A jinx, me? But I bring good fortune to my whole family!

Inside the house, the family was still pleasantly surprised that Da'an was a genius, and the singing voice from the transistor radio was particularly beautiful.

Looking at the black box, Su Xiulan felt as if she could see countless ten-yuan bills flying around.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, she got up.

She found a clean piece of red cloth, carefully wrapped the black box in three layers, and tied it with a sturdy hemp rope, her movements were very meticulous.

"Mom, I want to go too!" Xiao An followed behind, afraid that his mother couldn't protect their precious child alone.

"I want to go too! I want to go too!" Nuannuan crawled out of bed and hugged Su Xiulan's leg tightly before even opening her eyes.

"It's not safe outside, Nuannuan, be a good girl and stay home with Dad and your brother." Gu Jianguo was worried that there might still be human traffickers outside, so he didn't feel comfortable letting his daughter go out.

Nuannuan pouted, rolled her eyes, and ran to Da'an's side to hug her brother's arm.

"Alright then, Nuannuan will stay home and help her older brother fix junk and turn it into treasure!"

Her sweet, childlike voice was clear and loud, making Su Xiulan and Xiao An, who were about to leave, laugh.

Da'an looked down at his younger sister, his expressionless face twitching slightly, and reached out to pat her head.

Su Xiulan and Xiao An walked away, turning back every few steps.

The courtyard suddenly fell silent.

Gu Jianguo, leaning on his cane, moved a small stool and sat at the gate of the courtyard. He picked up a few bamboo stalks from the corner of the wall and used a knife to scrape them, making the bamboo skewers even sharper.

He has difficulty walking, but he's not useless. Anyone who wants to step into this courtyard has to think twice.

Ye Qing's injuries hadn't fully healed, so she moved a stool over and leaned against the doorframe to bask in the sun.

He kept his eyes closed, but as soon as there was the slightest rustling sound outside the yard, his ears would twitch and his body would tense up.

This is an instinctive vigilance, a readiness to attack at any moment.

This family, which appears to consist of only an elderly person, a child, and an injured person, is heavily guarded.

……

At the other end of the village, at the base of the wall of Grandma Gu's house.

Grandma Gu looked around furtively to make sure no one was around before taking out an oil paper package from her bosom and stuffing it into Wang Guixiang's hand.

"The stuff is in here. It's a good stuff from the city, mixed with sleeping pills. As long as that brat takes one, she'll fall into a deep sleep immediately. Then you can take it however you want."

Wang Guixiang squeezed the oil paper package, sensing that it contained candy balls. She swallowed hard, her eyes filled with calculation.

"Sister-in-law, if this works out..."

"Don't worry!" Old Mrs. Gu patted her chest. "Two hundred yuan! You won't be shortchanged a penny! That little brat is worth five hundred yuan!"

Two hundred yuan.

Wang Guixiang's heart was pounding. This was money her husband couldn't earn in a year of working outside.

With this money, she can build a new house for her son and help him get married!

"Don't worry! I've got this covered!" Wang Guixiang tucked the oil paper package into her bosom, patting her chest loudly. "I know that little girl well; she's very greedy. I can just trick her with some candy, and she'll come with me!"

"Hurry up! Their tomboy and that boy have both gone out. Now there's only a cripple, a sickly man, and that idiot at home. Perfect opportunity to strike!" Old Mrs. Gu urged, a wicked smile on her face.

Wang Guixiang nodded and turned to walk towards Gu Jianguo's direction.

Nuannuan was squatting on the ground playing with mud by the courtyard wall.

Her little hands were covered in dirt, and she was sticking her bottom out, digging a rusty piece of iron out of the soil—the part her older brother needed.

Suddenly, her little ears twitched.

A sparrow fluttered its wings and landed on her shoulder, chirping anxiously.

"Nuan Nuan! That fat woman is here! She's coming!"

"She's holding some nasty, fragrant stuff! Just smelling it makes me dizzy!"

Nuannuan raised her head, blinked her big, dark grape-like eyes, and looked towards the courtyard wall.

Sure enough, a chubby head peeked out from the top of the low wall; it was Wang Guixiang.

Wang Guixiang's face was all wrinkled from laughing, and she waved her hand on the wall, holding a handful of candy balls wrapped in candy wrappers.

"Nuan Nuan, my dear niece, come here quickly!"

Her voice was high-pitched and thin, deliberately strained, giving people goosebumps.

"Look what your aunt brought you! It's your favorite candy!"

"It's so sweet, and it even has a chocolate filling inside!"

Wang Guixiang waved the candy in her hand, looking just like the wolf in the story who tricked children.

Nuannuan felt a wave of nausea.

That wicked woman, she used to pinch her all the time and steal her food.

Now you're trying to trick her with candy? Do you think she's a three-year-old?

Oh, she's almost five years old now.

The little person in Nuannuan's heart rolled their eyes, but put on an innocent expression on their face.

She tilted her head, blinked her big, watery eyes, and pretended to be attracted by the candy ball.

She dropped the mud from her hands, wiped her little hands on her clothes, and ran towards the wall.

"Auntie!"

She called out in a sweet, soft voice.

Seeing that there was hope, Wang Guixiang smiled even more happily, her chubby face jiggling.

"Oh! My sweet Nuannuan, come here quickly, come to your auntie, you can have all these candies!"

She reached her hand over the wall, and the handful of candy balls glistened in the sunlight.

Gu Jianguo and Ye Qing, who were hiding at the doorway, both witnessed this scene.

Gu Jianguo gripped the bamboo skewer tightly in his hand and was about to get up.

Ye Qing shook his head at him, held up a finger, and made a "shh" gesture to his lips.

He could see it clearly: although Nuan Nuan's face was innocent, her big eyes sparkled with a cleverness that didn't belong to someone her age.

That little girl is so shrewd; she probably saw through it all a long time ago.

Nuannuan ran to the base of the wall, tilted her little face up, and stared longingly at the candy in Wang Guixiang's hand, even drooling a little.

"Auntie, does Tangtang really have a chocolate filling?"

"Really! It tastes even better than what the supply and marketing cooperative sells!" Wang Guixiang nodded quickly, holding the candy closer. "Take it now, don't let anyone else see it."

"But..." Nuannuan stretched out her little hand, about to touch the candy wrapper, but then suddenly pulled it back, her little face full of trouble.

"Dad doesn't let Nuannuan take other people's things."

"Silly child, I'm not just anyone, I'm your aunt!" Wang Guixiang exclaimed anxiously. "Take this, it's a good thing!"

"Then...then can you feed Nuannuan one?" Nuannuan pointed to her little mouth, "Nuannuan's hands are dirty, I can't hold the candy."

Wang Guixiang was taken aback, then became very happy.

Feed her? Even better! The medicine will take effect even faster!

"Okay! Okay! Auntie will feed you now!"

Wang Guixiang quickly unwrapped a candy and put the candy ball into Nuannuan's mouth.

Just as the candy ball was about to touch Nuannuan's lips, Nuannuan suddenly cried out "Ouch!" and her little body tilted to the side.

"Auntie, there's a big dog behind you!"

Her finger pointed behind Wang Guixiang, her little face filled with fear.