Chapter 35

When she was young, her mom had always told her that she should never open a red envelope in front of others to see how much money it contained. So, on the way back, Lin Miao kept her hands in her pockets, but didn't take the money out to count it. She was very restrained!
However, her little expression was so obvious that even the coach felt like his teeth were aching from it.
Then, after they returned to the sports school, Lin Miao separated from the coach and hurried home.
The house Lin Miao’s mom rented was very close to the school; she only needed to turn a corner to get there.
Lin Miao rushed upstairs, and as soon as she opened the door, she saw her little brother studying, and her mom cooking in the kitchen. Lin Miao quickly closed the door, and then excitedly called out to her mom and little brother, “Mom, little brother, I won the championship! And there’s a prize!”
Lin Miao took out the big red envelope given to her by the organizers.
Her mom froze for a moment, wiped her hands on her apron, and said in surprise, “You went to the competition?”
Lin Miao only then remembered that she hadn’t told her family about the competition because she thought she would definitely lose, so she didn’t mention it.
She was afraid that if she told them, her mom might come to watch her compete, and then see her lose, which would also delay her work for a day.
Also, she cared about her face. It didn’t matter if she lost in front of strangers, but losing in front of her parents was really embarrassing.
Lin Miao quickly tried to change the subject with the prize money, “I’ll divide it up first!”
Lin Miao took out a thick stack of bills and began counting carefully. She split it into five piles: “One for dad, one for mom, one for little brother, one for older brother, and one for me.”
Then she repeated, “One for dad, one for mom, one for little brother…”
Her mom was so touched by her serious actions that she nearly cried, her eyes full of tears.
As Lin Miao wasn’t looking, her mom quickly wiped her eyes, then quietly took the piles of money meant for dad, mom, and little brother, and added them to Lin Miao’s pile, just a few bills, but it seemed like a lot.
Her mom said, “It’s all yours. This prize money should be saved properly.”
Her little brother nodded, “When I grow up a bit more, I’ll earn money too.”
Lin Miao said, “I’ll still share it. It’s not easy to win the championship, and if I don’t take it this time, I might not have another chance.”
It wasn’t about the money, it was the joy of having it! She had money!
There was a total of three thousand yuan, divided into five piles, each with six hundred yuan.
Lin Miao rushed to find the red envelope cases in the cupboard and neatly packed them up.
She used her largest red envelope for her older brother’s six hundred yuan, making it look a little empty…
At dinner, Lin Miao happily gave out the three red envelopes, and then borrowed her dad’s phone to call her older brother.
Her mom had wanted to buy her a phone, but Lin Miao didn’t think it was necessary. She didn’t have time to use a phone at school, and the school had a phone. Plus, a phone was expensive, and carrying it around wasn’t convenient, she wouldn’t even know where to put it.
At home, her dad had a phone, and aside from her older brother, there was no one else she needed to call. Her older brother often came to see her, so she didn’t let her mom buy her a phone.
Soon, her older brother, Yu Jingxuan, answered the call.
Lin Miao’s first words were, “Older brother! I won!”
“Shui Shui, you’re awesome!” Yu Jingxuan said while flipping through photos.
“Do you have time tomorrow?”
While Lin Miao was talking to her older brother on the phone, her mom took the red envelopes from her dad and little brother, placed them in a cupboard, and locked it up.
“They’re for Shui Shui to save.”
After dinner, Lin Miao went back to school to sleep because Tan Jing would be scared sleeping alone in the dormitory.
Her mom and little brother sent her to the school gate and watched her enter before leaving.
She also brought some of her mom’s fried meat for Tan Jing.
Back in the dormitory, Tan Jing had just returned from practice, “Shui Shui! You’re finally back!”
Lin Miao smiled, “I won!”
“I knew you would win!” Tan Jing said while resting her head on Lin Miao’s shoulder. “Shui Shui, while you weren’t here, I played with the new teammates, and it wasn’t fun at all.”
Lin Miao pulled her into the dorm and closed the door, excitedly saying, “Winning the competition comes with money!”
Tan Jing blinked, ate a piece of fried meat, and then said in surprise, “Didn’t you know? My mom already told me.”
Lin Miao was a bit confused about life, “…”
Tan Jing lay on the table, “If we don’t have money and no jobs in the future, we’ll definitely starve to death…”
Lin Miao thought about it and realized that Tan Jing had a point.
Lin Miao blinked and then realized that although the school didn’t need money, when she grew older, she would need money to buy food, clothes, shoes, and so on. So, she would still need money…
At that time, she would be playing ball and couldn’t work, so without money, she’d have to rely on her mom again…
Lin Miao silently put her share of the money away, saving it.
After all, competitions only happened once in a while, and she might not win again, so she had to be careful with spending.
Of course, Lin Miao didn’t regret giving money to her dad, mom, little brother, and older brother. After all, it was her hard-earned prize money, and everyone should enjoy it together.
The next day, when Yu Jingxuan arrived, he received a big red envelope.
Yu Jingxuan was stunned for a moment.
Lin Miao, after a whole night, had calmed down a lot, but in front of her older brother, she couldn’t help but be happy, “Older brother, I have money! Here’s a red envelope for you.”
Her older brother always bought her food, whole boxes of milk, and often came over to tutor her. He treated her really well, but she didn’t know what to buy for him since it seemed like he had everything and didn’t lack anything. Most importantly, when she got money, she was the happiest. So, she thought, why not share the joy?
Yu Jingxuan saw that the red envelope had words on it and recognized it as the one given to her for the prize money. No wonder she had urgently found him the night before.
Lin Miao felt a little embarrassed and said, “I already gave dad, mom, and little brother their shares, so don’t feel awkward.”
Yu Jingxuan looked at her sparkling eyes and seriously accepted the envelope, thinking that it was the most beautiful and cutest red envelope in the world.