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

Ye Qing looked in the direction Wang Guixiang was calling for help and met a pair of evasive eyes.

It's Grandma Gu.

She mingled at the back of the crowd and saw Ye Qing looking over. Startled, she shrank back and tried to slip away from the crowd.

This old woman is indeed suspicious. How could a grandmother be so heartless? Ye Qing became suspicious.

The brigade leader tapped his pipe on the sole of his shoe, his face darkening as he made a decisive statement: "Alright! Stop arguing! Wang Guixiang, you're coming with us to the brigade headquarters! This candy is the evidence. I'll personally take you to the commune police station at dawn!"

Police station!

These three words chilled Wang Guixiang to the bone.

She can't go to the police station; if she does, everything will be over. Human trafficking is punishable by death.

A crazy idea popped into her head.

She leaped to her feet, ignoring the pain in her sprained ankle, and rushed towards Gu Jianguo to snatch the candy from his hand.

"Didn't you say it was poisonous? I'll eat it and show you!"

Wang Guixiang didn't even tear off the candy wrapper. In front of everyone, she stuffed the candy into her mouth and swallowed it.

She stiffened her neck, glared at her eyes swollen from the wasp stings, and roared, "See?! I ate it! It was just regular candy! If it had been poisoned, would I dare eat it? Would I dare?!"

Everyone was stunned, even the captain was dumbfounded.

What kind of mess is this? She destroyed the only physical evidence herself.

Gu Jianguo was so angry that he punched his own leg. He never expected this woman to be so reckless.

"you……"

"What do you mean, 'what ... what do you mean,'" Wang Guixiang retorted, having found her support again. "Your whole family ganged up on me, an outsider from another village! This is outrageous! I'm going to the commune leaders to get justice!"

The captain's face was dark.

With no evidence left and the person from another village, if this continues, it will become a conflict between the two villages.

"Alright! Everyone disperse!" He waved to the villagers who had gathered around, then pointed at Wang Guixiang, "You, come with me! This isn't over! I'll notify the brigade leaders of your Niulan Village right now and have them come and take her away!"

Although she couldn't be sent directly to the police station, notifying the other village was enough to give Wang Guixiang a hard time.

Wang Guixiang breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that she didn't have to go to the police station. She was then escorted away by several militiamen, who were limping and cursing under their breath.

The farce ended, but Gu Jianguo felt incredibly frustrated.

They knew perfectly well who did it, but they couldn't do anything about it.

……

Before dawn, Su Xiulan and Xiao An quietly left home carrying a black box wrapped in red cloth.

The black market was located in the most secluded alley in town.

The atmosphere became oppressive as soon as you stepped inside. People were all wrapped in headscarves or masks, walking with their heads down and not looking at each other.

Su Xiulan's palms were sweating as she held the black box, and Xiao An, who was beside her, was also very nervous.

The two found a corner to stand in, regretting not bringing Nuannuan along, feeling uncertain about their situation.

A man wearing a dog-skin hat circled around them a few times, then stopped and asked in a low voice, "Selling things?"

Su Xiulan nodded.

Xiao An lifted a corner of the red cloth, revealing a small edge of the black box.

The man's eyes lit up; he became interested.

"Open it and take a look."

Xiao An lifted the cloth and turned the knob on the side of the box.

After a brief static, the clear vocals came through.

"...willing to shed blood to write history!"

The man's eyes lit up even more, and he leaned closer to listen, his face full of surprise.

"How come this...this sound sells even better than what's sold at the supply and marketing cooperative?"

"That's right," Xiao An puffed out her chest, "my brother changed it himself."

The man circled the radio twice and held up three fingers.

"Thirty yuan, I'll take it."

Su Xiulan's heart skipped a beat. Thirty yuan wasn't a small amount, and she was about to nod.

"No way!" Xiao An refused outright. "Uncle, your price is too low. A new one at the supply and marketing cooperative costs two hundred and eighty, and mine is even better than a new one with a brighter sound. Are you trying to fob me off with thirty?"

The man was surprised that the child was so knowledgeable, and he clicked his tongue.

"Then how much will you say?"

"Two hundred and thirty!" Xiao An held up two fingers, then added three more. "We'll keep the one point less for ourselves!"

"Two hundred and thirty?" the man exclaimed. "Are you robbing me?! With a little more money, I could buy a new one!"

"Then go buy a new one," Xiao An said nonchalantly. "The new one doesn't even have as good a signal as mine."

After he finished speaking, he was about to cover it with the red cloth.

"Hey, wait a minute!" The man got impatient and pleaded with Xiao An for a long time.

Xiao An insisted on a price of 220 and also asked for three industrial vouchers.

The man winced in pain, but still pulled out a wad of cash and then took out three industrial coupons from his inner pocket and handed them over.

When the money and tickets were stuffed into Su Xiulan's hands, her hands were trembling.

Two hundred and twenty yuan!

This must be her husband's salary for the past few months before he got injured!

After exchanging money for goods, the mother and son quickly left the black market with the money in their pockets.

The two went to a scrap metal recycling station first.

The old man at the gate recognized Xiao An, and when he saw them coming to buy junk again, he waved his hand happily.

"Looking for junk again? Take it, take whatever you want, just give me five cents as a token."

Xiao An bowed and picked out a bunch of useful parts, packing them into a sack.

After leaving the scrap yard, Xiao An was going to work at the forest farm, while Su Xiulan walked alone towards the supply and marketing cooperative, carrying a sack on her back.

She clutched the money in her pocket, her back straightening.

I bought 20 jin of wheat flour and 10 jin of rice, and also cut 3 jin of pork with a good balance of fat and lean meat. I also bought a bag of brown sugar and a bag of fruit candy.

On her way home, Su Xiulan walked briskly, feeling delighted.

When she got home, she put the things she bought on the table, and Gu Jianguo told her about Wang Guixiang's trouble that morning.

The smile on Su Xiulan's face disappeared.

"What? That wicked woman is back again? She's trying to drug my daughter again?"

She was furious when she heard that; her mind went blank, and all that remained was anger.

"Where is she! Where is Wang Guixiang!" Su Xiulan turned and rushed to the corner, grabbing a wood-chopping axe, her eyes bloodshot. "I'm going to chop her up today!"

"Mommy, don't be angry!" Nuannuan was startled and ran over to hug Su Xiulan's leg. "The bad guy was arrested by the brigade leader! She won't dare to come back!"

"Auntie, calm down," Ye Qing said, her voice still a little weak. "The person has already been taken back to her village. You won't find her even if you go now. They've been taken advantage of, so they probably won't dare to come back anytime soon."

Su Xiulan trembled all over, clutching the heater, tears streaming down her face.

That was her heart and soul; how could there always be people who wanted to harm her?

The family was in a somber mood, and they ate their dinner without any appetite.

……

Night had fallen, and the mountain village was very quiet.

The kerosene lamp was still shining through the window of Grandma Gu's house.

Outside the courtyard wall, a dark figure slid out of the darkness and landed in the courtyard.

The shadowy figure walked to the door and knocked three times.

"Who is it?" came the wary voice of Old Mrs. Gu from inside the house.

The shadowy figure did not answer, but knocked three more times.

The door opened a crack, and Old Mrs. Gu poked her head out. When she saw the person outside, her face turned pale.

"You... what brings you here?"

The man in black pushed her aside and went into the house, bringing with him a chill.