… I didn't understand before… I was wrong…”

Her voice cracked, her fingernails dug into my calves, so strong that they felt like they wanted to pin them. I took a step back. Her hand missed it, her whole body fell face down on the floor, her fingertips rubbed on the smooth floor, making a shrill sound. My brother didn't say a word from beginning to end. He was still sitting on the sofa, the reward paper was still squeezed in his hand, wrinkled. His eyes were glued to the cup of coffee on the table. The coffee had cooled down, the rim of the cup condensed with a ring of steam. His throat moved once, then moved again. But still didn't open his mouth. Because he has no right to speak. Four houses, he accepted. The younger brother was pushed out of the house, he looked. His younger brother had no money and no home. He patted his shoulder and said, "Go out and try." Now the younger brother has 56 million yuan in his hand. As for him, the 2 million yuan loan went down the drain, his house lost value, and he still had to pay 38,000 yuan each month. What does he say? Say sorry? Or say... lend me some? He couldn't speak. Because in front of the number 70 million yuan, every word becomes a joke. My mother stood up from the sofa, her legs were shaking, she had to hold on to the chair arm for a few seconds to stand steady. She walked up to me, tears streaming down her face.

“Vien Chu… mom was wrong…”

She raised her hand, wanting to touch my face. I don't avoid it. But not moving forward. Her fingertips touched my cheek, cold. Her hands have always been cold since she was little.

“Yes…” her voice cracked.

“I waited 28 years.”

Her hand stopped on my face.

“Wait for mom to say sorry.”

Her lips trembled more violently.

“Not for money, not for home.”