Chapter 996

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Zhong Jianguo returned home with the 80 yuan he had won, and it was already past ten o'clock at night.

He sat in the empty room, and whenever he thought of the winning moment, he still couldn't help but grin with delight.

A person's greatest joy is obtaining an unexpected windfall.

This is also why so many people like buying lottery tickets, buying the Liucun lottery.

Although the winning amount wasn't large, that feeling is fundamentally not something earned through honest work can bring.

So Zhong Jianguo decided that next time the numbers are drawn, he will continue to go buy tickets!

The Liucun lottery doesn't have draws every day.

Only Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday have draws.

On days without draws, some villagers gather together to study the code reports.

Things like "White Miss," "Sixth Granduncle," "Red and Blue Waves" — these code reports printed by shoddy printing factories sell astonishingly well across the vast southern rural lands, just like almanacs!

Almost everyone who plays the Liucun lottery buys them to read.

And many veteran players even buy them continuously.

They study the code reports with even more painstaking diligence than studying books!

Right now, Wang Changgen went to notify the whole village that his new house will have its housewarming on the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month.

Last night was too late; he and Li Xiulan only notified Zhong Jianguo, and didn't notify the other villagers.

So early this morning he went door to door through the village to notify them one by one.

He happened to pass by Yang Xiaocai's home and saw Yang Xiaocai sitting at the door, holding a code report in one hand and a Xinhua Dictionary in the other.

Why hold a Xinhua Dictionary?

This wasn't because the Xinhua Dictionary contains Liucun lottery information.

Rather, because there are unfamiliar characters on the code report, he needs to flip through the Xinhua Dictionary at any time to look them up, so as not to miss important information!

"Yang Xiaocai, my new house has its housewarming on the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month; remember to come eat then!"

Although Yang Xiaocai and the Wang Family previously had some not-insignificant conflicts, Wang Changgen no longer holds a grudge, so for the housewarming he also invited him along.

There's another important reason: initially when his two sons married, he invited the whole village, but didn't invite Zhou Aidi, which ultimately led to the tragedy.

This made Wang Changgen feel in his heart that he also bore part of the responsibility for Zhou Aidi's death.

Absolutely cannot let similar things happen again.

So whether in-laws or enemies, he goes and shouts an invitation to all.

As for whether others will give face and come, that's their business.

"Good good! The twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month, right? I'll definitely be there then!"

Yang Xiaocai replied with a grin.

With free food to eat, how could he not go?

But if you ask him to give a red envelope, he definitely won't give one.

After all, right now he plays the Liucun lottery and has already gambled away all his already pitiful savings.

Not long ago the house ran out of oil; he didn't even have money to buy pork fat, so he took the leftover residue from last year's peanut oil pressing, what we call "peanut dregs," put it in the dishes and boiled it together, treating it as if he had added peanut oil.

After all, although "peanut dregs" are the residue left from pressing peanut oil, they more or less still retain some peanut oil inside.

"What are you holding that Xinhua Dictionary for?"

Seeing Yang Xiaocai actually holding a Xinhua Dictionary, looking like a diligent student, Wang Changgen couldn't help but gossip and ask.

"This is for studying the code report, right? When I encounter characters I don't know, I look them up."

Yang Xiaocai answered with a straight face; he was being quite frank.

Wang Changgen couldn't help but laugh:

"If you had studied this hard back when you were in school, you might be a university professor by now!"

Yang Xiaocai heard the mockery in Wang Changgen's words, pulled a long face, and said:

"Studying harder before was useless too; the family had no money, couldn't even pay tuition; even if I tested into university I couldn't afford to go!"

Wang Changgen nodded:

"That's true enough!"

At this time Yang Xiaocai asked:

"Help me look at this — what's this character called? I can't be bothered to flip the dictionary; flipping the dictionary is too troublesome, I don't know pinyin."

Wang Changgen leaned over to take a glance and answered:

"Isn't this the 'Qian' character from Qian-Kun? It says here, Qian Hexagram, Flying Dragon in the Heavens! Isn't this part of the almanac?"

Wang Changgen often studies the almanac, so he can tell that some content in this code report is similar to parts of the almanac.

"Flying Dragon in the Heavens — then doesn't that mean tomorrow the Dragon will be drawn?"

Yang Xiaocai analyzed with a straight face.

Wang Changgen said with a laugh:

"The dragon has already flown away, so how can the Dragon be drawn? If you ask me, it should be the Snake!"

Yang Xiaocai was puzzled:

"Why?"

Wang Zhanggen casually spouted nonsense:

"Because snakes can't fly, right? The dragon flew away, so all that's left is the snake?"

Yang Xiaocai immediately wore a suddenly-realized expression:

"Makes sense, makes sense! Then I'll go buy a snake tomorrow night! I'll trust you this once!"

Seeing Yang Xiaocai actually believed his ghost talk, Wang Zhanggen hurriedly said:

"I was talking nonsense, if you don't win, don't blame me!"

Yang Xiaocai laughed heartily:

"Won't blame you, why would I blame you! Right, does your home have salt?"

Wang Zhanggen was puzzled:

"Who doesn't have salt at home these days?"

Yang Xiaocai's home didn't have any, it had run out three days ago.

But he didn't go buy any.

He wanted to keep those two yuan to buy a lottery ticket, take a gamble, turn a bicycle into a motorcycle!

"Can you lend me some salt? I can't be bothered to go to town to buy, going to town is too troublesome!"

Wang Zhanggen didn't think much, immediately agreed readily:

"Then go to my home, tell my wife, she should lend you some!"

Yang Xiaocai laughed heartily:

"Good, then I'll go now!"

Finished speaking, he stood up to find Li Xiulan.

And Wang Zhanggen continued to notify the other villagers.

He couldn't help muttering:

"These days, even salt has to be borrowed..."

In the past when it was very poor, borrowing salt was very normal.

But now it's the 21st century, still borrowing salt, that's too rare!

Yang Xiaocai arrived at the Wang Family, discovered Li Xiulan was feeding chickens, and called out:

"Sister-in-law Xiulan, I came to your home to get some salt, just spoke with your husband, he agreed!"

Li Xiulan agreed very readily:

"Then go to the kitchen and get it yourself!"

Salt isn't worth money, so although Li Xiulan also felt borrowing salt was absurd, she still agreed readily.

Yang Xiaocai entered the kitchen, saw on the stove not only a glass bottle of salt, but also several glass bottles of peanut oil.

He immediately stirred with greedy thoughts.

He looked up toward outside, peeked, discovered Li Xiulan was still seriously feeding chickens.

He poured some salt into a plastic bag, then stuffed a bottle of peanut oil into his clothes' belly.

"Sister-in-law Xiulan, I took the salt, thanks!"

Yang Xiaocai held a cigarette in hand, had oil tucked in his clothes, and left hurriedly.

Li Xiulan just looked up for a glance, although Yang Xiaocai's behavior was odd, she didn't think much:

"You're welcome, salt isn't worth money, just take it!"

Result: after Li Xiulan finished feeding chickens, returned to the kitchen, only then discovered the stove was missing a bottle of peanut oil.

This made her immediately both angry and amused:

"This dead Yang Xiaocai! He even took the oil away from me!"