Old Ma’s purchase of lottery tickets for a thousand yuan was not disclosed to Yang Jian, but Yang Jian sensed Old Ma’s abnormality.
This was because Old Ma was distracted while working the next morning.
It wasn't until they returned to the trading company for lunch after delivering goods that Old Ma anxiously bought a lottery report from the market, which contained the winning numbers for the previous night’s Mark Six draw.
Yang Jian, having collected his lunch in the canteen, wondered where Old Ma had gone when he saw him walking over, holding a crudely printed newspaper with an excited expression.
“Uncle Ma, where did you go? If you’re any later, there’ll be no food left!”
“Little Yang, I won, I won the grand prize.”
Old Ma’s hands trembled incessantly, and his speech was slurred.
Yang Jian looked at him curiously, “Won? You bought tickets again?”
“Yes, I bought tickets after getting paid yesterday afternoon, just one number, and I actually won.”
“How much did you win?”
“Forty thousand. I’ve never won such a big prize, nor have I ever had forty thousand yuan all at once.”
Old Ma’s face was flushed, as if he had drunk too much. Yang Jian worried he might have a stroke.
“Won forty thousand, how much did you spend on the tickets?”
“A thousand. You gave me two thousand more yesterday, so I spent a thousand on tickets, and I never expected to actually win.”
Now Yang Jian was unsettled, “You spent a thousand yuan on tickets? And you won? Uncle Ma, if this gets out, who would believe it? How could you bear to spend so much money on tickets? Was it a divine revelation in a dream?”
Old Ma chuckled, “Ever since I met you, I’ve felt my luck turning. Not only did I get a good job, but my son has also become more sensible. He’s not only saving money but also planning to open a shop. So, I thought my luck with tickets might also improve, and I decided to go big. I spent a thousand yuan on a special number, and it really paid off.”
Yang Jian gave him a thumbs-up, “Uncle Ma, you’re amazing. I used to hear about people winning five million in the lottery and thought it was fake, but now I believe it.”
“Heh heh, I’m just benefiting from your good fortune. You are a benefactor to my family.”
“I’m a benefactor to your family? You’re not thinking of marrying your daughter to me, are you?”
Yang Jian joked, trying to ease the atmosphere and help Old Ma relax. If he got a stroke from excitement, it would be troublesome.
Old Ma, however, said seriously, “If you agree, I’ll let Lanlan try to get along with you.”
“No, no, no, I was just joking. Hurry up and eat. When are you going to claim the prize?”
“I can’t eat anymore, I’m going now. Ask the boss for leave, and I’ll be back after claiming the prize, it won’t affect the afternoon’s work.”
“Don’t you need me to accompany you?”
“No need. If the boss has something important, you can cover for me. One of us has to be here. I’ll go find Ma Yuan and have him accompany me to claim the prize.”
After speaking, Old Ma hurried away from the trading company, too excited to even think about eating.
The barbecue stall opened in the afternoon. When Old Ma arrived at the stall, Ma Yuan was still helping the boss skewer meat. Upon hearing that his father had something to attend to, he quickly asked the boss for leave and came out.
When he heard his father had won forty thousand yuan, Ma Yuan initially didn’t believe it. But when he compared the lottery report with his father’s ticket, it was indeed a winning ticket. He immediately jumped for joy, saying that he would start preparing for the barbecue stall with the prize money.
With immense excitement, father and son rushed to the small convenience store, only to find a large crowd gathered at the entrance.
“Old Xie, what’s going on? Why are you so agitated?”
Old Ma saw Old Xie, his face flushed red, cursing at the convenience store, and quickly pulled him aside.
Upon seeing Old Ma, Old Xie became even more agitated, “Old Ma, did you buy number twenty-seven yesterday?”
“Yes, you were the one who told me to buy it. And now I’ve won, I came to claim the prize, and I was planning to treat you to a drink.”
“Forget the drink! The owner of the lottery operation ran off. I also bought three hundred yuan worth of number twenty-seven yesterday, which would have won me twelve thousand. Damn it, the owner cheated me.”
“What, the owner ran off?”
Old Ma, already in a state of extreme excitement, was stunned by this news. Then, his eyes rolled back, and he fell straight down.
Fortunately, Ma Yuan reacted quickly and caught his father, but he also fell with him, and both landed on the ground.
Old Xie also quickly squatted down to pinch Old Ma’s philtrum. The people nearby also gathered around, with someone handing him a bottle of mineral water to cool him down.
Fortunately, Old Ma slowly regained consciousness, but his eyes were vacant, as if he were seriously ill.
Ma Yuan became furious at this point, “Uncle Xie, wasn’t the owner of this convenience store running the lottery operation?”
Old Xie looked at the four or five burly men standing at the entrance of the convenience store, “The owner of the convenience store denies running the operation, saying that the operator was just renting his space, and the profits and losses have nothing to do with him. When we went to reason with him, he called these people to beat us up.”
“Damn it, isn’t this deliberately bullying people?”
Ma Yuan saw a brick by the wall behind him, grabbed it, and rushed over.
But his small frame was destined to suffer. Before he could even reach them, he was kicked away, and then four young men surrounded him, punching and kicking him.
Seeing his son being beaten, Old Ma went mad and also rushed over, but he was still no match for them. He was knocked to the ground with a few blows.
Old Xie and the others couldn’t stand it anymore and swarmed forward, finally managing to stop those young men.
Ma Yuan was beaten black and blue, Old Ma’s nose was bleeding, and his eye had also taken a punch.
The owner of the convenience store then walked out. He was a sturdy man in his thirties, with a buzz cut, a face full of thick flesh, and an aura of aggression.
He glanced at Old Ma and his son lying on the ground, “Are you here to cause trouble, you bastard? From the moment this place started selling lottery tickets, haven’t I repeatedly emphasized that the operator has nothing to do with me? I just rented the place to them, and they give me a thousand yuan a month. Old Xie, you’re a regular customer at my shop. Do I look like I have any connection with them selling lottery tickets? I even buy tickets myself. I lost several hundred yuan yesterday, who am I supposed to ask?”
Old Xie remained silent. He knew this was the owner’s excuse. He had been prepared from the start. As long as the operator incurred significant losses, they would flee. After a while, someone else would come to operate the lottery tickets here.
Ma Yuan helped his father up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his hand, and glared at the owner, “Listen, this matter isn’t over. If my father’s forty thousand yuan isn’t paid, I’ll kill you sooner or later.”
“Oh, you little brat, you’ve got a big mouth. Come on, kill me.”
The shop owner charged at Old Ma and his son, but he was stopped by Old Xie and others, and someone called the police.
“Old Ma, let’s go back. If we continue to make a fuss, you’ll only suffer more.”
Old Xie pushed the father and son back home. The shop owner then dismissed the people he had called, and the onlookers also dispersed. The police would arrive soon.
Because both selling and buying lottery tickets were illegal, ordinary people could only accept their misfortune when encountering such situations. Who told them to be greedy and want to get rich by buying tickets?