On Monday afternoon, during the third period, which was a study period, Su Zelin found the head teacher.
He needed to request leave to claim a prize.
The lottery center is closed on weekends, so he can only wait until a weekday, but there are classes at school during this time.
Back then, there was no real-name system for lottery tickets, but Su Zelin didn't trust his parents to claim the prize on his behalf. Although they promised to let him manage the money, who knows if his mom might change her mind at the last minute and confiscate the prize, or only give him a portion of it.
Su Zelin wanted the full prize so he could have more fun during the holidays.
The head teacher's last name was Guo, called Guo Xingbang, and he was the Chinese teacher for Class 2.
A middle-aged man in his fifties, a bit bald, with kind eyes, chubby like a laughing Buddha.
"Su Zelin, I heard from Teacher Lisa that you scored full marks in the third mock exam for English?"
"Yeah, just lucky."
"How could something like that be due to luck? You're too modest. Keep up the good work, I have high hopes for you!"
Guo Xingbang chatted casually with him and then asked, "Is there something you needed me for?"
"Old Guo, I want to ask for leave during the study period later!"
Su Zelin got straight to the point and stated his purpose.
"Leave? The college entrance examination is imminent, and we need to make the most of our time to study. If it's not something important, it's best to avoid taking leave."
Old Guo said earnestly.
"It's quite important, I won the lottery."
"Winning a lottery of a hundred or so bucks, what kind of matter is that?"
"I won fifty thousand!"
"What, fifty thousand?"
The laughing Buddha's mouth formed an O shape.
Old Guo was startled.
He was also a loyal lottery player and had heard that the city issued two major prizes last week.
The first prize of five million was won by an adult who hadn't been playing for long.
As for the second prize, it was said to be won by a student, reportedly guided by a dream from his grandfather. It sounded quite amazing, and who would have thought it was from his own class.
"The lottery center is closed on weekends, so I can only ask for leave!"
Su Zelin explained.
"Su Zelin, why don't you let your parents claim the prize for you?"
Old Guo frowned.
"No way, I don't trust them. They'll definitely pocket all the money. Old Guo, I worked hard to win the second prize, is it too much to keep a thousand or so for myself?"
Su Zelin was very determined.
"If I don't settle this matter quickly, I'll always be thinking about it, which could easily affect my studies, and I might even lose sleep every night, affecting my performance in the college entrance exam..."
"Alright, alright, I'll approve it!"
Old Guo ultimately couldn't argue with Su Zelin.
Agreed immediately.
Quickly wrote a leave slip, signed it, and handed it to Su Zelin.
"Su Zelin, I'll approve you for one study period, so hurry to the lottery center and take care of this, but make sure to return before evening study!"
"Sure, no problem, thanks Old Guo!"
"By the way, Su Zelin, was it really a dream from your grandfather that led you to buy the ticket?"
Old Guo asked curiously again.
"Yeah, otherwise, why would a student like me go buy a lottery ticket for no reason!"
Su Zelin thought to himself, the grandfather's dream is such a good excuse for a reborn person, he could use it a few more times in the future.
Holding the leave slip, he quickly ran down the teaching building.
Old Guo murmured to himself.
Could dreams really happen this way?
Why doesn't my old man give me a dream then!
At the school gate, handing the leave slip to the guard, Su Zelin walked out the gate and saw his dad waiting outside. The two had arranged to go to the lottery center at this time on Sunday.
Su Jianjun rode an old Jialing motorcycle, bought in the 1990s for nearly twenty thousand, at a time when the salary was generally a few hundred, making a motorcycle absolutely a luxury.
Even by 2000, many families still couldn't afford to buy a motorcycle.
As for a car, that was even less imaginable, costing tens of thousands, enough to buy a whole building.
The old Jialing had been in service for seven years, and its quality was still excellent. Su Jianjun hadn't retired it yet.
With time pressing, Su Zelin didn't chat much with his dad, sat on the Jialing's back seat, and the father-son duo headed straight to the city's lottery center.
Arriving at the destination, it was just after four, with more than half an hour left.
There weren't many people in the prize redemption hall, as not many people in the city won big prizes anyway.
"Hello, I'm here to claim a prize!"
Su Zelin found a staff member and handed over the lottery ticket.
The staff glanced at the ticket, a look of surprise flashing in their eyes.
Last week, a lottery player in the city won a first prize of five million, and another won a second prize of fifty thousand, said to be a student. As expected, it was true.
Prizes of five million had to be claimed at the provincial lottery center, but the city level could handle fifty thousand.
"Alright, please wait a moment!"
The staff first verified the ticket, ensuring it wasn't fake, then took out a form, filling in personal information, lottery details, and the winning period, etc.
Then there was photocopying the ID card, registration, and taking photos, among other things.
After completing the procedures, the staff handed Su Zelin a check. By signing his name on the check, he could go to a designated bank for exchange.
The fifty-thousand-yuan prize was reduced to forty thousand in the check, with twenty percent going to taxes.
Su Zelin felt a little heartache.
Receiving the check, with still time before five, the father-son duo hurriedly went to the bank again.
