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

The police car drove off with its siren blaring, stuffing Zhang Sandong and Zhang Damao inside. Only then did the crowd in the forest farm compound erupt in chaos.

"My God! Was it really Zhang Sandong who did this? That man is so ruthless!"

"Absolutely! They almost cost someone's life, all for a lousy job!"

"Serves him right! It's good he's in there! This kind of heartless scum deserves to spend his whole life in jail!"

The winds have changed so quickly. Those who were just pointing fingers at the Gu family are now spitting on Zhang Sandong's back.

Sister-in-law Hongxia wasn't having any of it. She put her hands on her hips and started yelling at the women who had been the most talkative earlier.

"Pah! You fence-sitters! Who was saying Xiao An had shady dealings just now? Why are you all silent now? You're all just watching the drama unfold, your mouths stinking like latrines!"

The women were scolded until their faces turned red and then white, and they slunk away into the crowd.

Hongxia's sister-in-law was still angry when she turned her head and saw the brigade leader rushing over, his forehead covered in sweat.

"What happened? I just heard that something big happened at the forest farm, and the police were involved?" the captain asked, pulling Hongxia's sister-in-law aside.

"You've finally arrived!" Sister-in-law Hongxia recounted the whole story, slapping her thigh in exasperation. "You had no idea what happened just now! Xiulan was almost scared to death!"

After hearing this, the captain let out a long sigh, and anger appeared on his face.

"I knew Xiao An wasn't the type to do that! Zhang Sandong, relying on being the team leader, has been running rampant in the arena for a long time. This time, he's really messed with us!"

Factory director Wang Xiangqian also came out of his office at this moment. Feeling embarrassed, he ran to Gu Jianguo.

"Brother Jianguo, sister-in-law, this matter... this matter is due to our forest farm's lax management, which resulted in a bad apple, causing you to suffer injustice."

He took out a piece of paper with a red stamp from his pocket, counted out twenty yuan, and stuffed them into Gu Jianguo's hand.

"This is Xiao An's official appointment letter. The factory has decided to process it ahead of schedule! This twenty yuan is the factory's compensation for the child's work injury; you must accept it!"

Gu Jianguo looked at the things in his hands, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Su Xiulan supported the exhausted Xiao An, her tears still wet on her face.

Xiao An couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart. He almost lost his life because of this piece of paper, and even got framed. It was truly... exhausting.

"Let's go home!" The captain patted Gu Jianguo on the shoulder. "It's all over now, let's go home!"

The group walked towards the village. Gu Jianguo pushed the cart, Su Xiulan helped Xiao An, Nuan Nuan was led by Da An, and Sister-in-law Hongxia and the brigade leader followed behind.

My heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, finally relaxed.

"Mom and Dad, let's go home and make something delicious to celebrate!" Nuannuan broke the silence, looking up at her. "Second brother is alright, he wants to eat meat! We also want to invite Aunt Hongxia and Uncle Brigade Leader to eat with us!"

His one sentence made everyone laugh.

Su Xiulan patted her daughter's head. "Okay, let's make it when we get home! We have to celebrate properly today!"

Back at the Gu family's courtyard, Sister-in-law Hongxia rolled up her sleeves and went into the kitchen to help without saying a word.

"Xiulan, you rest. Just look after Xiao'an. I'll take care of things here!"

Su Xiulan couldn't really rest, so she followed them into the kitchen.

Nuannuan ran to the woodpile in the corner and, without anyone knowing where she came from, pulled out a fat hen with its legs tied, and presented it to Su Xiulan like a treasure.

"Mom, stew some chicken! To nourish my second brother!"

Su Xiulan and Sister-in-law Hongxia were both stunned for a moment.

"You silly girl, where did you get this chicken?"

"It's the one we caught in the mountains last time. Nuannuan has been raising it!" Nuannuan said without batting an eye.

Su Xiulan didn't think much of it and took the chicken, feeling both soft and warm inside.

The enticing aroma of meat soon wafted from the kitchen. Chicken stew with mushrooms, along with two stir-fried vegetable dishes, filled the air with a fragrance that could travel halfway through the village.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was lively.

Gu Jianguo poured wine for the brigade leader, picked up the glass, and his eyes were a little red.

"Captain, sister-in-law, thank you so much for today."

"You're being too polite!" The captain downed his drink in one gulp. "We're in the same team; we should help each other out!"

Xiao An still had gauze wrapped around his shoulder and his face was pale, but he was in good spirits and was eating heartily.

Everyone was enjoying their meal when Nuannuan, gnawing on a chicken leg, mumbled something indistinctly.

"Uncle Captain, how's the matter with Shanshan going?"

Upon hearing this, the captain chuckled, put down his chopsticks, and looked at the clever little fellow.

"You silly girl, you're still thinking about your mountain? I asked around for you, and the commune has given its approval. They said it's a waste to leave the barren mountain undeveloped, so it can be contracted out."

Nuannuan's eyes lit up instantly, and she even forgot to wipe the oil from the corners of her mouth.

"Really? Then...can you contract it for a hundred years?"

"Pfft—" Sister-in-law Hongxia almost spat out her soup, laughing so hard she slapped the table. "A hundred years? My little aunt, you really dare to dream! In a hundred years we'll all be buried in peace!"

The captain was both amused and exasperated. "A hundred years is definitely not an option. The longest we can sign is a ten-year contract."

Nuannuan pouted, looking a little unhappy. Ten years is too short; many of her plans haven't been able to be implemented.

By then, she and her parents will have worked so hard to clear the mountain, but ten years will have passed, and wouldn't it have benefited someone else?

Seeing her pitiful appearance, Sister-in-law Hongxia's eyes lit up and she came up with an idea.

"How about this, tomorrow you go to the commune to complete the formalities, and take this little girl with you. Let the leaders see for themselves which money-grubber wants to lease the mountain, and let her negotiate it herself!"

Everyone laughed at that.

Upon hearing this, Nuannuan immediately perked up and puffed out her little chest.

"Yes! Nuannuan should go and talk to them herself! Nuannuan will say nice things!"

Amidst the laughter and conversation, the topic shifted back to Xiao An's work.

The captain looked at Xiao An and earnestly instructed him, "Xiao An, this incident should serve as a wake-up call for you. There are many people and gossips in the forest farm, and the relationships are complicated. Be more careful at work in the future, and don't rush into everything."

Gu Jianguo and Su Xiulan nodded repeatedly, they were really scared this time.

Unexpectedly, Nuannuan tilted her little head and suddenly blurted out a sentence.

"If it's not safe, how about we sell that job?"

……

In a dark corner of the alley outside the courtyard, Zhang Aidi clung tightly to the crack in the wall, hearing clearly the lively conversation inside.

Gu Xiaoan received a 20 yuan compensation for being promoted to a permanent position. Now his family wants to buy a yard and even wants to lease the mountain!

Why? Why is it that their family's life is getting better and better?

Zhang Sandong's arrest left her unable to explain to her family, and the fifty-yuan deficit weighed heavily on her mind.

The sounds of laughter and chatter drifted from the courtyard, making her extremely uncomfortable with jealousy and resentment.

She suddenly remembered Nuannuan's words about selling her job, and a wicked thought slowly took shape in her mind.

Her mind was filled with thoughts of a secure job and money, and a sinister sneer slowly crept onto her face.

"Don't you cherish that secure job?"

"Then I'll turn your secure jobs into death warrants!"