The so-called safety net, Su Zelin didn't want to wait.
There's no need to make an appointment with the bank for such a sum; he exchanged the check on the spot.
It wasn't until the money was deposited into his bank card that Su Zelin finally breathed a sigh of relief.
This amount of money in later years wouldn't even be enough for a night's drinking expenses.
The Liqun Fu Shan Chun Jutu cigarettes he liked to smoke cost 20,000 a pack, and sometimes he'd smoke several packs a day without batting an eye.
But now, as startup capital, this forty thousand yuan was very important.
Su Zelin gently caressed the bank card where he deposited the money, as if he had seen a hen that lays golden eggs.
"Son, we're letting you manage this money by yourself. I vouched for you in front of your mom, promising you wouldn't squander it. Don't make it hard on your dad!"
After leaving the bank, Su Jianjun solemnly reminded him once more.
"Got it, Dad. With this money, I won't need to ask you for my college startup funds, haha."
Su Zelin was brimming with confidence.
Certainly, this money wasn't enough to start a business, but he was confident he could multiply it several times over in a few months.
Su Jianjun didn't mind, thinking that his son just planned to embark on a small business venture to test the waters.
Zhao Lixia was busy at the agricultural market and didn't have time to come home to cook, so the father and son casually ordered two dishes on the street for dinner. Later, Su Jianjun took his son back to school.
During evening study, Su Zelin took out a can of Red Bull and stuffed it into Lu Haoran's hand: "Mouse, it's yours!"
While depositing the money into his bank card, he had taken out five hundred yuan.
"Uh, Zelin, why are you giving me money?"
Lu Haoran looked baffled at the can of Red Bull in his hand.
"Didn't I say last week we'd endure a bit now and enjoy good food and drinks this week?!"
Su Zelin waved his hand grandly: "I keep my word!"
"Come on, Zelin, you only mooched half a meal from me, it's not worth that much!"
Lu Haoran was embarrassed and reluctant to take the hundred yuan.
"Just take it, are you questioning my credibility? Besides, as the old saying goes, a drop of water shall be returned with a burst of spring!"
Su Zelin was displeased.
"Zelin, this isn't a big deal, we're friends. Besides, when you get more food while buying lunch, don't you share it with me?"
Lu Haoran was quite adamant, an honest man with principles.
"You're so daft, the hundred isn't just about paying you back."
Su Zelin scolded him, leaning towards his friend's ear and whispering, "Xiaoyanzi bought us a week's worth of sodas. Shouldn't you make some gesture?"
"Show appreciation? I thanked her last night, didn't I?"
Lu Haoran was confused.
"Thank her, my foot. That's not sincere enough, get it?"
Su Zelin was frustrated: "You should reciprocate, she treated us for a week, you do the same!"
"Oh, true, you do have a point."
Lu Haoran scratched his head: "But still, I can't take your money, I'll just budget myself better!"
Su Zelin figured that with Lu Haoran's meager meal allowance, saving up for four people's soft drinks would be no small task.
He cleared his throat: "Mouse, honestly, I want to use your name to reciprocate Xiaoyanzi on my behalf!"
"Why in my name? Can't you just treat her back?"
Lu Haoran couldn't understand.
"Mouse, just think about it, she owes me sodas because she lost a bet to me. If I treat her back directly, doesn't that make my win pointless? I need to save face, don't I?"
Lu Haoran felt a bit muddled, unable to grasp the logic.
It took him a while to sort through the logic.
"Zelin, you mean that if you treat Xiaoyanzi yourself, it's like you didn't win the bet?"
"Exactly, that's precisely it. So take the money, consider it my treat, but under your name, and don't breathe a word of this to her!"
"Oh, alright then!"
"..."
After much discussion, Lu Haoran accepted the money.
Su Zelin felt a bit frustrated.
His good buddy really was dense, his efforts were to encourage him with Tang Yan!
He had to play the strategist to aid him in wooing her while guarding his dignity.
Life wasn't easy!
"Hey, what are you two doing, having too much money?"
At this moment, Tang Yan noticed the two of them passing the Red Bull back and forth.
"Su Zelin, did you take leave during the third period this afternoon to go pick up your winnings?"
"Yeah!"
Su Zelin sighed.
"Don't even mention it, nearly all of the prize money, five thousand bucks, got confiscated by my dad. He only left me three hundred. I won the lottery, why should they just take it all? Isn't that annoying?"
"Don't complain. Wasn't it hard for your parents to raise you this big? Besides, with such a large amount, they're just holding onto it so that you don't fritter it away."
Tang Yan believed him and kindly reassured him.
Qin Shiqing, however, rolled her eyes and thought to herself that this boy could lie without even a script, speaking off the cuff.
She was aware that Su Jianjun and Zhao Lixia had agreed to let Su Zelin manage that prize money himself, and that he had surely saved it, yet here he was playing poor in front of Xiaoyanzi.
Su Zelin remained unfazed.
Apparently, Qin Shiqing hadn't divulged this to Xiaoyanzi.
Her lips were well-sealed, not letting out what shouldn't be said, swallowing it all down.
Why was Xiaoyanzi different, though?
...